Ultimate Manilow

　　就销售成绩与歌唱生涯的长度而言，巴瑞曼尼洛无疑是流行音乐史上最成功的抒情歌手之一。尽管他在事业颠峰时期也不曾受到乐评人青睐，但这位向来以歌艺与创作才华征服乐迷的抒情天王，在70年代后半与80年代初期仍旧创下五千八百万张的唱片销售量，并接连炮制出25首前40名单曲，其中更有13首曾经登上成人抒情榜的冠军位置。80年代后期，曼尼洛在褪去畅销歌手的光环与压力后，转而诠释起自己深爱的爵士、摇摆、流行经典与百老汇音乐剧，并持续推出作品至今。 　　1946年生于纽约布鲁克林的曼尼洛，自幼即娴熟钢琴与手风琴。半工半读完成茱莉亚音乐学院的学业后，他成为CBS电视台“Callback”节目的音乐总监，并活跃于广告配乐界。1971年他成为贝蒂米勒音乐生涯初期的专属钢琴手、编曲者与音乐总监。1974年他加盟Arista唱片，在总裁克里夫戴维斯的运筹维幄下，隔年以一曲献给初恋女友的“Mandy”拿下排行冠军，Barry Manilow不仅仅是一位伟大的歌手，他也曾创作数百歌曲，是真正的Singer-song writer。然而相较于他的创作才华，他柔美的歌声与炉火纯青的唱腔却更为乐迷们所肯定，因为聆听曼尼洛的音乐就如同咀嚼美好的回忆，越是经过时间的沉淀，越能感受到他音乐中永恒的纯真与浪漫。 There's a cynical adage that argues if you stand still long enough, history will eventually catch up with you. It's tempting to say that about Barry Manilow, an artist whose stubborn, quarter-century dedication to old-fashioned song craft and musical melodrama has earned him few critical praises but a loyal worldwide following in the millions. When a cult of 20-something would-be lounge lizards tried to cash in on Manilow's shtick in the 1990s, they distanced themselves from its emotional potency with telling dollops of irony and retro-hip cynicism--anything to keep from looking too sincere. This album serves up the high points of Manilow's long, successful career, rightly focusing on the long string of '70s hits that built both his legend and record label. They're a body of songs whose solid craftsmanship is undeniable, but it's Manilow's sincerity that crucially sells them--indeed, he didn't write "I Write the Songs," but who could doubt him? It's an odd tribute that much here--"Mandy," "Looks Like We Made It," "Copacabana," et. al.--has become the palette for a popular entertainment spectrum that somehow encompasses endless hotel piano bars on one flank and TV sketch-com parody on the other. Good to remember that kitsch, by definition, requires a deep and lasting impact on the culture. Manilow hasn't just embraced the "K" word; he's reveled in it with a smile--how could one frown through "Bandstand Boogie" and "Copa" anyway?--and elevated it to something approaching the transcendental through his sheer, joyous force of will. And if his latter work has been unabashedly nostalgic, how could anyone be surprised?