Best of George Benson Live

George Benson | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 27, 2005)
• Original Release Date: 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Grp Records
• ASIN: B000ASAFU2
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #242,511 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Turn Your Love Around

2. This Masquerade

3. Breezin'

4. Love X Love

5. Deeper Than You Think

6. The Ghetto

7. Never Give Up On A Good Thing

8. Hipping The Hop

9. Give Me The Night

10. On Broadway

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not Exactly "Weekend In L.A.", December 27, 2005

By 

Jason Marsell "Eihtball99" (Downtown Denver) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Best of George Benson Live (Audio CD)

I was really excited to get my hands on this album, as "Weekend In L.A." is one of the greatest live jazz albums ever recorded. Be warned...this album is no "Weekend In L.A.".

The audio quality is marginal, as the vocals are almost hard to hear, in parts. I mentioned to my wife that it almost sounded as though someone stood in the audience, with a digital recorder, and made a recording of the concert. The sound is very treble-heavy with only a marginal amount of bass. I'm actually kind of surprised that GRP would put out a CD with this kind of audio quality.

As far as the track selection, this collection is heavy on George's pop/R&B hits. There are a couple of guitar-only tracks, like "Breezin'" and "Hipping the Hop". Other than that, every other song contains vocals. (Not my personal favorite phase of his career, but to each his own)

All in all, I was disappointed, and am surprised I actually gave only 3 stars to a George Benson release. He is one of my favorite artists, and I really think GRP did him an injustice by releasing this low quality recording.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars sound quality, October 15, 2005

By 

Dr. F. ALAM (TEMPLESTOWE, VICTORIA Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Best of George Benson Live (Audio CD)

Great cd and song collection,recorded live the sound quality is not the best unfortunately.

4.0 out of 5 stars A Wolf in Little Red Cap Dresses! ; )), April 6, 2011

By 

Jazzcat "stef" (Genoa, Italy Italy) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Best of George Benson Live (Audio CD)

Ok guys, like you I own many, and I mean it, many George Benson albums and of course I own "WE in LA" since I was a kid, so we're on the same page. Obviously, I perfectly know how big George could be if he simply would choose to play pure Jazz or more instrumental "serious" music. I know it. But I want to point out that this album surprised me a little bit. I already had the dvd from this concert so I knew by memory George' solos and the selection too, so I did buy this one just because I found it at a blowout price. I thought "ok, I'll buy it just to fill my collection of George' albums". And I even thought looking at the selection "they could put in here some of the standards he sang that night, ... how many versions of On Broadway do I need?".. But once I got home, I found myself listening to this concert several times in a row and never get tired of it. I mean, in the end I love it. It surprises me because I didn't think to listen to it more than once just to check it out before putting it on the shelf. And I'm loving it instead. There are a lot of passages guitar aficionados would love, ... if you listen carefully in every tune George plays some gems only he could conceive and play, boppish and bluesish lines that send shivers down your spine, even if the tunes are smooth jazz or easy listening tunes ... and moreover there are some tunes that are purely based on instrumental guitar magic (Breezin -wonderful solo!!!-, On Broadway -Killer version!!!-, Deeper that you think -really soulful solo!!!-, Hoppin' the hop -boppish solo!!!!-, etc ...). Yes there are some easy listening tunes like Give me the night etc, but in the end I love the compilation. The band is very well assembled and play masterfully these arrangements, ... you have Joe Sample at the piano on a couple of tunes, I mean, it's an album that has its own right to be. I'm happy to own it. Really, believe me, I'm a Jazzcat ,... but even if this is an easy listening George, he's a chameleon you know, it seems he plays easy stuff, but who can outplay him and who has his class? ... Here he plays the wolf in Little Red Cap Dresses role!!!!

(For my friends audiophiles: the album is not very well recorded. It's average at best. People that will listen to the album on a common Ipod, a normal system or through the pc will never note it, but audiophiles with good systems will find it a mediocre recording. Too bad because the music is good, George is great as always, and it was recorded in a nice hall .., but, my friends audio enthusiasts, it's not one of those albums that you find GOOD -you know what I mean- ... for a nice audiophile "smooth jazz experience" go for the last live by Brian Culbertson, "Live from the Inside" which is entertaining musically, but GREAT from an audiophile point of view. Fantastic! believe me).