The Greatest Hits of All

by George Benson

Overview

Basically, this "greatest hits of all" is simply that: the highest-charting tracks in George Benson's long career -- highest-charting pop and adult contemporary tracks, that is. Benson had been on the scene over a decade before signing with Warner Bros., and many of his jukebox and R&B hits were recorded for Creed Taylor's CTI label. Some of Benson's recorded work that held those hits has been reissued in the past two years. Of the Warner material, they have gauged success by chart placement -- not sales, not radio play, not artist choice. Therefore, while the stellar tracks from Breezin', namely "This Masquerade," which charted at number one on pop and R&B in Billboard, and its follow-up, the album's title track, kick the album off along with "On Broadway" and "The Greatest Love of All." But there are many stops along the way to the present from that 1976 issue, such as Benson's singularly beautiful read of "Unchained Melody," "Never Give Up on a Good Thing," and his duet with Aretha Franklin, which stormed through the radios of literally millions of lovers, "Love All the Hurt Away." Benson's streak is remarkable in that he consistently recorded tracks of similar weight, length, and dynamic with essentially the same timeless production that took him to the top in the first place. Thus, cuts such as "I Just Wanna Hang Around You," "Kisses in the Moonlight," "Never Give Up on a Good Thing," "Shiver," "Love X Love," and "Let's Do It Again," while being very different songs, come across in exactly the same way. The formula is a winning one even today. The Greatest Hits of All may not truly have Benson's great material, but the album does tell a story of one man's ability to consistently conquer the charts for a long period of time. And that, in this day and age, is an accomplishment realized by few. Benson virtually defined the quiet storm format with his slick, sheeny, lights-down-low approach to recording, and as this collection evidences, this made him an enduring artist. For those who dig the Warner material, this is the collection to have. ~ Thom Jurek

Product Details

Release Date:	08/08/2003
Label:	Wea
UPC:	0081227369026
Rank:	6047

Tracks

1. Give Me the Night
2. Turn Your Love Around
3. Never Give Up on a Good Thing
4. Love X Love
5. Nothing's Gonna Change My Love for You
6. The Greatest Love of All
7. Feel Like Making Love
8. Breezin'
9. This Masquerade
10. In Your Eyes
11. You Are the Love of My Life
12. Lady Love Me (One More Time)
13. Kisses in the Moonlight
14. Love All the Hurt Away
15. Being with You
16. Moody's Mood
17. Nature Boy
18. Love Ballad
19. Shiver
20. On Broadway

Album Credits

Performance Credits

George Benson   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals
Aretha Franklin   Primary Artist,Vocals
Patti Austin   Primary Artist,Vocals (Background)
Roberta Flack   Primary Artist
Narada Michael Walden   Guest Artist,Drums
Marcus Miller   Guest Artist,Bass
Herbie Hancock   Guest Artist,Piano (Electric)
Ralph MacDonald   Guest Artist,Percussion
Harvey Mason, Sr.   Guest Artist,Drums
Claus Ogerman   Guest Artist,Conductor
Phil Upchurch   Guest Artist,Bass,Guitar (Rhythm)
Mike Mainieri   Conductor
Marcy Levy   Vocals (Background)
Danny Sembello   Fender Rhodes,Synthesizer Bass
Abraham Laboriel, Sr.   Bass
Tom Bahler   Vocals (Background)
Howard "Buzz" Feiten   Guitar
Jay Graydon   Synthesizer,Guitar
Lee Ritenour   Guitar
Jeff Porcaro   Drums
Lenny Castro   Percussion
Wayne Lewis   Keyboards
Jorge Dalto   Piano,Clavinet,Keyboards
Michael Omartian   Synthesizer,Piano
Anthony Jackson   Bass
Tim Heintz   Keyboards
Dave Weckl   Cymbals
Hamish Stuart   Vocals (Background)
Will Lee   Bass
Jocelyn Allen   Vocals (Background)
Venette Gloud   Vocals (Background)
Kitty Beethoven   Vocals (Background)
Mark Stevens   Vocals (Background)
Suzanne Valentine   Vocals (Background)
Greg "Gigi" Gonaway   Drums,Cymbals
Carmen Twilley   Vocals (Background)
Alan Glass   Guitar (Rhythm)
Larry Williams   Flute,Saxophone
John "J.R." Robinson   Drums
Jonathan Lewis   Synthesizer
Randy Waldman   Synthesizer
Mike Baird   Cymbals
Michael Boddicker   Synthesizer
Michael Sembello   Vocals (Background)
Michael Masser   Piano
Mike Sims   Guitar
Preston Glass   Sequencing,Synthesizer
Richard Tee   Synthesizer Bass
Quincy Jones   Rhythm
Neil Stubenhaus   Bass
Walter Afanasieff   Keyboards
Stanley Banks   Bass
Paul Jackson, Jr.   Guitar (Rhythm)
Zachary Sanders   Vocals (Background)
Gary Herbig   Flute,Saxophone
Wells Christy   Synclavier
James Newton Howard   Keyboards,Synthesizer
Diva Gray   Vocals (Background)
Carlos Vega   Drums
Randy Goodrum   Sequencing,Synthesizer
Gene Page   Synthesizer
Genobia Jeter   Vocals (Background)
Robbie Buchanan   Piano (Electric)
Jim Gilstrap   Vocals (Background)
David Foster   Synthesizer,Piano (Electric)
David Paich   Keyboards,Synthesizer,Bass
Lee Holdridge   Conductor
William Frank "Bill" Reichenbach Jr.   Trombone
James Taylor   Vocals (Background)
Andy Bloch   Guitar
Paulinho Da Costa   Percussion
Steve Gadd   Drums
Steve Lukather   Guitar
Audrey Wheeler   Vocals (Background)
Bill Champlin   Vocals (Background)
Babi Floyd   Vocals (Background)
Chuck Findley   Trumpet
Kim Hutchcroft   Flute,Saxophone
Claytoven Richardson   Vocals (Background)
Jai Winding   Piano,Piano (Electric)
Earl Klugh   Guitar (Acoustic)
Eddie Daniels   Sax (Alto)
Jerry Hey   Horn,Strings,Trumpet,Flugelhorn
Rob Mounsey   Synclavier
Jennifer Hall   Vocals (Background)
Nathan East   Bass
Vaneese Thomas   Vocals (Background)
Ronnie Foster   Keyboards,Synthesizer,Piano (Electric)

Technical Credits

Mike Mainieri   Orchestration
Tom Shapiro   Composer
Tommy LiPuma   Producer
Danny Sembello   Composer
Arif Mardin   Arranger,Producer
Alex North   Composer
Jay Graydon   Composer,Producer,Arranger
Hugh Brown   Art Direction
Sam Dees   Composer
Wayne Lewis   Producer,Drum Programming
Gary Peterson   Discographical Annotation
Rachel Gutek   Design,Art Direction
Dennis Turner   Executive Producer
Sheryl Farber   Editorial Supervision
Bryan Lee Janszen   Drum Programming
Suzanne Valentine   Composer
Daniel Hersch   Remastering
Tom Bert   Photography
Scott Galloway   Compilation Producer
Kwaku Alston   Photography
Jonathan Lewis   Programming
Jeffrey Cohen   Composer
Michael Garvin   Composer
Michael Sembello   Composer,Drum Programming
Michael Masser   Composer,Producer,Rhythm Arrangements
Omar Hakim   Composer
Mike Stoller   Composer
Preston Glass   Drum Programming,Associate Producer,Composer
Paul Brown   Producer
Skip Scarborough   Composer
Manuel Seal, Jr.   Composer
Wells Christy   Programming
James Newton Howard   Composer,String Arrangements
Barry Mann   Composer
Randy Goodrum   Composer,Drum Programming
David McLees   Compilation Producer
Leon Russell   Composer
Hy Zaret   Composer
Linda Creed   Composer
Marty Paich   String Arrangements
David Foster   String Arrangements
Lee Holdridge   Orchestration
George Benson   Compilation Producer
Steve Woolard   Discographical Annotation
John Sembello   Composer
Steve Dubin   Arranger,Composer,Producer,Programming
Steve Lukather   Composer
Steve Kipner   Composer,Sequencers,Drum Programming
Bill Champlin   Composer
Bobby Womack   Composer
Bill Inglot   Producer
Cruz Baca Sembello   Composer
Claus Ogerman   Orchestral Arrangements
Curtis Mayfield   Composer
Cynthia Weil   Composer
Russ Titelman   Producer
David Paich   Arranger,Composer
Jerry Hey   Brass Arrangement,String Arrangements
Rod Temperton   Composer,Vocal Arrangement,Rhythm Arrangements
Narada Michael Walden   Composer,Producer,Drum Programming
Nick DeCaro   String Arrangements
Jerry Leiber   Composer