Browse Titles - 2 results
Barry Manilow: Scores - Songs from Copacabana and Harmony
performed by Barry Manilow, 1943-, Steve Welch, Ron Walters, Ron Pedley, Andy Rumble, Russ McKinnon, Chuck Berghofer, 1937- and Mike Lent (Concord, 2004), 55 mins, 14 page(s)
Long before the world new him as a hit-maker and entertainer, Barry Manilow wrote an original song score for an adaptation of {+The Drunkard}. The show was a success and it fueled Manilow's dreams to take his music to the Great White Way, but a job with Bette Midler and a song called "Mandy" forever changed his ca...
Sample
performed by Barry Manilow, 1943-, Steve Welch, Ron Walters, Ron Pedley, Andy Rumble, Russ McKinnon, Chuck Berghofer, 1937- and Mike Lent (Concord, 2004), 55 mins, 14 page(s)
Description
Long before the world new him as a hit-maker and entertainer, Barry Manilow wrote an original song score for an adaptation of {+The Drunkard}. The show was a success and it fueled Manilow's dreams to take his music to the Great White Way, but a job with Bette Midler and a song called "Mandy" forever changed his career trajectory. Years later after the hits had stopped, Manilow and his writing partner Bruce Sussman rediscovered their love for Broa...
Long before the world new him as a hit-maker and entertainer, Barry Manilow wrote an original song score for an adaptation of {+The Drunkard}. The show was a success and it fueled Manilow's dreams to take his music to the Great White Way, but a job with Bette Midler and a song called "Mandy" forever changed his career trajectory. Years later after the hits had stopped, Manilow and his writing partner Bruce Sussman rediscovered their love for Broadway musicals and looked to their 1978 hit "Copacabana" as inspiration for a show. Written with Jack Feldman, {+Copacabana - The Musical} played in London's West End in 1994 and a successful American tour followed in 2000. Still, Broadway proved elusive and Manilow set his sights on a new project, {+Harmony}, an original musical about the Comedian Harmonists, who were a popular German vocal act during the '20s and '30s and whose demise was instigated by the rise of the Nazi regime. The musical debuted at the La Jolla Playhouse in 1997, but it has yet to be launched as a Broadway production. In the meantime, Manilow revives songs from {+Copacabana} and {+Harmony} for Scores and, for the most part, successfully reshapes them into solo pop songs that stand on their own. The campy tunes from {+Copacabana} are ripe for this format as the show's genre-shifting songs already lean toward pop. The big-band workout "Dancin' Fool" captures the excitement of that era, while the bombastic "Bolero de Amor" works better in this context rather than the appropriately cheesy stage version. But Manilow's penchant for going over the top gets the best of him with most of the {+Copa} songs as the clichéd "Just Arrived" sounds like a weak cousin to {+Funny Girl}'s "I'm the Greatest Star" and tepid ballads like "Who Needs to Dream" demonstrate that Manilow hadn't fully abandoned his saccharine past. The {+Copa} set ends with an unnecessary dance mix update of "Copacabana" that eliminates all the campy fun of the original. Fortunately, Manilow and Sussman took a good leap forward with their score for {+Harmony}. Musically and lyrically these songs are denser and their textures blend together forming a more consistent piece of work. The songs are more theatrical and they outshine {+Copa}'s scattershot pop with belters like "This Is Our Time!" and quieter songs like "And What Do You See?" sounding like they leapt off a Broadway stage and onto disc. Manilow and Sussman may not be Rodgers & Hammerstein or Kander & Ebb, but with {+Harmony} they prove that they are capable of writing good melodies, solid lyrics, and big showstoppers. Scores may be the final curtain call for these songs, but it is a fitting tribute to two of Barry Manilow's pet projects. ~ Aaron Latham, All Music Guide
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Field of Study
American Music
Content Type
Music recording
Performer / Ensemble
Barry Manilow, 1943-, Steve Welch, Ron Walters, Ron Pedley, Andy Rumble, Russ McKinnon, Chuck Berghofer, 1937-, Mike Lent
Author / Creator
Barry Manilow, 1943-, Steve Welch, Ron Walters, Ron Pedley, Andy Rumble, Russ McKinnon, Chuck Berghofer, 1937-, Mike Lent
Date Published / Released
2004
Publisher
Concord
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Carole King: Living Room Tour
performed by Carole King, 1942-, Gary Burr, 1982-, Rudy Guess, 1953-2010, Sherry Goffin Kondor, 1968- and Louise Goffin, 1960- (Concord, 2005), 1 hour 29 mins, 21 page(s)
Carole King has co-written more great songs than almost anyone. On her Living Room Tour of 2004 she ran through some of her favorites, old and new, in a very intimate manner with just her piano or acoustic guitar for accompaniment. (She was also joined by guitarists Rudy Guess and Gary Burr on acoustic guitar and...
Sample
performed by Carole King, 1942-, Gary Burr, 1982-, Rudy Guess, 1953-2010, Sherry Goffin Kondor, 1968- and Louise Goffin, 1960- (Concord, 2005), 1 hour 29 mins, 21 page(s)
Description
Carole King has co-written more great songs than almost anyone. On her Living Room Tour of 2004 she ran through some of her favorites, old and new, in a very intimate manner with just her piano or acoustic guitar for accompaniment. (She was also joined by guitarists Rudy Guess and Gary Burr on acoustic guitar and occasional bass and vocals.) The double-disc set The Living Room Tour documents some highlights from various shows and works well as a...
Carole King has co-written more great songs than almost anyone. On her Living Room Tour of 2004 she ran through some of her favorites, old and new, in a very intimate manner with just her piano or acoustic guitar for accompaniment. (She was also joined by guitarists Rudy Guess and Gary Burr on acoustic guitar and occasional bass and vocals.) The double-disc set The Living Room Tour documents some highlights from various shows and works well as a career retrospective as it touches on both the songs she wrote for others and those she performed herself. There are plenty of songs from Tapestry and her early-'70s albums (including the reworked "Where You Lead I Will Follow," which features her daughter Louise Goffin on vocals), songs from soundtracks ("Lay Down My Life" from the little-seen {#After Dark, My Sweet}, "Now and Forever" from {#A League of Their Own}), and a couple of new compositions (the cute "Welcome to My Living Room" and "Loving You Forever"), too. King was always an idiosyncratic vocalist and she sounds a little ragged around the edges here, more gritty and lived-in than you might remember but certainly not worn out. In fact, the grit adds some emotion and strength to her voice. It definitely adds a new dimension to the versions of songs she and Gerry Goffin wrote way back in the early and mid-'60s like "Pleasant Valley Sunday" and "Chains." Her relaxed takes on these classics are highly entertaining; King sounds like she is having a blast and the audience responds in kind. The medley she does of "Take Good Care of My Baby"/"It Might As Well Rain Until September"/"Go Away Little Girl"/"I'm into Something Good"/"Hey Girl"/"One Fine Day"/"Will You Love Me Tomorrow" is great fun and highly educational -- no, amazing might be a better word. Knowing that those songs only touch the tip of the iceberg as far as classic Goffin/King tunes goes is mind-blowing. Fans of Carole King will be as happy as the audiences at the shows (who quite often join in with King on the choruses of the more familiar tunes) to own this charming collection. ~ Tim Sendra, All Music Guide
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Date Written / Recorded
2004
Field of Study
American Music
Content Type
Music recording
Performer / Ensemble
Carole King, 1942-, Gary Burr, 1982-, Rudy Guess, 1953-2010, Sherry Goffin Kondor, 1968-, Louise Goffin, 1960-
Author / Creator
Carole King, 1942-, Gary Burr, 1982-, Rudy Guess, 1953-2010, Sherry Goffin Kondor, 1968-, Louise Goffin, 1960-
Date Published / Released
2005
Publisher
Concord
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