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Give Me the Night

George Benson - Give Me the Night Audio CD

A fair review of the George Benson "Give Me the Night" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all George Benson reviews here, or go back to the George Benson tabs.

Band: George Benson
Title: Give Me the Night
Rating:

Release Date: 1990-10-25
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Love X Love 2: Off Broadway 3: Moody's Mood 4: Give Me the Night 5: What's on Your Mind 6: Dinorah, Dinorah 7: Love Dance 8: Star of a Story (X) 9: Midnight Love Affair 10: Turn Out the Lamplight

"...Remember The Days When We Never Had A Dime..."
3 in both countries). *** THIS REVIEW IS FOR THE SHM-CD 2009 REMASTER ***

Released in July 1980 on Warner Brothers K 56823 in the UK and HS 3453 in the USA, George Benson's "Give Me The Night" was a huge record at the time (it peaked at No.

And like Michael Jackson's "Off The Wall" from 1978 before it - its fusion of soul, funk and jazz was popular everywhere - crossing over every rock barrier like never before (it was Grammy nominated and won too).

Yet except for a few remastered tracks on the excellent 2CD "Anthology" set from 2000 on Rhino, the entire album has been languishing around for over two decades now on one of those awful Eighties CDs with dullard murky sound. Until now. . .

Released 24 June 2009 in Japan-only on Warner Bros WPCR-13453 - this 24-bit remastered version is an audiophile CD on their SUPER HIGH MATERIALS format (playable on all players - 42:51 minutes).

And coming from an era that is probably the most derided in history by music lovers - especially when it comes to bombastic sound and ham-fisted production excesses - this SHM version is a BEAUTIFULLY REALIZED CD REMASTER - it really is.

It doesn't say who 24-bit remastered this album, but whoever did it, has produced the most awesome result because the sound quality is just GLORIOUS - I mean BEAUTIFUL. Of course the album always had the immaculate production values of QUINCY JONES and the stunning array of top session men to thank for its polish anyway - but this newly upgraded version is just wonderful. It's neither falsely loud nor brash - there's no audible hiss, but it's also not clinically clean - there's air around the instruments - it's just warm and THERE.

You hear all the instrumentation - especially the bass and rhythm sections. The wildly underrated funky-as-James-Brown's-DNA instrumental "Off Broadway" is just stunning now - as is David Wolinski's brilliantly soulful and sleek "Midnight Love Affair" - WOWSER!
(There's an argument raging around the net at the moment about sly remastering techniques, pumping up the loudness of reissues for the so-called `iPod' generation - which essentially produces downloads that sound better but lack any real dynamic range. I mention this because to my ears there's none of that on here. )

The jewel case is standard and there's the black and gold obi strip inside; the SHM CD itself feels slightly heavier to ordinary CDs - more substantial - it seems to hold better as it plays in the tray somehow - steady. The 8-page booklet is disappointingly the same as US/Euro issues (has session details though) and the extra foldout page of info about the album that you get in these Japanese issues is - well in Japanese - so its kinda useless.

Gripes - no Euro/USA issue so it costs as an import - and it wouldn't have taken much to include the edited single mixes of "Give Me The Night" and "Love X Love" as bonus tracks, but somehow this CD isn't about ramming the disc chocker full of extras - it's about the best sound - and on that front they've achieved their goal with absolute knobs on.

With 6 of it's 10 killer songs written by Britain's ROD TEMPERTON and the immaculate production values of veteran sound man QUINCY JONES, "Give Me The Night" practically set up the template for the album that would literally take over the world three years later - Michael Jackson's "Thriller" (Quincy produced and Temperton wrote 3 of its 9 songs including the title track).

Ok - this version is expensive and it's probably even awkward to obtain, but I've loved rehearing "Give Me The Night" in this stunning sound quality - beautiful stuff - and recommended big time.

PS: It's available mail-order from Amazon sites or two superb Japanese CD sites I use - CD JAPAN at "cdjapan. co. jp" and MUNDO at "mediawars. ne. jp".

"Give Me The Night" is also a part of 2009's Japanese-Only "Warner Bros Jazz & Fusion SHM-CD Collection" series - in alphabetical order the other 19 titles are:

1. Breezin' - GEORGE BENSON (1976)
(Warner Bros. WPCR-13452)
2. Larry Carlton - LARRY CARLTON (1978)
(Warner Bros. WPCR-13446)
3. Sleepwalk - LARRY CARLTON (1982)
(Warner Bros. WPCR-13448)
4. Strikes Twice - LARRY CARLTON (1980)
(Warner Bros. WPCR-13447)
5. Amandla - MILES DAVIS (1989)
(Warner Bros. WPCR-13443)
6. Doo-Bop - MILES DAVIS (1991)
(Warner Bros. WPCR-13444)
7. Live Around The World - MILES DAVIS (1996)
(Warner Bros. WPCR-13445)
8. Siesta - MILES DAVIS and MARCUS MILLER (1982)
(Warner Bros WPCR-13442)
9. Tutu - MILES DAVIS (1986)
(Warner Bros WPCR-13441)
10. Teasin' - CORNELL DUPREE (1974)
(Warner Bros. WPCR-13457)
11. Between The Sheets - FOURPLAY (1993)
[Featuring Bob James, Lee Ritenour, Nathan East and Harvey Mason]
(Warner Bros. WPCR-13460)
12. Fourplay - FOURPLAY (1991)
(Warner Bros. WPCR-13459)
13. Word Of Mouth - JACO PASTORIUS (1981)
(Warner Bros. WPCR-13454)
14. Rit - LEE RITENOUR (1981)
(Warner Bros. WPCR-13456)
15. The Captain's Journey - LEE RITENOUR (1978)
(Warner Bros. WPCR-13455)
16. Magnetic - STEPS AHEAD [feat Michael Brecker] (1986)
(Warner Bros. WPCR-13458)
17. More Stuff - STUFF (1977)
(Warner Bros. WPCR-13450)
18. Stuff - STUFF (1976)
(Warner Bros. WPCR-13449)
19. Winelight - GROVER WASHINGTON, Jr. (1980)
(Warner Bros. WPCR-13451).

Romantic, Elegant and Sensual Give Me The Night Triumphs
George Benson in this gorgeous collection of late night sonatas. Add "sensual crooner" to the many talents of one Mr. Quincy Jones employs essentially the same session players that made "Off the Wall" so dynamic. He places George's voice as the centerpiece with compositions by Rod Temperton, James Moody and David Foster and accentuated by his distinctive, but spare, guitar playing. George and Quincy succeeds greatly in creating a R&B/Jazz Masterpiece. If you have ever been in love, and that love soared like elegant edifices in a Manhattan skyline, then "Give Me the Night" is the soundtrack to that great affair. The production demands the listener to open a most precious bottle of Georges Duboeuf's Merlot 1998, Vin de Pays d'Oc,which of course would have been fermented a decade or so after this release but you get the idea. Clearly, this album will stand the test of time. Classifying it as a "jazz" album would be a disservice to purist. Yet listing it as an R&B outing also ignores the precision, grace and timing that rarely infuses such a release.
The standouts are "Love Dance" acoustic soul has never sounded more lovelorn, he covers Heatwave's "Star of the Story" as if it were always designed for this project. The oft-covered "Moody's Mood" glides in just as effortlessly. The comfort of love in the morning hours before dawn are drenched in "Turn Off the Lamplight" which is possibly the most reassuring lyrics one can bear at that time of day. Quincy was on a roll going from producing La Diva Diana Ross and Michael Jackson's "The Wiz" score and soundtrack, into the aforementioned "Off the Wall" followed by this offering and then moving on to Chaka Khan and Rufus' "Masterjam". I was very much in young love when this album first came out. It is a testament to its strength and endurance that the memories it conjurs distinctly belong to this album and not anyone love affair in one's life. . . . . making it timeless. I would dare to say that this was Mr. Benson's second peak after his breakthrough with "Breezin'". . . . he would never again achieve this level of commercial success. . . . . but it doesn't matter just "Give Me the Night".

Classic jazz/pop/R&B combo album from 1980!!
Of course, the title track is the main highlight of the album, but the other tracks, especially "Off Broadway," "Midnight Love Affair," and "What's On Your Mind" make this album worth getting for your collection. Produced by Music Genius extraordinaire Quincy Jones, "Give Me The Night" is one fun, engaging album that keeps the rhythm from the first cut to the last.

it took 28 yrs!
all i listened to was "give me the night" and "love x love". i was 9yrs old when this album came out. then when i started djing i played "dinorah dinorah". so one day i found my old lp that was in so-so condition. that's when i discovered the rest. this is a timeless piece of work for george. oh, last but not least you can't overlook the awsome production work of quincy jones. still can't believe this came out in 1980.

A true gem in my collection
It is, in my opinion, one of the best albums of the last century. This album was excellently produced, engineered and performed. Rod Temperton (of Heatwave) contributes to this album (he wrote many of Michael Jackson's super-mega hits) and the George Benson and Rod Temperton combination is pure musical heaven. A truly must-have in any jazz aficionado's collection. This album brings back many good memories of the late 70s and early 80s.

You can see a complete list of all George Benson discography, or go back to the George Benson tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.