Personnel: B.B. King, Dean Parks, Paul M. Jackson Jr. (guitar); Wilton Felder (bass, saxophone); Dennis Quitman, Larry Williams (saxophone); Kim Hutchcroft (baritone saxophone); Steve Madaio, Gary Grant (trumpet); Jack Redmond, Charles Fendley (trombone); "Stix" Hooper, James Gadson (drums, percussion); Paulinho da Costa (percussion); Julia Tillman, Maxine Willard, Luther Waters, Oren Waters (background vocals).
Producers: Stewart Levine, Wilton Felder, "Stix" Hooper, Joe Sample.
All tracks have been digitally remastered.
Personnel: B.B. King (vocals, guitar); Luther Waters, Maxine Willard Waters, Oren Waters (vocals, background vocals); Julia Tillman Waters (vocals); Dean Parks, Paul Jackson, Jr. (guitar); Kim Hutchcroft (saxophone, baritone saxophone); Quitman Dennis (saxophone, horns); Larry Williams , Wilton Felder (saxophone); Gary Grant, Steve Madaio (trumpet); Charles Fendley, Jack Redman, Jack Redmond (trombone); Joe Sample (keyboards); James Gadson, Stix Hooper (drums, percussion); Paulinho Da Costa (percussion); Julia Tillman (background vocals).
Audio Mixer: Rik Pekkonen.
Audio Remasterer: Erick Labson.
Recording information: Hollywood, CA (12/1978/01/1979).
Photographer: Earl Miller.
This 1979 effort finds B.B. interpreting a number of pop-blues tunes, many of them co-written by Will Jennings and co-producer Joe Sample, with King co-writing two of the songs aboard. Even with a large, contemporary backdrop (including a seven-piece horn section and female backup singers), there's still plenty of room for B.B.'s stinging guitar and stentorian vocals in the mix. Highlights include the gospel-tinged "Better Not Look Down," "Same Old Story (Same Old Song)," "Happy Birthday Blues," "The Beginning of the End" and the title track. As one of B.B.'s more pop-oriented offerings, this succeeds admirably. ~ Cub Koda
The raw, real sound of B.B. King's blues was not exactly in vogue in 1979. The notion of "unplugged" would not come into fashion for another decade or so, and popular music was edging closer to a more-is-better approach to production. Perhaps in response to the prevailing aesthetic, King employed the substantial talents of Joe Sample and the Crusaders on TAKE IT HOME to make a record that would be accessible to more than just the blues aficionados of the world.
TAKE IT HOME covers many popular styles of the time: an '80s-style party groove on "A Story Everybody Knows," laid-back funk on "Tonight I'm Gonna Make You a Star" and smooth jazz on the title track. Of course, since it's a B.B. King record, there is blues, but it's a pumped-up blues. Traditional three-chord tunes like "Happy Birthday Blues" and "Second Hand Woman" are made gargantuan by big horn sections and prominent back-up vocals. Of the blues numbers, "I've Always Been Lonely" sounds the most timeless, with King's off-hand vocal eloquence and lovely fills and soloing proving that regardless of era or production, he can tear it up in inimitable fashion. minimize