The reason Barry Manilow graces the pages of Kickin' it Old School today is that he will be releasing a new album November 24th (2008) called The Greatest Songs of the Eighties. This will be his fourth in a series of successful "Greatest Songs" releases which have already included the Fifties, Sixties and Seventies.  The three prior "Greatest Songs" releases have sold more than 2 million copies combined in the U.S. alone.

Manilow returned to Arista Records to work with longtime collaborator Clive Davis on this series of "Greatest Songs" albums. Here is a video previewing the new Eighties album:

Here is the complete track list for Manilow's The Greatest Songs of the Eighties:

"Islands in the Stream" duet with Reba McEntire - originally by Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton in 1983
"Open Arms" - originally by Journey in 1982
"Never Gonna Give You Up" - originally by Rick Astley in 1987
"Have I Told You Lately" - originally by Van Morrison in 1989
"I Just Called to Say I Love You" - originally by Stevie Wonder in 1984
"Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now)" - originally by Phil Collins in 1984
"Careless Whisper" - originally by Wham! in 1984
"Right Here Waiting" - originally by Richard Marx in 1989
"Arthur's Theme (The Best That You Can Do)" - originally by Christopher Cross in 1981
"Hard to Say I'm Sorry" - originally by Chicago in 1982
"Time After Time" - originally by Cyndi Lauper in 1984
"I've Had the Time of My Life" - originally by Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes in 1987

I would say there are some good songs on that list, but I would not call that collective group the "greatest songs of the 80s." In fact, three of those songs are actually ranked on my Worst #1 Songs of the 80s list (which you should check out if you haven't before). One of those songs is "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley. Here is the video of Manilow performing this song:

Now I want to make it clear that I do not really intend on purchasing this album myself, but I wanted to recognize the effort being made to keep the 80s alive and relevant. That will wrap up this issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks so much for reading. If you are interested in reading more of my 80's related issues, please click there for a summary. You can also click on the Archives in the upper left hand column or use the Google Search Box at the top of the right hand column to find any other issues you may have missed. If you are a fan of Kickin' it, please pass the word and let others know to give it a try (and of course come back often!)  Also, if you are so inclined, please vote or leave high ratings for it by using the several buttons in the upper right hand column (appreciate it!). Peace and much love.

Check this out: Since Thanksgiving is coming soon, this week I thought I would share a few cartoons related to this holiday...

Quote of the day: "Misfits aren't misfits among other misfits." -Barry Manilow

Download this: Some of the songs on Manilow's album are great by the original artist. One of those that I will recommend here is "Have I Told You Lately" by Van Morrison. This song was later covered by Rod Stewart in 1993 and had great success.