Note: this release was originally purchased as an LP, later replaced by a CD.
The group's follow-up to 1979's Extensions album, this covers much of the same ground with many of the same session musicians (Graydon, David Foster, Steve Lukather, Jerry Hey, Abe Laboriel). There's pop, jazz, vocalese, ballads, and standards - this was the formula that I liked best from this band and really lost interest not long after they had moved on to Brazilian music. However, I will praise this release because it looks to the future while acknowledging the past and does it well, which isn't easy to do. This isn't my favorite Transfer album (that would be either Extensions or Vocalese), but this album does contain some of my favorite Transfer songs.
According to the group's website, here's the story on the title: Tim Hauser was at Janis Siegel’s home one afternoon and he picked up a Duke Ellington album entitled Live At The Blue Note 1952. While reading the cover, he noticed it said “The Blue Note was a haven for the smart set, in fact, the real mecca for moderns.” The group liked the phrase, and it fit well with the album concept. However, there's no explanation given for the horrid album cover.
Press of the time:
- DownBeat (★★★★): "another winner"
- Stereo Review: "yet another overproduced, gimmicky, leadenly cute album by this tiresome group."
- Rolling Stone (★★★): "the pop and jazz have edged closer to each other"
- Billboard: "excellent harmonies, tight production and energetic sound"
- CashBox: "wildly inventive"
Album chart peaks:
- US Billboard 200: #22
- Billboard Jazz: #6
- CashBox: #26
- CashBox jazz: #11
- Rolling Stone: #11
Tracks: My two favorite tracks are On The Boulevard and Kafka which are great not only because of the singing (this could be any group, really), but because of the production/lead guitar of Graydon and incredible drumming of Steve Gadd. Also good are Smile Again, the vocalese of Until I Met You (Corner Pocket) and the beautiful a capella closing track, A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square which couldn't be performed like this by any other group - I recommend listening loud on headphones (how often do you hear that about this kind of music?). Skippable are the cheesy (Wanted) Dead Or Alive and Spies In The Night. The hit single from this album was Boy From New York City, a cover of a 1965 do-wop song by The Ad-Libs. The cover peaked at #7 on the pop charts and #4 on the Adult contemporary chart, but I've never cared much for it.
Two Grammy award winning tracks here: Boy From New York City won for Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal and Until I Met You (Corner Pocket) won for Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Duo Or Group - the first group to win Grammy Awards in both the pop and jazz categories in the same year.
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I enjoyed listening to the album at home when I was in high school, but most of my friends had no idea I was listening to this pop goodness because I was always cultivating a New Wave hipster image back then. When I saw the group in concert in 1983, I was so excited when they performed On The Boulevard and was very disappointed they didn't sing Kafka.
Previously revisited for the blog:
The Christmas Album (1992)
Brasil (1987)
Bodies and Souls (1983)
Extensions (1979)
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