Midnight Mover: The Bobby Womack Collection

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Bobby Womack's career is a book with many chapters; neither a bestseller nor a literary classic, it is nonetheless a consistently good read. The two-CD set, The Midnight Mover: The Bobby Womack Collection, only covers the middle chapters of that story, but those years (1968-76) brought the singer-guitarist-songwriter-producer his only Top 40 pop hits: "That's the Way I Feel About Cha," "Harry Hippie," "Nobody Wants You When You're Down and Out," and "Lookin' for a Love." Womack is better known today for songs that were recorded by others: "It's All Over Now" by the Rolling Stones, "Woman's Gotta Have It" by the Neville Brothers, "I'm in Love" by Aretha Franklin, and 17 different songs by Wilson Pickett, most notably "I'm a Midnight Mover." All these recordings are superior to Womack's own versions (he is a robust gospel-soul singer but curiously lacking in understatement or big climaxes), but they are indicative of Womack's knack for telling a story to a very funky beat. All 8 of the above songs are included among the 44 tracks on the new anthology. What's missing from this anthology are the early chapters in Womack's story and the later chapters (his brilliant post-cocaine comeback albums, 1981's The Poet and 1984's The Poet II, his collaborations with Patti LaBelle and Wilton Felder, and his 1986 reunion with Moman, Womagic, the best album of his career). The Midnight Mover is the kind of anthology you shouldn't bother with until you have Otis Redding, Al Green, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, Curtis Mayfield, and Aretha Franklin covered. But if you have plenty of their recordings and still hunger for more classic R&B, Bobby Womack is a good next move. --Geoffrey Himes

Midnight Mover: The Bobby Womack Collection,Bobby Womack,Capitol,Blaxploitation,Pop,Quiet Storm,R&B,Smooth Soul,Soul,Soul/R & B,Soul/Reggae/Rhythm & Blues

Tracks:

I'm A Midnight Mover
Broadway Walk
What Is This
I'm In Love
Somebody Special
What You Gonna Do (When Your Love Is Gone)
How I Miss You Baby
More Than I Can Stand
I Can't Take It Like A Man
Laughing And Clowning (Live)
It's Gonna Rain
Fly Me To The Moon (In Other Words)
I Left My Heart In San Francisco
Arkansas State Prison
Come L'Amore
(If You Don't Want My Love) Give It Back
That's The Way I Feel About Cha
Communication
I Can Understand It
Woman's Gotta Have It
Sweet Caroline (Good Times Never Seemed So Good)
Harry Hippie
The Preacher/More Than I Can Stand (Live)

Tracks:

Nobody Wants You When You're Down And Out
Across 110th Street (From 'Across 110th Street')
Fact Of Life/He'll Be There When The Sun Goes Down
I'm Through Trying To Prove My Love To You
If You Can't Give Her Love, Give Her Up
Holdin' On To My Baby's Love
That's Heaven To Me
Lookin' For A Love
I Don't Wanna Be Hurt By Ya Again
You're Welcome, Stop On By
Interlude #1/I Don't Know
(If You Want My Love) Put Something Down On It
Check It Out
It's All Over Now
Tarnished Rings
Trust In Me
Everything's Gonna Be Alright
Where There's A Will, There's A Way
Love Ain't Something You Can Get For Free
Daylight
Jealous Love

Amazon.com

Bobby Womack's career is a book with many chapters; neither a bestseller nor a literary classic, it is nonetheless a consistently good read. The two-CD set, The Midnight Mover: The Bobby Womack Collection, only covers the middle chapters of that story, but those years (1968-76) brought the singer-guitarist-songwriter-producer his only Top 40 pop hits: "That's the Way I Feel About Cha," "Harry Hippie," "Nobody Wants You When You're Down and Out," and "Lookin' for a Love." Womack is better known today for songs that were recorded by others: "It's All Over Now" by the Rolling Stones, "Woman's Gotta Have It" by the Neville Brothers, "I'm in Love" by Aretha Franklin, and 17 different songs by Wilson Pickett, most notably "I'm a Midnight Mover." All these recordings are superior to Womack's own versions (he is a robust gospel-soul singer but curiously lacking in understatement or big climaxes), but they are indicative of Womack's knack for telling a story to a very funky beat. All 8 of the above songs are included among the 44 tracks on the new anthology. What's missing from this anthology are the early chapters in Womack's story and the later chapters (his brilliant post-cocaine comeback albums, 1981's The Poet and 1984's The Poet II, his collaborations with Patti LaBelle and Wilton Felder, and his 1986 reunion with Moman, Womagic, the best album of his career). The Midnight Mover is the kind of anthology you shouldn't bother with until you have Otis Redding, Al Green, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, Curtis Mayfield, and Aretha Franklin covered. But if you have plenty of their recordings and still hunger for more classic R&B, Bobby Womack is a good next move. --Geoffrey Himes

Customer Reviews:

Ultimate Soul, Gospel & R&B Vault.......2000-07-25

Every now and then a brilliant tribute album is released that celebrates the music of a certain artist, group or music style, like the album "Rhythm, Country & Blues" that was produced by Don Was. I think that I've found the perfect candidate for a tribute album like that: Bobby Womack. Just listen to the wealth of material that is available on this double CD, that could be recorded with a group of musicians that deeply respect Bobby and that know his songs inside-out (there are enough of them). Bobby contributed so much to albums of e.g. Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles, as a singer, songwriter, arranger and guitarist that it would only be fair to shed a new light on his vast talents on an album with close friends that would like to honour him.

This Brother is BADD!.......2000-06-15

Bobby Womack is a Great Musical Genius that hasn't gotten his Fair Due.as a Writer,Producer,Instrumentalist&Vocalist MR.WOmack is One Of The Baddest Artists ever Too Rock A Studio.The Brother has alot of Soul.Very Essential Overview.

A Long-time friend & fans Pro's & Con's.......2000-03-27

Bobby I pray you read the following review: Being a personal friend of Mr. Womack's for the past 26-Years, I sincerly admit I am truly prejudice. All in all this 2-CD set of Bobby's early work is truly outstanding. However, I agree with the individual's review from Schenetady, N.Y. "Where was Daylight"?

All of his best - plus a few others.......2000-01-22

Womack is one of the most criminally forgotten soul men and listening to this collection will make that fact even more puzzling. He deserves far more attention than he's ever received, both from critics and the public.

That said, this two-CD set casts a wide net and ends up capturing more than just his best work: mediocre and even ill-advised choices (like "Sweet Caroline" - Womack covering Neil Diamond is as lackluster in reality as it sounds in theory) are in the minority for sure, but they do pop up here and there. They can be intrusive, but this is still an enjoyable set.

However, the Womack collection put out by EMI as part of its Heart of Soul Series in 1996 offers a briefer, but more finely distilled best-of. All the highpoints are there, plus an acoustic version of "Across 110th Street" (alongside the familiar version) that is excellent and not available on "Midnight Mover." That disk is also more interested in mood than chronology; its opening one-two punch of "Daylight" and "I Can't Understand It" (both of which are also here, of course) is irresistible. The title is "The Soul of Bobby Womack: Stop On By" and since I don't see it listed at Amazon, it may be hard to find. Well worth it, though.

Bobby Womack...B.O.B.B.Y.......1999-09-11

These 2 cds have been sitting in my system for over 2 years now...I aint even tired of listening to the brother preach and testify...this is a record that is definetly underrated. If you want to hear the truth about life...pick up the album...Bobby will break it down for you track by track...because Nobody Wants you when your down and out, and when your Across 110th Street...you might just feel some Jealous Love...comin at cha.

BOBBY IS THE GREATEST SOUL SINGER OF ALL TIMES!!!!

So if your thinking about picking up some Keith Sweat, or Ki ci and Jo JO...DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME...everything you want to hear from love to politics is waiting for you on a Midnight Mover.

Great Album man! I must have for collectors of 60's and 70's soul and r&b!!!!

Soul Music: