Journale 33

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Publication unknown - around 1987

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. With the release of 2:00 AM Paradise Café in 1984, Barry Manilow fulfilled a lifelong dream of recording an original collection of "saloon tunes" with a classic all-star jazz ensemble. In this dramatic musical departure, he embarked on a creative journey which was universally heralded as his most important body of work. "Last Spring, when I was deciding what to do next, I got out all my old jazz albums," Barry recalled in an interview. "I'd had the vague thought of recording an album of famous saloon songs, but since I knew I couldn't do "Willow Weep for Me" any better than Frank Sinatra had done it, I gave up the idea. Johnny Mercer's widow had given me a stack of lyrics she'd found that no one had written music to. When I put 'When October Goes' in front of me, it took less than five minutes to write the melody. I decided to write more songs in the same flavor and called up my collaborators. In one week we finished the songs for "Paradise Café." After three days of rehearsals and two more days in the recording studio, the final version of the album was done in one continuous 48 minute take. 2:00 AM Paradise Café recreates the atmosphere of a steamy, uptown jazz club. Joining Barry in his imaginary cabaret were jazz greats Gerry Mulligan on baritone sax, guitarist Mundell Lowe, bassist George Duvivier and Shelly Manne on drums. Bill Mays shared the keyboard. The music is continuous, from Barry's welcoming song to the "Paradise Café" to "I've Never Been So Low on Love" to the big city sounds of "Night Song", with special musical segues connecting the cuts. There are also duets with Sarah Vaughan (nominated for a Grammy in the categroy of "Best Jazz Duet") and the legendary Velvet Fog, Mel Tormé. In the words of one respected jazz critic, "Paradise Café was produced by someone who knew just what he was doing: the same fellow who composed and sang the songs". The lifting into place of the 2.00 AM Paradise Café billboard to a prominent position overlooking the Sunset Strip signaled the start of the "Paradise Tour", the "little tour" to share some new songs with a few friends that kept going and growing until it finally ended almost a year and half, thousands of miles, and three continents later. From the opening riffs of the synthesizer (one of 14 in the band) to the bouncing buildings to Barry's rock 'n roll sunglasses and black leather jacket, this was an all new Barry in an all new show, highlighted, of course, by a visit to the "Paradise Café". As if by magic, the largest arena became the intimate smoked filled setting for Barry to roll up his sleeves, stretch out his legs, and... .

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... sing his favorite songs as if everyone in the audience was gathered around the piano under the glowing neon of the "Paradise Café". Among the many songs introduced on the tour were "Come With Me", "At the Dance", "Love Me Just a Little Bit", "Some Sweet Day", and "Sugar". After a string of dates from the Far West to the East Coast, Barry settled in for 10 sold out concerts at New York's Radio City Music Hall, breaking the 52 year concert box office gross record with $ 1,886,850 in ticket sales, all accumulated in less than one day. (These house records would continue to tumble at venues as diverse as the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles and the Riverbend Music Center in Cincinnati when the tour progressed into 1985.) Then it was on to Thanksgiving in England where Christmas came early for 12,000 Manilow fans at the NEC. After the regular show, Barry returned to the stage to lead the house through a set of Christmas carols and ballads, recorded for the first of two television specials that would air on the BBC, one over the holidays and a second "Greatest Hits" show in the Spring. With hardly a day off, Barry, band and crew returned to the U.S. for a swing through the South before ending the year with another sold out series of concerts at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles. Taking a "break" from the tour, Barry... .

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... made his acting debut in the CBS telefilm "Copacabana", a forties era musical comedy based on his 1978 Grammy Award winning hit. The lyrics tell of a Copacabana nightclub showgirl named Lola, a bartender named Tony, a villain named Rico, and a "who shot who" shoot-out at the end. In this expanded version, "Copacabana" is a musical love story about Tony (Barry) who gets his big break competing against Lola (Annette O'Toole) on a musical radio quiz show, which leads them both to the Copacabana nightclub. Tony becomes a bartender, then a showroom star, while Lola becomes a "Copa girl" until she's lured away by the evil Rico (Joseph Bologna), owner of the Tropicana in Havana. Along the way they meet up with a lovable cigar chomping nightclub owner, Tony's tough talking Mom from Brooklyn, an Irish cop who turns out to be his father, a rich divorcee, Lola's flashy Cuban chaperone, and assorted pirates and gun toting henchmen. The movie includes 10 new Manilow compositions and was produced in association with Dick Clark. Instead of being shot on elaborate sets like big-budget musicals of the 1940's, "Copacabana" was filmed for television on a tight, 22 day shooting schedule on locations in and around Hollywood, including the landmark Variety Arts Club and the Coconut Grove at the Ambassador Hotel. Not only does Barry die in the big "Copacabana" production number at the end (filmed, by the way, on Barry's first day on the set), but his acting debut included his first screen kiss. "Your first screen kiss, you say," Barry remembers, "Well, there's 25 people standing around looking at you. You just dive in! And I did it!" And he certainly did. "Copacabana" was named to TV Guide's Top 10 TV Movies of the Year list for 1985. As if all day (and into the night) on the set wasn't enough, in the middle of filming "Copacabana", Barry went into the recording studio to begin laying down tracks for his first album for RCA Records, and first new studio album in three years. Co-producing with Barry during the three months of recording in Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia and Detroit were Bob Gaudio of The Four Seasons fame, Howie Rice, most recently noted for his work with The Pointer Sisters and Patti LaBelle, and long time associate Michael DeLugg. Former back-up singer and keyboard player Kevin DeSimone contributed "He Doesn't Care (But I Do)" and George Duke produced "If You Were Here With Me Tonight". Many of the songs on the MANILOW album were polished to perfection on the "Copacabana Tour 1985" which emerged from the "break" for filming. Barry exchanged his New York City... .

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... trenchcoat for the brass buttoned uniform of Tony, the Copa bartender, which somehow became the white tie and tuxedo of Tony, the showroom star, while he was talking to the audience. Without missing a beat, Barry launched into "Sweet Heaven (I'm in Love Again)", the toe tapping, hand clapping, show stopping number he composed specially for the "Copacabana" movie. Taking it on the road meant putting it on a plane as Barry headed West to fulfill his promise to return to Japan. On his itinerary were concerts in Sapporo, Yokohama, Osaka, Nagoya, Tokyo and other cities anxious to see and hear the tall, blue eyed singer from "Brooklyn, U.S.A." Appearing on a popular TV show, Barry was greeted by 100 geisha, the result of a casual comment to his television host who replied, "For you Barry, no problem." A videocassette version of these concerts was released in Japan and the "Barry Manilow: Live in Japan" TV special will eventually air worldwide. Also resulting from this trip was a meeting with Hideki Saijo, Japan's number one male singer. Barry and Hideki later recorded a duet of "In Search of Love" in English and Japanese, which shot to the top of the charts in Japan, and Barry is now learning Japanese for his next trip to the Far East. From the opening lyrics of "I'm Your Man" to the grand finale of "It's a Long Way Up", Barry's "Copacabana Tour 1985" was welcomed with standing ovations from Honolulu to Hartford, Boise to Baltimore, Toronto to Tampa, and over 40 cities in between. Along the way, Barry paused to headline Danny Thomas's $ 3,000,000 fund raising benefit for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and to present the proceeds from his Charleston concert to help West Virginia's flood victims. Barry was also asked by UNICEF to become involved on a longtime basis in contributing his time and energy to publicize the activities and needs of UNICEF throughout the world. The release of MANILOW marked the beginning of Barry's new worldwide association with RCA Records. MANILOW is another musical milestone. From his emphatic performance on the first single... .

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... "In Search of Love", to the buoyant beat of "At the Dance", to the riveting drive of "It's a Long Way Up", among other standout tracks, Barry continues to hone a new hybrid sound which melds his classical style with a vibrant, new age musical approach. For the international versions, Barry re-recorded songs from his RCA debut translated into Japanese, Italian, French and German. RCA also unveiled plans for him to record a "Greatest Hits" album in Spanish and a half-English, half-Portugues hits collection including the "Qualquer Dia (24 Hours a Day)" duet with Joanna, one of the top singers in Brazil. And he's cut duets in Spanish with Valeria Lynch and Lucia Mendez and "Don't talk to Me of Love" with French singer Mireille Mathieu. As expressed by Jose Menendes of RCA Records in Billboard magazine, "He's an artist with an enormous amount of energy... And he's willing to put in an awful lot of time. It's not just records, but follow-up promotion to support the records, and later on, concerts. We're full of admiration for his follow-through... He's making a committment to worldwide success..." The "Copacabana Tour 1985" wrapped with two SRO concerts at Radio City Music Hall on New Year's Eve. By January, Barry was back in England for another two weeks of shows, TV appearances in France and Germany... and then home. He unpacked his bags... and slept. Sixteen months of traveling... of being with friends... sixteen months of airports, planes, hotels, huge arenas... it was time to go home. And already underway were plans for a dynamic "He Doesn't Care" video, an appearance on the Spanish International Network in Mexico before a global audience of 214 million, and the biggest extravaganza of them all, the Fourth of July unveiling of the new Statue of Liberty, with Barry adding his one voice for us all. .

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Pine Knob Magazine - 1980

. It's been six year since Barry Manilow stepped out from behind the piano as Bette Midler's conductor and emerged as a star in his own right. From his first hit, "Mandy,'" he has continued to turn out chartbusters. A ticket to one of his shows is always tricky to get ahold of. He sold out his engagement here at Pine Knob two summers ago, and he repeated the feat again this year. Barry's real father left home when the singer was only two and he was raised by his mother, Edna, who encouraged him in his music. When he was 13, she married Willie Murphy, who also helped Barry develop his talent. Until that point, Barry played accordian. Now it was the piano that he loved and he stayed with it. He worked his way through college and the Julliard School of Music. He worked at CBS (in the mailroom) and got married. But all of that would soon change. Music surfaced as the Number one love in Manilow's life. He worked as a musical director for a show called "Callback," conducted for Ed Sullivan Productions, wrote, produced and sang radio and TV commercials and formed a duo with a girl singer named Jeanne. After two years at the Upstairs at the Downstairs with Jeanne, Barry took a job at the Continental Baths. It was there that he met Bette Midler. Before long he was her accompanist, then musical director, then record producer. Along the way, Barry showed some of the songs he'd written to a commercial jingles singer, Ron Dante, who convinced Barry to make a demo. Bell Records (now Arista) grabbed him up and he cut an album. He stayed on with Bette at first, promoting the album by doing, three numbers in the middle of Bette's show. But after "Mandy" became a Number One song, it was evident that Manilow was ready to shine on his own. It was followed by "It's A Miracle," "Could It Be Magic," I Write the Songs," "Trying' To Get the Feeling," "This One's For You," "Weekend In New England," "Daybreak," "Can't Smile Without You," "Even Now," "Copacabana," "Looks Like We Made It," "Ready To Take a Chance Again," "Ships" and "Somewhere In The Night."All of Barry's albums have been hits and he has long been one of the hottest acts in the Business. His TV specials win awards and his records stay on the charts forever. One of the best things about Barry Manilow is that his music appeals to everyone - from all kinds of backgrounds. It's good, easylistening music that makes you feel good. As long as Barry Manilow continues to turn out music - there will always be a public to buy it.

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Los Angeles Times - September 8, 1981

. He doesn't write all the songs - or their endings By Dennis Hunt, Times Staff Writer Late last year, pop singer Barry Manilow started suffering from a special kind of anxiety. Though ist's unsettling, just about any singer would give a right arm to experience it. To get it, you have to reach the pinnacle of pop music. Elton John, John Denver und Donna Summer have labored through it and Kenny Rogers and Billy Joel may have to cope with it in the next year or two. It doesn't have an official name but let's call it superstar panic. The symptoms are nervousness and occasional depression. It flares up at the first signs that the artist may no longer be in pop music's Top Three and may soon be demoted from superstar to just plain star. The first signs are an album that sells slowly or concerts that fall one or two thousand short of capacity. Manilow's first bout with superstar panic occurred last fall when his last album, "Barry," inched to its first million. Eventually it sold 1.5 million but that's disappointing to an artist who, at his peak a few years ago, was selling in the 3 - 4 million range. There's always the excuse that the music business is in a horrible slump, but deep down the panicky superstar knows that any really hot artist can sell out shows or records under any circumstances. "The career has leveled off," Manilow observed the other day in his office, a luxurious hillside home above the Sunset Strip. "Thank God, it hasn't really gone down. But it's not where it was a few years ago." What's happening with two of Manilow's three concerts this week is enough to bring on another attack of superstar panic. His Thursday show at the 8,400-seat Anaheim Convention Center is sold out but his dates tonight and Wednesday at the 18,000-seat Inglewood Forum aren't. A year or two ago, all his shows would have sold out instantly. But don't shed any tears for Manilow just yet. These local concerts are among the first in a 44-city tour that, with a few exceptions, covers smaller, less prestigious towns he hasn't played in years. Most likely, fans in these places will flock to see him. Also Manilow's new Arista album may reverse the dip in his career. "If I Should Love Again," a slick pop package of mostly romantic ballads, should sell well because it fits the current slow-song trend and because it's the best of his 10 albums. Concerned that he was in a ballad rut, Manilow stretched in several directions on the last album, "Barry," "I got crazy on that one," Manilow recalled. "I said, 'I gotta change; I gotta be different; I can't keep doing the same thing because they won't go for it.' I was frantic. I was trying so many things I got all balled up." On "Barry," Manilow attempted to give his middle-of-the-road audience some variety. The album features ballads, of course, but also unconventional - for him - songs like "The Last Duet," which he sings with Lily Tomlin, and "Only in Chicago," a pop/R&B number written with Maurice White of Earth, Wind and Fire. Now, rather than frenzied efforts to be different, Manilow has retreated to his strong suit - romantic ballads - and has given up trying to second-guess his audience. "I'm going to do what feels natural to me," he said. "I don't want to get too far away from the strengths ... .

... again. It's only natural for artists to try to make changes because they don't want to repeat themselves. I'm still worried that I'm sounding the same and I know I do sometimes. But it's not so bad. People still like my old style. Maybe I'll go through what I went through on the last album all over again someday. But I hope not." Unlike most artists, Manilow has a refreshingly realistic approach to his talent. He acknowledges that he has, at best, an average voice. His purpose, he said, is to entertain and not to dazzle an audience with vocal prowess. Audiences love Manilow for his melodramatic songs and also for his enthusiasm, sincerity, humor and the vulnerability he shows his fans. The technical skills that critics are always downgrading are secondary. Manilow's behind-the-scenes talents are more impressive than his performing. Writing, producing and arranging are his real strengths. Long after his performing career is over he'll be active in these areas. "I can't be on top forever with this singing." he observed. "But when things really drop off I won't get crazy because I can do these other things and stay in the business. When the fame goes I'll miss it, but I won't die." A fast-talking New Yorker, 35-year-old Manilow teems with nervous energy. Though he's lived in "laid-back" Los Angeles for several years he's still operating at that frantic, New York pace. "You'll never see me fat," said the tall, thin singer. "I burn up too much energy the way I live. But I do slow down sometimes. Unless I'm at the studio until midnight, at 6 p.m. you can find me at home (in Bel-Air) in front of my fireplace with a glass of wine, with my lady or a friend, listening to classical music. Driving is relaxing for me, too. I relax when I'm driving back and forth to the office, listening to the radio and my favortie cassettes." Though Manilow seems like a caldron of nervous energy now, he was much worse in the mid '70 when, with hits like "I Write the Songs," "Looks Like We Made It," "Could It Be Magic" and "Copacabana," he was rising to the top. "I was a crazy man back then," Manilow said. "I was scared. It's harder to get where I am than it is to stay here. I was driving everybody around me crazy. I guess it was just insecurity. I got the world's worst reputation. I feel a lot better about myself now. I'm a lot saner than I used to be. I feel more secure now." Most of the time, anyway, Manilow confessed there's one situation, the release of a new album, that never fails to make him panicky. Since "If I Should Love Again" will be released in two weeks, Manilow will, no doubt, be a nervous wreck again very soon. "I hold my breath with every album," he said. "Sometimes I run away. I don't want to know how it does. I don't want to hear the reviews. I don't want to know where it landed on the charts. It's an awful time for me. I never think I'll live through it but I always do." Manilow doesn't have to cope with these stresses and pressures alone. He said his therapist and his insightful acting coach, actress Nina Foch, both have a calming influence. "This business is crazy and it can drive you crazy," he concluded. "Being at the level I've reached is nice but it's awful, too. It gets under your skin and you can lose your perspective. I have to keep telling myself, 'There's more to life than this business, there's more to life than this business...'" .