Harry Belafonte – Belafonte ‘89
(EMI, LP & CD, 1989)
When Harry Belafonte passed away on April 25th, 2023, at age 96, the US and the world lost a GIANT musical performing talent, and a humanitarian and social activist as well. His achievements and contributions are worthy of books being written, and they have been. I read one biography, and learned that he was not a humble man, but then – he had a lot to not be humble about. It is tempting to launch into a review of his rather extraordinary life and many accomplishments, but – I will nobly restrain myself and refer you to Wikipedia for that, should you be interested, and focus on his music legacy and this album.
Belafonte won three Grammy Awards, including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. He was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1994, and in 2022 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (in the Early Influence category). He has left us 40-some record albums, of which Belafonte at Carnegie Hall is the most well-known. A Grammy-nominated double album recorded in 1959 and released on RCA Living Stereo, most critics will place it high on a list of the best live albums of the previous century. I have a number of LP and CD versions of it, but the 5-LP, 45 RPM boxed set by Analogue Productions is a triumph, absolutely amazing. A couple (sadly only a couple) of his other of his albums have received audiophile reissue treatment as well.
This album, Belafonte ’89, is far less well known, even to the extent that it could be called obscure. In fact, I don’t believe it is available via streaming, and there seems to be very little info at all on the internet about it, though it does have its own Wikipedia page. However I will nonetheless deem it also to be a musical and sonic tour de force – at least on the single-disc release. (More on that in a moment.) It is an LP I often pull out as a stereo demo, and pretty much everyone who has spent any time listening with me has heard at least some of it. It is a recording of a (1988) concert in Germany, and I gotta say, those Germans knew what they were doing! The sound is gorgeous. Belafonte was in great form, which is saying a lot, especially considering that this was a relatively late-career outing for him. The supporting musicians and vocalists were top-notch as well. You might think to quibble about a slight glossiness in 1980’s production values here, but that’s all you would be doing – the recording and production are impeccable. Are you getting the impression that this is a wonderful album? But wait! – there’s more...
The music on side one is, to be blunt, stellar. The album opens with “The Wave,” an upbeat, social-consciousness song from another, excellent album of his that was current at the time (Paradise in Gazankulu). Next, a beautiful solo pipe opens one of his classic songs, “Island In the Sun.” I have this song on other albums, but this is his unquestionably his finest version. “Skin to Skin” is a captivating, sensuous duet with Diane Reeves, a terrific vocalist in her own right, and she and Harry make truly beautiful music together. If this cut does nothing for you, well... check your pulse to make sure you are still among the living.
Side two is admittedly weaker. It opens with the old chestnut “Matilda,” enjoyable but nobody’s favorite. “Hava Nageela” was a concert standard for Belafonte for some reason, but one I could definitely do without. However the album closes with another of his signature songs, actually his most famous, “Banana Boat.” You know, the one that opens with, “Day-O, Day-O, daylight come and I wan’ go home.” Yeah, I know – at this point in his career this had become an old chestnut as well, but hey... it was his own, and dammit! – here he does it so well!
Even the weaker cuts on this album are well-done – well performed and well recorded. This is an album to put on and savor. At least, the single LP version is. This album was released in two LP versions; a 2-disc, 15-song version with a gatefold cover that was primarily available only in Europe, and the US version, a single disc with only 10 of the songs. It is the latter version that I laud here. I was so impressed with my original US copy that I ordered the 2-LP version. When it arrived, I anxiously put it on my turntable and... was shocked! I would not have believed it was a recording of the same concert. It sounded as though it had been recorded with somebody’s smuggled-in cheapo tape player! Inexplicable and lamentable.
If you have the opportunity to acquire it, I highly recommend this single LP version of a great American recording artist and entertainer. Look for E1-92247 – accept no substitutes. It is available ridiculously cheap on Discogs, and may occasionally turn up in used bins at the local record store. The internet does tell me that there were CDs of it released, but I confess that I know nothing about them – with an LP this superb I am simply not motivated to seek them out...
Also Recommended
Paradise in Gazankulu (EMI,1988) – A wonderful, diverse, also often-neglected Belafonte album of excellent, well-performed songs. On it Jennifer Warnes duets with Harry on the “Skin to Skin” song. (I believe this album IS available streaming.)