Manilow to crowd: This one’s for you

The singer spends more time at home these days but still flies out for shows.

By JOHN BENSON

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

Entering his fourth decade as a pop star, Barry “I write the songs that make the whole world sing” Manilow brings his “Manilow: An Evening of Music and Passion” to Northeast Ohio for a Friday show at Quicken Loans Arena.

With record sales exceeding 75 million, including his most recent three albums — “The Greatest Songs of the Fifties,” “The Greatest Songs of the Sixties” and “The Greatest Songs of the Seventies” — Manilow continues to be one of the most popular recording artists of his era. His list of radio hits include “Mandy,” “I Write The Songs.” “Looks Like We Made It,” “Can’t Smile Without You” and more. 

The Vindicator caught up with Manilow recently in a phone call to his Palm Springs home.

Q. When we talked in 2004 for your farewell tour, you said, “I’m done touring with semis and being away from home for three or four months at a time.” However, we notice the press release for your upcoming show mentions “Manilow: An Evening of Music and Passion” being an 11-truck extravaganza.

A. They’re touring but I’m not (laughs). I’m home and even when we do these gigs, I just fly right home. What I needed to stop doing was being away from home for three weeks at a time and in hotel rooms night after night, not having any personal life. I certainly don’t want to stop performing, I didn’t want to stop playing with my band and being around an audience and doing all that. I just needed to get off the road, and I have.”

Q. On the road or off, you’re still quite successful with your resident show at the Las Vegas Hilton and now the trilogy of tribute discs. What was your expectation going into the recording of the cover albums?

A. I had no expectations. It was all a Clive Davis brilliant idea once again. He is the greatest record man in the history of music, and I’m the grateful recipient of his brilliance. He came up with this idea — “The Greatest Songs of the Fifties” — and just like I’ve always done with this guy, I said, “I don’t agree with you. It’s never going to be a hit. How could it be a hit? They’re square and old-fashioned.” I’ve done it from “Mandy” to last year. But I just followed and he just led me up the charts again.

Q. So what is it that attracts your fans to square and old-fashioned material?

A. I think the songs are comforting, not challenging, and make people feel good. I think Clive is absolutely right, that people just need to hear beautiful melodies and familiar songs.

Q. Unlike say the novelty aspect of Rod Stewart delving into the Great American Songbook or Johnny Cash transforming rock songs into singer-songwriter gems, your “Greatest Songs” albums seemingly eschews artifice for integrity. You could have easily covered The Bee Gees “Stayin’ Alive” but instead chose a timeless classic such as Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”

A. Honestly, this is a Clive Davis project. I was the arranger, producer and vocalist but this is his idea. We came up with a rule that the songs had to have been No. 1 records in all three decades or tremendously famous. And Clive had the idea of what kind of songs, the tone of each album, and the style that he wanted. So I just followed his lead. I would have done “Stayin’ Alive” and had a ball, but he had this idea to make these albums into adult contemporary stuff that people can play all day long.

Q. Considering you’ve released over 25 studio albums in your nearly 35-year career, are you performing any hidden gems or obscure album tracks in your current set?

A. We’re playing arenas and my hidden gems go over like a lead balloon (laughs). These audiences really want to hear the hits. They really love them, and they put up with my artistic songs until I hit “Weekend in New England,” and then they go through the roof. I see what they want. I haven’t been on the road for a long time, haven’t seen them in a long time, and they really want to hear the hits. It brings back memories. And if I do one of my hidden little gems, then that performance is for me. So I’m not there for me. I’m there for them.”