Customer Reviews

The Very Best of the Manhattan Transfer

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I found this title quite by accident. I was looking for "The Best of the Manhattan Transfer" only to find "The Very Best of the Manhattan Transfer." Yes, they are two different CDs, but the latter obviates the need for (even subsumes) the former.

First, I love the Manhattan Transfer. I wouldn't give them a bad review if they practiced bird calls while KISS provided vocal backup. BUT, this CD is truly extradinory. It encompasses the best (small 'b') of the Manhattan Transfer -- it gives us their style, their harmony, their effortless vocal ease, without the need to buy their whole collection of wonderful music. (Yes, I do hesitate to say that, because their repetoir is quite sublime.) The fact is, if you've ever thought of buying a Manhattan Transfer CD but never have, then THIS is the one to buy, because it truly does pick the very best titles from their many releases and puts them all in one convenient place.

This CD isn't the perfect gift for an MT fan (because he or she will already have the songs on other CDs), but it is the perfect CD for anyone to whom you might want to introduce this wonderful ensemble group.

Again, this really is the very best of the Manhattan Transfer.

They have been around for more than three decades now. This group has earned a reputation as one of the most hard working and versatile acts in show business. The Manhattan Transfer made a decision years ago not to concentrate on any one particular style of music. It was surely the right choice because Manhattan Transfer continues to perform to this day their unique blend of bebop, fusion jazz, pop and doowop to enthusiastic audiences all over the world.
"The Very Best of the Manhattan Transfer" certainly does live up to its moniker. Rhino has done a splendid job in assembling 16 of the groups very finest recordings. It is simply amazing to me that a group of such abundant talent only managed to place a total of 7 singles on the Billboard Hot 100. Each and every one of those tunes appear here including as you would expect "Operator", "Trickle Trickle", "Baby Come Back To Me (The Morse Code of Love)" and the groups biggest single release "Boy From New York City" from 1981. At that point it looked as though Manhattan Transfer just might be a fixture on the pop charts for many years to come. But Manhattan Transfer never really fancied itself a Top 40 act. Rather the group appealed to a wide variety of audiences and as such found a great deal of success on the album charts in the ensuing years. Many great tunes from those albums appear on this disc including phenominal renditions of standards like "Candy", "Tuxedo Junction", "Route 66" and "Java Jive". I also loved the groups cover of the doo wop classic "Gloria". I found each and every track on this CD to be an absolute delight. The remastering job is amazing and the 8 page booklet was also very nicely done.
The Manhattan Transfer was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998. They have also won 10 Grammys. This CD should be considered "essential" for serious collectors of American popular music. Very highly recommended.

There's nothing bad I can say about this album. Not the best IMO ("Swing" and "Vocalese" fighting for that distinction in my collection), but its the best album you can reccomend to friends. An excellent cross-section of the Transfer's wide range of vocal styles (whether Do-Wop, Swing, Jazz, Pop..or, dare I say it, Disco), this album will hook ANYONE. Their rendition of "Route 66" is, to me, legendary. I'm sure my neighbors want to kill me I play it so much. Or want me to tell them where the heck I got it from.... BUY THIS ALBUM!!!

Vocal perfection period.Iam in absolute awe that this group existed so long without my knowledge.GREAT STUFF!!

The Best Of The Manhattan Transfer is the one collection that lives up to it name! The mainstream songs/hits like "Boy From New York City", "Spice Of Life", and "Twilight Zone/Twilight Tone" are included along with other notable gems "Birdland" (a well-constructed and enjoyable song) and "Tuxedo Junction" (a swing-era favorite).

The liner notes provide a brief history of how the group began and how the lovely voice of Cheryl Bentyne was able to replace Laurel Masse and changed the sound of the band. The are also pictures and discography along with song credits.

Overall, this collection is ideal for both the casual fan (who only wants the hits) and for the Transfer fan (who would approve this collection as a truly single CD anthology of the group). Recommended.

Well, all I can say is it's a great CD. I like everything that the Manhattan Transfer has made, since I started liking them when I was younger. (I'm 14 now.) Like the last person, I wouldn't ever give them a bad review, but, belive me. This one has go to be the best. The songs I recomend on this are: Baby Come Back to Me, Tuxedo Junction, Ray's Rockhouse, and Twilght Zone/Twilight Tone. These are just some of my favorites, but I like all the songs on here. If your a Manhattan Transfer fan, like me, you GOT to have this. If you're new to their music, this CD is perfect for you too.

You'd be hard pressed to find many vocal groups the quality of this band that's been around for years and have consistently been churning out the quality. Now Rhino has compiled all their best tracks and remastered them to boot so that they have never sounded better. The best compilation of the group that's out there and probably the best value for money given the number of tracks on one disc. Recommended.

This recording is a great sampler of music from what must be one of the best jazz vocal ensembles in the world -- Manhattan Transfer. Most of the tracks are the toe-tapping jazz tunes they are famous for, but you also get their mellow arrangement of "A Nightingale Sang in Berkley Square", which features some interesting chords and harmonies, the 50s bop "Baby Come Back to Me," and the pop/dance hit "Twighlight Zone". My favorite of all the songs on this recording is "Birdland", which I am lucky enough to have performed, and which Manhattan Transfer sings to jazzy perfection. If you like great a cappella singing and jazz, then this is it!

When the first song started to play, I got up from my chair and began to dance - I kept it up for at least 5 more songs until I was exhausted! The first several sets are songs from the 50s then it shifts to the 40s and then the music goes somewhere else! OMG! This CD is fabulous. I sang in a jazz trio in the past, so I sang along to the songs while I danced. I had to play a Beethoven Symphony when then the CD ended in order to just chill-out!

Nothing unnecessary or unneeded in this collection. Listening to it brought back good memories for everyone in the household. I don't know if the original members are still in the group but I hope that Manhattan Transfer is still making music.