Barry Manilow - The First Television Specials

"The Third Barry Manilow Special" (1979) also opens on a comic note, featuring Manilow as a neurotic student in a driver's education course, swerving dangerously on the road above LA's famous "Hollywood" sign. Some very nice tunes ("Weekend In New England," "Why Don't We Try a Slow Dance") are supplemented by a cute question-and-answer session with an group of diehard fans, and a sweet medley of Everly Brothers hits performed with John Denver. Program four, called "One Voice" (1980), is solid but peculiarly downbeat, including sad song cycles on such themes as separation, breakups, and fathers and sons. For the latter, Manilow comes very close to raw emotion recalling an experience in which the father who abandoned him at two years of age made a brief, "hello" appearance backstage at a concert, then was never heard from again. A little ray of hope and light is woven around a guest appearance by Dionne Warwick, who does a sexy "Deja vu" with her host. Finally, "Big Fun On Swing Street" (1988) is something of a time capsule on 80s obsessions with music videos shot on big sets, garish lighting, and a forced sense of retro-style. Still, this special has the most to offer musically, as it includes such luminaries as Stanley Clarke, Phyllis Hyman, Carmen McRae, Diane Schuur, Gerry Mulligan, Kid Creole and the Coconuts, and Tom Scott. Manilow gets his share of screen time, but he's quite generous toward his guests, making sure they get to play some serious jazz. Put together, all five of these shows make it clear that Manilow is an all-around entertainer, a versatile music man who gets bored repeating himself and likes to challenge fan expectations--to a point. --Tom Keogh