Barry Manilow - The First Television Specials

MOR king’s primetime performances

For 20 or so years from the mid- 50s onwards, the likes of Nat King Cole, Tom Jones and even Donny & Marie used TV to their advantage by signing up to long-running series of weekly shows to consolidate their mainstream appeal. Manilow, however, rationed his exposure, staging one-off annual “specials”, supposedly to make each appearance in America’s front rooms more of an event.

This box gathers together his first four small screen spectaculars, from 1977 to 1980, augmented by a disc from 1988. The first is perhaps the most interesting as, beyond the big hits, there’s a nod to his dancehall and jazz club roots, plus a self-mocking medley of the commercial jingles he wrote as a jobbing muso on Madison Avenue.

Later broadcasts saw Manilow duet with a string of famous chums (Ray Charles, John Denver, Dionne Warwick), but with constant reminders that he was the star of the show. Disc Five, featuring 1988’s Big Fun On Swing Street, has a more identifiable theme, with Manilow vamping through a string of big band classics with Kid Creole, Phyllis Hyman and Carmen McRae. To some he may be a byword for naffness, but there’s no doubting Manilow’s professionalism and astute understanding of what his audience wants.

3 stars 3 stars 3 stars

Warners | 5144245912 (5-DVD)

Reviewed by Terry Staunton
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