Classic Album: George Benson's "Give Me The Night"

[Fletch]

Hard to believe this LP only won one Grammy (Best R&B vocal for the title cut). And Love X Love only went as high as #61 on the R&B charts. "Love X Love" has to be one of my 10 alltime favorite tunes. In fact, I love all of the tunes in album.

1) Maybe the most soulful of all the Quincy Jones/Rod Temperton/Bruce Swieden made albums (along with MJ's "Off The Wall" and Q's "The Dude").

2) How many pop producers today would think of putting TWO Ivan Lins compositions on one album?????? Figure that one out! (Ivan Lins is definitely for another thread!!!!). Quincy's got a fetish for Ivan's music.

3) Bruce Swieden's best engineering job. Maybe the best engineering job of alltime.

4) "Love X Love" and "Star of The Story" may be better Rod Temperton compositions than "Always and Forever" (Let the debates begin!).

5) And "Moody's Mood For Love" is on this album.

LOVE X LOVE (first verse)
Remember the days
When we never had a dime
And our dreams
Seemed million miles away

But we made it, baby
Facing the bad times with a smile
Here we are
Growing stronger day by day

Will I be the only one on the dance floor if a DJ dropped "Love X Love"?

[Martin Red]

Give me the night graemlins/beerchug.gif classic

[ChiJAM]

Give me the night classic
They used to play this at our after-school center back in Chi. That daycare center always had the radio on to keep us kids dancing and out of trouble...

ChiJAM

[GROOVE VICTIM]

Originally posted by einnod23:
job of alltime.

4) "Love X Love" and "Star of The Story" may be better Rod Temperton compositions than "Always and Forever" (Let the debates begin!).

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!! Star of a Story (Music wise) is far better than "Always and Forever". The bassline alone does it for me. The only thing that keeps "Always...." in the limelight are the lyrics to this all time classic.


Peace

[Jamie 3:26]

I prefer the Heatwave version of Star...then again,Q puts a mean ass touch to it,especially towards the end.

[mhd]

this is one of my all time favorite albums, it always reminds me of my father, we were always "borrowing" it from each other

[lola desire]

graemlins/1luvu.gif love x love gives me goosebumps graemlins/1luvu.gif

[And]

My dad introduced me to George Benson back when I was a kid.
Good good memories ... graemlins/thumbsup.gif

[Walter M. Jones]

I remember hearing that album everywhere for a very long time after it was out. In 1984 I worked at a record store in the mall and always went down to the Magnavox store on my lunch break to check out the new line of CD players. They always had that CD on. It was just so clear. It sold me and I was one of the first out of my friends to get a CD player with the "Gimmy the Night" and ABC's "Lexicon of Love" CD's. I worked lots of overtime to get that thing but Mr. Benson was really the guy who sold me on the whole digtal thing. Peace.

[formerly known as kenspank]

i love george benson's music. the quality of his guitar playing can only be compared to the legendary wes montgomery.

george benson remains in my cadre of alternative father figures. i'm going for smooth appeal not thug appeal. george is still smooth. at his concerts he's still got the ladies tossing panties on the stage.

[Erob the One]

George Benson was a good vocalist too. Give Me The Night is feel good music and Love X Love gives me goosebumps. He is worth traveling to see live as well.

Erob

[Fletch]

Originally posted by GROOVE VICTIM:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!! Star of a Story (Music wise) is far better than "Always and Forever". The bassline alone does it for me. The only thing that keeps "Always...." in the limelight are the lyrics to this all time classic.
Peace [/QB]</font>[/QUOTE]Abe Laboriel on bass on "Star". He shares album duties with Louis Johnson (Thunder Thumbs). You probably know this already.

Sounds like a MusicMan bass on "Star" (check that, the whole album). I want a MusicMan so bad! graemlins/mecry.gif

[HML]

einnod23, you are truly a man of discriminating tastes! graemlins/thumbsup.gif Give Me The Night is a fantastic album! It was one of the first CDs I bought back in the day. The amalgamation of Quincy Jones' production, Rod Temperton's compositions and George Benson's amazing vocals and guitarwork make this album a winner on so many levels... My favorite songs off this recording: Give Me The Night {a terrific tune, but radio overplay killed it a bit for me :( }, Love X Love {I simply adore this song... Used to sing it in the shower!!}, Star of the Story {George's version is great but, I agree with Jamie 3:26, Heatwave's version is hauntingly beautiful. Lead vocalist Johnnie Wilder emotes, ever so eloquently, the sadness and sense of loss contained in the lyrics... Gosh, I'm getting choked up thinking about it! Gotta go break out my copy of Central Heating!! :D } and lastly Dinorah, Dinorah {Cannot believe no one else mentioned this gorgeous track! Patti Austin's heavenly background vocals float gently around George's voice and guitar, complimenting them perfectly!}.

All in all, Give Me The Night is a true classic. Well deserving of any and all acclaim it has received!!

-HML

[ March 12, 2003, 07:24 AM: Message edited by: HML ]

[V-ROD]

I did a mix with that song and several other like it and is being played @ www.bringtheheat.com (http://www.bringtheheat.com) . If i remember correctly I put in songs from Boz Scaggs (sp?) Atlantic Star, Etc. I'ts in the disco section under the title "A NIGHT @ THE JEFFREY PUB". Hope you guys like it. biggrinangel.gif

[Fletch]

Originally posted by HML:
Dinorah, Dinorah {Cannot believe no one else mentioned this gorgeous track! Patti Austin's heavenly background vocals float gently around George's voice and guitar, complimenting them perfectly!}.

-HML I made reference to the music of Ivan Lins. This is an Ivan Lins Composition. Ever heard Ivan's version? He does it live with Chucko Valdes. Slammin. Peace.

[LEONARD REMIX RROY]

Moody Mood take's me back to that days when I was the Bass player in a band called Strings & Things. I like his version of "star of the story" due to the way he project his voice.

Damn i'm old!!!!!!!!

[Jamie 3:26]

Originally posted by V-ROD:
I did a mix with that song and several other like it and is being played @ www.bringtheheat.com (http://www.bringtheheat.com) . If i remember correctly I put in songs from Boz Scaggs (sp?) Atlantic Star, Etc. I'ts in the disco section under the title "A NIGHT @ THE JEFFREY PUB". Hope you guys like it. biggrinangel.gif Pub it up why dontcha.... graemlins/rofl.gif