🎷 AotW: CTI George Benson - I GOT A WOMAN AND SOME BLUES (SP-9-3025)

[Captain Bacardi]

George Benson
I GOT A WOMAN AND SOME BLUES
A&M/CTi SP-9-3025

Released 1984

Format: Vinyl/Cassette/CD

Produced by Creed Taylor

Songs:

• 1. I Got A Woman (Ray Charles) - 4:55
  2. Out Of The Blue (Henry Nemo/Will Jason) - 3:15
  3. Bluesadelic (George Benson) - 4:15
  4. Durham's Turn (George Benson) - 4:05
  5. Good Morning, Blues (Billy Vera) - 2:50
  6. I Worry 'Bout You (Norman Mapp) - 2:25
  7. Without Her (Harry Nilsson) - 2:35
  8. She Went A Little Bit Farther (Mack Vickery/Merle Kilgore) - 3:05
  9. Goodbye, Columbus (James Yester) - 2:00

Musicians:
George Benson - Guitar, Vocals

No other personnel listed

Recorded in 1969, previously unreleased

If the songs and title of this album seem unfamiliar, it's because I Got A Woman And Some Blues is being released here for the first time ever. Originally scheduled to be A&M/CTI's final release, it has instead rested quietly in the vaults on A&M's lot for nearly fifteen years. The album showcases George's gritty mastery of singing and playing in the universal language: the Blues.

Art Direction: Chuck Beeson
Design: Donald Krieger
Photography: Melanie Nissen




Capt. Bacardi

 

[Dave]

Wonder whay this sat around for FIFTEEN YEARS??? before finally getting released? Guess Ol' George couldn't think of anything else to put on there.

Having done an earnest and modest debut for A&M/CTi, THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME (SP 3014), which put him in an immediate comparison to Wes Montgomery, who had shortly passed prior to this being released, shortly after his final album, ROAD SONG (SP 3012). Then making a more moving, swinging, sometimes maudlin, but more often merry outing, TELL IT LIKE IT IS (SP 3020). His almost Swan Song was his collection of Beatles Tunes 'Done The BENSON WAY', THE OTHER SIDE OF ABBEY ROAD (SP 3028); though still seems a bit far from '52nd Street'.

That's actually after this one, by the way.

Looks like he got his 'Jazz Thang' going once again. Imagine seeing Nillson's "Without Her" and The Association's "Goodbye Columbus" AND Ray Charles "I Got A Woman" and Billy Vera & Judy Clay's "Good Morning Blues" improvised and very articulately converted into almost Jazz-Pop mastrepieces, just by Benson applying his own distinctive musical stamp, along side some originals (such as "Bluesadelic" and "Durham's Turn") and a few tunes I have never even heard of, by writers I have never heard of. ("I Worry 'Bout You", "She Went A Bit Farther" and "Out Of The Blue", for example)

Dave

 

[jimac51]

I wanted to bring up George's "I Remember Wes" from his Verve album,"Goodies",but in researching dates-lo and behold-"Goodies" was recorded for Verve just days after he recorded "Abbey Road" for A&M,both from Nov. 1969. "Goodies" must have been an album due for contract obligations. 1968 and 1969 were very busy years for George,having also worked with Miles Davis(to mixed results) on "Miles In The Sky". Mac

 

[Captain Bacardi]

I see that this was supposed to have been the final release for A&M/CTI. But this is a great album! Very funky blues, and I can even tolerate Benson's vocals. I didn't care much for his rendition of "Without Her", but I guess it could be worse. It's too bad A&M didn't hang onto him a bit longer.


Capt. Bacardi

 

[Dave]

Yow, how much longer was this going to sit around before any more "unreleased recordings" were to be found?

There are still a slew of more vaulted tracks for The Other Side Of Abbey Road, Tell It Like It Is and even The Shape Of Things To Come which still have yet to see the light of day...



Dave

 

[seashorepiano]

Ehh. I tried to like this album, but didn't. The organ was good here and sounds like Charles Covington, who I suspect was an in-house organist for A&M/CTi at the time, as he shows up on another Benson date, The Shape of Things to Come and J & K's Betwixt and Between. I think Bluesadelic is the only tune here that I remember specifically. 2 stars.

 

[audiofile]

When I saw this reissue at Borders, I scooped it up right away. Being a fan of this period of Benson, I thought I would love this. I was let down big time! The only saving track for me is Without Her. The Shape of Things To Come is way better!

 

[seashorepiano]

I think Creed might have kept this in the vaults because he knew ahead of time that it wasn't going to succeed. It sounds like it's working on a lot of the same musical ideas that appeared in Shape of Things..., but it just doesn't pack the same punch. I'm not a huge fan of George Benson and I really wish Creed would have just let him do some gritty solos.

 

[audiofile]

I wonder why Benson was "allowed" to stretch out more on Beyond the Blue Horizon...

Same producer, basically the same label, same time period...What gives?!

 

[seashorepiano]

The only song I like on Beyond the Blue Horizon is "All Clear." I just didn't care for "Ode to a Kudu" or the other songs at all.

 

[Dave]

...The organ was good here and sounds like Charles Covington, who I suspect was an in-house organist for A&M/CTi at the time...

Here are a couple of links I found, which accurately reveal what Mr. Covington has been up to lately...:

http://www.thechessdrum.net/talkingdrum/TDmarapr02.html

http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/millennium/artist_detail.cfm?artist_id=CCOOVINJR​

Seeing as how not since the Golden Age of the A&M/CTi-era, or perhaps CTi-era, altogether, you have not seen many Organ Playing Credits for this master musician and impresario of other many talents, "Dr. Charles"...



Dave

 

[seashorepiano]

I think he was also a professor of music at Howard University for a while. I'd read those articles about his expertise in chess before- thanks for sharing them again. Great musician.

 

[Dave]

...I'd read those articles about his expertise in chess before - thanks for sharing them again...

You're welcome... As I've said, there is a good wealth of material which had gotten shelved and would, if included here, perhaps sound a bit out-of-place... (And the number of takes done are what makes just about any A&M/CTi recording a treasure...!)

Here then are the legitimate contents of each album along with what meets the cutting room floor...:

http://www.dougpayne.com/ctid3k.htm#igotawoman

http://www.dougpayne.com/ctid3k.htm#otherside

http://www.dougpayne.com/ctid3k.htm#tellitlikeitis

http://www.dougpayne.com/ctid3k.htm#shapeofthings​

Dave

...--Also noting an "unreleased Herbie Mann" which probably went out as The Soul Flutes, or maybe not...! (on Next Page...) inkshield:

 

[Rudy]

Never heard this album, except for the title track, which I heard on the 2nd A&M/CTi sampler. If that meandering track is any indication, I wouldn't drop 10 cents on this album.

 

[Dave]

Benson huffs and puffs and bluffs his way through this album--on guitar and some vocals and even vocalese... The taut gruffness and conceptual antics of The Other Side Of Abbey Road, the ambition and sometimes overextension of Tell It Like It Is, while trying to stay firmly rooted in the humble firmament of his debut, The Shape Of Things To Come...

Somehow although the compositions and arrangements seem dreary and weary sounding, George capably carries through like the trooper he is...

With the short length of this album and lack of musician credits and the rather questionable selection of songs and tenacious, but mediocre delivery, it seems hard to believe that after being shelved for fifteen-years that 1984 was a year which was really ripe for this sort'a stuff...

(And I wonder why this album never played at the Farmer Jack® supermarket which played almost-all A&M/CTi and Sue recordings...)



Dave

 

[Captain Bacardi]

This is another one of those hit-or-miss albums. The good songs are really good while the bad songs are really bad. The real reason to get this album is to hear "Durham's Turn", which for my money is one of Benson's finer guitar solos on any record, and has a nice flute solo as well (Hubert Laws maybe?). Another nifty little piece is "Bluesadelic" and the very brief closing tune "Goodbye, Columbus". On the other hand Benson's vocals are pretty bad, and the addition of the mini orchestra doesn't help much. "Good Morning Blues" is just flat out awful while his quasi-scat vocals on "Without Her" seems nothing more than filler. But this is a Creed Taylor production, so it could've been worse. 2 & 1/2 stars.



Capt. Bacardi

 

[Dave]

A bit of a "turning point" sort'a treated as a nadir... A shame that there were "leftovers" that never got released, which if added to these songs would'a filled this out better, making more of a "complete album", but by this time Benson had been doing something more new, leaving this forgotten, yet, significant chapter at A&M behind...

-- Dave

 

[A&Mguyfromwayback]

He cut "Without Her"? Is it a good version?

 

[Captain Bacardi]

No!

 

[Rudy]

I have only heard the first track (which was on the AM+ Vol. 2 sampler) and all I can say (while staying nice, as you never know who is reading these posts) is that this is a set of tunes that was probably in the vault for a reason. It just seems to meander and not really go anywhere. If there are better tunes on this disc, they certainly did not choose a good one to put on the sampler IMHO.

 

[Captain Bacardi]

The only real reason to buy this album, other than being a completist or a die-hard Benson fan, is for the track "Durham's Turn", which for me is some of Benson's best guitar playing. "Bluesadelic" is pretty nice as well, but the rest of the album is rather awkward sounding. Never being a fan of Benson's vocals a lot of this album turned me off.

 

[Rudy]

I would guess that the songs on this album were strays or leftovers from other sessions...?

I don't mind Benson's vocals, but they have their place--I expect to hear him singing on his R&B/pop albums, not on the jazz side (except for his scatting with his solos, which is a trademark). Or to put it another way, he does that R&B vocal style better than some others in the same category. I can live with him having two separate careers...I just don't want to hear one style when I'm in the mood for the other. Although the one concert of his I saw, he did a fantastic job on both, and balanced both quite well during the gig. He really "burns" on the guitar in concert, when he allows himself to.

I haven't yet listened much to Bad Benson, but it is supposed to be one of his better CTi-era recordings. Absolute Benson was IMHO a very good contemporary jazz album that only had him singing a refrain on one of the tracks, and that singing reminded me more of blues than anything else. Just having him free to do all guitar was refreshing after years of his pop vocal albums.

 

[Bobberman]

BAD BENSON. is a great album and he does a great modern at the time workout on the Brubeck Classic " Take Five" I Highly recommend it i also like the track " No Sooner Said Than Done" some great guitar work there.

 

[Bobberman]

Another Good Benson album which was his last for Warner Bros. Is "Love Remembers" ( released in 1994) which has just a few vocals and More of his Guitar instrumentals. Smooth jazz radio stations at that time. Were really playing a lot of the songs from it in regular rotation.

 

[Rudy]

I was just thinking back...

The AOTW here was unreleased until the AM+ reissues retrieved it from the vaults.

J&K's third album Stonebone was only released in Japan.

Tamba Four had a promo single of "California Soul" with no album to back it up (to which some rumors have stated there may have been unreleased tracks or album).

Jobim's Tide is rather brief and IMHO was a weak album, with the title track being a regurgitated "Wave" and some of the other tracks sort of running on without direction. Seems like a rushed project. It was one of the last A&M/CTi releases. Yet the stellar Stone Flower was in the midst of being recorded when Tide was released. (That album very much resembles the A&M/CTi style, yet has some of Jobim's best songs on it and is richer and darker than Wave.) Almost as though the better album was held off until it could be released on the Columbia-distributed CTi.

If these aren't the signs of a label falling apart, I don't know what is. Releases were steady up until the end.