Barry Manilow - Greatest Hits (1978)

Note: this release was originally purchased as a 2 LP set, later replaced by a CD.

This recent pickup from a used bin was completely unneeded yet absolutely necessary. I've got all the songs on other discs, so why on earth would I pick up this compilation? Simple nostalgia. This one brings back memories of 1978 when my family moved 500 miles to a new city and I started 7th grade in a new school with new friends but didn't give up my existent musical tastes. I became a "Fanilow" at the tender age of 10 and the two-LP set with gatefold sleeve was the very first "greatest hits" album I ever purchased. It was also the first gatefold sleeve double LP set I ever purchased (suggested list price: $13.98). Man-oh-man did I ever play the mess out of the thing. So while Ultimate Manilow may arguably be a more complete single disc compilation, this is the one for this guy. And now I'll play the mess out of it.

Released in late 1978, just in time for your Christmas shopping. Also released that season were greatest hits packages from Steve Miller Band, Wings, Barbra Streisand, Commodores, Steely Dan, and Earth, Wind & Fire - strong competition for your gift-giving dollar.

And since this Columbia Record Club CD version didn't include the hyperbolic liner notes from Clive Davis, here ya go:

It's hard to believe that it was only four years ago that I first met Barry. I had gone to Central Park to see him open for Dionne Warwick. There he was relating to 8,000 people, most of whom did not know who he was, with incredible verve, enthusiasm and musicality. He was thoroughly professional yet refreshingly innocent. In one sense he dared the audience not to succumb, and yet the incredulous wonder that the crowd was already loudly claiming him as their own personal discovery. That sense of pure boyish bewilderment that his talent is loved, cherished and respected is still with him today despite the fact that his fans are legion, now numbering in the millions.

Today, Barry Manilow is peerless in the world of popular music. His interpretive performances rank him at the top. He's the unquestioned best arranger of songs in America today. Further, he brilliantly co-produces his own records and, even more, he has written many of his own giant hits. For those who love a great song, a great melody, a great rhythm, Barry Manilow is synonymous with music itself. More important than his now historic sales achievements is his uncanny ability to reach the average person in a way to meaningfully affect that person's life. That is artistry.

And, yet, with all the popular acclaim surrounding him, Barry has never lost perspective on the important values of life. His sense of loyalty, responsibility and caring for others has only increased with time. So, let me dedicate this album to him as a wonderful artist, composer and friend. Success could not have found a more deserving person.

Press of the time:

• Billboard: "featuring all the highlights of his meteoric career climb"
• CashBox: "further solidify Manilow's position as the leading figure in the pop/easy listening market"
• Record World: "many highlights"
• High Fidelity: "worthwhile"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200: #7
• CashBox: #4
• Rolling Stone: #14

Tracks:

Song	Year	Hot 100	AC
Mandy	1974	1	1
New York City Rhythm	1975	-	-
Ready To Take A Chance Again	1978	11	5
Looks Like We Made It	1977	1	1
Daybreak	1976	*	*
Can't Smile Without You	1978	3	1
It's A Miracle	1975	12	1
Even Now	1978	19	1
Bandstand Boogie	1976	-	-
Tryin' To Get The Feeling Again	1976	10	1
Could It Be Magic	1975	6	4
Somewhere In The Night	1979	9	4
Weekend In New England	1977	10	1
All The Time	1976	-	-
This One's For You	1976	29	1
Copacabana (radio edit)	1978	8	6
Beautiful Music	1975	-	-
I Write The Songs	1976	1	1

*this CD inexplicably contains the studio version of Daybreak, not the later live version, which peaked at #23 on the Hot 100 in 1977. Also, the 1976 album cut Jump Shout Boogie, originally on the LP version, was omitted from this CD version. With a total disc running time of 69 minutes, that's an odd omission. However, the shorter radio edit of Copacabana is included here and I didn't have that elsewhere, so it all evens out.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I have a specific memory of this being the first album I played once I moved into my room at the new house. However, that can't be the case as the move happened in August 1978 and this set wasn't released until later that year. Shrug.

Finally, when my wife and I finally saw Manilow in concert in 2018, his setlist was very similar to this tracklist. And that's exactly what we wanted.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Ultimate Manilow (2002)
Here At The Mayflower (2001)
Summer of '78 (1996)
If I Should Love Again (1981)
Barry (1980)
One Voice (1979)
Even Now (1978)
Tryin' To Get The Feeling (1975)