Barry Manilow (C/D etc.)

So there have been specific threads on songs and random ones and joke ones (including a couple I started, frankly) and for all that, he just seems eternal, so time for a general thread. I suspect we'll all be surprised at the outpouring of affection come the day he's gone but this story is pretty great in terms of giving him a lot of flowers while he's here -- and the Bette Midler snippets alone!

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/barry-manilow-career-marriage-broadway-show-1235778440/

Classic for the first two albums which are still the only ones I've heard.

His Could It Be Magic, the full thing, is about as perfect as mid 70s epics that maybe should have come out in 1968 get. Writing his emotional flight so big and panoramically - in some ways maybe setting the stage for Meat Loaf - but ultimately ending all shelled up and withdrawn, like where it begins. Quite the record.

Love that profile of him.

was completely obsessed with Could it be Magic a couple years back, to the point I had to look up and listen to all of the many versions I could find online, eventually decided this was the best:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbdRiQkO0TM

keeps pretty close to the original except improves on everything and then slips in a subtle, devastating slide into doubletime around 2:35, ugh chefs kiss etc

more people should turn Chopin jams into pop songs

At his worst, he was up to three packs a day of filterless Pall Malls.

also co-sign great profile but holy shit that is a lot of filterless pall malls, would absolutely love to spend an evening chain smoking with barry manilow

Barry Manilow fever never really died in my house.

“Could It Be Magic” is probably my favorite Donna Summer single

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/59/Barrymanilow5.jpg

Fuck 'em up Barry:

https://variety.com/2024/music/news/barry-manilow-sues-hipgnosis-unpaid-funds-1236129154/