| Love Me Tender | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1982 | |||
| Genre | Blues | |||
| Label | MCA | |||
| Producer | Stewart Levine | |||
| B.B. King chronology | ||||
| ||||
Love Me Tender is a studio album by the American blues musician B.B. King.[1][2] It was released via MCA Records in 1982.[3] King supported the album by appearing on Austin City Limits.[4]
The album peaked at No. 179 on the Billboard 200.[5]
Production
Produced by Stewart Levine, the album was recorded in Nashville.[6][7] The Muscle Shoals Horns appear on some tracks.[8] "Love Me Tender" is a cover of the song made famous by Elvis Presley; King was Presley's favorite blues musician.[9]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [10] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [11] |
| MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide | [12] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [13] |
The New York Times panned the first side of Love Me Tender, calling it "bland, countrypolitan elevator music," but thought more highly of side two's "first-rate after-hours blues."[7] The Globe and Mail wrote that "the singing is lugubrious, the playing is by rote, and the sound is so lush that King can barely be heard above it."[8]
AllMusic called the album an "extremely ill-advised foray into mushy Nashville cornpone."[10] The Rolling Stone Album Guide considered it a return to the "gentle sound" of Midnight Believer.[13]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "One of Those Nights" | 4:58 |
| 2. | "Love Me Tender" | 3:28 |
| 3. | "Don't Change on Me" | 4:35 |
| 4. | "(I'd Be) A Legend in My Time" | 2:52 |
| 5. | "You've Always Got the Blues" | 4:57 |
| 6. | "Nightlife / Please Send Me Someone to Love" | 4:30 |
| 7. | "You and Me, Me and You" | 3:05 |
| 8. | "Since I Met You Baby" | 4:30 |
| 9. | "Time Is a Thief" | 5:26 |
| 10. | "A World I Never Made" | 5:13 |
References
- ^ "B.B. King | Biography & History". AllMusic.
- ^ Lloyd, Jack (17 June 1983). "B.B. King: Grateful for the Accolades". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. E33.
- ^ "Soul Brothers Top 20 Albums". Jet. Vol. 62, no. 26. Sep 6, 1982. p. 63.
- ^ "Exclusive: Watch Two B.B. King Tracks From 'ACL' Vault". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
- ^ "B.B. King". Billboard.
- ^ McGee, David (2005). B.B. King: There is Always One More Time. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 233.
- ^ a b Palmer, Robert (July 4, 1982). "The Blues Are Still a Living Tradition". The New York Times.
- ^ a b Lacey, Liam (8 May 1982). "Love Me Tender B.B. King". The Globe and Mail. p. F6.
- ^ Lioce, Tony (8 Jan 1984). "TV room, above with mirrored ceiling and walls, is a highlight of a Graceland tour". The Providence Journal. p. H1.
- ^ a b "Love Me Tender - B.B. King | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 4. MUZE. p. 843.
- ^ MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 631.
- ^ a b The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. pp. 395–396.