The Manhattan Transfer (1975)

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

Man-oh-man I love this group's vocals and tight harmonies, but this album lacks some focus. Then again, that could be said of most of their albums prior to 1985's Vocalese. There's a little bit of vocalese on this album, along with jazz, pop, doo-wop, disco, and some NOLA funk. It's hit-or-miss so I don't pull this one from the shelves very often, but when I do, it brings back good memories of my life in the early to mid-'80s.

Press of the time:

• CashBox: "Every cut is pure joy as you journey through this musical treat."
• Record World: "especially attractive"
• Billboard: "Some of the finest singing heard in a long while and one of the few records that lives up to its advance hype."
• High Fidelity: "Talent this good and chemistry this hot always rise to the top."
• Stereo Review: "This is a silky salon job that will probably be most appreciated by the 'in' group in pop social circles."
• Rolling Stone: "Of this album's 12 selections, only four seem worthy of more than one audition." (Spoiler: those 4 tracks, in descending order, are 1) Clap Your Hands, 2) Blue Champagne, 3) Operator, and 4) That Cat Is High. I respectfully disagree.) 

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #33
• CashBox: #45

Tracks:

1. Tuxedo Junction - cover of a 1939 Erskine Hawkins and His Orchestra tune, fairly faithful to the Glenn Miller version, complete with big band backing.
2. Sweet Talking Guy - cover of a 1966 tune by The Chiffons.
3. Operator - cover of a 1959 tune by The Friendly Brothers, peaked on the Hot 100 at #22. One of the best tracks on the album; gospelish with a tasty sax solo from Michael Brecker.
4. Candy - cover of a popular 1944 standard
5. Gloria - cover of a 1954 tune by The Cadillacs. Yawner with a organ part that sounds like it was lifted straight from a sitcom funeral scene.
6. Clap Your Hands - original by Ira Newborn & The Manhattan Transfer. This disco-lite pop ditty was issued as a single, but did not chart.
7. That Cat Is High - cover of a 1938 tune by The Ink Spots. Swinging big band tune and a drunkard certainly delivers.
8. You Can Depend On Me - cover of a 1931 Louis Armstrong tune.
9. Blue Champagne - cover of a 1941 Jimmy Dorsey #1 hit. A beautiful ballad, well done.  
10. Java Jive - cover of a 1940 tune by The Ink Spots. Another one of the better album cuts, just the quartet with subtle guitar accompaniment. 
11. Occapella - cover of a 1970 Lee Dorsey tune. Slow funk tune written by Allen Toussaint and the only thing that could make it better would be The Meters as a backing band. Ironically, the tune is not performed a capella. Don't mean it ain't good, though.
12. Heart's Desire - cover of a 1958 tune by The Avalons.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I discovered the group with the purchase of their '79 album, Extensions, but never delved into the back catalog. Then my good friend Scott came home from summer drama camp in 1982 all abuzz about the group and this 1975 album (I'm guessing it was popular with the college drama kids he idolized). I listened to Scott's copy of the album (he was particularly fond of track 3, Operator) and eventually picked up my own.

A few years later, I moved from the university dorm into a local 3 bedroom house for my junior and senior years of college. Music majors had long rented the property and it was one of those places where as one guy graduated and moved out, another music major renter was on deck, ready to rent the open room. In any case, at some point before I moved in, someone much more talented than I had used the cover art of this album as inspiration for a painting on the living room wall:

The above photo was taken around February 1988 at one of the numerous parties that took place at our house (see also). Your humble blogger is in the center of two good friends. I was 21 at the time, so sobriety at the time the photo was taken is highly doubtful. But what a nice wall painting, huh? This is the only pic I could find of it; doubt it's still on the wall. Actually, I'd be surprised if the house is still standing.

Previously revisited for the blog:

An Acapella Christmas (2006)	Vocalese (1985)
Man-Tora! Live In Tokyo (1996)	Bop Doo-Wopp (1984)
Tonin' (1994)	Bodies and Souls (1983)
The Christmas Album (1992)	Mecca For Moderns (1981)
The Offbeat of Avenues (1991)	Extensions (1979)
Brasil (1987)