You had me at Roberta Flack! And I had no idea Nothing's Gonna Change My Love For You was his song originally. Putting both George and Glenn's versions back to back and Spotify to duke 'em out. Your dad was a cool dude, I can see where you got your great taste in music! :)
Confession: I’ve never heard of George Benson before, but now I’m intrigued! Makes me wonder if I’ve unknowingly heard him somewhere before. Guess it’s time to dive in and see what I’ve been missing.
First off, I *loved* "Nothing's Gonna Change My Love For You" as a kid, but I had no idea Benson wrote and performed it. And when I read your column, I immediately looked to see where it landed on the pop charts, and it ... didn't? And then Glenn Medeiros came into the picture two years later, and THAT is the one I remember being on the radio all the time. But I swear the Benson version is better. How did it not get traction on the radio?
I'm not as familiar with "20/20," so I appreciate the review. For me, "Turn Your Love Around" from '81 is probably my all-time favorite Benson song, and one that I still have in regular rotation to this day. He's quite a talent. But it hurts my soul just a little bit to know that 1985 was FORTY YEARS AGO! Crazy...
My first exposure to Benson was his cover of “On Broadway” that opened “All That Jazz,” still one of my favorite beginnings to any movie I’ve seen. The rest of his career was, in my view, mixed. Too much 80s glop (not the first time I’ve bitched about that…)
But I certainly understand and respect how circumstances can make one cherish and defend an album, artist, or a particular piece of music, even if it wasn’t initially/ever loved by others. Time, place and circumstance play such a role in how and whether art moves us.
Oh, absolutely! Objective assessments are fun, but all the other factors can play a role too. it certainly does here, though tbh, I also like the poppier stuff for what it was.
I bought it upon its release and remember I was a tad disappointed. It's not one of his most memorable albums but I agree with your take on it Kevin. I know I really loved his version of "Beyond The Sea" but wondered what it was doing on this album 😃
I love Benson, but have never listened to this album aside from recalling a song or two- thanks for bringing it up! I enjoyed it. I think this muszacky 80s production style has come back around to sounding interesting. It's pristine, a little saccharin, but not too loud and bassy.
It's all of those things and more. And I think you're dead on with the thought that this style has come back around. I hear similar elements quite a bit.
I like this record and interestingly I didn’t know about all the bad rep it had got. I agree with you that, while it may not be his best work, some of the critics were too harsh. Is it the best record of the decade? Probably not, but it’s certainly not the worst. Thanks for the great read as always!
George was pretty good. Glenn Medeiros was atrocious.
This is 100% true.
Just started to give the album a listen and the first track's fun! A little cheesy, but I feel like that's part of the appeal
Yes! Exactly! :)
You had me at Roberta Flack! And I had no idea Nothing's Gonna Change My Love For You was his song originally. Putting both George and Glenn's versions back to back and Spotify to duke 'em out. Your dad was a cool dude, I can see where you got your great taste in music! :)
Thank you, Marmi! He had a pretty solid collection of records. I'm lucky to have 'em.
“If I knew back then what I know now. If I understood the what-when-why and how…”
One of my faves on the record! I read your comment in his voice.
Confession: I’ve never heard of George Benson before, but now I’m intrigued! Makes me wonder if I’ve unknowingly heard him somewhere before. Guess it’s time to dive in and see what I’ve been missing.
First off, I *loved* "Nothing's Gonna Change My Love For You" as a kid, but I had no idea Benson wrote and performed it. And when I read your column, I immediately looked to see where it landed on the pop charts, and it ... didn't? And then Glenn Medeiros came into the picture two years later, and THAT is the one I remember being on the radio all the time. But I swear the Benson version is better. How did it not get traction on the radio?
I'm not as familiar with "20/20," so I appreciate the review. For me, "Turn Your Love Around" from '81 is probably my all-time favorite Benson song, and one that I still have in regular rotation to this day. He's quite a talent. But it hurts my soul just a little bit to know that 1985 was FORTY YEARS AGO! Crazy...
It's a total gut punch isn't it? '85 was, like, two years ago, right? How did we get here?!
Also: Turn Your Love Around is one of my all-time faves too!
My first exposure to Benson was his cover of “On Broadway” that opened “All That Jazz,” still one of my favorite beginnings to any movie I’ve seen. The rest of his career was, in my view, mixed. Too much 80s glop (not the first time I’ve bitched about that…)
But I certainly understand and respect how circumstances can make one cherish and defend an album, artist, or a particular piece of music, even if it wasn’t initially/ever loved by others. Time, place and circumstance play such a role in how and whether art moves us.
Oh, absolutely! Objective assessments are fun, but all the other factors can play a role too. it certainly does here, though tbh, I also like the poppier stuff for what it was.
I bought it upon its release and remember I was a tad disappointed. It's not one of his most memorable albums but I agree with your take on it Kevin. I know I really loved his version of "Beyond The Sea" but wondered what it was doing on this album 😃
Oh, 100%.
I love it too, but it’s definitely a case of “one of these is not like the others.”
I love Benson, but have never listened to this album aside from recalling a song or two- thanks for bringing it up! I enjoyed it. I think this muszacky 80s production style has come back around to sounding interesting. It's pristine, a little saccharin, but not too loud and bassy.
It's all of those things and more. And I think you're dead on with the thought that this style has come back around. I hear similar elements quite a bit.
Yes, there are a lot of vaunted analog synth sounds in this era and on this album- they legit sound great!
I like this record and interestingly I didn’t know about all the bad rep it had got. I agree with you that, while it may not be his best work, some of the critics were too harsh. Is it the best record of the decade? Probably not, but it’s certainly not the worst. Thanks for the great read as always!
Thank you, Andy! Definitely not the worst of the decade! lol.
I heard of George Benson because I heard he originally recorded "Greatest Love of All."
I'll check out this album.
He did! You can hear a live version on his "Weekend in LA" album.