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| October 26, 2006 | antiMUSIC.com | Manilow DVD for Halloween |
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| Hot on the heels of his Emmy Award for Outstanding Performance in a Music/Comedy/Variety Series or Special for "Barry Manilow: Music and Passion" comes FIRST & FAREWELL, Barry Manilow's new double-DVD set from Rhino and STILETTO New Media. One DVD features never-before-seen, footage from Manilow's inaugural tour rehearsal at Carroll's Studio in New York City in 1974. The second DVD captures the final concert of the historic "One Night Live! One Last Time! farewell tour in 2004 - recorded at The Pond in Anaheim - with Manilow performing many of the songs that helped him sell 75 million albums, collect 29 platinum records and become the #1 Adult Contemporary artist of all time. Bonus features include excerpts from concerts in Las Vegas and Chicago, as well as two personal and reflective interviews with Barry. FIRST & FAREWELL will be available October 31 at all retail outlets and at www.rhino.com for a suggested retail price of $19.99. The DVD will be released on the same day as his latest CD, Greatest Songs Of The Sixties - the follow-up to his million-seller, Greatest Song Of The Fifties. |
| October 24, 2006 | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | "Barry Manilow joins many undergoing new hip surgery" by Kathryn Kranhold, The Wall Street Journal |
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| On Oct. 14, Barry Manilow rolled on stage in a wheelchair at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J., just [weeks] after becoming one of the thousands of Americans who undergo hip surgery each year. With his backup singers dressed as nurses, Mr. Manilow then jumped up to sing, "It's a Miracle." "I'm standing," Barry told the packed auditorium, adding he was feeling a little "wobbly." It could have been worse. After 30 years of shows performing his 1970s hit, "Copacabana," Mr. Manilow faced the prospect of having both hips replaced this past summer. The operation would have likely left him seated at the piano during concerts. Instead, he underwent hip arthroscopy, a newer less-invasive procedure that repairs the hip rather than replacing it with an implant... Arthroscopic surgery has been done for years on shoulders and knees but the hip procedure started to take off in the past five years with the development of new techniques and instruments to diagnosis and treat torn labrums, says orthopedic surgeon Joseph McCarthy, who was one of the pioneers of the procedure in the 1980s ... Labrum tears also regularly go undetected by general physicians and orthopedic surgeons, says Lawrence Dorr, a Los Angeles hip specialist who diagnosed Mr. Manilow... Over the past four years, Mr. Manilow saw several physicians, including orthopedic surgeons, and underwent screening to find out why he was in such pain. His X-rays showed no arthritis but physicians told him they thought he would eventually have to have his hips replaced. He was on increasingly heavier doses of pain pills to get through his 90-minute performances five nights a week in Las Vegas. In June, he saw Dr. Dorr, who tested the singer's range of motion. Noting that Mr. Manilow still had some key movement, Dr. Dorr sent Mr. Manilow for a specialized MRI screening where a contrast agent is injected into the hips and highlights the cartilage. The pictures further confirmed that Mr. Manilow had torn labrums in both hips. On Aug. 28, the day after winning an Emmy, Mr. Manilow had the operation under general anesthesia. It took one hour; Mr. Manilow went home that same day. By the fourth week after extensive physical therapy and using some pain killers, Mr. Manilow was rehearsing 12 hours a day, preparing his return to the Las Vegas Hilton and his coming tour for his new album covering '60s songs. "Historically that never would have happened," referring to the rehearsal, says Dr. Carlos Guanche, the Southern California orthopedic surgeon who performed Mr. Manilow's surgery. "If you did one hip replacement, he would have never been up there." Mr. Manilow notes he won't be doing spins on stage for a while. At his Atlantic City show, he walked down a stairway during his big finale, "Copacabana." "Give me a month, and I'll be running down that stairway," he says. |
| October 23, 2006 | Press Release
(SOURCE: ARISTA RECORDS) | Sales of Barry Manilow's GREATEST SONGS OF THE SIXTIES Soar: Manilow Breaks the Record for the Highest Single-Hour Music Sales Event in QVC's 20 Year History - New Album GREATEST SONGS OF THE SIXTIES in Stores October 31st |
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| NEW YORK, Oct. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Barry Manilow, the top Adult Contemporary artist of all time, enjoyed unprecedented success this past Saturday, October 21 when he performed live from Chicago for millions of QVC viewers to kick off the release of his new album, THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE SIXTIES. More than 43,000 units ordered marked the highest single-hour music sales event in QVC's twenty-year history. |
| October 20, 2006 | Chicago Sun-Times | "Barry Manilow back on track" by Miriam Di Nunzio |
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| Barry Manilow has made it through the rain. Still recovering from arthroscopic surgery to repair torn cartilage in both hips that sidelined him for the last six weeks, the 60-year-old singer has immersed himself in an exhausting regimen of physical therapy. While the type of injury he sustained is more commonly associated with pro athletes, Manilow has chalked it up to 30 years of physically demanding concert shows. "I'm about 75 percent back," Manilow said in a recent phone interview. "And I'm in therapy, three times a week. I just have to listen to my doctors." Manilow will be in town Saturday night, performing the second of only two concerts (the first was last week in Atlantic City) before he returns next month to his mega-production show at the Las Vegas Hilton. "They [the doctors] said it takes athletes at least six weeks to get back on the field," Manilow continued. "And four weeks more to get back to the way they were before the injury." He has made extraordinary progress. "And it's not hip replacement," he said emphatically. "No matter how many times we put out the [press] release, the press just loves saying 'hip replacement.' It's two cartilage tears along the labrum, the cushion between the hip and the leg. Since I tore that cushion [on each hip], it was bone hitting bone ... I almost had hip replacement because I was in so much pain I would have said yes to anything [doctors were recommending]." But Manilow's unwillingness to accept hip replacement finally led him to a sports-medicine specialist in Los Angeles who gave him an option he could live with. "It would have stopped my career if I had done [the hip replacements] because you need a year of recovery, and even when you do recover you're not the same." Reviews of his show in Atlantic City reveal that Manilow physically was not quite 100 percent, but he was darn close. And his vocals, according to the Press of Atlantic City, were nothing short of stellar during the two-hour, sold-out concert. This may have been one of the most physically painful periods in Manilow's career, but it is ending on an emotional high note as the singer is set to release his latest album, "Barry Manilow: The Greatest Songs of the Sixties" (Arista) on Oct. 31. A new double DVD set, "First & Farewell" (Stiletto New Media/Rhino), hits store shelves the same day. A follow-up to last year's chart-topping "Greatest Songs of the Fifties," the new album features a host of classic '60s hits including "Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime," "What the World Needs Now Is Love," "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" and "Can't Help Falling In Love." After sifting through more than 250 songs, the 13-cut end result was a collaboration between Manilow and longtime mentor/producer Clive Davis, BMG U.S. chairman and CEO. "We're having a ball with it," Manilow said of their latest recording. "The 'Fifties' project was a great experience. How on earth that thing [went to] No. 1 was beyond me. But the 'Sixties' are even better for me, for my vocals. I really know how to sing these songs." Looking back on the last three years -- a No. 1 album, an Emmy Award for best variety special (for the PBS special "Manilow: Music and Passion -- Live From Las Vegas"), and a pair of explosive appearances on "American Idol" -- no one is more surprised at his staying power than Manilow. "I don't know why they embraced me so [on 'American Idol']," he said. "I just tried to get [the singers] to concentrate on who they're singing to, the lyrics of the song and what they're doing [while they're out there onstage] -- to not just mosey around the stage with their eyes closed. When you're singing a song, you don't sing to your eyelids. You sing to someone you love; you imagine someone you love." So why does the Grammy-winning, platinum-selling artist think he's still around in a business that's all about "the new hot young thing"? "I don't think I'm that great of a singer," he said. "I think people love the songs, buy the records because I'm connecting to them on some level. The songs I've chosen and written are well-crafted songs. But I'm always flattered when I still hear my songs ruined in elevators. (Laughs) You've made it when they've ruined your songs in elevators. You know those songs are going to outlive you." BARRY MANILOW; 8 p.m. Saturday; Allstate Arena, 6920 N. Mannheim, Rosemont; Tickets, $55-$270; (312) 559-1212. |
| October 17, 2006 | The Desert Sun | "Palm Springs resident Barry Manilow, up, performing in Atlantic City" by Kakie Urch |
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| Manilow was featured on "The Insider" television show, singing in a wheelchair, flanked by a chorus of nurses and "miraculously" getting up sing on his feet before 18,000 fans in New Jersey. Preparing for the Oct. 31 release of his next album "The Greatest Songs of the Sixties," Manilow told the television show that he is feeling much better and feels about "80 to 85 percent" and that he's "getting there."
The South Palm Springs resident told "The Insider" though, that he'll need to be repainting his home's interior -- because while using a wheelchair during his recuperation he "bumped into every wall in the house." Manilow is slated to resume his standing show at his own theatre at the Las Vegas Hilton on Nov. 8. |
| October 16, 2006 | Sys-Con Media | Music Legend Barry Manilow Kicks Off The Sixties on QVC: Manilow to Debut THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE SIXTIES to Millions of QVC Viewers |
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| WEST CHESTER, Pa., Oct. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Barry Manilow, the top Adult Contemporary artist of all time, will kick off the release of his new album, THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE SIXTIES, during a live QVC broadcast from Chicago on Saturday, October 21 at 4 PM (ET). QVC will offer shoppers THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE SIXTIES album, packaged with a bonus CD produced especially for QVC. Manilow's repertoire during the QVC broadcast will feature songs from the new album, showcasing the talented vocals and arrangements that have won him countless awards and legions of fans around the world. Manilow has put his personal touch on many classics of the Sixties, including The Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" (1965), Frankie Valli's "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" (1967) and The Beatles' "And I Love Her" (1964). Also included is The Lettermen's "When I Fall In Love" (1962), Burt Bacharach's "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" (1969) and a great duet with The Association of their two #1 hits "Cherish" (1966) and "Windy" (1967). THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE SIXTIES once again marks a reunion between Manilow and Clive Davis, Arista founder and BMG U.S. Chairman and CEO. The two produced THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE FIFTIES together, and that magic has carried over to the new album as well. "We are thrilled to have Barry back to QVC to debut his latest album," said Rich Yoegel, director of merchandising for QVC. "Barry is a true entertainer who continues to thrill millions of fans with his music and our customers will love listening to him perform." Manilow states, "I can't wait to show viewers of QVC selections from my fantastic new CD THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE SIXTIES. We had such fun recording this CD and even rehearsing it brings smiles to everyone's faces." THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE SIXTIES (QVC Item #E01232) will be available through QVC at 800.345.1515 or http://www.qvc.com/ while supplies last. About Barry Manilow: With worldwide sales exceeding 75 million, Barry Manilow is ranked as the top Adult Contemporary chart artist of all time, according to R&R (Radio & Records); with no less than 25 consecutive top 40 hits to his credit between 1975 and 1983 on the Billboard Hot 100. Among these are songs that are now part of the standard songbook, including "Mandy," "It's a Miracle," "Could It Be Magic," "I Write the Songs," "Looks Like We Made It," "Can't Smile Without You," "Copacabana (At the Copa)," "Somewhere In the Night," "Ships," and "I Made It Through the Rain." About QVC: QVC, Inc., a $7 billion company, is an e-commerce leader, marketing a wide variety of brand-name products in such categories as home furnishings, licensed products, fashion, beauty, electronics and fine jewelry. QVC, which celebrates its 20th birthday this year, reaches over 160 million homes worldwide. Other divisions/subsidiaries include QVC.com, QVC, QVC Local and QVC ProductWorks. The QVC Studio Tour is located at the company's world headquarters in West Chester, Pa. QVC is a subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation. |
| October 15, 2006 | Press of Atlantic City | "Recovered from surgery, Manilow delights A.C. crowd" by Regina Schaffer |
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| Just six weeks after surgery to repair cartilage tears in his hips, [Barry Manilow] was performing for a sellout crowd at Boardwalk Hall Saturday night, looking as good as new and playing up his recent successes. Those include a new hit album, "The Greatest Songs of the Sixties," a No. 1 album last January ("The Greatest Songs of the Fifties") and a surprisingly speedy recovery from surgery. The show opened with a large curtain falling away to reveal three backup singers dressed as nurses, pushing [Barry] onto the stage in a wheelchair. The crowd erupted into applause as Manilow, after making a few funny and pained faces, rose from the wheelchair to shout, "Hello Atlantic City! It's a miracle!" Manilow brought an unmatched energy to the stage of the Hall Saturday, barely taking time between songs and even doing a few sexy pelvic thrusts for the ladies in the crowd ... At points where his body decided to give out, his velvety smooth voice continued to shine. Manilow made the best of it and kept cracking jokes. "We had to cut out that ice-skating ballet number that we're so well known for." About midway through the first half of his show, Manilow asked his backup [singers], "Do you happen to have a chair? I'm a little wobbly." The audience applauded in support. Before the show's 20-minute intermission, Manilow told the crowd he was going backstage for a Demerol shot. Despite his brief moments of weakness, the Fanilows (a nickname given to Manilow's much-devoted fan base) had much to be pleased with Saturday night. The night was a trip through the decades with Manilow, with his classic hits sprinkled in. Manilow worked his way up from [Glenn Miller Orchestra]'s "Moonlight Serenade," off his 1940s tribute album "Singing With the Big Bands." Manilow spent the biggest chunk of the show performing hits from "The Greatest Songs of the '50s," the first Manilow album to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard charts. Talking about the record with the crowd, even Manilow shrugged his shoulders in surprise at how well it has done. But he did offer a possible explanation. "I think the reason is ... the public is starved for a good melody and a good lyric." That brought another round of cheers. "I'll drink to that!" a fan in the front section shouted. As he touched on the era of the 1960s, Manilow again poked a little fun at himself as he went through some old album covers with the crowd, pretending to smoke marijuana next to a lava lamp. He whipped out the cover of his 1973 self-titled album and held it up for the crowd. "Boy, is this a desperate housewife or what?" Manilow said as the audience laughed. He followed with a string of 1960s tributes from his latest release, which [debuts] this month, even throwing in a few surprises such as The Beatles' "Yesterday," which is not included on the latest album. Manilow finally made it back to the 1970s by the second half of the show, giving himself a chance to touch on his original [hits] including "Mandy," "Weekend in New England" and "I Write the Songs." "Copacabana," did not disappoint. Backup [singers] dressed in elaborate showgirl costumes walked the stage, as Manilow crooned the famous words, "Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl," over the screams of the crowd. That song, like each song Manilow sang Saturday night, ended in a grand crescendo. It was proof that when Manilow wants to entertain, nothing can keep him sitting down. |
| October 13, 2006 | Reuters / Billboard | "Manilow returns as child of the '60s" by Michael Paoletta |
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| NEW YORK (Billboard) - Four weeks after hip surgery, Barry Manilow is back at work, rehearsing for upcoming live shows in Atlantic City and Chicago. "I shouldn't be jiggling around to 'Copacabana.' My doctors and nurses were on hand and they were shaking their heads. But I'll be OK," Manilow says. On the eve of the October 31 release of his new Arista album, "The Greatest Songs of the Sixties" -- as well as the double-DVD set "First & Farewell" from Stiletto New Media/Rhino -- Manilow is, sore joints aside, in great spirits. And for good reason: 2006 has been a very good year for the singer/songwriter. Nearly a year ago, he released "The Greatest Songs of the Fifties," the first Billboard 200 chart-topper of his career. Days before surgery, Manilow picked up an Emmy award for outstanding individual performance in a variety or music program for the PBS special "Manilow: Music and Passion -- Live From Las Vegas," which also was released on DVD. Oh, there's also his sold-out run at the Las Vegas Hilton, which is scheduled to resume next month. Manilow admits he and Arista founder and BMG U.S. chairman/CEO Clive Davis -- partners in song on both collections -- were shocked by the success of "Fifties." "Weeks later, we began discussing a follow-up, and it was logical to go with the '60s," Manilow says. "The music of the '60s formed my pop musical taste -- it was the music of my youth." As a result, the song selection process was easier and more fun, but not without complications. "We had hundreds of songs to choose from, as opposed to 70 for the 'Fifties' collection," Manilow says. "I compiled a list of 100 songs and sent the list to friends and asked them to select their favorite 10 songs from the list. The same songs kept showing up." "Sixties" includes "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head," "And I Love Her," "Strangers in the Night" and lead single "Can't Take My Eyes off You." On October 14, Manilow will play Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall, followed by an October 21 concert at Chicago's Allstate Arena. Also on October 21, he will perform on QVC and discuss the album. "I've been out there for several years," he says. "I'm amazed that people are still interested in buying my albums and coming to my live shows." |
| October 13, 2006 | NorthJersey.com | Looks like Manilow has made it |
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| It's a miracle. But could it be magic, too? Of the four major concert acts playing Boardwalk Hall in October and early November -- Elton John, Barry Manilow, the Rolling Stones and Barbra Streisand -- only one show was sold out at press time. And it isn't the one you might think. There isn't a seat to be had for Barry Manilow's concert Saturday night, his first Atlantic City date in nearly a decade. The seemingly indestructible pop singer and songwriter, who admits he's always been "annoyingly popular" to his biggest critics, doesn't take this news in stride during a phone conversation from his home in Palm Springs, Calif. The 60-year-old entertainer, who also admits having a large ego, sounded genuinely humbled by the honor and is at a loss to explain his box office appeal amid the heaviest hitters in the business. "I honestly don't know what to make of that," he says, a slightly incredulous tone creeping into his voice. "All I can tell you is that I'm a very grateful guy." And, by his own admission, a lucky one, too. Twice as nice - Manilow says no one was more surprised than he by two events last year: his string of sold-out performances at the Las Vegas Hilton, where he's the casino's star-in-residence for the next three years, and his platinum-selling album of songs from the 1950s. Arista Records founder Clive Davis, whom Manilow considers his mentor, developed the idea for the '50s album. Manilow thought he was crazy. But where Manilow thinks like an artist, Davis thinks like a businessman, with his pulse on public tastes and trends. "Left to my own devices, I'd go as far away from commercial as possible and do a tribute to Tom Waits," he says. The album was so successful that when the recording mogul suggested it was time to record the best songs of the '60s, Manilow was onboard from the start. Manilow e-mailed a list of 250 songs from the era to friends and colleagues and asked them to choose their favorites. When the results came back, Manilow found most people had chosen the same 20 songs. He recorded 19 of those songs, and 13 tunes made it onto "The Greatest Songs of the Sixties," which will be released Oct. 31. Manilow samples a broad variety of songs and artists, from Herman's Hermits ("There's a Kind of Hush") to Dean Martin ("Everybody Love Somebody Sometime") to Bobby Vinton ("Blue Velvet") and Frankie Valli ("Can't Take My Eyes Off of You"). Fan of show tunes, jazz - In spite of their popularity, those songs weren't among Manilow's favorite music. He admits his career has been filled with a series of personal contradictions. He's always been a somewhat reluctant performer. And he's never been a big fan of pop music, preferring instead show tunes by Broadway composer Oscar Hammerstein II and jazz numbers by Cole Porter. Yet his worldwide commercial success has been as a performer and composer of catchy pop songs "with four chords and kindergarten lyrics." But his success has earned him the right to occasionally stray from pop and indulge his passion for jazz by releasing albums like "2 a.m. Paradise Cafe," a swing album like "Swing Street" or his collection of all-original jazz compositions on "Here at the Mayflower." "I've learned to love my [pop] songs as if they were written by Cole Porter," he says. "But mostly because I look out at the audience and watch their joy when I burst into 'Can't Smile Without You.' I mean, how can you not respect that?" Manilow has also grown comfortable with the long-term Las Vegas gig, although he was initially reluctant to take the job when he got the offer while performing his farewell concert tour two years ago. "I thought, 'Well, this is it, Vegas, where old singers go to die. They're offering me a place to die,' " he says with a laugh. But the '50s album broke around the time his Hilton run began, and the two events fed each other and made Manilow the toast of the town. "It turned out to be another beginning for me," he says. "And here we are again, soaring up the charts on every level. I just got very lucky." Manilow performs at 8 p.m. Saturday at Boardwalk Hall. Presented by the Atlantic City Hilton. Tickets are sold out through Ticketmaster. |
| October 12, 2006 | Courier-Post Online | "Looks like he made it -- again: Barry Manilow is back on top with a hot album and a tour" by Chuck Darrow |
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| Barry Manilow has spent more than three decades making records. Now he wants to set one straight: Reports of the demise of his hips have been greatly exaggerated. "No matter how many press releases, no matter how many interviews I give, I say 'No, no, no, it's not hip replacement. I had two tears in both cartilages on both hips,'" offers the 60-year-old singer-composer. On Saturday Manilow will play a sold-out show at Boardwalk Hall under the aegis of the Atlantic City Hilton and Resorts Atlantic City. "I say this over and over in every press release and every time I read about it I had two hip replacements. It must be ... easier for (reporters) to put down "hip replacement' than it is ... to write "cartilage tears.'" More specifically, says Manilow, he tore the labrum -- the cartilage that acts as a buffer between bones -- in each of his hips. It's a condition usually found in athletes. "What I do is athletic, running around on stage for 30 years," he says. "Jumping up and down stairways, having ... dancers jump on me. You add that up for 30 years, yeah, something's gonna happen." According to Manilow -- who surprised the music world when his last CD, Greatest Songs Of The Fifties, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard magazine album chart -- it did appear he was ticketed for the dreaded hip replacement surgery. "This pain started to creep on me three years ago, until this last year where it was unbearable. And no matter how many doctors I went to, they all told me 'I guess it's going to have to be a hip replacement.' And I looked at people with hip replacements and then I looked at (my experience) and it didn't look like I needed it. But I was in such pain that I was about to say, 'Well, OK,' and that's what most people do. Until I stumbled into the sports world and the doctor said, 'No, you don't need a hip replacement. Your hips are great. What you've done is you've torn your labrum.'" That was the best possible news for Manilow, who feared "the career would have been done. I would have had to reinvent myself somehow. As one of those guys who sits on a stool and plays the piano." Hip replacement surgery -- the recovery time of which is measured in months, not the weeks it took Manilow to heal -- certainly would have been an inopportune turn of events for the 1970s pop powerhouse whose career is again white-hot. It was jump-started when he debuted his hot-ticket Manilow: Music and Passion at the Las Vegas Hilton in early 2005 and shot into the stratosphere by The Greatest Hits Of The Fifties. It was a visit by veteran recording industry executive and original Manilow patron Clive Davis to the Las Vegas show that inspired Davis to conceive the Greatest Songs CD. According to Manilow, Davis -- who was instrumental in launching such artists as Janis Joplin, Santana and Bruce Springsteen as well as Manilow -- saw Music & Passion and decided he had to get Manilow back in the studio. The tribute to some of the top pop hits of the Eisenhower era was so successful, a 1960s-themed sequel was a no-brainer. But, says Manilow, choosing the material for the new album, which will be released on Halloween, was a different process than that which he and Davis followed when picking the Fifties repertoire. "For the Fifties, there were only about 70 cuts Clive and I were considering. But for the Sixties, we had about between 250 and 270 songs I could have done. What I did was ... I sent out an e-mail to everyone I ever met (listing) 250 songs and I said, 'Pick your 10 favorites.' And then I added them all up to about 20. There were 20 songs that kept coming up -- 'You've Lost That Loving Feeling' (by The Righteous Brothers), (Frankie Valli's) 'Can't Take My Eyes Off You,' (Bobby Vinton's) 'Blue Velvet' ... They kept coming back. So I whittled it down to 20 and sent those 20 over to Clive. He said, 'Yup, those are the titles I was thinking of too.' I recorded 19 songs and whittled it down to 13." So, is a "Greatest Songs Of The Seventies" album in the works somewhere down the road? "You'll have to check with Clive," he says. "But I know how I would do it if we are gonna do it, and I'm pretty sure we're gonna do it. It all depends on how popular this one is. If we get a hit on the Sixties like we did on the Fifties, then I would assume we're gonna go for the Seventies." Speaking of the 1970s, Halloween also will see the release of a two-DVD package called First & Farewell. The Farewell disc contains the final show of Manilow's 2004 tour -- which he promised was his last full-blown road show. The First DVD is a black-and-white recording of a rehearsal that took place just before he embarked on his first solo tour in 1974. "You see, I never get up from the piano because I didn't know what to do with my legs," he points out. "You see the difference between a real amateur guy sitting behind the piano and 30 years later a guy who kind of knows his craft." And could the Barry Manilow of 1974 ever have conjured the Barry Manilow of 2006? "I didn't even think I'd get through the first tour," he admits. "As a matter of fact, the last thing you hear on that DVD is, 'Wish me luck.'" |
| October 12, 2006 | Philadelphia Inquirer | "Barry Manilow arranges it his way" by A.D. Amorosi |
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| Sure, Barry Manilow made it through the rain, writes the songs, and can't smile without you. Know what else? Despite just having arthroscopic surgery on both hips, the 60-year-old singer-arranger is in the midst of one of his best years ever. That's saying something, what with Manilow ranked as the top adult-contemporary chart artist of all time, with 25 top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 between 1975 and 1983. On Saturday night, he will play the sold-out Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.
After releasing The Greatest Songs of the Fifties in January (his first No. 1 debut and his first No. 1 album since 1977's Live) and successfully appearing on this year's American Idol as its most devout guest instructor, Manilow strikes again this month with The Greatest Songs of the Sixties. No, he's not covering heavy political or druggy things. Even asking him about that seems absurd. Instead, Manilow brought his smooth pipes and cheery, layered arrangements to songs by Frank Sinatra, Frankie Valli, Herb Alpert, Dean Martin and the Association. What did you expect - "Sympathy for the Devil"? Question: How are the hips?
Answer: I'm only four weeks post-op. But we did a run-through last week of the show we'll do in Atlantic City. I'm about 75 percent back. I may have to go a little slower. I like to jump around. Q: Let's talk American Idol. It showed you at your best - not through entertaining, but rather through arranging. You did wonders with these kids with just a tempo or key change, simple fine-tuning. How pleasurable was that?
A: It's important to know - I didn't do that show for the results... . I only did it because I could help. I knew what I wanted to do for these kids. Which was, as an arranger, tailor-make the arrangements so that they sang to their strengths. I even asked the Idol staff for an extra week to do it right. Nobody asks for extra time. I think it shows the importance of having your own music arranger. Plus, I made the kids tell me why they chose the songs they did and to whom they were going to imagine singing their song to. When they discovered that, it changed my arrangement and their interpretation - their excitement for the music. It's a domino effect. If you don't ask yourself those questions, you wind up standing in the middle of the stage with your eyes closed, boring everyone with vocal acrobatics. Question: Do you have to tune out a big part of yourself to be a showman rather than a serious musician?
A: I think every performer has to do that. I couldn't go up on stage right now... because there's a different level of energy and size. Growing up I never even considered performing or singing. I just wanted to be a piano player, an arranger or songwriter. I'm much more comfortable doing that than putting on makeup and a flashy outfit. That's my job. A great job. But not my favorite. That would be sitting behind the piano. That's where I live. Q: Name your fave Barry Manilow record.
A: 2 A.M. Paradise Caf� [1984] - original jazz done with some of the greatest players of all time. Q: I knew you'd say that. Do you think audiences got that and the subsequent Swing Street [1987] that followed?
A: I don't think that all of the people who had bought my singles understood. But a lot of them did. Swing Street hit the top 20. Somebody bought it. But certainly not the same amount that made those singles popular. Q: This new record, like Fifties, says in its liner notes, "all song layouts created by Barry Manilow." Why that line?
A: I did even more of the arranging on the Sixties album than the Fifties album. I knew these songs better. Plus, they were a little more challenging. I mean, everybody knows these songs. The Fifties stuff - there's only a handful of people who know "Rags to Riches." So I needed to be more in charge. There's that danger of making a karaoke album. Yet you don't want to stray too far from the original so to disappoint. People want to hear "What the World Needs Now Is Love" the way they remember it. But I need to put myself into it. Twist it around. Q: With Clive Davis behind these, as he was with Rod Stewart's American Classic Songbook albums, was there a question as to how to make it all not seem Rod-ish or Clive-ish?
A: This whole concept was Clive's. And it works - Rod sold 14 million records. Clive is my commercial ears. I might question, but I don't doubt. If it was up to me I'd have never thought of that. I'm far away from commercial music. If I was going to pay tribute to someone it would have been Tom Waits. Q: Dag. So, as you asked your Idol kids, why did you choose these songs, and to whom do you imagine yourself singing them?
A: I made a poll of people on my e-mail list of good '60s titles, the most popular for a very large audience. "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" kept coming back. "Everybody Loves Somebody" kept coming back. As for who I'm singing to, it's not a literal thing... old people, young people. It's the who in a singer's imagination, and different for every song. That question can't be easily answered. Maybe we'll talk about that some other day. |
| October 12, 2006 | Atlantic City Weekly | "The Magic of Manilow: Looks like he made it (back to Atlantic City)" by Joe Szczechowski |
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| It might simply be a coincidence that Barry Manilow's first public performance since having hip surgery last August takes place at Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall this Saturday, Oct. 14. But considering Manilow's special connection with Atlantic City, it might just as well be fate. By his own estimation, Manilow has appeared at every casino hotel in Atlantic City at least once. He also lived here for a month at a time on two occasions. In 1980, he was booked for a lengthy casino engagement and rented a house here. Manilow not only liked Atlantic City, he was so taken by his surroundings that, when not performing, he was inspired to write. The material eventually became part of his 1981 album, If I Should Love Again, which he calls, "one of the most romantic albums I ever made." "I was so caught up in romance that I actually wrote music and lyrics to the title song while playing the piano facing the ocean, in a rented house on the beach in Atlantic City, New Jersey," Manilow recalls in his liner notes for the remastered CD version of If I Should Love Again. In 1991 he lived in a suite at Caesars for an entire month during the run of Copacabana - The Musical, and returned to perform regularly into the mid-'90s. It's been almost 10 years since the 60-year-old singer-songwriter last performed in Atlantic City. In the absence, his popularity has soared, as a new generation of fans has discovered his music. In 2002, the 20-song retrospective, Ultimate Manilow, was marketed heavily on television and became a surprise hit. The album reconnected old fans with songs like "Weekend In New England," "Even Now," "Looks Like We Made It" and "Somewhere In The Night," and introducing new fans to a body of work that has sold more than 75 million records worldwide. In 2004 he embarked on a final cross-country tour, and the next year began a long-term standing engagement at the Las Vegas Hilton that allows him to perform select dates outside Las Vegas several times a year. In January Manilow released The Greatest Songs Of The Fifties, featuring covers of classics like Frank Sinatra's "Young At Heart," the Righteous Brothers' "Unchained Melody" and Elvis Presley's "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" Bolstered by Manilow's appearances on American Idol, the album became Manilow's first No. 1 debut and his first No. 1 album since the triple-platinum double LP Barry Manilow/Live in 1977. The recent album's success surprised even Manilow. "Both [Arista/J Records founder] Clive [Davis] and I couldn't believe the numbers were going as high as they were the week it was released. It was like the '70s all over again," Manilow recalled in an exclusive telephone interview with Atlantic City Weekly. "Clive had predicted [the success of Manilow's first hit single] 'Mandy' for me all those years ago ... When the song went to No. 1, he made a phone call to me back in 1974 and said, 'You've got a No. 1 record.' I didn't know what that meant. I was kind of an ungrateful punk at that point. I didn't know how rare that would be. Now 30 years later, when Clive made that same phone call, my response was totally different than it was the first time," Manilow added. "Clive and I actually wept on the phone, then we yelled and screamed, because 30 years later here we were together -- healthy, making music, and collaborating on a No. 1 album. It was quite a moment." Manilow hopes to repeat that success with his new Arista album, The Greatest Songs Of The Sixties, due Oct. 31. Highlights include Manilow's takes on The Beatles' "And I Love Her," Herman's Hermits' "There's A Kind Of Hush (All Over The World)," Bobby Vinton's "Blue Velvet," Frankie Valli's "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" and a duet with the Association on a medley of their hits, "Cherish" and "Windy." When he released The Greatest Songs Of The Fifties, some observers incorrectly assumed that Manilow was following in the footsteps of artists like Rod Stewart and Michael Bolton, who have also released albums of pop standards. "I've been doing that for years, way before everybody got together and decided to do standards," Manilow says. "After the first 10 years of No. 1 singles, I just knew I had to stop and play around with other facets, or I was just going to become bored, and the music that I made would suffer. So I did a jazz album [2:00 AM Paradise Café], a big band album [Singin' With The Big Bands], a Sinatra tribute [Manilow Sings Sinatra], and an album called Showstoppers, in which I was able to do some of the great songs that came out of Broadway show scores." It has already been suggested that if The Greatest Songs Of The Sixties is a hit, The Greatest Songs Of The Seventies would logically follow. Ironically, Manilow already revisited that decade on a less-than-successful 1996 album called Summer of '78. Manilow chalks up the album's so-so reception to the old adage that hits are really a matter of luck and timing. While anticipation for The Greatest Songs Of The Sixties seems to be running high, Manilow is cautiously optimistic. "You never know; I don't count on anything," he says. "I know that the only place to go when you're No. 1 is down. Coming from Brooklyn, I never expect anything until I see it." In any case, Manilow knows that his loyal fans will continue to support him. "I'm so grateful that they've been with me for all these years," he says. "It's been tough for them. It's not easy being a Barry Manilow fan. You get a lot of sh-- for that. It's easier for people to say that they like Bruce Springsteen or Bon Jovi, than it is for them to say they like what I do, because what I do is so personal," he adds. "It's like talking about religion -- you just don't talk about it. The kind of music that I make is yours, it's your personal thing. You take it to your room and listen to it by yourself. You don't talk about it. It's easy to say you love Steely Dan, but it's not so easy to say that you love an artist whose music has helped you through some very lonely times. I may be one of the guys that do that." Barry Manilow performs at Boardwalk Hall on Saturday, Oct. 14, at 8pm. Tickets are $275-$75. This show is sponsored by AC Hiton and Resorts AC. Call Ticketmaster at 1-800-736-4200 or visit www.ticketmaster.com for availability. |
| October 6, 2006 | Moldova.org | Barry Manilow may Revisit the '70s for Next Album |
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| As he prepares to unveil his musical trip through the '60s, Barry Manilow predicts that a similar visit to the '70s is inevitable. "Well, it seems like there should be one," says Manilow to The Associated Press, who releases "The Greatest Songs of the Sixties," his sequel to last year's chart-topping "The Greatest Songs of the Fifties," on Oct. 31. "It all depends on whether [the new CD] is a hit record. And if it is, I would imagine Clive [Davis] and Arista would say, 'Let's go for the '70s.'" The tricky part of that, Barry Manilow acknowledges, is that the '70s was a decade when he enjoyed his greatest success as an artist, meaning that he'd likely be recording songs that were chart companions to his own hits. "I can't ignore that," he says, "but I do have an idea of how I would tackle that. But I have to talk to Clive about it." These days Manilow performs almost exclusively at the Las Vegas Hilton, but he's quietly returning to the road for select engagements rather than full-fledged tours. |
| October 06, 2006 | Billboard.com | "Manilow May Revisit The '70s For Next Album" by Gary Graff |
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| As he prepares to unveil his musical trip through the '60s, Barry Manilow predicts that a similar visit to the '70s is inevitable. "Well, it seems like there should be one," says Manilow, who releases "The Greatest Songs of the Sixties," his sequel to last year's chart-topping "The Greatest Songs of the Fifties," on Oct. 31. "It all depends on whether [the new CD] is a hit record. And if it is, I would imagine Clive [Davis] and Arista would say, 'Let's go for the '70s.'" The tricky part of that, Manilow acknowledges, is that the '70s was a decade when he enjoyed his greatest success as an artist, meaning that he'd likely be recording songs that were chart companions to his own hits. "I can't ignore that," he says, "but I do have an idea of how I would tackle that. But I have to talk to Clive about it." On "...Sixties," Manilow covers 13 songs by the Beatles, Burt Bacharach, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Jackie DeShannon, the Righteous Brothers, Dean Martin and others. The set's first single is Frankie Valli's "Can't Take My Eyes Off You," while Manilow recruited the Association to join him for a medley of its hits "Cherish" and "Windy." Manilow has another Halloween treat for fans; "First & Farewell," a two-disc DVD that features footage from rehearsals for his first-ever headlining tour in 1974 and his 2004 farewell tour performance at the Pond in Anaheim. These days Manilow performs almost exclusively at the Las Vegas Hilton, but he's quietly returning to the road for select engagements rather than full-fledged tours. "I'm not touring; I can't do that anymore, but we're doing bits and pieces," he explains. "We've put together an arena show, and every so often I will go out and do one night somewhere and then come right home. Our first night of doing that is in Atlantic City on Oct. 14, and then the following Saturday (Oct. 21) is in Chicago. And then that's it for four, five months; if we do another one, it won't be 'til January or February." |
| October 5, 2006 | Press Release
(SOURCE: RHINO ENTERTAINMENT) | "FIRST & FAREWELL" Celebrates Manilow Milestones: Double-DVD Set Features the Legendary Entertainer Performing His Biggest Songs During the Final Stop of His Farewell Tour, Plus Unseen Footage Recorded in 1974, Manilow's Rehearsal Before His First-Ever Tour; The DVD Will Be Available October 31 From Rhino Home Video |
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| LOS ANGELES, CA--(MARKET WIRE)--Oct 5, 2006 -- Hot on the heels of his Emmy Award for Outstanding Performance in a Music/Comedy/Variety Series or Special for "Barry Manilow: Music and Passion" comes "FIRST & FAREWELL," Barry Manilow's new double-DVD set from Rhino and STILETTO New Media. One DVD features never-before-seen, footage from Manilow's inaugural tour rehearsal at Carroll's Studio in New York City in 1974. The second DVD captures the final concert of the historic "One Night Live! One Last Time!" farewell tour in 2004 -- recorded at The Pond in Anaheim -- with Manilow performing many of the songs that helped him sell 75 million albums, collect 29 platinum records and become the #1 Adult Contemporary artist of all time. Bonus features include excerpts from concerts in Las Vegas and Chicago, as well as two personal and reflective interviews with Barry. "FIRST & FAREWELL" will be available October 31 at all retail outlets and at www.rhino.com for a suggested retail price of $19.99. The DVD will be released on the same day as his latest CD, "Greatest Songs Of The Sixties" -- the follow-up to his million-seller, "Greatest Songs Of The Fifties." "FIRST & FAREWELL" is the second title released under the new multi-year agreement with Rhino Entertainment, an industry leader in marketing and distribution of music and television on DVD, and STILETTO New Media, which oversees distribution of Manilow's video catalog. "Barry is an icon and his incredible success today, including the stunning Emmy win for his PBS special, 'Barry Manilow: Music and Passion,' reinforces his versatility and his popularity with multiple generations of music fans," commented Mark C. Grove, executive producer of the PBS special and Principal in STILETTO New Media. Disc One of "FIRST & FAREWELL" contains more than 60 minutes of rare video recorded during Manilow's rehearsal at Carroll's Studio before embarking on his first tour. The black-and-white footage includes Manilow's early hits "It's A Miracle," "Could It Be Magic?" and "Sweet Life." The DVD also features a mix of commercial jingles that Manilow and company had worked on. Disc Two contains more than 115 minutes of Manilow's "One Night Live! One Last Time!" concert at The Pond recorded in Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 and includes a guest performance by saxophonist Dave Koz on "Brooklyn Blues." For the emotional setlist, Manilow selected songs from his storied career, including the hits "Mandy," "I Write The Songs," "Even Now," "Copacabana (At The Copa)," and "I Made It Through The Rain." The bonus features include his interpretation of "Chicago (My Kind Of Town)" from his concert in the Windy City. For additional information regarding "FIRST & FAREWELL," please contact Christoph Buerger in the Rhino Home Video's Media Relations Department at (818) 238-6248 or christoph.buerger@wmg.com. DISC 1 - THE FIRST
It's A Miracle
Cloudburst
One Of These Days
Oh My Lady
The Shadow of Your Smile/Hello Dolly
THE COMMERCIALS MEDLEY
Dr. Pepper (So Misunderstood)
State Farm Insurance (Like A Good Neighbor)
Stri-Dex (Give Your Face Something To Smile About)
Vitalis (Dry Control)
Franco American
Bowlene (Bathroom Bowl Blues)
Schaefer Beer (When You're Having More Than One)
Pepsi (Join The Pepsi People)
McDonald's (You Deserve A Break Today)
Seven More Years
Could It Be Magic?
Easy Evil (The Harlettes)
Armed and Extremely Dangerous (The Harlettes)
Sweet Life
Make Our Garden Grow
Let's Take Some Time To Say Goodbye
Sweet Life (Reprise)
DISC 2 - THE FAREWELL Act 1
It's A Miracle
OPENING MEDLEY
Daybreak
Somewhere In The Night
This One's For You
Why Don't We Live Together
Mandy
Even Now
They Dance!
Somewhere Down The Road
Brooklyn Blues (with Dave Koz and George Shelby)
Could It Be Magic?
Act 2
Can't Smile Without You
Jump, Shout, Boogie
I Made It Through The Rain
Weekend In New England
River
Dancin' Fool
Copacabana (At The Copa)
I Write The Songs
CLOSING MEDLEY
Why Don't We Live Together
One Voice
My Country 'Tis Of Thee
Dancin' In The Aisle
Dancin' In The Street
It's A Miracle (Reprise)
BONUS MATERIAL: One Night Live! - Las Vegas - June 5, 2004
Harmony (with the cast of Harmony)
Every Single Day (with Brian d'Arcy James)
One Night Live! One Last Time! - Chicago - October 21, 2004
Chicago (My Kind Of Town)
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| September 28, 2006 | Reuters / Billboard | "New Manilow DVD showcases first, last shows" by Jonathan Cohen |
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| NEW YORK - Two very different milestones in Barry Manilow's performing career have been joined for the DVD "First & Farewell," due in stores October 31. The first disc of the Rhino/Stiletto New Media set features a 1974 rehearsal for Manilow's maiden U.S. tour, while the second sports highlights from his 2004 "farewell" concert at The Pond in Anaheim, Calif. Shot in black and white at Carroll's Studio, the 1974 rehearsal finds Manilow running through early hits like "Could It Be Magic?" and "It's a Miracle," plus his medley of jingles written for Dr. Pepper, State Farm, McDonald's and Pepsi commercials. "My fondest memory of the first rehearsal at Carroll's in 1974 was the encouragement that the members of the band and crew kept giving me continually," Manilow told Billboard.com. "Even though these were some of the most popular studio singers and musicians in New York, they always believed in me and my music. I'll be grateful to them for the boost. Without them convincing me that I could pull it off, I may never have gone on tour." The second disc of the DVD leaps forward 30 years to Manilow's final arena concert to date. It boasts favorites like "Mandy," "Even Now," "I Write the Songs" and "Copacabana (At the Copa)," plus a guest appearance from saxophonist Dave Koz on "Brooklyn Blues." Bonus footage is included from contemporary concerts in Chicago and Las Vegas. Manilow is recovering from hip replacement surgery as the October 31 release of his next Arista album, "The Greatest Songs of the Sixties," draws near. Asked if any other projects are on the horizon, Manilow said, "There is word that my beloved musical, 'Harmony,' will be up and running by next fall. That would be a dream come true." |
| September 26, 2006 | ChartAttack.com | Barry Manilow Is Set To Sing The Greatest Songs Of The Sixties |
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| Barry Manilow's popularity with the kids may have peaked during his March appearance on American Idol, but he's targeting baby boomers with his new album. The Greatest Songs Of The Sixties, the quick follow-up to The Greatest Songs Of The Fifties, will be released by Arista on October 31. The crooner has enjoyed a career re-invigoration this year after formerly being known primarily for '70s hits like "Mandy," "I Write The Songs" and "Copacabana (At The Copa)." Manilow teamed up with Arista founder Clive Davis to produce The Greatest Songs Of The Fifties, which debuted at #1 on the U.S. sales chart earlier this year, and it worked so well that they did the same for the sequel. He recorded more than 100 songs for the disc before narrowing them down to what he thought were the ones that fit his style best. Manilow's worldwide record sales exceed 75 million, and he expects the new album to pad that total considerably. "I think these songs from the '60s are more well-known to a lot of people than the songs of the '50s," Manilow told the Associated Press. "I really have a sense that these songs are even going to be more accepted to a bigger audience because everybody knows these songs" ... Here are Manilow's interpretations of The Greatest Songs Of The Sixties: "Can't Take My Eyes Off You"
"Cherish/Windy"
"Can't Help Falling In Love"
"There's A Kind Of Hush (All Over The World)"
"And I Love Her"
"Blue Velvet"
"Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head"
"This Guy's In Love With You"
"Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime"
"You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling"
"When I Fall In Love"
"Strangers In The Night"
"What The World Needs Now Is Love"
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| September 8, 2006 | NorthJersey.com | Oct. 14 is fine for Manilow |
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| Fresh off his first personal Emmy Award, Barry Manilow is giving his fans "something to smile about"(to borrow a jingle lyric he wrote for Stridex acne pads in the early '70s). The singer and songwriter's first performance since his arthroscopic hip surgery will be Oct. 14 at historic Boardwalk Hall. There had been concern that the date might have to be changed, since it was initially announced that Manilow would need eight weeks of recovery time following his Aug. 28 operation. But his camp has announced the Oct. 14 date is still on, along with an Oct. 21 concert in Chicago, before he returns Nov. 8 as the star-in-residence at the Las Vegas Hilton (whose sister property, the Atlantic City Hilton, is presenting the Atlantic City concert). Manilow, whose TV specials have won three previous Emmys for production and choreography, was the surprise winner at this year's Emmys for individual performance in a variety or music program for his PBS special, "Barry Manilow: Music and Passion." |
| August 31, 2006 | ContactMusic | Manilow's Emmy Surprise |
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| Barry Manilow was so sure he'd lose out at the Emmy Awards on Sunday night, he misheard the presenter's announcement that he'd won. Barry was nominated for the Best Individual Performance In A Variety Or Comedy award for "BARRY MANILOW: MUSIC AND PASSION". The 60-year-old tells Celebrity Week, "You know, really - I had no, no imagination that I was going to win this. I was so sure that they said somebody else that I stood there until someone said, 'Go out there!' I really thought they had mentioned Craig (Kilborne) or Steve (Colbert). I was so sure that they were going to say somebody else's name that I didn't hear them say my name!" Manilow is currently having a two-month break from music to recover from a hip operation he underwent on Monday. |
| August 30, 2006 | CBS-2 / KCAL-9 (Los Angeles) | Manilow At Palm Springs Home After Hip Surgery |
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| Singer Barry Manilow is at his Palm Springs home in a wheelchair following hip surgery, but his publicist says he should be walking by the end of the week. Manilow underwent arthroscopic surgery on both hips Monday at an undisclosed Southern California hospital, just hours after snagging the Emmy award for outstanding individual performance in a variety or music program. The 60-year-old singer even took the statuette into the operating room with him. His publicist says Manilow is "still on a high from winning" the award and is doing great. Manilow is expected to undergo about six weeks of physical therapy. Following his recuperation, he plans to return to his Las Vegas concert schedule. |
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