Manilow Fans Sing Along by the Thousands

DENVER (AP) _ Barry Manilow is a little freaked out to see tens of thousands of people singing along with him. <br/><br/>``Most of the nights I look up, and there are between 10,000 and 15,000 people out

Monday, November 8th 2004, 9:37 am

By: News On 6

DENVER (AP) _ Barry Manilow is a little freaked out to see tens of thousands of people singing along with him.

``Most of the nights I look up, and there are between 10,000 and 15,000 people out there,'' the entertainer told The Denver Post in Sunday's editions. ``They can't all be fans from the '70s.''

``I'm sure many of them are, and I'm very grateful that they've stuck with me that long. But between 10,000 and 15,000 people a night? I just have to believe there's another generation that has either been brainwashed by their parents or have discovered this catalogue of music on their own.''

The performer behind such easy-listening classics as ``Mandy'' and ``Looks Like We Made It'' is back with his 43rd album, ``Scores: Songs From Copacabana and Harmony,'' primarily material that Manilow, 58, wrote and arranged in the past but never recorded.

Manilow said he wants to remind today's listeners that pop music requires great songwriting.

``Now what the singers are given is a good groove, a great-sounding record, some slang, and free rein to try and make it as interesting as possible,'' he said. ``They do a brilliant job, but I feel that the craft of songwriting has taken a nose dive.''