''We're the Best of Friends'' is a 1979 duet album by American vocalists

Natalie Cole Natalie Maria Cole (February 6, 1950 – December 31, 2015) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She was the daughter of singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole. She rose to prominence in the mid-1970s, with the release of her debut ...

and

Peabo Bryson Robert Peapo "Peabo" Bryson ( ; born April 13, 1951) is an American singer and songwriter. He is known for singing soul ballads (often as a duet with female singers) including the hit singles " Tonight, I Celebrate My Love", "You're Looking Like ...

. It was released on November 2, 1979, by

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...

Reception

The album reached peak positions of number 44 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and number 7 on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' R&B Albums chart.

Track listing

#"Gimme Some Time" (

) - 3:19 #"This Love Affair" (Marvin Yancy, Natalie Cole) - 4:37 #"I Want To Be Where You Are" (

) - 4:15 #"Your Lonely Heart" (Natalie Cole) - 4:30 #" What You Won't Do for Love" (Alfons Kettner,

Bobby Caldwell Robert Hunter Caldwell (August 15, 1951 – March 14, 2023) was an American singer and songwriter. He released several albums spanning R&B, soul, jazz, and adult contemporary. He is known for his soulful and versatile vocals. Caldwell release ...

) - 6:02 #"We're the Best of Friends" (Edward Howard, Thomas Campbell) - 4:14 #"

Let's Fall in Love "Let's Fall in Love" is a song written by Harold Arlen (music) and Ted Koehler (lyrics) for the film ''Let's Fall in Love (film), Let's Fall in Love'' and published in 1933. In the film, it is heard during the opening credits and later sung by ...

You Send Me "You Send Me" is a song written and originally recorded by American singer Sam Cooke, released as a single in 1957 by Keen Records. Produced by Bumps Blackwell and arranged and conducted by René Hall. The song, Cooke's debut single, was a massi ...

” (Medley) (

Harold Arlen Harold Arlen (born Hyman Arluck; February 15, 1905 – April 23, 1986) was an American composer of popular music, who composed over 500 songs, a number of which have become known worldwide. In addition to composing the songs for the 1939 film ' ...

Ted Koehler Ted L. Koehler (July 14, 1894 – January 17, 1973) was an American lyricist. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972. Life and career Koehler was born in 1894 in Washington, D.C. He started out as a photo-engraver, but ...

Sam Cooke Samuel Cooke (; January 22, 1931 – December 11, 1964) was an American singer and songwriter. Considered one of the most influential soul music, soul artists of all time, Cooke is commonly referred to as the "King of Soul" for his distin ...

) - 4:08 #"Love Will Find You" (Peabo Bryson) - 6:09

Personnel

– lead and backing vocals *

– lead vocals, backing vocals (3, 5, 8), keyboards (3, 5, 6, 8), percussion (3, 5, 6, 8), horn arrangements (3, 5, 6, 8), rhythm arrangements (3, 5, 6, 8) * Michael Wycoff – keyboards (1, 2, 4, 7) * Marvin Yancy – keyboards (1, 4, 7) * Thomas Campbell – keyboards (3, 5, 6, 8) * Jim Boling –

ARP synthesizer ARP Instruments, Inc. was a Lexington, Massachusetts manufacturer of electronic musical instruments, founded by Alan R. Pearlman, Alan Robert Pearlman in 1969. It created a popular and commercially successful range of synthesizers throughout the ...

(3, 8),

Minimoog The Minimoog is an analog synthesizer first manufactured by Moog Music between 1970 and 1981. Designed as a more affordable, portable version of the modular Moog synthesizer, it was the first synthesizer sold in retail stores. It was first popul ...

(3, 8),

Prophet-5 The Prophet-5 is an analog synthesizer manufactured by the American company Sequential (company), Sequential. It was designed by Dave Smith (engineer), Dave Smith and John S. Bowen (sound designer), John Bowen in 1977. It was the first Polyphony ...

(3, 8), horn arrangements (3, 5), trumpet (3, 5, 6, 8), flugelhorn solo (5) * Robert Palmer – guitar (1, 2) *

Phil Upchurch Phillip Upchurch (born July 19, 1941) is an American soul music, R&B, jazz and blues guitarist and bassist. Career Upchurch started his career working with the Kool Gents, the Dells, and the Spaniels, before going on to work with Curtis Mayfiel ...

– guitar (1, 2, 4, 7) * Richard Horton – guitar (3, 5, 6, 8) * Keni Burke – bass (1, 2, 4, 7) * Bobby Eaton – bass (1, 2, 4, 7) * Dwight W. Watkins – bass (3, 5, 6, 8), backing vocals (3, 5, 8) *

James Gadson James Edward Gadson (born June 17, 1939) is an American drummer and session musician. Beginning his career in the late 1960s, Gadson has since become one of the most-recorded drummers in the history of R&B. He is also a singer and songwriter. ...

– drums (1, 2, 4, 7) * Andre Robinson – drums (3, 5, 6, 8) * Eddie "Bongo" Brown – percussion (1) * Chuck Bryson – percussion (3, 5, 6, 8), backing vocals (3, 5, 8) * Terry Dukes – percussion (3, 5, 6, 8), backing vocals (3, 5, 8) * Bill Green – saxophone (2, 4) * Fred Jackson, Jr. – saxophone (2, 4, 7) * Fred Smith – saxophone (2, 4, 7) *

Ernie Watts Ernest James Watts (born October 23, 1945) is an American jazz and R&B saxophonist who plays soprano, alto, and tenor saxophone. He has worked with Charlie Haden's Quartet West and toured with the Rolling Stones. On Frank Zappa's album '' ...

– saxophone (2, 4, 7) * Ron Dover – saxophone (3, 5, 6, 8), horn arrangements (3, 5), tenor saxophone solo (8) *

George Bohanon George Roland Bohanon Jr. (August 7, 1937 – November 8, 2024) was an American jazz trombonist and session musician from Detroit, Michigan. Biography In the early 1960s, he participated in Detroit's Workshop Jazz ensemble, with Johnny Griffith, ...

– trombone (2, 4, 7) * Bill Reichenbach Jr. – trombone (2, 4, 7) * Chris Riddle – trombone (2, 4, 7) * Daniel Dillard – trombone (3, 5, 6, 8), horn arrangements (3, 5) *

Oscar Brashear Oscar Brashear (August 18, 1944 – July 7, 2023) was an American jazz trumpeter and session musician from Chicago, Illinois. After studying at DuSable High School and Wright Jr. College (currently known as Wilbur Wright College) under John DeR ...

– trumpet (2, 4, 7) * Bobby Bryant – trumpet (2, 4, 7) * Thaddeus Johnson – trumpet (3, 5, 6, 8), horn arrangements (3, 5) * Gayle Levant – harp (6, 8) * David Blumberg – horn and string arrangements (2), conductor (2) * Mark Davis – arrangements (2, 4, 7) * Benjamin Barrett – orchestra contractor (2, 4, 7) * Harry Bluestone – concertmaster (2, 4, 7) * Johnny Pate – string arrangements and conductor (3, 5, 6, 8) * Assa Drori – concertmaster (3, 5, 6, 8) * Linda Williams – horn and string arrangements (4) *

Nelson Riddle Nelson Smock Riddle Jr. (June 1, 1921 – October 6, 1985) was an American arranger, composer, bandleader and orchestrator whose career stretched from the late 1940s to the mid-1980s. He worked with many vocalists at Capitol Records, including ...

– horn and string arrangements (7), conductor (7)

Production

* Producers – Mark Davis and Marvin Yancy (Tracks 1, 2, 4 & 7); Peabo Bryson and Johnny Pate (Tracks 3, 5, 6 & 8). * Recorded and Mixed by Rik Pekkonen * Horns, rhythm and strings recorded by Butch Lynch and Steve Reyes. * Vocals recorded by Gordon Shyrock * Recorded at Hollywood Sound Recorders, Sound Factory and

United Western Recorders United Western Recorders was a two-building recording studio complex in Hollywood that was one of the most successful independent recording studios of the 1960s. The complex merged neighboring studios United Recording Corp. on 6050 Sunset Boule ...

(Hollywood, CA). * Mastered by

Bernie Grundman Bernie Grundman (born 16 December 1943, Minneapolis) is an American audio engineer. He is most known for his mastering work and his studio, Bernie Grundman Mastering, which he opened in 1984 in Hollywood. The studio, which includes engineers Chr ...

A&M Studios The Jim Henson Company Lot, formerly A&M Studios, is a studio property located just south of the southeast corner of La Brea Avenue and Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. Originally established by film star Charlie Chaplin, the property served as C ...

(Hollywood, CA). * Art Direction – Melissa Tormé-March * Design – John Ernsdorf * Photography – V. Hughes Frye

Charts

Singles

References

External links

Peabo Bryson & Natalie Cole-We're The Best Of Friends at Discogs
{{Authority control 1979 albums Natalie Cole albums Peabo Bryson albums Albums arranged by Nelson Riddle Albums produced by Johnny Pate Capitol Records albums Vocal duet albums