Barry Manilow - Ultimate Manilow [2LP]

Ultimate Manilow brings twenty of Barry Manilow's best-loved recordings together across a double LP on 140-gram vinyl.

First released in 2002, the collection gathered nearly every top 20 hit Manilow had scored and debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, sparking a major career revival. It went on to double platinum in the US and platinum in the UK, a reminder of how deeply these songs had settled into everyday life since his breakthrough in the mid-1970s.

The tracklist reads like a soundtrack to a generation of radio. "Mandy" opens proceedings with a tender, piano-led confession, his voice gradually swelling with the strings, while "Could It Be Magic" builds from a quiet, Chopin-inspired opening into full showroom grandeur. "I Write the Songs" became one of his signature anthems, and "Copacabana (At the Copa)" turns a tale of love and jealousy at a nightclub into a brassy, irresistible disco romp. The sequencing keeps things moving from heartfelt ballads to big showstoppers.

Four sides of melody, sentiment and sheer showmanship make this the most direct route into a remarkable catalogue. It is an easy record to put on and a hard one to turn off, with plenty of chances to sing along.