Search - Barry Manilow :: Manilow - Greatest Hits: The Platinum Collection

19 songs

Jerry McDaniel | 02/10/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"this German import contains some heavy duty material. i love the fact that it spotlights his under-rated UK hits from 1980-1982 like "Bermuda Triangle", "Lonely Together", "I Wanna Do It With You", and "Stay". Of course, some of his signature hits are here: "Mandy", "I Write the Songs", "Tryin To Get The Feeling Again", etc. One of the odd parts is including his 1987 swing duet "Hey Mambo" with Kid Creole...it wasn't a Top-40 or even a Top-50 hit. it hit #94 i think!? "Some Kind of Friend" is on here...as is "If I Should Love Again" which should've been a bigger hit than it was. His 1985 hit "I'm Your Man" is presented at track 8 via a 1993 remake...which surprisingly sounds just like the original with an instrument or two added or taken out...the vocals sounds the same. some reviewer was talking about songs from Manilow's 1982 album 'HERE COMES THE NIGHT'. That album, the last i heard, was available from Barry's fan-club. i have a CD version that was imported from Japan. i also have a Japan import CD of 'BARRY' from 1980...the thing i didn't understand is why stop at 19? "When I Wanted You", a #1 AC hit and Top-20 pop hit from 1979, as always, is left off. i don't understand it!! 'ULTIMATE MANILOW' didn't even include that #1 hit!! None of the three 1989 'GREATEST HITS' CDs had that song either!"

The ballads and the up-tempo's

Jerry McDaniel | 06/18/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I GIVE THIS CD 5 STARS BECAUSE IT CONTAINS MANY IF NOT ALL OF BARRY's BEST-KNOWN SONGS. WELL, IT DOES LEAVE OFF "WEEKEND IN NEW ENGLAND" AND HIS 1977 #1 "LOOKS LIKE WE MADE IT". ASIDE FROM THAT, ALL OF THE SONGS ARE WONDERFUL!!! SOME MAY BALK AT THE INCLUSION OF NON-HITS LIKE "IF I SHOULD LOVE AGAIN" AND LIVE RECORDINGS OF "ONE VOICE" AND THE RE-MIX VERSIONS OF HIT SONGS...BUT I LIKE IT. FOR ME, THE HIGHLIGHTS ARE "READ 'EM AND WEEP"; "I'M YOUR MAN"; "I WRITE THE SONGS"; AND "I WANNA DO IT WITH YOU", WHICH WAS A BIG HIT FOR BARRY IN ENGLAND IN 1980. THE OBVIOUS CHOICES ARE HERE: "MANDY"; "COPACABANA"; "TRYING TO GET THE FEELING AGAIN"; "CAN'T SMILE WITHOUT YOU". I WILL ALERT YOU THAT COPA IS THE 1993 REMIX, SAME VOCAL TRACK, BUT "COULD IT BE MAGIC" IS A 1993 RE-RECORDING."LONELY TOGETHER" WAS A BIG HIS IN 1981 ON THE ADULT-CONTEMPORARY CHARTS, EVEN THOUGH ON THE HOT 100 IT PEAKED SOMEWHERE IN THE #40s, BELOW THE TOP-40 PORTION. "BERMUDA TRIANGLE" WAS HIT BIG HIT IN THE UNITED KINGDOM IN 1980, REACHING THE TOP-20 THERE...BUT A PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED SONG, "I WANNA DO IT WITH YOU", DID EVEN BETTER, REACHING THE TOP-10 IN ENGLAND. "STAY", A SONG THAT FIRST APPEARED ON THE 1982 ALBUM "Here Comes the Night", IS FEATURED HERE IN THE HIT VERSION, WHICH WAS RECORDED IN CONCERT AND PERFORMED AS A DUET. THE CD DOES NOT GIVE CREDIT TO BARRY's SINGING PARTNER AND SO I ASSUME IT'S ONE OF HIS BAND MEMBERS AT THAT TIME. I LOVE THE PIANO SOLO ON "IF I SHOULD LOVE AGAIN"!!! AS WITH MOST MANILOW CD's IN MY OPINION, IT'S 5 STAR MATERIAL BECAUSE WE KNOW WHAT WE'RE GETTING WITH A HITS COMPILATION...ESPECIALLY SINCE IT SHOWS US WHICH SONGS ARE RE-MIXES AND WHICH SONGS ARE RE-RECORDINGS, WHICH AREN'T TOO MANY. 3 OUT OF THE 19 SONGS ON HERE ARE NOT THE ORIGINAL HIT RECORDING...NOT TOO BAD!!!"

Fantastic Collection

Kathy W | Baltimore | 12/21/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Geeze. Another Manilow CD. I just couldn't help myself. But, guess what? It is FANTASTIC. Again, another great collection of songs, as you can see from the list shown by Amazon. This one has eight uptempo songs grouped right up front (which total a half hour), then the slower melodic ones grouped after. Works great for me and my half-hour power walk. (Down 40 lbs now.)



Of course, the versions are great. I LOVE calypso "Bermuda Triangle". Never heard it before. It is so cute--about not going there cause you lose people. The guy lost his girl there to another guy, so "Bermuda Triangle, very bad." Then he found another girl, so "Bermuda Triangle, not so bad!" There's a great upbeat version of "Could It Be Magic" and also many others. I love the mix on "I'm Your Man". "Let's Hang On" is one of my favorites. Sound quality of the CD is also excellent. Oh, and there is also a naughty little song I never heard before, "I Wanna Do It With You." (.. ..I wanna hold you all night long..I wanna love out my fantasies..) Other songs include the beautiful "Stay," done as a duet. "If I Should Love Again" and the eternally sexy "Somewhere In The Night" are also included.



There are 19 tracks in all, totalling a tad under 1 hour 12 minutes. Song lengths range from slightly less than 3 minutes each to a hair over five and a half minutes each.



Actually, on a scale of 1 to 5, I'd give this CD at least a 10.

Update February 2007--down 50 lbs and still using this CD to powerwalk. Part of the thanks goes to Barry for his uplifting music with a great beat! April 07, 56 lbs and counting down."