AMG Review of Live

Steve Huey
All Music Guide

Live was Barry Manilow's only number one album, selling over three million copies, and aside from his greatest-hits collections, it was also his most consistent. In fact, Live was pretty close to a greatest-hits collection itself, covering most of Manilow's biggest chart successes up to 1977 and including a few of his stronger album cuts as well (primarily from This One's for You). The real treats for fans are a couple of medleys: one a jazz/boogie workout culminating in the theme from #American Bandstand and the other a series of the high-profile advertising jingles Manilow penned before getting his big break as a solo performer (for products like Dr. Pepper, Kentucky Fried Chicken, State Farm, McDonald's, and others). Manilow delivers tight, professional, totally unselfconscious performances, maintaining his energy all through the double-LP set. It's arguably his strongest effort.