Cover albums
Barry Manilow became one of the world’s best-selling artists by making timeless classics out of unknown songs. But these days, he’s more likely to rely on other people’s hits than interpret new material.
And he’s not alone. From Rod Stewart to Aaron Neville to Art Garfunkel – who on Tuesday is releasing an album of Rodgers & Hammerstein standards titled “Some Enchanted Evening” – veteran singers are increasingly turning to cover albums or other gimmicks.
“As much as my true fans love these original albums, they don’t sell as well as the cover albums,” Manilow said in an interview last year as he was promoting “The Greatest Songs of the Sixties,” the follow-up to his surprise platinum success, “The Greatest Songs of the Fifties.”
“It’s a handful of great artists who can still do it – like Sting can still come up with a great original album and sell, and the same thing with Paul Simon, and the same thing with Prince,” he said. “But there are others who can’t, and I think the record companies want to play it safer.”
It seems to be a winning formula, one that has grown in popularity in the last few decades.
Linda Ronstadt “What’s New” album of classics was a huge success in 1983, as was Natalie Cole’s Grammy-winning, multiplatinum 1991 release “Unforgettable: With Love,” featuring her singing along to her father’s songs from the ‘50s.
More recently, Rod Stewart has had platinum success with his “Great American Songbook” series.
And pairing an aging Frank Sinatra with contemporary chart-toppers like Bono to sing his best-known songs on the 1993 album “Duets” created another formula that is still being replicated today, with great success.
Santana’s “Supernatural” joined the veteran guitarist with young hitmakers on new songs and was a multiplatinum, Grammy-winning sensation, as was Ray Charles’ “Genius Loves Company,” which featured the music legend singing classics with a variety of musical guests.
“I think somehow a generation of people are now reaching their mid-40s … (and) are reminiscing about certain things,” says renowned music producer Phil Ramone, who produced Sinatra’s “Duets” album, as well as “Genius Loves Company” and a duets album by Tony Bennett.
“There’s something about stuff that’s over 20 years old that … reminds of you of your good days,” he says.
Burgundy Records, an imprint of SonyBMG created in 2005 to cater to older artists and their fans, last year released Aaron Neville singing “The Soul Classics” and Julio Iglesias rendering “Romantic Classics.”
Earlier this month, the label also had the ‘70s group America making a comeback with a two-disc set featuring Ryan Adams and other younger talent, as well as a live disc of old hits.
Matt Stringer, a top executive at Burgundy, says coming up with a way to easily connect with listeners is key, especially for an older artist.
“Some of the avenues for the most broad-scale exposure aren’t available to them, like massive radio airplay or top-10 singles,” Stringer says.
In many cases, he says, “the concept for the record … becomes basically as important as the artists themselves.”
Antonio “L.A.” Reid, chairman of Island Def Jam, home to performers ranging from Kanye West to Bon Jovi to Lionel Richie, says classic songs work for older artists because their fans aren’t as keen on experimentation.
“The adult audience isn’t very receptive to new material,” says Reid. “They would rather hear a song that they’ve heard before sung by an artist they are familiar with than they would to hear a new artist, for example, or a new song.”
That’s not to say that older artists aren’t making any new material. Last year’s Bob Dylan release, “Modern Times,” was not only acclaimed as one of his best in years, but also debuted on top of the album charts.
Other baby boomer acts who had notable successes included Prince (“3121”), Bruce Springsteen (“We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions”) and Richie, whose “Coming Home” album earned him the most commercial success he’s had in years.
Richie believes a key to that success was being open to new ideas.
“The worst thing you hear sometimes from veteran artists is, ‘I don’t do it that way,’ ” he says. “The first thing I said to them, all of the writers I was with, was: ‘What does Lionel Richie sound like to you in 2006?’ “
While today’s pop market can be challenging for older artists, says Burgundy’s Stringer, he knows the audience is there and waiting.
“It’s worth the valiant effort to figure out how to get these artists exposed,” he says. “It’s also absolutely providing a service to the consumer marketplace.”