We're the Best of Friends

1979 studio album by Natalie Cole and Peabo Bryson

Studio album by

Natalie Cole and Peabo Bryson

Released

November 2, 1979

Recorded

1979

Studio

Hollywood Sound Recorders (Los Angeles)
The Sound Factory (Los Angeles)
United Western (Hollywood)

Genre

R&B
soul
funk

Length

36:09

Label

Capitol

Producer

Peabo Bryson
Johnny Pate
Mark Davis
Marvin Yancy

Peabo Bryson chronology

Crosswinds
(1978)

We're the Best of Friends
(1979)

Paradise
(1980)

Natalie Cole albums chronology

I Love You So
(1979)

We're the Best of Friends
(1979)

Don't Look Back
(1980)

We're the Best of Friends is a 1979 duet album by American vocalists Natalie Cole and Peabo Bryson. It was released on November 2, 1979, by Capitol Records.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]
Variety	(favourable)^[2]

The album reached peak positions of number 44 on the Billboard 200 and number 7 on Billboard's R&B Albums chart.^[3]

Track listing

"Gimme Some Time" (Natalie Cole) - 3:19
"This Love Affair" (Marvin Yancy, Natalie Cole) - 4:37
"I Want To Be Where You Are" (Peabo Bryson) - 4:15
"Your Lonely Heart" (Natalie Cole) - 4:30
"What You Won't Do for Love" (Alfons Kettner, Bobby Caldwell) - 6:02
"We're the Best of Friends" (Edward Howard, Thomas Campbell) - 4:14
"Let's Fall in Love /You Send Me” (Medley) (Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler/Sam Cooke) - 4:08
"Love Will Find You" (Peabo Bryson) - 6:09

Personnel

Natalie Cole – lead and backing vocals
Peabo Bryson – 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 (3, 8), Minimoog (3, 8), Prophet-5 (3, 8), horn arrangements (3, 5), trumpet (3, 5, 6, 8), flugelhorn solo (5)
Robert Palmer – guitar (1, 2)
Phil Upchurch – 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 – 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 – saxophone (2, 4, 7)
Ron Dover – saxophone (3, 5, 6, 8), horn arrangements (3, 5), tenor saxophone solo (8)
George Bohanon – 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 – 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 – 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 (Hollywood, CA).
Mastered by Bernie Grundman at A&M Studios (Hollywood, CA).
Art Direction – Melissa Tormé-March
Design – John Ernsdorf
Photography – V. Hughes Frye

Charts

Chart (1980)	Peak position
Billboard Pop Albums^[4]	44
Billboard Top Soul Albums^[4]	7

Singles

Year	Single	Chart positions^[5]
Year	Single	US R&B
1980	"Gimme Some Time"	8
1980	"What You Won't Do for Love"	16

References

^ Henderson, Alex. Peabo Bryson & Natalie Cole: We're The Best Of Friends > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
^ Murphy, Fred (28 November 1979). "Music Records: DISCO TRAX". Variety. Vol. 297, no. 4. p. 75. ProQuest 1286039845.
^ "We're the Best of Friends". Allmusic. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
^ ^a ^b "Peabo Bryson US albums chart history". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2011-08-29.
^ "Peabo Bryson US singles chart history". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2011-08-29.

External links

Peabo Bryson & Natalie Cole-We're The Best Of Friends at Discogs

Natalie Cole

Discography

Studio albums

Inseparable (1975)
Natalie (1976)
Unpredictable (1977)
Thankful (1977)
I Love You So (1979)
We're the Best of Friends (1979)
Don't Look Back (1980)
Happy Love (1981)
I'm Ready (1983)
Dangerous (1985)
Everlasting (1987)
Good to Be Back (1989)
Unforgettable... with Love (1991)
Take a Look (1993)
Holly & Ivy (1994)
Stardust (1996)
Snowfall on the Sahara (1999)
The Magic of Christmas (1999)
Ask a Woman Who Knows (2002)
Leavin' (2006)
Still Unforgettable (2008)
Caroling, Caroling: Christmas with Natalie Cole (2008)
Natalie Cole en Español (2013)

Compilation albums

The Natalie Cole Collection (1987)

Live albums

Natalie Live! (1978)
Unforgettable – A Musical Tribute to Nat King Cole (1983)

Singles

"This Will Be"
"Inseparable"
"Sophisticated Lady (She's a Different Lady)"
"I've Got Love on My Mind"
"Our Love"
"Someone That I Used to Love"
"Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
"What You Won't Do for Love" (with Peabo Bryson)
"I Live for Your Love"
"Pink Cadillac"
"When I Fall in Love"
"Miss You Like Crazy"
"Starting Over Again"
"Wild Women Do"
"Unforgettable" (with Nat King Cole)
"A Smile Like Yours"
"Day Dreaming"

Tours

Soul Divas Tour

Family

Marvin Yancy (ex-husband)
Nat King Cole (father)
Maria Cole (mother)
Carole Cole (sister)
Eddie Cole (uncle)
Ike Cole (uncle)
Freddy Cole (uncle)
Lionel Cole (cousin)
Charlotte Hawkins Brown (great-aunt)

v t e Peabo Bryson
Discography
Studio albums	Peabo (1976) Reaching for the Sky (1977) Crosswinds (1978) We're the Best of Friends (1979) Paradise (1980) I Am Love (1981) Born to Love (1983) Straight from the Heart (1984) Take No Prisoners (1985) Quiet Storm (1986) Positive (1988) All My Love (1989) Can You Stop the Rain (1991) Through the Fire (1994) Peace on Earth (1997) Unconditional Love (1999) Missing You (2007) Stand for Love (2018)
Live albums	Live & More (1980)
Singles	"What You Won't Do for Love" (1979) "Let the Feeling Flow" (1981) "Tonight, I Celebrate My Love" (1983) "I Just Came Here to Dance" (1984) "If Ever You're in My Arms Again" (1984) "Without You" (1987) "Show & Tell" (1989) "Can You Stop the Rain" (1991) "A Whole New World" (1992) "By the Time This Night Is Over" (1993)