Bobby Womack - Midnight Mover: The Bobby Womack Collection (1993)

Midnight Mover: The Bobby Womack Collection is a double-disc set offering 44 tracks from Womack's 1968-1976 stint with United Artists and its related labels. Early selections like "I'm a Midnight Mover," "I'm in Love," and "Broadway Walk" have Womack feeling his way with producer Chips Moman. After parting ways with Moman, Womack himself became one of the more skilled and inventive producers in the Muscle Shoals tradition. "That's the Way I Feel About 'Cha" and "I Can Understand It" both have plaintive melodies and are punctuated by Womack's guitar skills plus his ever-broadening vocals. Disc two covers the years 1973-1976, during which time he had become an even bigger star with albums that were sagacious ruminations on love and life. From an effortlessly revamped and rock-fueled "Nobody Wants You (When You're Down and Out) to his perfect cover of Sam Cooke's "That's Heaven to Me," Womack's interpretive skills were only matched by his rootsy yet polished productions. After the frisky "Check It Out," Womack seemed preoccupied with the darker side of love with a little religion on the side to confuse things. Tracks like "Jealous Love" and "Interlude #1/I Don't Know" have the message and meaning slipping through his fingers. Midnight Mover is a flawless anthology.


Tracks:

CD 1

01. I'm A Midnight Mover
02. Broadway Walk
03. What Is This
04. I'm In Love
05. Somebody Special
06. What You Gonna Do (When Your Love Is Gone)
07. How I Miss You Baby
08. More Than I Can Stand
09. I Can't Take It Like A Man
10. Laughing And Clowning (Live) (with Percy Mayfield)
11. It's Gonna Rain
12. Fly Me To The Moon (In Other Words)
13. I Left My Heart In San Francisco
14. Arkansas State Prison
15. Come L'Amore
16. (If You Don't Want My Love) Give It Back
17. That's The Way I Feel About 'Cha (with Peace)
18. Communication
19. I Can Understand It
20. Woman's Gotta Have It
21. Sweet Caroline (Good Times Never Seemed so Good)
22. Harry Hippie (with Peace)
23. The Preacher / More Than I Can Stand (Live)

CD 2

01. Nobody Wants You When You're Down And Out
02. Across 110th Street
03. Fact Of Life / He'll Be There When The Sun Goes Down
04. I'm Through Trying To Prove My Love To You
05. If You Can't Give Her Love, Give Her Up
06. Holdin' On To My Baby's Love
07. That's Heaven To Me
08. Lookin' For A Love
09. I Don't Wanna Be Hurt By Ya Again
10. You're Welcome, Stop On By
11. Interlude #1 / I Don't Know
12. (If You Want My Love) Put Something Down On It
13. Check It Out
14. It's All Over Now (with Bill Withers)
15. Tarnished Rings
16. Trust In Me
17. Everything's Gonna Be Alright
18. Where There's A Will, There's A Way
19. Love Ain't Something You Can Get For Free
20. Daylight
21. Jealous Love

Personnel:

The Pointer Sisters (Background vocals) ,
Bill Withers (Background vocals),
Bobby Womack (Guitar, percussion, vocals),
Herbie Hancock (Keyboards),
Chuck Rainey (Bass),
Pete Carr (Guitar),
Bill Summers (Percussion),
John Blair (Strings),
Peace (Horn),
David Foster (Keyboards),
Jim Keltner (Drums),
Roger Dollarhide (Keyboards),
Sneaky Pete Kleinow (Guitar),
Tippy Armstrong (Guitar),
Bobby Babies (Background vocals),
Barry Beckett (Keyboards),
Hayword Bishop (Percussion,drums),
Bill Braun (Percussion, drums),
Harrison Calloway (Horn),
Gene Chrisman (Drums),
Lackie Clark (Guitar),
Tommy Cogbill (Bass),
Cosme Daeguero (Percussion),
Ronnie Eades (Horn),
Bobby Emmons (Keyboards),
Charles Fullilve (Guitar),
James Gadson (Drums),
Glen Goins (Guitar),
Pam Grier (Background vocals),
Rene Hall (Strings),
Patrice Holloway (Background vocals),
Roger Hawkins (Percussion, drums),
David Hood (Bass),
Clayton Ivey (Keyboards),
Jimmy Johnson (Guitar),
Louis Johnson (Bass),
Ken Khristian (Guitar),
Joe Lala (Percussion),
Linda Lawrence (Background vocals),
Mike Leech (Bass),
Bill Lordan (Drums),
Dale Quillen (Horn),
Larry "Rhino" Rheinhart (Guitar),
Soko Richardson (Drums),
Robert Robertie (Drums),
Julia Tillman Waters (Background vocals),
Ron Selico (Drums),
Janice Singleton (Background vocals),
Paul Stallworth (Bass),
Ivory Stone (Background vocals),
Sundry (Background vocals),
Truman Thomas (Keyboards),
Harvey Thompson (Horn),
The Valentinos (Background vocals),
Wah Wah Watson (Guitar),
Willie Weeks (Bass),
Gregory White (Background vocals),
Lorna Willard (Background vocals),
Bobby Woods (Keyboards),
Reggie Young (Guitar),
Larry Zack (Drums),
William D. "Smitty" Smith (Keyboards),
Leon Ware (Keyboards), Sonny Burke (Drums),
Sonny Burke (Keyboards),
Julia Tilman (Background vocals),
Charles Fullilove (Guitar),
Sundray (Background vocals),
Carmichael Singers (Background vocals),
David Turner (Guitar).