SecretMethod70

Please, can anyone explain to me why he still gets attention? The guy's singing is bland, his stage presence sucks, and he looks just plain weird. I don't get it!

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Mojo_PeiPei

Britney Spears was involved in a hit and run.

And he gets attention because he compliated such great albums like the greatest hits of the 60s, 70s, or the ultimate Manilow.

And he wrote Mandy (shameless plug http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Manil...0445061&sr=8-4)

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newtx

I can't explain that at all. However I do enjoy a good Barry Manilow joke. Old Barry was one of the kings of what I called bubble gum music. (similar to elevator music but with subtle differences) True elevator music you don't notice at all. When it crosses over to bubble gum you can't ignore it so easily.

RenaissanceII

It has been said that while his music to put it kindly sucks....His live shows are truly good, a true showman (you get more than you pay for type of thing).

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JumpinJesus

I equate it to a phenomenon once described by David Spade during a stand-up routine.

I'm paraphrasing here, so bear with me.

Cable could launch The Grapefruit Channel. On this channel there would be nothing but a rotating grapefruit on a glass dish 24 hours a day. Eventually, the news would pick up on this quirky little gimmick and people would start to pay attention.

After some time, you could take that grapefruit to a mall somewhere, put it in a glass case and people would gather around and say, "Look! It's that grapefruit from t.v.!" They would even make special trips to the mall just to see it.

If you tell someone something is great and famous, and you tell them long enough, then eventually that something will become famous.

This explains Paris Hilton and her ilk quite well, as well as Barry Manilow.

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Grasshopper Green

I don't know why he gets attention. What I do know is that there is a judge here that forces people who have disturbing the peace (with their loud music late at night) infractions to listen to Barry Manilow for an hour, and sleeping is not allowed. The judge said there are few repeat offenders.

BTW, your avatar creeps me the hell out, SecretMethod.

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pig

smeth: how could you dislike anyone or anything that could inspire this sort of awesomeness?



or holy shit, this?

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Esoteric

Honestly, I don't think I've ever heard his music. If I have I had no idea who it was, heh.

ShaniFaye

As a member of the Barry fan club, I must defend him lol

I have been a HUGE fan since the age of 12 (thats 27 years)and his music has never come close to sucking IMO. His concerts are some of the BEST I've ever been to. One of my big dreams is to be able to see the show in Vegas

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Grancey

Barry Manilow is a classic. Performers of his calibre are rapidly fading away to be replaced by what? Anyway, I'm not surprised that so many of you think so little of him. The only way to truly appreciate who he is now and how he evolved to this point is to have been there in the beginning listening to Mandy on the radio along with his musical contemporaries of the late seventies and early eighties. It was a unique time. I'm not condemning music of today, but it is impossible to "like" Barry Manilow when all you really want to listen to on your IPOD is the music considered "good" today.
Rant over.........

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roachboy

barry.
personally, i dont care about his music one way or another.
he has a particular gift for insidious ear-worms.
such ear-worms are not easy to write.
so there's a kind of grudging respect.

but basically, i think he is an inverted burt bachrach.
you could plot barry-features and bachrach features on a one-to-one basis.
for example:
i like bachrach, and there is also barry.
bachrach's structures are interesting, and there is also barry.
bachrach likes chromatics and there is also barry.
that sort of thing.

HOWEVER
barry did inspire elements from the beaver trilogy, which is a film of such a high level of excellence that words nearly fail.
to wit:

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it make you sick.

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flstf

I think Barry got his start back in the 70's singing and writing commercial jingos. I still remember the old McDonald's commercial he sang:

You deserve a break today
So get up and get away
To McDonald's

He had about 30 top 100 songs which are all about as bland as the commercials he did. I dislike most of his music but for some reason like "It's A Miracle" which reached number 10 on the charts in 1975.

I think his strange looks and boring music make him some kind of nostalgic camp to modern audiences. Some of his songs like "I Write The Songs" are so sickening sweet they make me want to cringe when they come on.

squeeeb

what is wrong with you people? barry manifold ROCKS!!!
1: copa cabana
2: mandy
3: looks like we made it

recognize people, barry writes the songs that make the whole world sing...and he never learned to drive a car...

he is talent.....

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paddyjoe

seriously?!?


Ahh well, no mind. Shani'd give him a good ride......

shesus

Barry Manlow has fanilows.

Same with Wayne Newton.

And Joan Rivers is another person I don't get.

It's just those mysteries of life. I mean how did Wilson the Volleyball get so popular? It was in a movie... Some people will worship anything/anyone if they are told to.

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ShaniFaye

Well to me its no different than people thinking Nirvana was the greatest thing since sliced bread....I literally cannot stand to hear that band.

Different people like different kinds of music, its a simple as that it has nothing to do with "being told" to. Nirvana was slammed down my throat for years on the radio....dont see that that tactic worked on making me like them....Frankly "wilson" would have been better than Nirvana

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World's King

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Ustwo

No shit

Wierd Al > Nirvana

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SecretMethod70

Hey now, a lot of music today sucks - particularly the stuff on the radio. Last night I made a whole post in another thread about how the music industry has devalued its commodity, in part by marketing crappy music. Even so, I agree it's not fair to compare Barry Manilow to more recent musicians. Instead, I think of him along with other male solo acts, and his stage presence just doesn't compare...he looks very unnatural (I guess that goes for his physical appearance too ). It's true his music is infectious (I now have Copa Cabana stuck in my head), but so are a lot of Britney Spears' songs, and they're certainly not good either

Anyway, I'm not trying to get on anyone's case for liking Barry Manilow - even the "bad" artists have a place, and we all have at least one artist we enjoy listening to that we know is not quality, but it's still fun. What I don't get about Barry Manilow, though, is that there doesn't seem to be that recognition with him. It baffles my mind.

(BTW, in case anyone is wondering where this came from, I was flipping through some late night TV and came across him performing on ET or some-such show)

A few side topics:

A big part of the reason Nirvana is considered so great is because of what they did to the music industry. They spearheaded a drastic shift in style and helped spawn a whole new genre. That doesn't necessarily translate to the music being "good," but it's certainly important, and it captured what a lot of people were feeling at that time very well.

One of my favorite works of art: Salvador Dalí's Face of War.

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ShaniFaye

Barry is such a broad spectrum of talent its hard to pinpoint his "greatness". Between his songwriting, ad jingles, singing, movie and muscial song writing..... he's "done it all" and is one of those people that still endures time

Hell even Bob Dylan once said Barry Manilow inspired him

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JumpinJesus

hehe...funny.


Wait, you were kidding, right?

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ShaniFaye

I NEVER kid about Barry Manilow

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I want the diabetic plan that comes with rollover carbs. I dont like the unused one expiring at midnite!!

JumpinJesus

Wow, that sounds serious.

I'll give him this: he definitely made the movie "Can't Hardly Wait" interesting, even though he wasn't in it.

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pig

that's my girl

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ShaniFaye

much as I love him.....I never said he was sexy or anything hehehehe in that picture he looks like an old Frodo Baggins

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I want the diabetic plan that comes with rollover carbs. I dont like the unused one expiring at midnite!!

Grancey

I guess I'm confused about what your issue is with Barry Manilow. Could you re-state what it is that baffles your mind? I'd like to respond, but I want to be more direct in my comments.

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Bill O'Rights

I stand up with the fans of Manilow.
Is he cool? Ehhh...decidedly not. But then, neither am I. (Hell, I just admitted to liking Barry Manilow, after all ) On the other hand, the man can sing. I cannot. So, he's already one up on me.
No, Barry will never have the cool of Sinatra, but man can he belt out the ballads like no other. Maybe you actually had to be alive (and not still crapping in your Pampers) in the 70's, to "get" Manilow. Or not.

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SecretMethod70

Well, it's hard to pinpoint precisely, but his stage presence is just plain corny and bad, for one thing. It's like he's a caricature of a solo male vocal act. This might be forgivable if his singing was amazing, but it's not. It's not that he's bad, but he's nothing special. As for the songs, what I was getting at is that the songs may be catchy, but as newtx said, they're bubblegum. Maybe fun to listen to as a guilty pleasure - we all have 'em - but quality? Quality enough to be given so much attention and win emmys? I don't think so.

You know, it's just my opinion, but I saw him last night and it compelled me to ask. Is it that people like the super-sweetness of his music? Does his music have a certain innocence that people are drawn to? Normally, when someone is as odd looking as Barry Manilow, it takes exceptional music to be popular, yet his is just saccharine...I just want to understand!

Maybe. Maybe it's all about nostalgia. But are people THAT nostalgic for him to still have so much success?

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Bill O'Rights

That is entirely possible.


Yeah. Yeah, I think so.
If you think about it, most people, of my advanced age group, will be able to claim a favorite Manilow song. Even if they were not Manilow "fans". Then...or now.

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"Hedonism with rules isn't hedonism at all, it's the Republican party." - JumpinJesus

It is indisputable that true beauty lies within...but a nice rack sure doesn't hurt.

JumpinJesus

Part of it is nostalgia, I'm sure. Just like Styx can still tour and be successful, so can Barry Manilow.

As far as being odd-looking - remember way back in the day when a star was made on the radio and what they looked like didn't matter one iota? Well, Barry Manilow owes his career to those days.

And finally, when you say you saw him, do you mean you just saw him on telelvision, or you went to a concert, saw him perform, and threw your underwear on stage?

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SecretMethod70

lmao, saw him on TV

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Grancey

His stage presence may seem corny because he is so genuine. Unlike many artists today who are "created" into a specific image by handlers, Manilow is who he is. Through the years he has maintained that uniqueness.

I have a problem with saying someone is odd looking. What scale is being used here? I find it a little narrow-minded to say that if someone does not meet expected standards of appearance then that individual must exceed in other areas to be accepted. From an objective viewpoint, appearance has nothing to do with musical ability. We've all heard Paris Hilton's attempt. I mention her because so many think she is beautiful. My rant is done on that topic.

How much of Manilow's music and career are you familiar with? To judge him on 3 or 4 of his most popular tunes does not do him justice. To say that he is popular only because of Mandy or Weekend in New England (my personal favorite) is in error. Having listened to and watched him since the 70s, I have many years of exposure on which to base my opinion of Manilow. Take a look at Manilow's career written up on Wickipedia. Granted, it is a broad overview, but you should get a different view than what you seem to have observed.

As for his music, I don't think it is bubblegum or saccharine. Maybe I like it because I can hear the emotion in his voice, and I can understand the words when he sings. It could be as simple as that.

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Quiet, mild-mannered souls might just turn out to be roaring lions of two-fisted cool.

Bill O'Rights

Speaking as someone who himself is odd looking...c'mon Grancey, you gotta admit...Barry is a little goofy looking. But, as JJ so aptly pointed out, Barry made it back in the days of radio, before prepackaged manufactured "idols". Manilow made it on talent. Not his looks. That, somehow, matters a hell of a lot more to me. Odd looking, or no, Barry comes value added.

__________________
"I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do because I notice it always coincides with their own desires." - Susan B. Anthony

"Hedonism with rules isn't hedonism at all, it's the Republican party." - JumpinJesus

It is indisputable that true beauty lies within...but a nice rack sure doesn't hurt.

flstf

Well this thread inspired me to listen to all the Manilow songs in my collection that made the top 100 (29) and there are 3 or 4 that I forgot about that I kind of like. There is no denying that he is/was talented and knew how to write and sing a lot of hits even in the disco era.

I always thought of his music as being just an extension of his commercial jingos but some of his stuff is quite good (at least to me) especially if you haven't heard it for a while. Some of it is also just as bad (to me) as I remember, maybe because they were so overplayed on the radio. Whenever I hear "I Write The Songs" it takes a few days to get it out of my head.

roachboy

ok so first off the argument that barryrepresents some epitome of emo-songwriting, a genuine and authentic guy in a world of artificiality really makes me laugh.

and generally, if one is reduced to praising a singers diction---oum kalthoum aside---then...well...it seems like damning via faint praise to me.

his earworm-addled songs are only interesting BECAUSE they are saccharine, BECAUSE they are cheesy.
but even there, you find a problem: if you approach manilow from that viewpoint, his lack of irony gets in the way of complete cheese-filled enjoyment.

for that kind of one-man vegas floor show vibe--that wholly synthetic anti-cabaret that you would go to the sands to endure--give me peter allen anyday (from amongst the tedious boys of the 70s who worked that form) because at least peter allen would shake his maracas in a bizarrely salacious way during his live act--while barry, quivering with vegas emotion, one dimensional and immobile, would have maracas of any kind never cross your mind.
barry does not shake maracas.
barry does not shake anything.

he is part of that curious wave of songwriters from the brill building combine that somehow acquired solo careers in the 1970s--the brill building which gave us carole king (whose work sounds like it actually is the way grancey describes manilow) and neil sedaka--and his "emotional depth" is perfectly symmetrical with his macdonalds jingle--for example, he sound like he means the words to that wretched confessional "mandy" in exactly the same way that he meant to inform us that "you deserve a break today" like some moses descending from the plastic mountain with the tablets of burger options and price structures. listen to the two of them back to back. the chorus of mandy is the same structurally as the macdonald's jingle. i think that's funny.

the argument that manilow somehow represents authenticity in the face of an overwhelmingly synthetic contemporary pop scene seems to me goofy: the pop scene in the 1970s was just as synthetic, maybe even more so because it was in the main less explicitly synthetic. there was no american idol, a show the premise of which is the claim that "we can make any cover-song mediocrity into a Star" (witness kelly clarkson)...no no...so the wholly saccharine world of 70s pop was able to operate as if it was somehow not entirely artificial.


near the pinnacle of that wholly synthetic 70s pop stands our boy barry.


william shatner wastes manilow


and barry wasnt even that good at being synthetic.
georgio moroder on the other hand....

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a gramophone its corrugated trumpet silver handle
spinning dog. such faithfulness it hear

it make you sick.

-kamau brathwaite

Ourcrazymodern?

Uh-oh????

I just like his nose.

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ShaniFaye

HAH.....I just found out yesterday I get to go see him when he comes to Atlanta in January wooohoooo Im beyond excited

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I want the diabetic plan that comes with rollover carbs. I dont like the unused one expiring at midnite!!

analog

But that's because they suck, not because you just don't like the entire genre of music they represented, right?

It's easy to say you hate a band or a singer when you're not a fan of the type of music they play. Would you say you were much of a grunge fan? I'm guessing not.

That'd be like me saying some particular country star is utter shit. I hate country music, in general, and as such have no place judging the "talent" of any of those people... even if hearing it makes me want to pour Bleach into my eyes.

So, Nevermind that Nirvana pushed grunge into the national spotlight. If I was still a fetus when they hit, I'd have listened to them In Utero.

That all being said, Barry Manilow isn't bad... he's got some interesting/nice songs- but he definitely gets WAY more attention and worship than he deserves, like The Beatles and Elvis.

Necrosis

Barry Manilow was a joke among me and my friends, but I'd listen to him 24/7 before I'd listen to another rapper with his pants hanging off his ass talking over a bass line about how baddd he is.

Crack

quick and dirty

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