LP Review: AWB
Released: 1974
LP Charts: #1 R&B (3 weeks); #1 Pop (1 week)
The Scottish Funk Band took America by storm with this album.
On AWB our intrepid white funksters unveil their distinctive curvy logo, which I’m sure helped album sales. This sophomore (sophomoric?) album went gold and topped the charts in America and made Average White Band the temporary toasts of the Atlantic Records family.
SIDE 1
Curvy logo aside, the single “Pick Up The Pieces” got the public’s attention. It’s an obvious homage (or pastiche, if you’re negatively inclined) to James Brown and the J.B.’s. Not all homages manage to be this damn good, though. It’s a certified jam with an instantly identifiable intro that gives folks time to prepare for the jam.
If you’re at home or in the car, you know to crank up the speakers.
If you’re at the club, you know it’s time to get your back up off the wall.
For the first two minutes or so of the song, it is purely instrumental, then at 2:04 the band starts chanting, “pick up the pieces!” and a saxophone solo for the ages kicks the song into overdrive for the next minute. The solo isn’t technically amazing, I suppose, but it’s got so much energy. If saxophones had a force of will, this would be it.
Things simmer down for a bit after sax craze, but it ain’t long before the song crescendos with funky drumming and an understated organ getting you all sweated up.
Then the song just cuts off. Sorry folks, show’s over.
A well deserved chart-topping single on the pop charts. It also hit #5 R&B and #10 disco.
The rest of Side 1 is filled with danceably funky R&B songs running between 3:30 and 4:30 each. “You Got It” is pure uptempo and more poppy than the others. “Got the Love” is the slow groover covered in molasses. “Work to Do” is a cover of the Isley Brothers. It’s more earthy than the original in no small part thanks to the guitar solo of Onnie McIntyre. All very good songs.
The other real moneymaker from Side 1, though, is “Person to Person”. Great lyrics, supple bass, a drum break at the 2:00 mark that’s been sampled to death, and some more rhythm guitar to make James Brown jealous. [NOTE: James Brown did get jealous and called out AWB among others on his hit “Get Up Offa That Thang”.]
SIDE 2
Plenty of bands can rock (funk), but can they roll (slow jam)? Well, AWB can do both as they prove on Side 2. The moody electric keyboards of “Nothing You Can Do” put you whimsical headspace. But to be fair, even that song is still a bit uptempo. It’s on “Just Wanna Love You Tonight” when AWB really gets down to the slow jammin’.
The apex of the slower tunes is “Keepin' It to Myself” which has some major pep in its step.
After three ballads, AWB got tired of being a bit slow and kicked the tempo up higher than it’d ever been on the album with “I Just Can't Give You Up”. It’s almost too frenetic for its own good. Almost. It manages to stay on the rails, but man did they love them some wah wah guitar on this sucker.
And after that boogie woogie tune, the band goes into molasses mode again with the killer groove of “There's Always Someone Waiting”. There are no real studio tricks here, nonetheless the song manages to acquire a jazzy psychedelic vibe just from the drumming, electric keyboard, and the liquid guitar licks.
ALBUM GRADE: A-
Hey, not just a hit album, a deserved hit album with nonstop quality. Should be on rotation for any 70s music afficionado, and a must-own for funk and R&B fans of the period.
Song Scores
You Got It: 8/10
Got the Love: 7.5/10
Pick Up the Pieces: 8.5/10
Person to Person: 8.5/10
Work to Do: 7.5/10
Nothing You Can Do: 8/10
Just Wanna Love You Tonight: 7.5/10
Keepin' It to Myself: 8/10
I Just Can't Give You Up: 7/10
There's Always Someone Waiting: 8/10