Other Side of the Road

other side of the road

Track Listings

1. Other Side of the Road

2. Do to Me

3. Belinda

4. Big Fat Momma

5. Don't Take Your Love Away This Time

6. London Is Burning

7. Babe It's Up to You

8. You Don't Care

9. All Alone

10. I Can't Stop Loving You

11. Too Many Pennies in Hell

12. Samantha Elizabeth

13. San Francisco Bay

The Other Side of the Road,Smokie,Bmg,Euro-Rock,Pop,Pop/Rock,Rock/Pop,Soft Rock

Other Side of the Road

Average customer rating:

For a Cover Album, this is very good
How do you make a tribute just months after the original?
Surprisingly Good for a "Beatles Cover CD". Benson at Best.
OK, but it could have been much better
A Bit Bumpy, But Still A Nice Side Trip

The Other Side of Abbey Road
George Benson
Manufacturer: A&M
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

Smooth Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Pop | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

General | R&B | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

White Rabbit
It's Uptown
Givin' It Up
George Benson Cookbook
Bad Benson

ASIN: B0000062P2
Release Date: 1998-03-24

Tracks:

Golden Slumbers/You Never Give Me Your Money
Because/Come Together
Oh! Darling
Here Comes The Sun/I Want You (She's So Heavy)
Something/Octopus's Garden/The End

Customer Reviews:

For a Cover Album, this is very good.......2006-05-14

While most people consider "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" not only the greatest Beatles album of all time, but the greatest album of all time - I tend to think that "Abbey Road" is the superior album. One reason why I think "Abbey Road" stands out is the state of the Beatles as a band during the time of recording. "Abbey Road" was recorded at a time when tensions and emotions were high between the four members of the band. It is when emotions are high that often a band produces their best work. Fleetwood Mac also did their best work under similar circumstances. Tensions and emotions between the members of Fleetwood Mac were running high when they recorded "Rumours" - and it became their most successful album. Great works are often targets to be covered by other artists. "Rumours" was an album that was covered by a variety of artists on a tribute album: "Legacy: A Tribute to Fleetwood Mac's Rumours". While there was an admirable job of the covers on this collection, it failed to capture the emotions of the original. When I discovered George Benson's "The Other Side of Abbey Road", my initial fears that surrounded the Fleetwood Mac "Legacy" cover began to surface. My curiosity of seeing a legendary Jazz artist such as Benson cover my favorite album outweighed the fears I was having. While I knew it was going to be impossible for Benson to reach the level of emotion that the Beatles had on "Abbey Road", I was very surprised how close Benson came to hitting the mark, I was surprised how much Benson "got it" when it came to covering "Abbey Road".

George Benson is basically a jazz guitarist and vocalist. In the 1970s Benson suddenly found success as a pop star with such hits as "On Broadway", "Give Me the Night", and "Turn Your Love Around". It was Benson's "This Masquerade" that gave him critical acclaim as he would take the coveted award at the 1977 Grammy Awards for Record of the Year. Many people forget that Benson's musical roots are in jazz. It is a jazz cover of "Abbey Road" that is done on "The Other Side of Abbey Road".

It is important to note that "The Other Side of Abbey Road" is not a full cover of the Beatles' "Abbey Road". There are only 10 songs that are included on "The Other Side of Abbey Road". The songs that are missing are "Maxwell's Silver Hammer", "Sun King", "Mean Mr. Mustard", "Polythene Pam", "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window", "Carry That Weight", and "Her Majesty". This was something that I found disappointing because I have an immediate curiosity about how Benson would have covered these songs.

Benson does not order the remaining songs in the order in which they appear on the original Beatles' "Abbey Road" album. Normally this would be something that disappoints me, however Benson structures the 10 songs included into 5 tracks. Four of the five tracks include combining two or more songs on one track. The five tracks are "Golden Slumbers/You Never Give Me Your Money", "Because/Come Together", "Oh! Darling" (the only 'single' track), "Here Comes The Sun/I Want You (She's So Heavy)", and "Something/Octopus' Garden/The End" (the one track with more than 2 songs). While I didn't feel I would like the way that Benson combined the songs - it works. Benson does a beautiful job at providing the fusion needed on each of these tracks. Benson could have easily found a way to fuse all ten tracks together into a single one - but I do think the way he combined the songs helps to break things up a bit.

Benson also doesn't sing all of the tracks. He uses instrumentals for some of the covers while providing partial vocals on others - and this also hits the mark beautifully. Benson also assembles a terrific orchestra to cover the songs. This includes Strings, Woodwinds, Brass, Percussion, and Piano! Included in this band is Herbie Hancock on piano.

Here is a brief summary of the five tracks:

"Golden Slumbers/You Never Give Me Your Money": Benson "wraps" at the beginning and end a vocalized "Golden Slumbers" around an instrumental "You Don't Give Me Your Money". "Golden Slumbers" has an orchestral feel to it while "You Don't Give Me Your Money" a smooth jazz feel to it (that also has some orchestral qualities to it).

"Because/Come Together": This is one of the album's highlights. "Because" starts out with the orchestral feel to it before the segue into "Come Together". Many say Aerosmith nailed the passion of this song with their cover. I would also subscribe that Benson nails it here with his jazzy cover. I love how Benson will improvise later in the song and make the use of the horns.

"Oh! Darling": Benson provides a supper-club style feel to this cover. This isn't my favorite Beatles song, but Benson does a nice job on this.

"Here Comes the Sun/I Want You (She's So Heavy)": Once again Benson starts out with an orchestral feel ("Here Comes the Sun") and then goes into a jazzy feel of "I Want You". While it doesn't have the same haunting feel of the Beatles original, Benson puts his own haunting spin on "I Want You" (as heard in the instrumentals).

"Something/Octopus's Garden/The End": Benson does an incredible job on this. He starts out with an orchestral feel on "Something" that is mostly instrumental with partial vocals. Benson really captures the passion of "Something". The segue isn't quite smooth into "Octopus's Garden" and "The End", but it works. The latter two songs are instrumental and provide a jazzy feel. These latter songs showcase the talents of the band that Benson assembles.

I wish the liner notes provided some insight into why Benson did what he did. Still, all in all this is a surprising good cover. Jazz and Beatles' fans should enjoy this.

How do you make a tribute just months after the original?.......2004-07-02

I guess this is how to make a tribute just months after the original. It speaks volumes, that so soon after the release of Abbey Road, it so affected the culture, that it demanded this wonderful tribute album. IT truly is the other side of Abbey Road. Abbey Road seen through the eyes of some of the greatest Jazz musicians in history. A wonderuly delightful stop at the side of the Abbey Road. Oh, Darling please believe me this album will never do you no harm!

Surprisingly Good for a "Beatles Cover CD". Benson at Best........2002-08-16

I listened to this as an album about twenty years ago during some times when I was in college and more concerned with getting wasted than passing my classes. Those were fun times, nonetheless, and this little gem is one that I got "turned on" to by a friend and fellow Beatles' fan in my "partying era." I ordered the CD recently after hearing the excellent "I Want You." George Benson is strong as both a musician and a singer throughout. Some of the songs, such as "Here Comes The Sun" are a little overdone for my tastes, but the entire CD flows together like a good album from the 60s/70s is supposed to.

OK, but it could have been much better.......2002-06-04

Creed Taylor uses his heavy hands to nearly murder a bunch of classic songs. Fortunately, George Benson had enough talent to overcome the stifling production.

A Bit Bumpy, But Still A Nice Side Trip.......2000-03-01

George Benson's outstanding "The Other Side of Abbey Road" may be the first time tribute was paid to an actual album, as opposed to the assorted songs of an artist or group (Ramsey Lewis and Benson's mentor, Wes Montgomery, had already hit with Beatles covers before this release).

It says much for the deep, rich melodies on "Abbey Road" that they stood sturdy with the arrangements Benson, producer Creed Taylor, and his stellar CTI backup band created. Notables include present and future jazz stars Herbie Hancock, Hubert Laws, and Freddie Hubbard, who contributes some great trumpet fills on "You Never Give Me Your Money" and "I Want You." Benson's ballad style, which he would rely more on in his later solo recordings, transforms "Golden Slumbers" and "Here Comes The Sun" into comforting lullabies without compromising either song's integrity; they indicate how Nat Cole may have covered those songs had he lived. Don Sebesky's string arrangements are first-rate (working the baroque string arrangements of "Because" around "Come Together" as one example), Benson's guitar rings and chimes where needed, the band finds an appealing jazz-blues groove to lock into the melodies and, with the exception of a short-sell fade out on "The End," this stands with "Chet Atkins Picks On The Beatles" as the finest Fab Four intrumental covers album ever.

Other Side of the Road
Average customer rating:

excellent work fromthis recording artist

Other Side of the Road
Fillmore Slim
Manufacturer: Fedora
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Blues | Styles | Music
Electric Blues Guitar | Blues | Styles | Music
Modern Blues | Blues | Styles | Music
General | R&B | Styles | Music
General | Blues | Indie Music | Stores | Music
General | R&B | Indie Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000046PYX
Release Date: 2000-02-15

Tracks:

Let's Talk About Love
Dial 911
Kicked Out
Girl Can't Cook
Down on the Farm
Annabelle
Pretty Baby
Other Side of the Road
Louisiana Scat
Blue Monday

Customer Reviews:

excellent work fromthis recording artist.......2003-04-27

you need to have listening samples for this album

The Other Side of the Road/Midnight Delight

Average customer rating:

The Other Side of the Road/Midnight Delight

Manufacturer: RAK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Pop | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000CS89EO

Product Description

2 albums on 1 CD, Russian import. Tracks: 1. The Other Side Of The Road 2. Do To Me 3. Belinda 4. Big Fat Momma 5. Don'T Take Your Love Away This Time 6. London Is Burning 7. Babe It's Up To You 8. You Don'T Care 9. All Alone 10. I Can'T Stop Loving You 11. Too Many Pennies In Hell 12. Samantha Elizabeth 13. San Francisco Ba14. Warm Nights without You/Hiding from the Night/One More for the Road/Time Keeps Turning/Midnight Delight/Number on My Wall/Time of Your Life/Winter's Day/You're a Lady/Don't Throw It all Away.

Average customer rating:

The Other Side of the Road
Lev Polyakin , and Mike Petrone
Manufacturer: Mira Recordings
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

Traditional Jazz General | Traditional Jazz & Ragtime | Jazz | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000MCPG2S

Product Description

Assistant Concermaster of The Cleveland Orchestra, Russian violinist, Lev Polyakin also experiments with jazz. "The Other Side of the Road," is his second album with jazz pianist Mike Petrone and his quartet.

Average customer rating:

The Other Side of Abbey Road
George Benson
Manufacturer: Universal
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

Smooth Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

Jazz | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00024Z95U
Release Date: 2004-07-12

Tracks:

Golden Slumbers/You Never Give Me Your Money
Because/Come Together
Oh! Darling
Here Comes the Sun/I Want You (She's So Heavy)
Something/Octopus's Garden/The End

Album Description

Japanese reissue of the guitarist's 1969 pop/jazz translation of the Beatles' swan song 'Abbey Road'. Five tracks (with incorporated medley's). A&M. 2004.

Average customer rating:

The Other Side of Abbey Road
George Benson
Manufacturer: A&M
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

Smooth Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00000DN7S
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Golden Slumbers/You Never Give Me Your Money
Because/Come Together
Oh! Darling
Here Comes the Sun/I Want You (She's So Heavy)
Something/Octopus's Garden/The End

Average customer rating:

We All Know Smokie UP HERE !!!
the most underated band
Hidden Jem
The best and extraordinary from Smokie!
other side of the road

The Other Side of the Road
Smokie
Manufacturer: Bmg
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Pop | Styles | Music

Soft Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00004RGSB
Release Date: 1996-10-27

Tracks:

Other Side of the Road
Do to Me
Belinda
Big Fat Momma
Don't Take Your Love Away This Time
London Is Burning
Babe It's Up to You
You Don't Care
All Alone
I Can't Stop Loving You
Too Many Pennies in Hell
Samantha Elizabeth
San Francisco Bay

Customer Reviews:

We All Know Smokie UP HERE !!!.......2004-04-24

I agree with the other guy... this isn't smokie's strongest album but I'd still recommend it to anyone.

I've loved Smokie eversince I can remember... the mid 70's. Everyone around here knows Smokie. I don't know what it was. I find that a lot of people didn't know em in the big metropolitan areas. A guy I knew (back in the 90's) from Iran knew Smokie and I was shocked but of course, I didn't know much back then. Anyway, I just wanted to point out that, yes, a lot of people loved Smokie here in North America... plenty !

the most underated band.......2004-03-14

for any of you, who like me, live in north america, we were never
introduced to one of the finest soft rock / ballad bands of the seventies.I lived in israel up to the age of 13,then moved to canada in 1980, I got here and to my surprise...Smokie was not known to anyone. records not available.I freaked out and immediatly contacted freinds over seas to sent me the complete collection. The songs are great.The melodies catchy
and Chris Norman's voice is amazing.
Smokie(the original line-up) has been part of my life since I was 12.
Over the years in Montreal. I played their music to many people
who are also HOOKED.
This particuler album was not necesserally their best, but still
is one of my all-time favorites.
This band has sold millions of records in Europe and as far as australia.... Only North america missed out.

Hidden Jem.......2002-06-20

The music on this CD is pretty advanced for 1979, three years before they changed their line-up. No wonder, as this is the first Smokie album where most songs (exept track 7) are written by group members. And although their previous works, penned by successful N.Chinn/M.Chapman songwriters duo, remain popular and are better known, this one is a little hidden musical gem. The digitally re-mastered release brings back to life superb music arrangements (all instruments are played by the band members), touching lyrics and husky lead vocal of Chris Norman, including subtle humorous sleeve notes. It does not matter whether you are a Smokie fan or not, you will find a song on that CD that reaches out to you. In my opinion it's the logical culmination of Smokie's musical development despite the fact that this wasn't their last album.

The best and extraordinary from Smokie!.......2002-04-22

In my opinion the best Smokie album ever! IT is quite different from all the other Smokie's stuff, maybe this is why it's so interesting. I was looking for it several years, as it wasn't released in CD format. Now finally it is. Enjoy!...

other side of the road.......2001-06-13

This was the album that got me through my parents split up over 20 years ago. The words to songs such as "You don't care" are just awsome. I have always loved Smokie music, but this is my favourite album.

Music:

Music

music