Give Me the Night

This is certainly one George's best pieces of music and one of my all time favorites. Of course, cause the great Quincy Jones produced this hit!

First class. Probably the second album that made George Benson recognized great as a vocalist and not only as an exceptional guitar player. The instrumentals are above average and especially the song Off Broadway

Nothing but the best!!!!

another Arif Mardin arrangement!

i love this album i own it listen to it and can't believe it isn't the number one star of the story and lamplight r my fav's

One of the best!

One of the best albums of all time. Love X Love, Give Me the Night, Moody's Mood, and Turn on the Lamplight. Great vocal work by George, too!

One of my favorite jazz/pop albums; George's voice was very strong and poignant throughout each song, especially "Moody's Mood." This album is a classic from Mr. Benson.

In 1980, near "Off the Wall", Quincy Jones had hit a career zenith producing Michael Jackson, Rufus' "Masterjam" and this jazz/Quiet Storm classic, "Give Me the Night". Using the brilliance of Rod Temperton's (Heatwave) songwriting and his engineering team, this has to be regarded as the true follow-up to "Breezin'", Benson's commercial breakthrough. "Dinorah, Dinorah" is almost as fluid as "Breezin'" as Benson's guitar enters and exciting play against his vocals. If "This Masquerade" was a pleasant, vocal surprise, the vocals on "Give Me the Night" gives Marvin's "You Sure Love to Ball" and Teddy Pendergrass' "Close the Door" true competition for the ultimate bedroom seducer. In classic Quincy studio wizardry, this album sounds fabulous, it drips with class and ranks as one of the most romantic albums of its time. "Give Me the Night", the title track hit the upper reaches of the urban and pop charts. His cover of "Moody's Mood" is one of the best tributes to James Moody's seminal classic ever put to vinyl. The romance and sensuality is served up in delicious doses on the final four tracks beginning with "Love Dance", a near a capella triumph of simplicity with jazz flavorings, the cover of Heatwave's "Star of the Story" fits like a dream into this psalm. Late night creeping never felt so silky as in "Midnight Love Affair" ending with the heartbreaking, heart soothing "Turn Off the Lamplight". This album haunted me for months when I recalled how special it sounded that summer of '80. It is an easy tie with "Breezin'" for his ultimate crossover achievement.

Coming off the heels of Michael Jackson's mega-selling OFF THE WALL, producer Quincy Jones applies the same formula on "jazz guitarist turned pop/r&b crooner" George Benson. Songwriter Rod Tempeton reappears on five songs including the hit singles "Give Me The Night," "Love Times Love" and the Grammy-winning instrumental "Off Broadway". Another Jones cronie, Patti Austin, duets with Benson on a slick remake of the jazz standard "Moody's Mood". Like OFF THE WALL, Side One of the vinyl version has four songs and is mostly uptempo, while side two's six songs take a more mellow approach, especially on the album's other too-brief instrumental "Dinorah Dinorah". Although GIVE ME THE NIGHT has it's highspots, the end result makes George Benson sound like a guest artist on a Quincy Jones album. And the single version of the title track is much better than the long, drawn-out version presented here.