a good box-set; a wonderful booklet; a fabulous video

i give this box-set four stars because i too am a little upset that Arista filled the CDs with a bit too much alternate takes and demos. i didn't mind the demo songs that much because it was new material i hadn't heard from him. however, Arista tried to imitate the exhaustive box-set patterns of Bear Family by trying to have obscure songs and performances rather than the commercial hits. "Joey", "Let Me Be Your Wings", "Wild Places", "If Tomorrow Never Comes", "The Best of Me", and "Baby It's Cold Outside" are all excellant. The last song i mentioned is a 1990 duet with country singer K.T. Oslin. shame on that one reviewer who discarded her vinyl albums. why do such a thing? turntables are still being manufactured by the Crosley people...i still play vinyl all the time. but getting back to this box-set, you can fast-forward through the songs you don't want to hear. i taped whatever i liked from the box set onto cassettes and that way i can keep the playing of the CDs to a minimum. the booklet is a wonderful peek inside the career and mind of Barry. I love the analogy he makes in reference to his music: "my music is like anchovies...some like it, some get nauseous". he also rightfully doesn't make apologies for his selection in material during his biggest years in the '70s. he takes pride in being one of the few pop singers who cared more for lyrics than the "sound". he also, for the millionth time, explains the true story of the meaning of "I Write The Songs" and what the writer intended the song to be about. it's a marvelous book chock full of pictures and song information. the home video that also accompanies the box-set includes several vintage performances of Barry in concert at various times in his career. "Let's Hang On" is one of the songs performed in concert on the video during "The Old Songs Medley" segment. The video ends with a 1989 performance of "Keep Each Other Warm", a song from his then-new self titled Arista album. The box-set as i said is wonderful...but the alternate takes grow annoying when person wants the familiar versions and that's why i give it four stars.

a must have

If you like Barry Manilow and are a true true fan

this collection is a must have. there are alot of out-takes
and rare recordings on each of the four discs. I paid alot
more for this in the stores when it came out and it has gotten quite a bit of play. there are some songs on here that
have never been released before. this is must have.

Not Worth the Money

When I discarded my vinyl collection, I lost such gems as Last Duet. It was omitted from Ultimate Collection. Keep your money and try and find a used copy of the Barry album released in 1980.