"Anthology" by GEORGE BENSON – Album Tracks from 1964 to 1998 – Guest Musicians include [Guitars] Jay Graydon, Earl Klugh, Lee Ritenour, Phil Upchurch, Lonnie Smith [Keyboards] Jorge Dalto, Herbie Hancock, Ronnie Foster, David Paich, Jimmy Smith [Horns and Wind] Count Basie Orchestra, Frank Foster, Hubert Laws, Stanley Turrentine, Stan Webb [Bass] Stanley Banks, Ron Carter, Marcus Miller, Pops Popwell of The Crusaders [Drums and Percussion] Billy Cobham, Steve Gadd, Harvey Mason, Ralph McDonald, Airto Moreira, Andy Newmark, Jeff Porcaro of Toto, Narada Michael Walden [Lead and Backing Vocals] Patti Austin, Aretha Franklin, James Taylor, Cecil and Linda Womack [Producers/Arrangers/Writers] Brother Jack McDuff Quartet, Rudy Van Gelder, Creed Taylor, Quincy Jones, Tommy LiPuma, Arif Mardin and Rod Temperton (October 2000 UK and EUROPE Warner Archives/Rhino 2CD Anthology of Remasters Covering 1964 to 1998 – Bill Inglot and Dan Hersch Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"...Livin' Inside Your Love..."

In January 2021 as I write this – the double-CD "Anthology" by GEORGE BENSON is over 20-years old and can be found online for as little as two quid in some places. I'd argue that's an astonishing Remastered bargain bag of Soul and Jazz Funk goodies way too good to ignore.

There is a lot of breezes and give me the nights and living inside your love and eyes and 20/20 visions to get through – so once more unto the guitar fret and swivel hip breach my good peeps of planet Funkerton...

UK and EUROPE released October 2000 - "Anthology" by GEORGE BENSON on Warner Archives/Rhino R2 79934 – 8122-79934-2 (Barcode 081227993429) is a 2CD Set of Album-Track Remasters covering 1964 to 1998 that plays out as follows: 

CD1 (77:37 minutes):
1. Shadow Dancers (from 1964 US LP "The New Boss Guitar Of George Benson" on Prestige PRST 7310 - with The Brother Jack McDuff Quartet)
2. Ain't That Peculiar 
3. A Foggy Day (tracks 2 and 3 from the August 1966 US LP "The Most Exciting New Guitarist On The Jazz Scene Today: It's Uptown" on Columbia CS 9325 in Stereo)
4. Ready And Able (from the January 1967 US LP "The George Benson Cookbook" on Columbia CS 9413 in Stereo by the George Benson Quartet featuring Lonnie Smith)
5. What's New (from the September 1968 US LP "Giblet Gravy" on Verve V6-8749 in Stereo)
6. Chattanooga Choo Choo (from the December 1968 US LP "Shape Of Things To Come" on A&M Records SP-3014 in Stereo)
7. White Rabbit (from the December 1971 US LP "White Rabbit" on CTI Records CTI-6015)
8. Summertime (Live) (from the November 1977 US LP "In Concert: Carnegie Hall" on CTI Records CTI-6072 with Hubert Laws)
9. Breezin' 
10. This Masquerade 
11. Shark Bite (tracks 9 to 11 from the March 1976 US LP "Breezin'" on Warner Brothers BS 2919 - No. 1 both Pop & R&B charts)
12. Nature Boy (from the January 1977 US LP "In Flight" on Warner Brothers BSK-2983)
13. The Greatest Love Of All (Single Version) (June 1977 US 45-single on Arista 0251 - album version on the Soundtrack LP to the film "The Greatest" on Arista AL-7000)
14. On Broadway (Live) (Single Version) 
15. We All Remember Wes (Live) (tracks 14 and 15 from the January 1978 US 2LP-set "Weekend In L.A." on Warner Brothers 2WB-3139 - track 14 is the 'Single Version' issued January 1978 on Warner Brothers WBS-8542, A-side)

CD2 (79:29 minutes):
1. Love Ballad (Single Version) (from the February 1979 US 2LP-set "Livin' Inside Your Love" on Warner Brothers 2BSK-3277 - the single version issued February 1979 in the USA on Warner Brothers WBS-8759, A-side)
2. Off Broadway 
3. Moody's Mood 
4. Give Me The Night (Single Version) (tracks 2 to 4 from the July 1980 US album "Give Me The Night" on Warner Brothers/Qwest HS-3453 - single version of "Give Me The Night" issued June 1980 in the USA on Warner Brothers WBS-49505, A-side)
5. Turn Your Love Around 
6. Love All The Hurt Away (with Aretha Franklin) (tracks 5 and 6 from the October 1981 US 2LP-set "The George Benson Collection" on Warner Brothers 2HW-3577)
7. Mimosa (with Jimmy Smith) (from the September 1982 Jimmy Smith US LP "Off The Top" on Elektra Musician 60175)
8. Being With You (from the May 1983 US LP on Warner Brothers 23744)
9. 20/20 
10. New Day (tracks 9 and 10 are from the December 1984 US LP "20/20" on Warner Brothers 25178)
11. Kisses In The Moonlight (Single Version) (from the August 1986 US LP "While The City Sleeps" on Warner Brothers 25475 - the 45-single edit was issued July 1986 in the USA on Warner Brothers 28640, A-side)
12. Mt. Airy Road (with Earl Klugh) (from the June 1987 US LP "Collaboration" on Warner Brothers 25580)
13. Let's Do It Again (Single Version, Curtis Mayfield cover version) (from the September 1988 US LP "Twice The Love" on Warner Brothers 25705 - single version issued July 1988 in the USA on Warner Brothers 27780, A-side)
14. Tenderly (from the July 1989 US LP "Tenderly" on Warner Brothers 25907)
15. Ready Now That You Are (with The Count Basie Orchestra) (from the September 1990 US LP "Big Boss Band" on Warner Brothers 26295)
16. The Long And Winding Road (Beatles cover) (from the Various Artists September 1995 CD Album "(I Got No Kick Against) Modern Jazz: A GRP Artists' Celebration Of The Songs Of The Beatles" on GRP GRD-9827) 
17. C-Smooth (from the June 1998 US CD Album "Standing Together" on GRP GRD-9906)

Suffice to say that as you wade through pages 42 to 46 (in a 48-page booklet), the sheer size of credits accompanying George Benson, his Guitar and Voice is bewildering and impressive to say the least. I can't list the lot, but try these as Guest Musicians and Collaborators - [Guitars] Jay Graydon, Earl Paul Jackson, Jr., Klugh, Lee Ritenour, Phil Upchurch, Lonnie Smith [Keyboards] Jorge Dalto, Herbie Hancock, Ronnie Foster, David Paich, Jimmy Smith [Horns and Wind] Count Basie Orchestra, Frank Foster, Hubert Laws, Stanley Turrentine, Stan Webb [Bass] Stanley Banks, Ron Carter, Marcus Miller, Pops Popwell of The Crusaders [Drums and Percussion] Billy Cobham, Steve Gadd, Harvey Mason, Ralph McDonald, Airto Moreira, Andy Newmark, Jeff Porcaro of Toto, Narada Michael Walden [Lead and Backing Vocals] Patti Austin, Aretha Franklin, James Taylor, Cecil and Linda Womack [Producers/Arrangers/Writers] Brother Jack McDuff Quartet, Rudy Van Gelder, Creed Taylor, Quincy Jones, Tommy LiPuma, Arif Mardin, Marty Paich and Rod Temperton - yikes! 

The Remasters are fabulous, carried out by Rhino's long-time associated Audio Engineers - BILL INGLOT and DAN HERSCH. By the time you get into the Seventies and Eighties productions on Disc 1 and 2 - your speakers are jumping and in a good way. The outer card slipcase, the 48-page colour booklet slipped into an inner card band and the gatefold digipak to hold the CDs lend the whole shebang a genuine feeling of substance. The oversized booklet compliments with arrays of album covers, photos of GB with legendary talent scout John Hammond of Columbia Records, on stage with Grover Washington, Jr., at the podium accepting an award with Tommy LiPuma - right up to a landmark snap - George with his wife Johnnie in 1996 as he is awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame where anyone who is anyone has a spot. Beautifully done, the whole lot. To the tunes... 

For most of us, we join Benson in the Seventies even though the 60ts stuff is excellent. My ears want to go to "White Rabbit" and the wonderful "Breezin'" LP in 1976 that changed everything for him. His transition like everyone else (Donald Byrd, Dexter Wansel etc) into Jazz Funk instead of straight-up Jazz proved not just popular but commercial dynamite. "Breezin'" went to Number 1 on the US R&B and 'Rock' charts - that was largely unheard of for the time. I do wish there were more tracks from the vastly underrated "Livin' Inside Your Love" double-album - a wee bit of a gem in my books - but the tunes from the stunning "Give Me The Night" including the fab Funk of "Off Broadway" are amazing - sounding like sparkly new things. His lurve credentials increasingly took over for the "In Your Eyes" and "20/20" albums where the hits became smoochers - and again extraordinary Production credentials. Great range, tunes and presentation 

George Benson unexpectedly pops up in the latest January 2021 edition of “Record Collector magazine for an interview (Page 46) talking about his huge five-decade career and an album he recorded live at Soho's Ronnie Scott's in 2019 called "Weekend In London" – a full 45-years after he first played there (it's available on Prologue Records). Reading stuff like this reminds you (and especially Soul and Funk chumps like me) of what a world-class artist he is and has been for so long. The man played alongside Miles Davis, Stevie Wonder and Minnie Riperton for God's sake – talk about dripping Soul and Jazz kudos. 

Want some quality GB in your life - then Rhino's 2CD "Anthology" is a fab and frankly frugal place to start...