Customer Reviews

Two of Us

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am floored everytime I hear the two rollin' pop hits by Dinah and Brook together ("You've Got What It Takes" and "Rockin' Good Way to Fall in Love")---this is pure pop heaven!! I just love rolling down the windows and blasting these two songs in my car on a summer day. Dinah and Brook seem to have really good chemistry together, that is, until you read what REALLY happened in the studio according to the liner notes, but they complement each other well on this CD. His mellow, smooth baritone just hits the spot in contrast to the emotional, dramatic vocals of Dinah. One wishes they had done more duets together. There are some nice individual songs by each on the CD. Dinah really tears at your heartstrings with her achy-breaky version of "Love Walked In". And if that's not enough to get the tear ducts workin', she lays it on with "There Goes My Heart"---a heartbreaker!! She does these songs in the emotional vein that only she knew how. Brook shines equally with his warm, honey-soaked voice. He really could've given Nat King Cole a run for his money. This is a must have for any Dinah Washington fan and you're in for a bonus to hear Brook as well if you haven't already.

In the summer of 1960 there was Brook and Dinah with their sweet, swinging soul duets "Baby, you've got what it takes" and "A rockin'good way" inching their way towards the #1 position occupied by Everly Brothers. Many of the records from that era sound dated today, but this album is immortal. Listen to Brook on "Call me", like honey poured over silk, it is. Or the two of them on "I do". Makes you wanna call that girl from long ago right away again. Buy this record, you won't regret it!

It is so wonderful to hear artists "click" when they record togather and to feel the experience of joy and happiness they emote.....THIS is what you get with this superb album....Listen to the banter between them on "You've got what it takes" and "That's a rockin good way" (at the end of this tune Dinah says to Brook as the song ends and they think the're off mike- "baby, you've got what it takes" and they both laugh loudly...the chemistry is heartwarming.....) Brook's "Someone to believe in.." and Dinah's "There goes my Heart" are just so good that I almost cry- You MUST have this LP if your a fan of R&B or either artist....just fantastic.....!!!!!!!

The combination of Brook Benton and Dinah Washington is overpowering. When they do "Baby, You Got What it Takes" I relive an era that has past us but is still alive with their breathtaking recordings. They are right in the area with Sarah Vaugh, Etta James, Ben E. King and I do not know who at the momemt! These are two all time greats!

I have listened to this album and its audio quality is superb!!!!! There have been few R&B artists of the caliber of Brook Benton and there will never be another!!!!

These 2 "greats" are a perfect combination...wonderful voices and great songs. They sound like they are having fun which somehow or other they are able to share with the listener. Fantastic value.

I was familiar with the album because I had it once before, so I was happy to find it on CD. Delivery was prompt and the liner notes told me things I did'nt know!

Ah, does this bring back memories! My folks couldn't play an instrument, but boy could they play their Packard Bell stereo, and this album was one of the gems that they introduced into my life in the early 60s. I distincly remember "Baby, You Got What It Takes" and "Rockin' Good Way" being my two favorite songs, and now recognize that it was the beginning of my embrace of the rock and roll rhythms that would soon explode over the radio courtesy of the Beatles and so on.

I agree with those commenting on the quality of the recording, the vocals and everything else about this record. Dated? Sure, but still well worth a listen, if not a purchase. A classic indeed!

It's too bad that Dinah and Brook only cut 4 numbers as a duet. Through the years, I've often wondered why they didn't. The write-up in the album tells why, and it's a sad story for aficionados of these two great voices.

"Two of Us" is a superb album and worth the price. I would consider it a must-have for any R&B fan. Don't hesitate; go for it.

RPB

I recently was browsing at our local used CD/book store and came across an excellent CD. It was the compact disc version of the Brook Benton and Dinah Washington collaborative album called "The Two Of Us". The dislike that Brook Benton and Dinah Washington had for each other is now remembered more than the album, so I had to do some research on this interesting pairing.

In February 1959, Dinah Washington recorded one of the biggest jazz-pop crossover hits by a female jazz vocalist to date. Backed by shimmering strings, a small choir and a rhythm section, Dinah leaned into the studio microphone and sang What a Difference a Day Makes for Mercury Records.

Brook Benton was another hot property at Mercury Records in early 1959. The smooth-voiced r&b baritone had recently recorded It's Just a Matter of Time, which entered the Hot 100 chart in January and rocketed to No. 3. Benton followed the single with Endlessly, which hit the chart in April and climbed to No. 12. Both songs were written by Benton and Clyde Otis.

Benton's magic touch gave Otis an idea. He called Dinah and told her he wanted to pair the two of them for a single. For producer Otis, the single had a shot at becoming a hit on virtually every chart. But Dinah was suspect. She was a star now, a singer who had paid her dues since the mid-1940s. If she was going to be lined up with another singer on a recording date, she didn't understand why someone of her stature should have to work with a relatively green Benton.

Dinah also didn't see how exactly the union could help her career. After all, Benton's reputation could only be elevated by his association with Dinah. By contrast, how could her link to him make her any more popular than she already was? Clyde Otis' response to Dinah was that Benton's masculine, relaxed sound would give her a sexier image and further extend her appeal with younger audiences who listened less and less to jazz and pure blues.

When Dinah entered Mercury's studio in late 1959, she was apprehensive and concerned about being out-gunned by Benton. Benton, who had the looks, voice and hits behind him, arrived as a go-getter who had the world by the tail. Dinah thought Benton was out of her league. Benton felt she was a bit over the hill. Unfortunately for Benton, he was a little too cavalier, either because he was nervous appearing with Dinah or woefully unprepared.

When the red light went on, the orchestra's strings played a skippy downbeat and intro to Baby (You Got What It Takes), with the guitar, bass and drums coming in with a rock boogie beat. Benton took the first chorus, with Dinah following. But instead of playing it straight, Benton started to showboat, ad-libbing soulful "Oh, yeahs" around Dinah's vocal. You can hear the tension build until finally, at 2:03 into the song, Benton made a fatal mistake. He got carried away and accidentally sang the first words of Dinah's part. At that moment, they vocally collided, with both singing the word "because."

Convinced that the Dinah-Benton pairing was a gold mine, producer Otis decided to record them together for an entire album of duets. But when the duo got together in the studio in early 1960, the competitive friction off-mike surfaced almost immediately. On the first tune, A Rockin' Good Way (to Mess Around and Fall in Love), Dinah was again caught on tape hammering Benton for making mistakes. According to Queen, Otis remembered the session this way:

Otis halted the session after they recorded the B-side and sent Dinah home. He had Benton then record the remaining tracks they had planned to do together.

While you hear the carping on the track, I believe it was staged to recapture the hit-making bickering of the first single. Aside from Benton's ad-libbing, which had to have been pre-arranged, there really isn't much error or misfire and little reason for Dinah to be upset. My guess is that Otis called for Dinah to complain toward the fade out, and Dinah viewed this as a cheap, gimmicky trick for someone of her stature and that she walked as a result of Otis, not Benton.

In early May, Mercury released A Rockin' Good Way backed by the I Do-like ballad I Believe, the only single from the planned duet LP. A Rockin' Good Way actually was a cover of a Priscilla Bowman hit and had a pecking rock beat similar to Baby (You've Got What I Takes).

The album is an excellent pairing of two very dynamic personalities. However, I think Dinah Washington came off as the better of the two on the album. I absolutely love Dinah's solo take on "Love Walked In", and her duets with Brook Benton are memorable. However, I personally think the solo numbers by Benton were sort of dull. If you are a fan of great music and excellent vocalists, then I recommend this album and/or CD...