I don't know if this CD has come up before here,but I picked up the remastered CD of "Even Now" w/ extra tracks for $4.99 at B&N recently. Glad I bought it, but curious on other Carpenters' fans take on Barry's versions of "Can't Smile Without You" and "Where Do I Go From Here". Barry's vocals sound rushed to me on "Where..." , compared to Karen's vocal, but not sure why. I'd rate both versions of "Can't..." about the same. Another track here, "I Was A Fool To Let You Go" , would've been perfect for Karen. This release has held up well over time, not a bad song here. The 2 bonus tracks here are also good.
Barry Manilow "Even Now"
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Jamesj75
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Bob, I am a big fan of Barry's as well. I'm not as enamoured with "Where Do I Go From Here" from either Barry or the C's. But, to me, "Can't Smile Without You" is a great song. I prefer the version by the C's mainly because of the approach used in the backing vocals. And I totally agree with you about "I Was a Fool to Let You Go": Karen would have nailed it! As she would have with so many songs that went unsung...
GaryAlan
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I always liked Barry's big hits. They were all mini "big productions", starting quietly and building to a huge ending. That formula even became clichéd as anytime a new Barry song came along, we all looked for the big ending. My brain seems to be a sucker for those as they always got to me.
I have a few of Barry's '70s albums on LP and a few of his greatest hits-type CDs. We saw Barry at least three times in concert - the first time was a sort of consolation prize at work after I'd had a bad day. Barry was appearing at Philadelphia's Spectrum that evening and I was given two "obstructed view" tickets. Not all that excited about it, nevertheless, we trudged downtown and found that our seats were perpendicular to the stage which was raised on the floor of the Spectrum, so our "obstructed view" actually gave us almost a backstage view of the concert. It was quite memorable and a good show, forever sealing Barry Manilow as favorable in our minds.
Barry continued making records, but after awhile we stopped following him. I recall "Brooklyn Blues" catching my ear and breaking through the noise in the late '80s. Always loved that track. As for comparisons with Carpenters takes on the songs they did in common, I'd have to say I generally prefer Karen & Richard's versions. But Barry's are good too.
Harry
I have a few of Barry's '70s albums on LP and a few of his greatest hits-type CDs. We saw Barry at least three times in concert - the first time was a sort of consolation prize at work after I'd had a bad day. Barry was appearing at Philadelphia's Spectrum that evening and I was given two "obstructed view" tickets. Not all that excited about it, nevertheless, we trudged downtown and found that our seats were perpendicular to the stage which was raised on the floor of the Spectrum, so our "obstructed view" actually gave us almost a backstage view of the concert. It was quite memorable and a good show, forever sealing Barry Manilow as favorable in our minds.
Barry continued making records, but after awhile we stopped following him. I recall "Brooklyn Blues" catching my ear and breaking through the noise in the late '80s. Always loved that track. As for comparisons with Carpenters takes on the songs they did in common, I'd have to say I generally prefer Karen & Richard's versions. But Barry's are good too.
Harry
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Big “Fanilow,” here. Not a “Manilooney,” per se, but definitely a big fan. I’ve always thought a Karen/Barry collaboration in 1979/80 was one of pop music’s biggest missed opportunities, as they were big fans of one another’s work. And while I appreciate the legendary Phil Ramone’s attempt at bringing Karen into a more “contemporary" musical environment, I suspect Barry would have been a better match for Karen’s singular talents. Can you imagine Karen’s readings of these two classic hits from that era?
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