News

Barry Manilow hasn’t been resting on his laurels. In recent months, the superstar entertainer saw his musical Harmony finally make it to Broadway, continued his record-breaking residency in Las Vegas, sold out New York’s Radio City Music Hall, and announced from the stage of Carnegie Hall that he had re-entered the studio at the instigation of Clive Davis to record Peter Allen and Dean Pitchford’s anthem “Once Before I Go” for a new single on which he collaborated with producer Babyface. Manilow is now looking forward to a series of sold-out shows at the famed London Palladium, and to mark the occasion, Sony U.K. is reissuing his 1982 album Live in Britain on CD for the first time in decades.

Live in Britain captured Manilow during his Royal Albert Hall stand of January 1982 alongside musical director Victor Vanacore. The 12-track album featured a number of staples still in his setlists today (“It’s a Miracle,” “Even Now,” “I Made It Through the Rain,” “Copacabana,” “Could It Be Magic,” “Mandy”) along with unique material. In the latter category, the singer performed “Stay” from his then-new album Here Comes the Night; melded “It’s a Miracle” with “London” (from 1980’s Barry); shared Kenny Nolan’s “Lonely Together” (also from Barry); and treated the London audience to “Bermuda Triangle” (the Barry single which went to the top 20 in the U.K.). A medley combined “Who’s Been Sleeping in My Bed” from 1979’s One Voice with “Break Down the Door” from 1981’s If I Should Love Again, and “We’ll Meet Again” found Barry saluting London with the 1939 Vera Lynn classic.

The result is a live album unlike any other in Manilow’s extensive catalogue, and one which has never been reissued in the United States or outside of Europe. (Unfortunately, many songs performed at Royal Albert Hall weren’t included on the album. “Nickels and Dimes” and “If I Should Love Again” were issued as B-sides, while “Can’t Smile Without You,” “This One’s for You,” “I Was a Fool to Let You Go,” “Somewhere Down the Road,” and “Sunday Father” were issued only on VHS.) It yielded a top 25 U.K. hit with the live recording of “Stay” featuring Barry’s co-writers Kevin DiSimone and James Jolis.

Barry Manilow’s Live in Britain is due from Sony in the U.K. on May 17. You’ll find the track listing and pre-order links below!

Barry Manilow, Live in Britain (Arista U.K. ARTV4, 1982 – reissued Arista/Sony, 2024) (Amazon U.S. Link TBD / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Link TBD)

1. It’s a Miracle/London
2. The Old Songs/I Don’t Want to Walk Without You/Let’s Hang On
3. Even Now
4. Stay
5. Beautiful Music/I Made It Through the Rain/Beautiful Music (End)
6. Bermuda Triangle
7. Break Down the Door/Who’s Been Sleeping in My Bed
8. Copacabana (At the Copa)
9. Could It Be Magic/Mandy
10. London/We’ll Meet Again
11. One Voice
12. It’s a Miracle (Reprise)