Barry Manilo and guys like him....NTC (hardly any)

[spyder]

Ho.. I was readin' some of the stuff on the modulation thread thing....BM made a guest appearence sometime durin' the festivities.....seems one guy didn't like him because he modulated to much...and his tunes were to syrupy and all...least I think that was the reason...another guy seemed to like him alright...because his tunes modulated and they were kinda syrupy...I haven't thought about BM since the last time I thought about him...I don't know when that was....but I think you gotta give the guy credit...he came up thru the ranks...well educated...no one has to explain music to him...wrote his own tunes, sang them, played his own piano, made millions of rubles, became an icon of sorts....and all this with a big nose....my favorite BM thing is *Copa Cabana*...its a story song you know...everyone likes a story song...and it has a latin cadence....thats a hard combo to beat...now maybe he didn't carry a butt- kickin' country tele player in his band...but in his case I think its a forgivable infraction...another guy that gets my vote is Billy Joel...his music has a stronger edge and lyric...the guy can just do it...know what I mean??.....BTW, if either these guys offered me a guitar gig...they'd better not be waitin' on me...because if they are they're backin' up...later, spyder

[Emmitt O.]

.................a guy who's not afraid to take a stand and say so. Good for you Spy!

I like Barry Manilow. He's not my favorite singer, but like Spy says, he came through the ranks and paid his dues and came up with a "formula" that worked on some songs. He is educated in music and went from being a studio "hack" to a front-liner.

Also, his song "This One's For You", hits me square in the heart. Every time I play, I sing one for my hero: My Grandfather. An immigrant from Lebanon who came to this country and gained the respect of those who knew him.

So, Barry's OK in my book too. Even if that make me too syrup-ee, too.
Take care.
Emmitt O.

[O- Fender]

Add me to the list.

"Sucks" is subjective term. Besides, is it the song or is it the radio overplay? I blame radio. Listen to Me First and The Gimme Gimme's version of "Mandy". It's a great song when it's done in a new way.

... and I'm painfully aware that this thread should be in Bad Dog.

[Ward]

Add me to the BM list. Copa Cabana is a great song. My real guilty pleasure is Neil Diamond. I mean, that guy is the epitome of cheesy, but because his songs are so good he can pull it off. Ward

[ye olde fretmonkey]

of course you gotta remember that Manilow came up in the business by writing jingles for nat'l ad campaigns and took those songwriting devices and used them for pop songs. like him or loathe him, his songs were catchy at least.

[Impala]

have always liked Manilow, Neal Diamond, The Monkees, The Go-Go's and The Bangles. Fire away!!!!.......

[Dennis_UK]

And Billy Joel. These are not 'invented' musicians, but folks that did it from the ground up. No better way, and if you make it, you're good at what you do, otherwise you wouldn't make it. Simple as that.
Now, where's that Tele? Gotta keep practising...

[Oskar]

with Bette Midler. He was her pianist and arranger in the early days of her career. No, he's no musical slouch, and I think he gets undeservedly panned. Good performer and excellent musician. You don't have to like his style, but you can't deny his ability and talent.

[Mod-Son]

Barry Manilow????

[Bob Mc]

No offense, life is too short to be THAT polite.
I don't think saying Barry Manilow sucks impies that he can't form a chord or write a ditty. He can, they just smell of artificial sweetner to me.
Now Neil Diamond, I'd cyber slap fight anybody that says HE sucks.
It's all relative. Cripes, you should SEE my relatives.

[Doc]

I can get on board with Manilow, Neal Diamond and The Bangles.

Dale

[DAK]

Was at the taping of his last CBS-TV special (at the Kodak Theatre). He still sang with conviction... the oldies as well as the ones from his current album. And the audience was a mix of ages, including lots of early and mid-20s folks, who seemed to really be into Barry. (Most of them probably heard his music as toddlers on their parents' stereos and car radios.) Those of us who'd been fans from the beginning enjoyed the show, too.

His music was a touchstone of the early adult contemporary radio format. I programmed an AC station in the mid-70s and always looked forward to his new releases. The production was outstanding and his vocals really sold the songs, lifting them above most of the syrupy stuff that came out then. As re-currents, they generally had long lives. (We kept "Mandy" and others in oldies rotation for years.)

[lewis]

...but I've always been partial to Elton John. He's in another league IMO. When I was a kid I always wanted to play guitar like he played the piano, still do.

[astro]

This is gonna sound really strange but I really like people like Barry Manilow and Barry himself. Some of his songs verge on the musical theatre side and almost all of them have some camp element too them. Believe it or not that sounds a lot like our punk/rock band.

Barry can write. We have debated doing Trying To Get The Feeling again and a couple of others. Currently we are going to cover....... stand back.....

Love Will Keep Us Together, by The Captain & Tennille.

I also like overly dramatic stuff that Jim Steinman has produced and written and cowritten.

People also look at Barry and think "wow he's cheesy", but someday check out the lyrics of everyones favorite cool guy du jour Johnny Cash. The Man in Black lyrics at certain moments border on the silly. I love Johnny Cash and many others like him but there are a lot of "cool" people that wrote some pretty silly stuff.

I think most people judge Barry on his image. I personally think his Librace Lite image is hysterical and probably took a lot of guts. Either that or insanity? I will defend Barry till the end. If I could write stuff that soared like that, I'd be very very thankful.

Good for you Spyder

[Mod-Son]

You fellas are making me feel young again!! 8)

[Jerry J]

You gotta be kiddin me...

Now Barry White, thats cool!

What's next, is Donnie Osmond cool?

Sorry just don't get it!

ps - Neil Diamond, Monkees, Bangles, Go-Go's cool

[Matt Plescher]

Originally Posted by ye olde fretmonkey

of course you gotta remember that Manilow came up in the business by writing jingles for nat'l ad campaigns and took those songwriting devices and used them for pop songs. like him or loathe him, his songs were catchy at least.

"and like a good neighbor, State Farm is there"

"I am stuck on band-aids"

"you deserve a break today"

pretty durable melodys

Cheers
Matt

[Jerry J]

He obviously has talents and has made a boatload of $$ but all his songs sound like crappy little jingles. But god bless him, he has talent for what he does.

[Matt Plescher]

Originally Posted by Jerry J

He obviously has talents and has made a boatload of $$ but all his songs sound like crappy little jingles. But god bless him, he has talent for what he does.

doesn't just describe him, he wrote all of those...

Also:
I'm a Pepper, You're a Pepper, Wouldn't you Like to be a
Pepper Too?"

but I agree, his songs are very jingly, which works for ads and pop songs. Works for Mother Goose rhymes also, and "twinkle, twinkle little star" (Mozart).

Cheers
Matt

[astro]

Now Barry White, thats cool!

What's next, is Donnie Osmond cool?

Barry White?

Osmonds? bleck

The Defranco family, Heartbeat its a love beat, now that is cool!!!

[Asat Bill]

I'm wit ya Spyder. Guys like Barry M., take away the "syrupy" lyrics and kind of corny image, and you're left with a trunkful of purty good melodies. I'd kill for a couple of them, like "Mandy" or something.
Billy Joel - yea man, the guy writes some good tunes, gets a butt kickin' band together, rehearses it, records it, kisses Christy goodbye, and takes that s__t on the road! More power to 'em.
Barry White R.I.P. - great stuff.
How 'bout the Carpenters or Janis Ian? Do you think they start off their gigs with "Hideaway" (like me)? No, which is why I dig 'em - takes me somewhere else.
By the way, was "Copacabana" ever made into a tv movie - it should been!
regards,
Bill

[The Bone]

of John Denver recently.

[The Bone]

The Carpenters

[maxvintage]

Schmaltz--yiddish for rendered chicken fat. Greasy, oily, bad for you, but makes whatever crap you're eating go down easier.

That's Barry. I have to take a stand here.

yep, he's talented--he's got all the tools musically. No question. But he takes no chances--he writes these blown up inspirational ballads, all drippy with feel-good--he's the musicial equivalent of those inspirational posters you see on the walls in offices. You know the ones, with sunlit pictures of nature or a guy rowing ona lake and some sappy slogan about teamwork or sacrifice or dedication? That's Barry. His songs are slogans

Look, compare him to somebody similar--Randy Newman. Another guy with mad skills, but Newman writes good commercial stuff and he writes pop tunes with wit, depth, and intelligence. No slogans. Or how about Elivs Costello--Elvis takes chances, he writes complicated stuff, he knows music, he can bite and growl and croon love songs that have complexity: he's got range. He's even uglier than Barry. True, he never wrote any successful jingles. next time i can't get some damn ad jingle out of my head I'll thank him

Barry Manilow--fer cryin out loud!

[The Bone]

8)

[Dacious]

More guilty pleasures:

Rick Springfield and Jessie's Girl.

At least he played the guitar including a not-bad lead, even if it was that 'other' Fender. Plus he's an Aussie. I forgot he played in Zoot, one-time -Aussie supergroup. 'Speak to the Sky' was also one of his.

Let me tell ya, Jessie's Girl is one of those songs that musos cringe at, sensing manufactured pop, soapie-star, pretty-boy confection. But if you ever want a cover in your set that gets girls on the dance floor, this is it.

Every girl I've been in a band with, or has been attached to the band, from prim and proper , to raunchy with 'tude 8) , loves this song.

Here's a fun test for you:
Ask the woman/en in your life between 15 and 50, without any pre-empting, what they think about Jessie's Girl.

I bet, unless they think Rock'n'Roll is the devil's music, they love it. Now I don't know if they fantasize about Rick , or about being the girl guys want to steal from their best friend , or whether it's just a cool song , and I doubt you'd get a straight answer from them re: that. But it's true.

And it's not a bad song!

[Impala]

I forgot to put down The Carpenters and John Denver on my list; I love them !!

With respect to Barry Manilow; the subject brings me to the famous Bender line on The Breakfast Club where he tells the teacher about him raiding Barry Manilow's wardrobe; I always thought the line was histerical......

[genelovesjez]

Remind me to keep you guys away from the stereo if we're ever at the same party!

[sq]

Billy Joel? Elvis Costello? ...Barry White???

Well, there's no accounting for taste! But here's the deal:

Sometimes I want to hear guitar played like this. And sometimes I want to hear it played like this. And depending on my mood, there is room for almost anything in between.