Notes & Personnel Info |  | Personnel: Barry Manilow (vocals, piano); Ron Dante (vocals, guitar); Richard Resnicoff, Dennis Farac, David Spinoza, Gerry Friedman (guitar); Alan Axelrod, Paul Shaffer (keyboards); Steven Donaghey, Will Lee (bass); Lee Gurst, Ron Zito (drums); Monica Burruss, Debra Byrd, Reparata (background vocals). | | Recorded At Mediasound, New York, New York. | | Personnel: Barry Manilow (piano, background vocals); Barry Manilow; David Spinozza, Gerry Friedman, Dennis Farac, Richie Resnicoff (guitar); Alan Axelrod, Paul Schaeffer (keyboards); Lee Gurst, Ronald Zito (drums); Carlos Martin (congas); Debra Byrd, Monica Buruss, Lady In The Middle With The Very Strange Name, Ron Dante (background vocals). | | Liner Note Author: David Wild. | | Recording information: Mediasound, N.Y.C. | | Photographer: Lee Gurst. | | Prior to 1976 Barry Manilow had enjoyed some chart success and a steadily growing following, but he truly hit his stride on that year's THIS ONE'S FOR YOU. Generating no less than four Top 40 hits, including the Number one smash "Looks Like We Made It," the album also contains the bouncy, Broadway-esque "Daybreak," and the heavily romantic ballads "Weekend in New England" and "This One's for You." These songs find Manilow honing his commercially viable songwriting, dramatic delivery, and rich orchestrations, while his penchant for glitzy showmanship rears its head on tunes like "Riders to the Stars" and "Jump Shout Boogie." The EXPANDED EDITION, released in 2006, has remastered sound and four bonus tracks. | | One of the cornerstones upon which Manilow's career was built, THIS ONE'S FOR YOU shows off both Manilow's compositional acumen and his casual, guy-next-door way with a song. He was always the master of Big Arrangements, especially in his '70s heyday, and the title track bears this out, starting with simple piano-based accompaniment to a solitary-sounding, contemplative vocal and gradually building to the kind of pop crescendo that is Manilow's stock in trade. The same device is employed, though to a more celebratory effect, on "Looks Like We Made It." | | The uptempo "Riders To The Stars" gives us a glimpse of showbiz Barry, who sounds here like he'd be equally at home in a recording studio or on a Vegas stage surrounded by dancing girls and colored lights. In contrast, "Weekend in New England" is a poignant ballad full of longing. THIS ONE'S FOR YOU is an essential item in the Manilow canon, representing several sides of the singer's talent. | | This One's for You -- the fourth album from Barry Manilow -- contained four Top 30 hits including Randy Edelman's stunningly significant "Weekend in New England" (Top Ten towards the end of 1976), and another Number One -- "Looks Like We Made It" cowritten by "Mandy" cowriter Richard Kerr and "Somewhere in the Night" cowriter Will Jennings -- a fact that begs the question -- why didn't Barry Manilow cowrite with the bevy of major songwriters who penned his major hit recordings? The most consistent of his albums up to this point in time -- a big improvement over his Tryin' to Get the Feeling LP -- there are still lyrics that initiate "the cringe factor," words so uncool they no doubt participated in keeping Barry Manilow from enjoying the chic appreciation Middle of the Road predecessors Ferrante & Teicher and their contemporaries were blessed with years after heavy chart activity. A song with science fiction overtones like "Riders to the Stars" comes off as tacky, Adrienne Anderson and Manilow dripping with excess, though they find redemption in penning the singer's ninth hit, "Daybreak," a strong and bouncy number in the "It's a Miracle" category, but even better. And the team that brought you "It's a Miracle," lyricist Marty Panzer and showman Manilow create the title track, "This One's for You," the song with the weakest showing of Barry's first 16 Top 30 hits. With great orchestration from Gerald Alters, Charles Calello, Dick Berkhe, and Van McCoy, a touch of class permeates the Manilow/Ron Dante production. The first five songs flow better than the second half, but three of the four hits are very, very special -- further cementing this artist as a major force -- those hits keeping him on the charts from October of 1976 to October of 1977 -- as a huge radio presence keeping the audience primed for the next studio disc and its four more hits. [The 2006 bonus tracks version of This One's For You includes four previously unreleased recordings.] ~ Joe Viglione |
Producer: Ron Dante; Barry Manilow; Al Quaglieri (Reissue) |
Engineer: Michael DeLugg; Andreas Meyer; Michael DeLugg |
Musical Guests | | Paul Shaffer | | Will Lee |
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