Bodies & Souls

The Manhattan Transfer | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Atlantic
• ASIN: B000002IGH
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #90,386 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #39 in Music > Jazz > Vocal Jazz > Vocalese

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Under-appreciated Contempo Gem from Man Tran, June 20, 2000

By 

J. Collins "Paradise Bar & Grill" - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Bodies & Souls (Audio CD)

Following the Pop success of "Boy From New York City" and jazz recognition for the album that spawned that hit, "Mecca For Moderns," Man Tran finally had a bit of breathing space. "Bodies and Souls" was released in 1983, and though it solidified the group's reputation as the pre-eminent vocal quartet in both musical genres, it didn't have the commercial success it deserved. The mixture of oldies, novelty tunes and jazz compositions that marked many of their earlier releases was temporarily set aside, and "Bodies..." presented the group in a more soulful, R&B setting. Of course, there were still plenty of Pop hooks and Jazz-styled vocalizing, but song by song distinctions became less noticeable. New producer Richard Rudolph had the same canny ability to create lush, contemporary-sounding vehicles for Man Tran as Jay Graydon (who helmed "Extensions" and "Mecca..."); yet his production had a more spontaneous groove.

The single, "Spice of Life" is an excellent example of how he helped the group achieve a soulful (yet still Pop-friendly) sound. On other tracks like "This Independence," "Soldier Of Fortune" and "Code of Ethics," he introduced the group to the kind of synthesized settings that were common in "New Wave" records of the period. The group's vocal warmth provided a strange but pleasing counterpoint to the "cold" musical textures of the synths. Current but not quite trendy, this is probably the most "contemporary" record the group ever made.

That's not to say that the rich vocal layers and textures of Man Tran's earlier recordings were totally abandoned. The Grammy-winning "Why Not!" was a potent reminder of the group's jazz chops. Similarly, "Down South Camp Meetin'" gave the group's vocalese fans a fun-filled trip down memory lane, with new lyrics provided by longtime friend/collaborator, Jon Hendricks. (A Swing styled version of this same song appears on the group's most recent studio release, "Swing.") Also, the album's closer, "The Night That Monk Returned To Heaven" paid tribute to the great Thelonius Monk; the airy, other-worldly grace of their vocals is spine-tingling.

Solo standouts include Janis on "Mystery" (later covered by Anita Baker), Tim on "This Independence," and Cheryl on "Goodbye Love." Alan Paul was less successful with "Malaise En Malaisie," a soggy-sweet ballad that brings out the worst in his nasal delivery.

Apart from a muddled lyric here and there (the trite 'rags to riches' tale in "American Pop" and the inexplicably heavy-handed sentiments of "Code of Ethics"), "Bodies and Souls" is a vocal classic, and a pretty spiffy Pop album to boot.

-Mic

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A MYSTERY SOLVED!, March 20, 2001

By 

johntaylor "johntaylor" (lynn, ma. USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Bodies & Souls (Audio CD)

So glad to have found this on cd. I wore out my lp a long time ago. Though i have heard only two other Manhattan Transfer releases they did not have the effect this one does on me. There is something about the combination of moods, vocal stylings of each member and the song choices that make this one of my all time favorite albums by ANYONE. There really is some great singing on this cd...understatement! All the cuts are great but start with "mystery", "goodbye love", "why not", "down south"...all. *****

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Spice Of Life!, September 1, 2007

By 

Andre S. Grindle "Andre' Grindle" (Brewer Maine) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Bodies & Souls (Audio CD)

One thing you could never accuse The Manhattan Transfer of being is musically closed minded.The year is 1983 and after the major pop successess of the previous two albums Extensions and Mecca for Moderns the quartet decided to head right for the contemporary pop/R&B sound that many of their contemporaries were into and,while they were leaning very strongly in this direction during the last few years they just go right for it on this-showcasing a musical and production style not too different from the music being produced by Quincy Jones for people like Donna Summer,Patti Austin and Michael Jackson in the same time period. The first song gets things started right with the bouncy "Spice Of Life"-catchy,dancable and a perfect example of the sound they were going for.The group also discovered synthesizers in a much heavier way and "The Independance" pulls plenty of rabbits of out that hat-Tim Hauser's fruity bass vocals tell a very picturesqe tale on this new wavish tune."Mystery" takes the sound to a mellower territory,again a truly wonderful song.Then comes another favorite of mine hear-the festive "American Pop"-a fun story song about triumphant kid from the bad side of the street married to a festive rhythm and it brings out all the best quality of the group-just pulls everything together."Solder Of Fortune" does another great job of mashing the group's distinct vocal style with an even more new wavish tune. One of this albums most suprising moments is the epic "Code Of Ethics".Now I've noticed a lot of other reviewers who are unsure of what the lyrics are about but when I heard it it struck a chord with me-just a very dramatically sung,poetic statement about personal commitment to a relationship that I wholeheartedly agree with.The Manhattan Transfer never stray far from their swinging jazz roots and "Down South Camp Meeting" and the beautiful acappella vocals on "The Night That Monk Returned" really emphasize this."Why Not (Manhattan Carnival" is a really great uptempo latin type tune that's a lot of fun while the soft "Goodbye Love" round out this wonderful album. I highly reccomend 'Body And Souls' to any fan of this group and if your just into early 80's pop/jazz/R&B this will still be a great addition to your collection.