Someone was on our party line, so I decided to listen to the album first. And the most amazing thing happened: it was like being transported back to a time before anything I had known. As an average 11 year old, I didn't have the words to describe the silky jazz opener, "Tuxedo Junction," or many of the songs that followed. I just knew I was in love.

"Sweet Talking Guy" sounded better than I remembered, all those interwoven vocal lines swirling over the stacatto keyboard. I should say that some of the tracks didn't "click" with me at first, but I remember being impressed by the sincerity, the naturalness of the vocalists. "Java Jive" was my favorite singalong and "Blue Champagne" made me fantasize about cocktail romance, whatever that was.

Now when I play this album, and I do it often, I'm struck by the sheer talent that went into creating it, and pleasant sense of melancholy it registers in me. I wouldn't call it nostalgia or camp, because there is nothing bad or particularly funny about the attraction. "You Can Depend On Me" still offers a thrilling vocal exchange between Janis and Tim, "Heart's Desire" still bowls me over with the intensity of the group's heart-felt harmonies. And "Clap Your Hands" still makes me sing along with Janis, who never sounded more soulful or full of joy.

The next time I saw my friend, he informed me that Manhattan Transfer were "old news," and that he wasn't interested in them any more. To this day I've never told him how much he missed.


Looking Back, and Taking it Forward.   August 29, 2005
KRA (East End of LI)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

First, yes there actually WAS a railroad station known as Manhattan Transfer, and as it's name implied it was a station where people could transfer for trains direct in NYC.

That said, the current groups first studio album is awesome, and while it borrowers heavily from the "swing" era, it also contains great salutes to Do-Wop (Gloria, Hearts Desire), Beat (Java Jive), Gospel (Operator), and Pop (Sweet Talking Guy).

The songs from the swing era are all excellent with my favorites being; Tuxedo Junction, That Cat Is High, and the song that started it all off, Blue Champange.

The Man-Tran would go onto many differnt styles in the long and continuing career, but this landmark album started it all!


Gotta have it   May 21, 1999
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

Classic. Utterly classic. If you like sweet harmonies, a digging back beat, and vocals that can growl and soar at the same time, you need to own this. One of my all-time favorites. (I'm buying it in CD [finally] after wearing out four vinyls and all of the attendant bootleg cassettes I made from them)!


Very special   May 27, 2004
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

Blue Champagne and Heart's Desire demonstrate the uncommon versatility of this talented group. The closing notes of Heart's Desire show that Janis Siegel can compare favorably to an opera contralto when she uses that timbre of her golden voice.


These Cats Can Really Swing!   July 28, 1998
2 out of 3 found this review helpful

Their first album is one of their best. Every cut is a winner, from "Tuxedo Junction" to "Hearts Desire". If only we had more vocal groups like this doing this kind of great, timeless music!