Search - George Benson :: Weekend in L.A.

Benson's great live album

Olukayode Balogun | Leeds, England | 11/29/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Benson followed In Flight with this live album, recorded at The Roxy in Hollywood on the 30th of September, 1st of October and 2nd of October 1977. Everyone who played on the previous album is here on this one and it's a great collection of 11 songs, again produced by Tommy LiPuma. The standout for me, is the hit "On Broadway" with its memorable beat break served up by Harvey Mason and Ralph MacDonald.



Benson's version here of "Down Here On The Ground" is another personal favourite of mine, as is "Lady Blue", and he also does a live version of "The Greatest Love Of All", the original version of which was a huge hit for Benson in 1977, off the soundtrack to the Muhammad Ali movie The Greatest. Personally, I prefer the studio version (availble on The George Benson Collection) but as anyone who's tried it will know, it is not an easy song to sing and Benson manages to make it sound easy.



Regarding the instrumental tracks, while still firmly aimed at the pop end of the market (I guess what we would call 'smooth jazz' today), he does manage to be a bit more adventurous on the guitar, but only a little. The title track, along with others like "California P.M.", "Windsong", "Ode To A Kudu", the funky "We All Remember Wes" (I defy anyone to sit still while listening to that one) and "We As Love" are all very interesting but nothing like what he gave us on earlier albums like Beyond the Blue Horizon or Bad Benson or even on Breezin'.



Still, it was another platinum seller for Benson and it set him off on a path, on which he eventually abandoned all real jazz pretensions in order to achieve true commercial/pop success. I'm not sure he ever returned.



This was another nostalgia-driven vinyl to CD must-have for me. 4.5 stars."

Excellent Guitar Playing- Benson shines Live

Paul Arellano | VA, USA | 08/14/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A lot of the reviews here failed to touch on the more technical, guitar playing style of Mr. Benson. Most of the songs recognized by the other reviewers centered on the album's top 40 songs like On Broadway and Greatest Love of All. However, there are several gems in this album that really showcase George Benson when he still identified himself as a jazz guitarist rather than as a pop jazz artist. I'd like to focus my review on his instrumental pieces in this album. Take note of the first song of this album Weekend in LA. Listen to how he just doesn't want to "give up" his solo playing in this song. His solo came in two parts. One was a smoother take and then the second part, he went for the kill. Brilliant. Another brilliant song on this album people should listen to is We All Remember Wes- a tribute to his idol Wes Montgomery. Here George Benson shows how he can deliver his brand of playing- smooth, fast, yet it doesn't feel like it's rushing you through the song. The solo lines are fantastic. Accompanied by a great rhythm section in this album, George Benson releases a live album that is a masterpiece. Buy this album not for the top 40 songs, but buy it because you want to hear the master play. He's still one of the best."