My summer project: this bin of 70's/80's vinyl

By the time I was old enough to remember anything, my parents had largely moved on to cassettes.

 

It seems you have a Firestone Christmas album in there.

 

I think everyone has a Firestone Christmas album in a random bin of LPs.

 

I definitely had a ton of cassettes. I also faintly remember my dad’s 8 track player in his Plymouth Duster!

 

Album 4: Barry Manilow II

I'm pretty sure that I've never knowingly listened to anything on this album other than Mandy.

Mandy's obviously a classic. And it's worth noting that most of this album played smoothly, but this track had some skips. Clearly my mom was a big fan back in the day.

As for the rest of the album, I don't care for most of Barry's ballads, but I really enjoyed Somethings Coming Up (probably my favorite on the album) and Early Morning Strangers.

Avenue C is a terrible song. I'm not sure what market Barry is aiming for with that track, but it just seems like a train wreck to me.

Overall, it's better than I expected.

 

I generally heartily dislike most anything Barry Manilow did, but somehow "Mandy" is a guilty pleasure of mine. He should have quit while he was ahead!

 

Agreed... though I’ll give Copacabana a listen every so often if I’ve had a few beverages.

 

Erm, I'd say that was the very definition of the album not playing all the way through!

 

Ironically it sounds like you enjoyed Circuit Breaker more than any other of the albums!

 

That album cover looks so rock'n'roll! I remember it from the 70's.

 

Album 5: Liza Minnelli The Singer (You're So Vain)

Well. This project has taken a dark turn. Unlike the previous albums, I can't come up with a single plausible explanation as to why either of my parents would have purchased this album.

It's clearly a well produced album, and Liza certainly has some pipes. But man, she basically turns each of these tracks into a showtunes number. And it's fairly painful. There are some classic 70's songs here (You're So Vain, Dancing in the Moonlight, Use Me, You Are the Sunshine of My Life, Baby Don't Get Hooked on Me), and they are largely turned into something quite unlike the original.

Other thoughts:
* Two Mac Davis songs? Interesting. I'm going to assume he was also under contract to Columbia (and probably most of these other songwriters)
* I had almost forgotten about the song I'd Love You to Want Me. As soon as the record ended, I went online and found a video of Lobo performing this song. So the project has some positive payoff.
* I can't help but think of this album as "Lucille 2 sings other people's songs." It's got a ring to it.

 

It looks like she just picked songs that were hits in 1972 and early 73 ("Baby Don't Get Hooked..." in Mac's version, "I Believe In Music" in a version by the "Nice To Be With You" guys Gallery).

 

Did she reverse the genders in "Baby, don't get hooked on me"? My wife hates that song, even though she likes Mac Davis in general. A song guaranteed to make feminists rage (at around the same time "I am woman" was popular, along with "Having my baby"). Fun times, never dull!

 

I'm loving this thread so far.......thanks for sharing.

 

1972 was year that few actors/entertainers would see in a lifetime,let alone a calender year. Liza's 1972 included a hit movie musical,a hit TV special and albums for both. Bob Fosse was behind all of this activity. The Academy Award show celebrating 1972 was held 3/27/73. The Emmy show was 5/20. Columbia needed product in the racks and The Singer was the product,released in stores right before the Oscars. Even as Columbia was more focused on rock rather than MOR pop, an act playing to Streisand fans(stage,screen,albums,),Judy Garland fans and the rich crossover appeal of the selection of songs seemed to make sense as the way to go. The Singer proved to work as it is still Liza's highest charted studio Billboard album. Cabaret racked up best actress,supporting actor,director, cinematography,editing,music scoring,sound and art direction in the year of The Godfather. The show had a U.S. TV audience of almost 38 million(this year it drew 26.5 million). How many ads from Korvette's and other mass retailers in the record business caught that exposure? The Emmy Awards,though held 5/20/73,a week after Mother's Day,still carried some punch leading up to award night and,though I have no definite date,it is probable that sponsor Singer Sewing re-ran the show around that time(they did this often with their expensive special shows and it was shown twice in 1973). It won four awards for Best Single Variety Award,Best Director for same,Cinematography(shot on film,not video) and Music/Special Material. I'll add that putting Snuff Garrett in charge was a great choice as the perfect balance between Minnellli's established fan base and newbies. I suspect as though some of the older fans knew some of the songs,they likely only had Liza's versions in their collection.

 

That is some fantastic detail... thanks!

 

I am almost positive that she switched the genders up on this song. (But I'm not really willing to put the album on again)

 

I'm enjoying it, too, even if I wish the assessments were more positive. I'm a fan of ABBA, Liza, Barry Manilow and others you haven't been so keen on.

Both Liza and Mac Davis were huge for awhile in the early 70s, by the way (re you wondering why your folks would have the Liza album, re wondering about the Davis songs). With Davis, he had a really popular "variety hour" television show. I'd be surprised if your folks don't turn out to own at least one Davis album, too, as well as stuff like a Lobo album, a Tony Orlando and Dawn album, etc.

 

My parents had the best of Lobo album.

 

Re Manilow's "Avenue C", by the way, which is a track I love, it's a show-tuney take on big band/swing vocal jazz. The Pointer Sisters, who I also love, also did a lot of that sort of thing early in their career. And of course it was the bread and butter of groups like Manhattan Transfer, who I'm a fan of, too.

 

Great thread! I'm going to "watch" this one for further developments.

I do hope you find some decent albums though. Should I use this emoji for the last sentence?

 

For what it’s worth... I really did enjoy the ABBA album. I’m trying to find parts of each that I like. Really, other than maybe the Liza album there has been at least a part of each one that I’ve liked.

And there is at least one Mac Davis album in there.

 

This really has been fun. It’s certainly setting up some good conversations for the next time I head over to see my parents.

And there are a couple of gems coming up. (No sarcasm)

 

Good info! Your description nails it. It's just not really my thing.

 

Why would you expect an ABBA album to be bad???

Well.... if the needle jumps forward but the record plays on, I guess you could say it plays through

Cool project by the way!