While the City Sleeps... is a 1986 studio album by American guitarist and singer George Benson, released on Warner Bros. Records. It features musicians like Paulinho da Costa, Preston Glass, Paul Jackson, Jr., Marcus Miller and Narada Michael Walden (as drummer and producer), alongside young talents of the time like Kenny G, Randy Jackson and Kashif. Although it does not have any instrumental tracks, Benson's guitar playing is somewhat in the headlight in songs like "Love Is Here Tonight", "Teaser" and "Too Many Times". The most successful single of the album, "Kisses in the Moonlight", is still frequently played by Benson at live performances and is present on many of his compilation albums[2] (The Best of George Benson, The George Benson Anthology, The Essential Selection, etc.) On the B-side of the "Kisses in the Moonlight" single[3] – alongside "Breezin'" (Special Mix) on the 12" version – is the instrumental song "Open Your Eyes" (George Benson/Ronnie Foster) (producer: Tommy LiPuma, engineer: Eric Calvi) which is not available elsewhere.
| While the City Sleeps... | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 25, 1986[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1985–1986 | |||
| Studio |
| |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 38:13 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Producer | Narada Michael Walden, Tommy LiPuma, Robbie Buchanan, Kashif, Preston Glass (associate) | |||
| George Benson chronology | ||||
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| Singles from While the City Sleeps... | ||||
Shortly after the album's release, Benson performed "Love Is Here Tonight" in its entirety while guest starring in season three of the detective show Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer.
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [4] |
Like many of Benson's pop albums, While the City Sleeps... was criticized for the absence of his distinctive jazz guitar instrumentals.[4]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "While the City Sleeps" | Dave Innis, Sam Lorber | Tommy LiPuma, Robbie Buchanan | 3:35 |
| 2. | "Kisses in the Moonlight" | Jeffrey Cohen, Preston Glass, Narada Michael Walden | Narada Michael Walden | 4:21 |
| 3. | "Shiver" | Preston Glass, Suzanne Valentine, Narada Michael Walden | Narada Michael Walden, Preston Glass (associate) | 5:23 |
| 4. | "Love Is Here Tonight" | George Benson, Jeffrey Cohen | Narada Michael Walden | 5:43 |
| 5. | "Teaser" | Jeffrey Cohen, David Jenkins, Cory Lerios, Narada Michael Walden | Narada Michael Walden | 4:40 |
| 6. | "Secrets in the Night" | Kashif, Greg Phillinganes | Kashif | 5:50 |
| 7. | "Too Many Times" | Walter Afanasieff, Preston Glass | Narada Michael Walden | 4:37 |
| 8. | "Did You Hear Thunder" | Dean Pitchford, Tom Snow | Tommy LiPuma, Robbie Buchanan | 3:50 |
Personnel
editAdapted from the album's liner notes.[5]
Musicians:
- George Benson – lead vocals, lead guitar
- Robbie Buchanan – keyboards (1, 8), synthesizers (1, 8), synth bass (1, 8), arrangements (1, 8)
- Andrew Thomas – PPG Waveterm synthesizer programming (1, 8)
- Frank Martin – synthesizers (2)
- Preston Glass – synthesizers (2), bass sequencing (2, 3), percussion programming (2), keyboards (3, 4), strings (3), drum programming (3), Roland TR-808 programming (4), additional drum programming (7)
- Walter Afanasieff – keyboards (3), additional keyboards (5), synthesizers (7)
- Cory Lerios – keyboards (5), synth bass sequencing (5)
- Sterling Smith – synth horns (5)
- Kashif – keyboards (6), all other instruments (6), rhythm arrangements (6)
- Greg Phillinganes – keyboards (6), rhythm arrangements (6)
- Larry Smith – Synclavier programming (6)
- John S. Dranchak – assistant Synclavier programming (6)
- Paul Jackson Jr. – rhythm guitar (1, 8)
- Alan Glass – rhythm guitar (3)
- Corrado Rustici – Charvel GTM6 MIDI guitar synthesizer (4)
- David Jenkins – rhythm guitar (5), backing vocals (5)
- Paul Pesco – guitar (6)
- Chris Camozzi – rhythm guitar (7)
- Marcus Miller – bass (1)
- Randy Jackson – Fender bass (4), Moog Source (7)
- John Robinson – drums (1, 8)
- Narada Michael Walden – drum programming (2, 4, 7), arrangements (2–5, 7), drums (3, 5)
- Yogi Horton – drums (6)
- Paulinho da Costa – percussion (1, 8)
- Gigi Gonaway – Simmons toms (2), Paiste cymbal (2, 7), Simmons drum fills (7)
- Kenny G – saxophone (1, 8)
- Jerry Hey – string arrangements (2, 4, 7)
- Ralph Schuckett – string arrangements (6)
- Janey Clewer – backing vocals (1, 8)
- Jim Gilstrap – backing vocals (1, 3, 4, 7, 8)
- Marlena Jeter – backing vocals (1)
- John Lehman – backing vocals (1, 8)
- Claytoven Richardson – backing vocals (2, 3, 4, 7)
- Kitty Beethoven – backing vocals (3, 4, 7)
- Jennifer Hall – backing vocals (3, 4, 5, 7)
- Suzanne Valentine – backing vocals (3)
- Bud Cockrell – backing vocals (5)
- Carolyn Hedrich – backing vocals (5)
- Cindy Mizelle – backing vocals (6)
- Audrey Wheeler – backing vocals (6)
Production
edit- Elliot Scheiner – engineer (1, 8)
- Eric Calvi – mix engineer (1, 8)
- David Frazer – chief and mix engineer (2–5, 7)
- Darrell Gustamachio – recording and mix engineer (6)
- Peter Doell – aeditional recording (1, 8)
- Eddie Garcia – assistant engineer (1, 8)
- Joe Martin – assistant engineer (1, 8)
- Jay Rifkin – additional recording (1, 8)
- Michael O'Reilly – additional recording (1)
- Victor Beyglio – assistant engineer (2–5, 7)
- Dana Chappelle – assistant engineer (2–5, 7)
- Stuart Hirotsu – assistant engineer (2–5, 7)
- Gordon Lyon – assistant engineer (2–5, 7), keyboard engineer (5)
- Lincoln Clapp – vocal and guitar engineer (3)
- Larry Smith – assistant engineer (6)
- John S. Dranchak – studio assistant (6)
- Kevin Wallace – studio assistant (6)
- Greg Calbi – mastering at Sterling Sound (New York, NY).
- Larry Fishman – production coordinator (1, 8)
- Janice Lee – production coordinator (2–5, 7)
- Cynthia Shilow – production coordinator (2–5, 7)
- Russell Sidelsky – production coordinator (6)
- Nancy Y. Mallory – project assistant (6)
- Lu Snead – project coordinator
- Kav DeLuxe – art direction and design
- Caroline Greyshock – photography
- Hugo Boss – clothing
- Jeff Sayre – clothing
- Fritz/Turner Management, L.A. – direction
Charts
edit| Chart (1986) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Dutch Albums Top 100[6] | 25 |
| German Top 100 Albums[6] | 48 |
| Swedish Albums Top 60[6] | 31 |
| UK Albums Chart[7] | 13 |
| US Top Contemporary Jazz Albums[8] | 8 |
| US R&B Albums[8] | 21 |
| US Billboard 200[8] | 124 |
| Year | Title | Chart peak positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks [8] |
UK[7][9] | NL[10] | ||
| 1986 | "Kisses in the Moonlight" | 13 | 60 | 32 |
| 1986 | "Shiver" | 16 | 19 | - |
| 1987 | "Teaser" | - | 45 | - |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Japan | — | 21,100[11] |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[12] | Gold | 100,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ Grein, Paul (August 2, 1986). "Lionel, Huey Albums First in Three Years; Hot Summer Releases on the Way". Google Books. Billboard. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
- ^ "Kisses in the Moonlight - George Benson | Listen, Appearances, Song Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-04-13.
- ^ "George Benson - Kisses In The Moonlight at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2014-04-13.
- ^ a b Richard S. Ginell. "While the City Sleeps - George Benson | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-04-08.
- ^ While the City Sleeps... (liner notes). George Benson. Warner Bros. 1986.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ a b c Steffen Hung (2004-11-26). "George Benson - While The City Sleeps..." swisscharts.com. Retrieved 2014-04-08.
- ^ a b "George Benson | Artist". Official Charts. Retrieved 2014-04-08.
- ^ a b c d "While the City Sleeps - George Benson | Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-04-08.
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 54. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ Stichting Nederlandse Top 40. "Top 40: George Benson - Kisses In The Moonlight". Top40.nl. Retrieved 2014-04-08.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970-2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
- ^ "British album certifications – George Benson – While the City Sleeps". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 12 December 2021.