This Review Along With 100s Of Others Is Available in my
SOUNDS GOOD E-Book on all Amazon sites
HIGHER GROUND
SOUL, FUNK and JAZZ FUSION On CD - Exception Remasters
Just Click Below To Purchase for £6.95
Thousands and thousands of E-Pages
All Details and In-Depth Reviews From Discs
(No Cut and Paste Crap)
All Details and In-Depth Reviews From Discs
(No Cut and Paste Crap)
"…Let Me In Your Life..."
Columbia have many
world-class box sets in their "Complete Album Series" – but you'd
have to say that this BILL WITHERS winner is just a little bit more special
than most. And with a thoroughly deserved Grammy win under the belt - it’s time
to review the great Soul Man’s legacy - especially his brilliant but overlooked
live double from 1973 – the fabulous "Bill Withers Live At Carnegie
Hall".
You can buy the CD in two
ways - a 1997 stand alone Remaster on Columbia/Legacy 488987 2 (Barcode
5099748898722) – a disc that gives you the full 14-track double-album onto 1CD
(it was originally recorded 6 October 1972 at the famous venue in New York).
But I'd argue that Withers is
too damn good to penny-pinch - so I'd advise you splash the cash and get the
album within "The Complete Sussex And Columbia Albums" 9CD Box Set
released November 2012 to much acclaim. Sony Music/Legacy 88697894672 (Barcode
886978946720) is a truly stunning 9-album set with a 40-page colour booklet
that can often be procured for under a twenty-spot. Not only do you get the
mighty "Carnegie Hall" double but you nail "Just As I Am" –
his debut from 1971 – the wonderful "Still Bill" follow up LP from
1972 – 1974's unfairly forgotten "+ 'Justments" and so much more -
"Making Music" (October 1975), "Naked & Warm" (October
1976), "Menagerie" (October 1977), "'Bout Love" (March
1979) and finally "Watching You Watching Me" (May 1985). But for this
review we’ll concentrate on Disc 3 of 9 - "Bill Withers Live At Carnegie
Hall" (77:09 minutes):
1. Use Me (Live)
2. Friend Of Mine (Live)
3. Ain’t No Sunshine (Live)
4. Grandma’s Hands (Live)
5. World Keeps Going Around
(Live) - [Side 2]
6. Let Me In Your Life (Live)
7. Better Off Dead (Live)
8. For My Friend (Live)
9. I Can't Write Left Handed
(Live) - [Side 3]
10. Lean On Me (Live)
11. Lonely Town Lonely Street
(Live)
12. Hope She’ll Be Happier
(Live)
13. Let Us Love (Live) –
[Side 4]
14. Harlem/Cold Baloney
(Live)
Tracks 1 to 13 are the live
double album "Bill Withers Live At Carnegie Hall" – released April
1973 on Sussex SXBS 7025-2 in the USA and A&M/Sussex AMLD 3001 in the UK.
The attention to detail in
the Box set is pleasing - the first 4 discs sport the Sussex label as per the
original vinyl albums while the following five have the red Columbia labels.
"Still Bill" has its 'opening doors' front sleeve while the double
"Live At Carnegie Hall" also has its original gatefold reproduced.
Each card sleeve is now bordered in white but it looks and feels classy (even
if the print is tiny). The chunky 40-page booklet doesn’t scrimp on detail
either - track-by-track annotation with photos of the albums, rare music press
adverts, liner notes by Michael Eric Dyson and even a letter from the great man
himself at the beginning about his long musical journey.
But the big news for fans is
the stunning new remastered sound carried out by a trio of engineers - MARK
WILDER for 4, 5, 6, 8 and 9 with 1, 2 and 7 handled by JOSEPH M. PALMACCIO and
3 (Carnegie Hall) done by TOM RUFF. Original analogue master tapes have been
used in all transfers and what a job they’ve done... Right from the opening
acoustic strum of “Harlem” on his fabulous debut album “Just As I Am” and onto
the gutsy pump of “Lonely Town, Lonely Street” which opens the equally brill
follow up LP “Still Bill” - the sound quality is truly glorious throughout.
Beautiful feel - space around the instruments - clarity - warm bass - not to
over-trebled - it’s a top notch job done and makes you re-hear all those
wonderful songs anew.
Like 1972's single
"Donny Hathaway Live" LP - 1973's "...Carnegie Hall..."
vinyl double has garnished a legendary reputation amongst Soul aficionados.
Intimate with his audience despite the venue size - a band cooking - songs that
sway and groove. Five of its mainly mellow fourteen are exclusive - the
impassioned love songs "Friend Of Mine" and "Let Us Love",
the acoustic old-man weariness of "World Keeps Going Around", the aching
anti-war song "I Can't Write Left-Handed" and "Cold
Baloney" which is worked into a 14 minute encore with "Harlem".
"Carnegie Hall" is a whole heap of magic and you can literally feel
the audience filing it into their memory banks. When he launches into some of
the debut album's finest moments - "Ain't No Sunshine" or the
lesser-heard funk of "Better Off Dead" - you can literally feel the
crowd loving it - grooving - whopping - whistling.
There's Funk on here too -
"Lonely Town, Lonely Street" from the 1972 "Still Bill" LP
is neck-jerking excellence. That's immediately followed by the exact opposite -
"Hope She'll Be Happier With Him". It's a post break-up love song - tender but also open
like a wound as Withers sings "...maybe the lateness of the hour...makes me
seem bluer than I am..."
The cello builds as he belts out more hurting
lyrics - "...over the darkness I have no power...hope she'll be happier with
him..." His other huge hit "Lean On Me" elicits a whole-house
handclap - a gorgeous Soul moment. This is a song that huge resonance and one
that often moves me to tears and I’m sure a few were shed as this was played
that October night way back 1972 New York.
Somehow like equal giants
Bobby Womack, Minnie Riperton and Donny Hathaway - Bill Withers has always been
the underdog of Soul - never spoken about in the same awe-struck tones that are
routinely given to Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye and Otis Redding. In my book
he’s always been right up there with the best of them - a world class Soul
Brother - and this ludicrously good CD Remaster is a way in for us mere mortals
to that musical greatness...
"...I loved that old
lady..." - he says to the audience as he introduces "Grandma's
Hands" on "Bill Withers Live At Carnegie Hall". Well - we feel the same about
you mate. Beautiful and then some...
