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BREAKING! Second Disc Records, Real Gone Music Celebrate Melissa Manchester with "The Complete Arista 7" Singles"

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"Please, don't let this feeling end..."

The sentiment of that famous lyric is one shared by listeners every time Melissa Manchester begins to sing. From her earliest pop hits through her recent triumphs on the jazz charts, Manchester's voice has always resonated with warmth and power. In 1975, she was one of a handful of select talents chosen by Clive Davis to inaugurate his Arista Records label, and during her near-decade on the label, the fiercely independent artist established herself as both a singer and songwriter nonpareil.  On September 8, the very same day her hotly-anticipated new album The Fellas hits stores, the most comprehensive anthology of Melissa's recordings arrives from Second Disc Records and Real Gone Music.

Through the Eyes of Love: The Complete Arista 7" Singles brings together every one of Manchester's Arista 45 RPM releases, all in their original single versions featuring 23 unique single mixes/edits, for a total of 43 tracks on two discs.    Inspired by the trailblazing Laura Nyro (and following our release of Nyro's A Little Magic, A Little Kindness: The Complete Mono Albums Collection), the onetime student of Paul Simon scored a crossover smash with the beautifully intimate "Midnight Blue," her debut single on Arista.  She then established such songs as "Don't Cry Out Loud," "Come in from the Rain," and the Oscar-nominated "Theme from Ice Castles (Through the Eyes of Love)" as standards, and reinvented herself as a contemporary dance diva with the Grammy-winning "You Should Hear How She Talks About You." All of those songs and many more--including over fifteen chart hits--can be heard on Through the Eyes of Love--The Complete Arista 7" Singles.  Melissa's richly varied collaborations with renowned songwriters and producers including Carole Bayer Sager, Marvin Hamlisch, Peter Allen, Bernie Taupin, Leon Ware, Arif Mardin, Vini Poncia, and Harry Maslin can all be savored here.

These timeless recordings fusing pop, rock, soul, R&B, new wave, dance, jazz, and plenty of heart have been newly remastered from the original tapes by Mike Piacentini at Sony's Battery Studios, and present Melissa's hits on CD as they were first heard on the radio between 1975 and 1984. Through the Eyes of Love boasts several worldwide CD premieres as well as rarities, such as the hard-to-find single version of "My Boyfriend's Back" (heard as part of a medley in its album version), and as a special bonus, the extended 12-inch mix of "You Should Hear How She Talks About You."  Melissa herself has generously shared her memories in an exclusive interview, which is featured in a deluxe 24-page booklet designed by John Sellards.

Clocking in at a whopping 157 minutes, Through the Eyes of Love: The Complete Arista 7" Singles features songs which remain inspiring, empowering, romantic, reflective, and joyful.  It reveals just why Melissa Manchester became the cherished voice of a generation.  It's due on September 8, and you'll find pre-order links below!  Watch this space for more news of Real Gone's September releases soon!

Melissa Manchester, Through the Eyes of Love: The Complete Arista 7" Singles (Second Disc Records/Real Gone Music, 2017) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1 

  1. Midnight Blue (Arista single AS-0116, 5/75)
  2. I Got Eyes (Arista single AS-0116, 5/75)
  3. Just Too Many People (Arista single AS-0146, 8/75)
  4. The Lady's Not Home (Arista single AS-0146, 8/75)
  5. Just You and I (Arista single AS-0168, 1/76)
  6. My Sweet Thing  (Arista single AS-0168, 1/76)
  7. Better Days  (Arista single AS-0183, 4/76)
  8. Sing Sing Sing (Arista single AS-0183, 4/76)
  9. Rescue Me (Arista single AS-0196, 7/76)
  10. Happy Endings (Arista single AS-0196, 7/76)
  11. Monkey See, Monkey Do (Arista single AS-0218, 12/76)
  12. So's My Old Man (Arista single AS-0218, 12/76)
  13. Be Somebody (Arista single AS-0237, 1977)
  14. Dirty Work (Arista single AS-0237, 1977)
  15. I Wanna Be Where You Are (Arista single AS-0267, 9/77)
  16. No One's Ever Seen This Side of Me (Arista single AS-0267, 9/77)
  17. Don't Cry Out Loud (Arista single AS-0373, 11/78)
  18. We Had This Time (Arista single AS-0373, 11/78)
  19. Theme from Ice Castles (Through the Eyes of Love) (Arista single AS-0405, 4/79)
  20. Such a Morning (Arista single AS-0405, 4/79)
  21. Pretty Girls (Arista single AS-0456, 9/79)
  22. Fire in the Morning (Arista single AS-0485, 2/80)

CD 2 

  1. It's All in the Sky Above (Arista single AS-0456, 9/79)
  2. Lights of Dawn (Arista single AS-0485, 2/80)
  3. If This Is Love (Arista single AS-0551, 8/80)
  4. Talk (Arista single AS-0551, 8/80)
  5. Without You (Arista single AS-0579, 1980)
  6. Boys in the Back Room (Arista single AS-0579, 1980)
  7. Lovers After All - with Peabo Bryson (Arista single AS-0587, 2/81)
  8. Happier Than I've Ever Been (Arista single AS-0587, 2/81)
  9. Race to the End (Theme from Chariots of Fire) (Arista single AS-0657, 2/82)
  10. Long Goodbyes (Arista single AS-0657, 2/82)
  11. You Should Hear How She Talks About You (Arista single AS-0676, 5/82)
  12. Hey Ricky (You're a Lowdown Heel) (Arista single AS-1028, 1982)
  13. Come in from the Rain (Arista single AS-1028, 1982)
  14. Nice Girls (Arista single AS-1045, 1/83)
  15. My Boyfriend's Back (Arista single AS 1-9014, 6/83)
  16. Looking for the Perfect Ahh  (Arista single AS 1-9014, 6/83)
  17. No One Can Love You More Than Me  (Arista single AS 1-9087, 9/83)
  18. White Rose (Arista single AS 1-9087, 9/83)
  19. I Don't Care What People Say (Arista single AS 1-9162, 3/84)
  20. Emergency (Arista single AS 1-9162, 3/84)
  21. You Should Hear How She Talks About You (Special Extended Version) (Bonus Track) (Arista 12-inch single SP 141, 1982)
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Joe Marchese

JOE MARCHESE (Editor) joined The Second Disc shortly after its launch in early 2010, and has since penned daily news and reviews about classic music of all genres. In 2015, Joe formed the Second Disc Records label. Celebrating the great songwriters, producers and artists who created the sound of American popular song, Second Disc Records, in conjunction with Real Gone Music, has released newly-curated collections produced by Joe from iconic artists such as Johnny Mathis, Bobby Darin, Laura Nyro, Melissa Manchester, Chet Atkins, and many others. He has contributed liner notes to reissues from a diverse array of artists, among them Nat "King" Cole, Paul Williams, Lesley Gore, Dusty Springfield, B.J. Thomas, The 5th Dimension, Burt Bacharach, The Mamas and the Papas, Carpenters, Perry Como, Rod McKuen, Doris Day, Jackie DeShannon, and Andy Williams, and has compiled releases for talents including Robert Goulet and Keith Allison of Paul Revere and the Raiders. Over the past two decades, Joe has also worked in a variety of capacities on and off Broadway as well as at some of the premier theatres in the U.S., including Lincoln Center Theater, George Street Playhouse, Paper Mill Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, and the York Theatre Company. He has felt privileged to work on productions alongside artists such as the late Jack Klugman, Eli Wallach, Arthur Laurents, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. In 2009, Joe began contributing theatre and music reviews to the print publication The Sondheim Review, and in 2012, he joined the staff of The Digital Bits as a regular contributor writing about film and television on DVD and Blu-ray. Joe currently resides in the suburbs of New York City.

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Comments

  1. Yes! Been waiting forever for a comprehensive hits collection from Melissa. Thanks Second Disc and RGM!

    Reply

  4. This 2-disc set of Arista singles is long overdue from Melissa Manchester, especially in their single versions! My main concern, however, is the mastering. The last purchase that I bought remastered by Mike Piacentini - "The Box Set Series: The '80s", released on Sony Legacy in 2015 - was one of the worst-sounding mastering jobs that I had ever come across. It was too bright and too harsh on my areas, the victim of too much dynamic compression (and I actually like my mastering more so on the loud side!) Let's hope that Melissa's music does not suffer a similar fate.

    Reply

    • Hi there! I know that mastering is very often a matter of personal taste, but that said, I just want to vouch that Mike at Battery has expended a lot of time and love on this release, and I hope that you're happy with the results! It's been a true labor of love for all of us at The Second Disc and Real Gone Music.

      Reply

      • Hi, Joe. Thank you for the comment. I agree with you that mastering is a matter of personal taste. As someone who has defended some of the loudness wars, at least in the past, I can somewhat justify significant compression when the music stays true to its original sound. Sometimes, though, too loud is too loud, giving the music a harsh, bloated, brittle, piercing sound. I really hope that Mike did not go overboard with the compression and brightness on this Melissa Manchester release because it appears to be a very nice package. Regardless, I still plan on supporting this release by buying a physical copy.

        Reply

  5. The Wounded Bird reissues collected a few B-sides, but it will be great to have everything in one collection!

    Reply

  7. Hi Joe,
    I'm so glad to see the release of an Anthology of Melissa Manchester's Arista singles! I can't wait to own it and revisit one of my favorite, underated music artist. While I have transfered my vinyl to CD from Melissa, I was wondering if there may be a follow up to this collection that would include some other rare gems like Beautiful People b/w A Song For You, Never Neverland b/w Be Happy Now, O Heaven b/w Inclined, Theme from The Promise (I'll Never Say Goodbye) promotional single released in 1979 which was an Oscar nomination and has never been issued on CD, Theme From Out Of Africa (The Music Of Goodbye) a duet with Al Jarreau, Thief Of Hearts, Mathematics b/w So Full Of Yourself (non lp b side), Energy, Just One Lifetime and her last Adult Contemporary top 10 hit Walk On By b/w To Make You Smile Again, Rounding off her imput throughout the 80's.
    I know I may be pushing it, but I would love it as I know many other loyal fans would too!
    While we are at it, Bette Midler needs a complete singles collection as well. Barry Manilow has many collections out, but why not hime too?
    Thanks for you time
    Alan

    Reply

    • Hi Alan, Thanks so much! Hope you enjoy the set as much as we enjoyed putting it together. Of course, we would love to address all of those "loose ends" of Melissa's career. While we have no current plans, hopefully the performance of this set will indeed warrant a follow-up! And Bette and Barry are always most definitely on our radars here at The Second Disc. In the meantime, we can't wait for you to hear THROUGH THE EYES OF LOVE!

      Reply

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