The Manhattan Transfer - Extensions (1979)

Note: this release was originally purchased as an LP, later replaced by a CD.

I don't listen to this much these days, but it got a lot of play when I was in high school (I think my LP was obtained through one of those Columbia House record club scams). At the time I thought this music was jazz fusion-ish, but really it's just adult contemporary. The inconsistency of styles didn't bother me back then, but now I can see what a mixed bag it is: some jazz vocalese, some pop tunes, an avant garde track, a doo-wop number, an attempt at electronic big band music, and the interesting inclusion of a Tom Waits song. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy listening to this, if only for the memories.

Press of the time:

• CashBox: "with the aid of the Toto gang and producer Jay Graydon they move forward into a kind of space-bop groove."
• Billboard: "its most well-balanced album"
• Stereo Review: "trendies without a trend"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #55
• CashBox: #63
• Rolling Stone: #50

Tracks: The best tracks are the covers of Weather Report's Birdland and Spyro Gyra's Shaker Song. Birdland, now considered a jazz standard, was a minor hit for the group and has become their signature song. When I had the LP, I'd skip the last two tracks on side one (Coo Coo U and Body And Soul) and the last track on side two (Foreign Affair). 30+ years later, I still want to skip the same tracks.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: This was my introduction to the quartet, which became one of my favorite groups in high school and college. In high school jazz band, we played arrangements of both Birdland and Twilight Zone/Twilight Tone.

Previously revisited for the blog:
The Christmas Album (1992)
Brasil (1987)
Bodies and Souls (1983)