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JANICE'S BLUES ALLEY PRESENTS



The Manhattans



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The Manhattans



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Kiss and Say GoodbyeKiss and Say Goodbye
The ManhattansThe Manhattans Net


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The Manhattans were one of those classic R&B vocal groups who manage to achieve incredible career longevity by adapting their style to fit changing times. Formed in the '60s as a doo wop-influenced R&B quintet, the Manhattans reinvented themselves as sweet smooth soul balladeers during the '70s. In doing so, they somehow overcame the death of lead singer George Smith, and with new frontman Gerald Alston became more popular than they'd ever been, landing an across-the-board number one hit in 1976 with "Kiss and Say Goodbye." Under the leadership of Winfred "Blue" Lovett (who also composed some of the group's biggest hits), the Manhattans survived as a viable chart act well into the '80s, over two decades after their formation.

The Manhattans got together not in their namesake location, but in nearby Jersey City, NJ, in 1962. The group was centered around lead singer George "Smitty" Smith and bass (and sometime lead) vocalist Winfred "Blue" Lovett; the other original members were Kenny Kelley, Richard Taylor, and Edward "Sonny" Bivins, the latter of whom sometimes co-wrote material with accomplished songwriter Lovett. In 1964, the Manhattans signed with the Newark-based Carnival label and teamed up with producer Joe Evans; they scored their first hit in early 1965 with "I Wanna Be (Your Everything)," a number 12 R&B hit that established their way with a ballad right from the beginning. It was the first of eight singles for Carnival, a string that continued up through 1967. None were huge hits, but nearly all of them reached the Top 30 on the R&B charts, and are still prized by collectors of vocal-group soul for their aching harmonies, Smith's intense leads, and lack of concession to mainstream pop audiences.

In 1969, the Manhattans signed on with DeLuxe and issued several singles over the course of 1970. Unfortunately, Smith fell ill that year, and the group hired Phil Terrell as a temporary fill-in. Sadly, Smith passed away in 1971; he was replaced on lead vocals by Gerald Alston, who brought a smoother, more pop-friendly sound to the group. That quality soon became apparent when the Lovett-penned "One Life to Live" zoomed into the R&B Top Five in late 1972, giving the Manhattans their first major hit. The following year, they left DeLuxe for Columbia, where their debut single, "There's No Me Without You" (written by Sonny Bivins), equaled the R&B chart peak of "One Life to Live" by reaching number three. Initially working with producer Bobby Martin, the Manhattans' records now fell into line with the sweet, string-laden sound of contemporary '70s soul. The Manhattans hit the R&B Top Ten again in 1974 with "Don't Take Your Love" and 1975 with "Hurt," but their biggest success was still to come.

In early 1975, the Manhattans had recorded a Blue Lovett composition called "Kiss and Say Goodbye," which was released as a single almost a full year later. It became the second platinum single in history (after Johnnie Taylor's "Disco Lady") and their first number one hit in the spring of 1976, not just on the R&B charts, but the pop side as well � a remarkable feat, considering that they'd never had a single peak higher than number 37 on that survey. While it proved difficult to match the crossover success of "Kiss and Say Goodbye," the Manhattans reeled off a string of Top Ten R&B hits � "I Kinda Miss You," "It Feels So Good to Be Loved So Bad," "We Never Danced to a Love Song," and "Am I Losing You" � that lasted into early 1978 and made them staples on the newly emerging quiet storm radio format. Their momentum slowed over the next couple of years, but they came back strong in 1980 with "Shining Star" � not a cover of the Earth, Wind & Fire hit, but a co-write by their new producer Leo Graham. "Shining Star" reached the Top Five on both the pop and R&B charts, went gold, and won a Grammy � overall, not a bad haul.

The Manhattans' last major hit came with 1983's "Crazy," which put them in the R&B Top Five for the final time; they bade farewell to the Top 40 in 1985 with a cover of Sam Cooke's "You Send Me." That year Richard Taylor left the group, which carried on as a quartet for a few years; Taylor passed away in December 1987. Gerald Alston signed with Motown as a solo artist in 1988, upon which point the group finally parted ways with Columbia and recorded an album for the small Valley Vue label before disbanding. Alston and Lovett reunited in 1993; with new members Troy May and David Tyson, they toured regularly into the new millennium, with the occasional recording appearing on a small label.

Steve Huey -- All Music Guide



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LINKSYEARTITLE
1966Dedicated To You
1968The Manhattans: Doing Their Best Things
1970With These Hands
1972A Million To One
1973There�s No Me Without You
1974Summertime In The City
1975That�s How Much I Love You
1976Manhattans
1977It Feels Go Good
1978There�s No Good In Good
1979Love Talk
1980After Midnight
1980Manhattans: Greatest Hits
1981Black Tie
1982For You And Yours
1983Forever By Your Side
1985Too Hot To Stop It
1986Back To Basics
1989Sweet Talk
1989The Manhattans Greatest Hits
1995One Life To Live
1995Kiss And Say Goodbye: The Best Of The Manhattans
1997Wish That You Were Mine
1999Live! From South America
2000Love Songs
2001Even Now
2002Live! In Concert
2003Do You Really Mean Goodbye
2005Old School Cruzin� With The Manhattans
2007Reaching For The Sky
2008Men Cry Too


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Discorgraphy

1966 Dedicated To You



1968 The Manhattans: Doing Their Best Things

01. Can I
02. Follow Your Heart
03. Searching For My Baby
04. Baby I'm Sorry
05. I Wanna Be (your everything)
06. Baby I Need You
07. Call Somebody Please
08. Sweet Little Girl
09. I Betcha (couldn't love me)
10. Teach Me (the philly dog)


1970 With These Hands



1972 A Million To One



1973 There's No Me Without You



1974 Summertime In The City



1975 That's How Much I Love You



1976 Manhattans

01. Searching For Love
02. We'll Have Forever To Love
03. Take It Or Leave It
04. Reasons
05. How Can Anything So Good Be So Bad For You
06. Hurt
07. Wonderful World Of Love
08. If You're Ever Gonna Love Me
09. La-La-La Wish Upon A Star
10. Kiss And Say Goodbye


1977 It Feels Go Good

01. I Kinda Miss You
02. Up On The Street (where I live)
03. Let's Start All Over Again
04. It's You
05. I'll See You Tomorrow
06. It Feels So Good To Be Loved So Bad
07. I Just Can't Stay This Way
08. We Never Danced To A Love Song
09. Mind Your Business
10. Too Much For Me To Bear


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1978 There's No Good In Goodbye

01. There's No Good In Goodbye
02. Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye
03. Tomorrow
04. Share My Life
05. Am I Losing You
06. Happiness
07. You're My Life
08. Goodbye Is The Saddest Word
09. Movin'
10. Everybody Has A Dream


1979 Love Talk

01. After You
02. Love Talk
03. Right Feeling At The Wrong
04. Devil In The Dark
05. Here Comes The Hurt Again
06. I Just Wanna Be The One
07. New York City
08. That's Not Part Of The Show
09. The Way We Were
10. Memories
11. We Tried



P1980 After Midnight

01. Shining Star
02. It's Not The Same
03. Girl Of My Dreams
04. Cloudy, With A Chance Of Tears
05. The Closer You Are
06. If My Heart Could Speak/One Life To Live
07. Just As Long As I Have You
08. It Couldn't Hurt
09. Tired Of The Single Life
10. I'll Never Run Away From Love Again


1980 Manhattans: Greatest Hits

01. I'll Never Find Another (like you)
02. Shining Star
03. Kiss And Say Goodbye
04. Hurt
05. There's No Me Without You
06. Did You Really Mean Goodbye
07. We Never Danced To A Love song
08. It Feels So Good To Be Loved So Bad
09. I Kinda Miss You
10. Don't Take Your Love


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1981 Black Tie

01. Just One Moment Away
02. You Stand Out
03. Let Your Love Come Down
04. Honey, Honey
05. When You See Me Laughing
06. I Wanta Thank You
07. Deep Water
08. Just Can't Seem To Get Next To You
09. I Was Made For You
10. When I Leave Tomorrow


1982 For You And Yours



1983 Forever By Your Side

01. Crazy
02. Start Off Over Again
03. Forever By Your Side
04. Just The Lonely Talking Again
05. Locked Up In Your Love
06. Lover's Paradise
07. Love Is Gonna Find You
08. I'm Ready To Love You Again


1985 Too Hot To Stop It



1986 Back To Basics

01. Change Of Heart
02. Where Did We Go Wrong?
03. All I Need
04. I'm Through Trying To Prove My Love To You
05. Mr. D. J.
06. Back In The Night
07. Just Like You
08. Maybe Tomorrow
09. Don't Look In My Eyes
10. Neither One Of Us


1989 Sweet Talk

01. Sweet Talk
02. No One But You
03. Don't Let Go
04. This Love Is Real
05. Hot Like An Oven
06. Why You Wanna Love Me Like That
07. I Won't Stop
08. Lady I've Been Waiting For
09. Try Love Again
10. Just A Matter Of Time


1989 The Manhattans Greatest Hits

01. Shining Star
02. Wish That You Were Mine
03. Don't Take Your Love
04. Kiss And Say Goodbye
05. Just The Lonely Talking Again
06. Crazy
07. I Kinda Miss You
08. It Feels So Good To Be Loved So Bad
09. Am I Losing You
10. You'd Better Believe It


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1995 One Life To Live

01. One Life To Live
02. Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye
03. Don't Say No
04. The Way We Were/Memories
05. Fever
06. A Change Is Gonna Come
07. I'm Through Trying To Prove My Love To You
08. Just The Lonely Talking Again
09. There's No Me Without You
10. Where Did We Go Wrong


1995 Kiss And Say Goodbye: The Best Of The Manhattans

01. Kiss And Say Goodbye
02. Don't Take Your Love
03. There's No Me Without You
04. Wish That You Were Mine
05. The Day The Robin Sang To Me
06. That's How Much I Love You
07. Hurt
08. La-La-La Wish Upon A Star
09. It Feels So Good To Be Loved So Bad
10. Am I Loving You
11. Everybody Has A Dream
12. I Kinda Miss You
13. Shining Star
14. I'll Never Find Another(like you)
15. Just One Moment Away
16. I Was Made For You
17. Just The Lonely Talking Again
18. You Send Me
19. Goodbye Is The Saddest Word



1997 Wish That You Were Mine

01. There's No Me Without You
02. Wish That You Were Mine
03. Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye
04. Don't Say No
05. Shining Star
06. Kiss And Say Goodbye
07. Neither One Of Us
08. Don't Take Your Love
09. Just the Lonely Talking Again
10. Where Did We Go Wrong


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1999 Live! From South America

01. Good Enough
02. I'll Never Find Another
03. We Never Danced To A Love Song
04. It Feels So Good To Be Loved So Bad
05. There's No Good In Goodbye
06. Am I Losing You
07. Sara Smile
06. I Kinda Miss You
09. Tomorrow
10. Slow Motion
11. Send For Me
12. Wish That You Were Mine
13. Hurt
14. Crazy
15. There's No Me Without You
16. When We Are Made As One
17. Heaven
18. One Life To Live
19. Don't Take Your Love
20. Love Don't Love Nobody
21. End Of The Road
22. Shining Star
23. Kiss And Say Goodbye



2000 Love Songs

01. Shining Star
02. Kiss And Say Goodbye
03. It Feels So Good To Be Loved So Bad
04. Wish That You Were Mine
05. Girl Of My Dreams
06. Cloudy, With A Chance Of Tears
07. I'll Never Find Another
08. Just One Moment Away
09. A Million To One
10. We Never Danced To A Love Song
11. Am I Losing You
12. The Way We Were/Memories
13. You're My Life



2001 Even Now

01. Love Me Right
02. Turn Out The Stars
03. Nites Like This
04. Even Now
05. Everyday People
06. Let's Try Love
07. Any Other Way
08. How Much More
09. I Got It Right
10. Lover's Lullaby
11. Can You Take It



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2002 Live! In Concert

01. Good Enough
02. I'll Never Find Another
03. We Never Danced To A Love Song
04. It Feels So Good To Be Loved So Bad
05. There's No Good In Goodbye
06. Am I Losing You
07. Sara Smile
06. I Kinda Miss You
09. Tomorrow
10. Slow Motion
11. Send For Me
12. Wish That You Were Mine
13. Hurt
14. Crazy
15. There's No Me Without You
16. When We Are Made As One
17. Heaven
18. One Life To Live
19. Don't Take Your Love
20. Love Don't Love Nobody
21. End Of The Road
22. Shining Star
23. Kiss And Say Goodbye



2003 Do You Really Mean Goodbye

01. Kiss And Say Goodbye
02. C'est la Vie
03. Cloudy, With A Chance Of Tears
04. Do You Really Mean Goodbye
05. Shining Star
06. The Way We Were/Memories
07. La-La-La Wish Upon A star
08. There's No Me Without You
09. We Never Danced To A Love Song
10. A Change Is Gonna Come


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2005 Old School Cruzin' With The Manhattans

01. Shining Star
02. Wish That You Were Mine
03. Don't Take Your Love
04. Kiss And Say Goodbye
05. Just The Lonely Talking Again
06. Crazy
07. I Kinda Miss You
08. It Feels To Good To Be Loved So Bad
09. Am I Losing You
10. You'd Better Believe It


2007 Reaching For The Sky



2008 Men Cry Too

01. Men Cry Too
02. Turn Out The Stars
03. Lover's Lullaby
04. Even Now
05. Any Other Way
06. I Got It Right
07. Nites Like This
08. Shorty(R&B version
09. How Much More
10. Can You Take It
11. Let's Try Love
12. Everyday People
13. Love Me Right
14. Shorty(reggae version)
15. Shorty(house mix)



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