Let's talk about Bill Withers.

(you should also check out the DVD that comes with the recent reissue of JUST AS I AM...my man Bill is just going OFF in the modern-day interview segments!)

JUST AS I AM was actually reissued on Columbia in the eighties featuring an updated photo of a bearded Bill in a suit (my, how far we've come), but the new CD version (again on Columbia) restores the original day-job cover from '71!

http://img.hmv.co.jp/image/jacket/190/14/5/8/355.jpg http://www.comicgenius.com/DiscoFever/disco_profiles/george_mccrae/images/rock.gif

Then he changed labels and got more and more "quiet storm" as the years went on, and that's where I get off the train re: Withers. But damn if JUST AS I AM, STILL BILL, the live LP and JUSTMENTS weren't an incredible four-album run.

It's a disco edit/extended mix that sounds like Bill Withers and Quincy Jones being chopped and blunted by Madlib and then fed through the Akufen machine for a futuristic cleaning.

Italo-disco/Cosmic DJs love this track - I have no idea who did this remix - but if it were 3600 minutes long it would still be too short.

OMG just bought Carnegie Hall, and it really is beautiful. And as a rule I hate live albums... It's just so charming, and the band are so understated yet wildly funky. Grandma's Hands is genuinely affecting.

I just felt I wanted to share this.

his drummer is teh shit! so subtle and funky. unbelievable. must get the carnegie hall.

much much love for horace andy's "ain't no sunshine."

Live At Carnegie Hall is the greatest soul record there is. James Brown invented more, Otis Redding is the greater singer, Aretha Franklin could do a wider variety of things, Al Green was more magical. None came close to summing up a cultural moment the way Live At Carnegie Hall did. Bill Withers' world is the one we would all want to live in, and the fact that we don't is why soul died and was replaced by funk and then hip hop (which, of course, have their own virtues).

I just picked up a two-fer of his first couple, but I need to listen. Which is the story with a lot of music I own. : (

Live At Carnegie Hall is the greatest soul record there is

^^^^^^

hmmmmmm. I just have a studio effort.

No, you need that Carnegie Hall album. Seriously.

^

^

more love for Menagerie! it's as good as Still Bill.

Search 'It ain't because of me baby'

Live At Carnegie Hall is the greatest soul record there is

^^^^^^

-- El Tomboto, Friday, October 12, 2007 11:43 AM (6 hours ago) Bookmark Link

^^^^^^

http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:CK8DlNIOUwuJPM:http://www.80stees.com/images/products/Peanuts_Charlie_Brown_Yellow_Shirt-T.jpg

this is true

got the Live at Carnegie Hall record at the behest of this thread - good shit! thx for the rec everybody

I Can't Write Lefthanded kills - weird version of Ain't No Sunshine tho (I like it but the drummer has an odd take on the rhythm)

I saw a dvd at a friend's house, can't remember now if it was an "Old Grey Whistle Test" or some American thing, but anyhow, Bill Withers doing "Ain't No Sunshine" moved me to tears. Soooo beautiful. I also love the story about how he couldn't come up w/lyrics for a bridge, so he just kept the "I know, I know, I know..." part.

I can feel my heart just athumpinanaskippin

In a room with soft satin pillows
Crackling fireplace keeps us warm
Whispering wind through weeping willows
Sweet Wanomi resting in my arms

In a soft light her eyes are gleaming
Pretty little hand covers up her mouth when she yawns
Wake me up, I must be dreaming that
Sweet Wanomi resting in my arms

Sleepy kisses warm me softly
Get much warmer later on
I reach for the light and turn it off
Sweet Wanomi resting in my arms

so in <3 with that song today

I'm convinced he's one of our greatest songwriters

as am I

That's so great. On the B side of the "Grandma's Hands" single.

Nice riffette at the beginning.

Wanomi, not the Reverend.

thanks for clearing that up

Glad to.

Somehow I scored Live a t Carnegie Hall for $.50. Holy shit!

Girl (I guess) I just broke up with was not a fan of "Grandma's Hands". FUCK YOU, CLARA...YOU'RE BOTH WRONG AND GONE FOREVER, APPARENTLY.

yeah, that is a dealbreaker

hahaha wtf how could anyone not like that song

no one could not like that song

does she like blackstreet?

And I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know,
I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I
know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, hey I'll leave the young thing alone.

nickalicious, is your ex not a fan of grandmas?

OLYMPIA DUKAKIS & BO BEREK
IN
TOO MANY GRANDMAS!

Still Bill, still chill:

Q: Bill Withers, you're having a moment. It seems like wherever you go, one of your songs is playing.

A: I don't know. Marcia deals with all that stuff in the office, so she's probably more aware of that than I am. So I'll take your word for it.

Q: So you have no interest in a comeback?

A: There's a time for everything. And at certain times in your life, when you're young enough for that kind of vanity, you draw attention to yourself. And some people can do that into their eighties. It depends on your personality and how you've been socialized. I wasn't socialized in the entertainment business. I was in the Navy for nine years, I had a life outside of this well into my thirties [Withers worked in the aeronautics industry even after "Ain't No Sunshine" became a hit]. You know, this whole music thing was something that came into my life after I was formed socially. So it was fun, it served its purpose, I still like it, but it's not my main focus. In fact, it hasn't been for a long time. There are other requirements. You're somebody's father, you're somebody's husband, you're somebody's friend. And for me, it was important that I not neglect those other requirements just to satisfy some personal need that I might have for approval or attention from people that I don't even know.

Q: That seems incredibly wise.

A: I don't know how wise it is. I think we protect ourselves, if we're lucky, [from taking] on more than we're naturally equipped to handle. And I don't know if I'm built to be the center of attention all the time. I've been fortunate enough that the music that I've done seems to have its own life without me having to show up everywhere and wave. Then again, we all live according to the options that are provided to us. Maybe if I had to, I'd be grinding it out every night in some joint somewhere.

I mean, seriously, dude's a role model for life.

Also this (referring to the new Still Bill documentary):

Q: In "Still Bill," you're clearly ambivalent about fame, and uncomfortable in the spotlight. Have you watched the movie yet?

A: Some of it. When we got down to the end and they were editing and re-cutting and stuff, I got tired of it. I turned it over to my wife. I was like, "This is wringing me out. I'm done." I said, "I wanna go to Home Depot. If there's anything embarrassing, make them take it out. I'll be over in the aisle with the new flush valves."

it's the Wallace Stevens ethos, and it's marvelous: nothing is worth sweating out as long as you're happy in the present and know you're good enough that you don't need people to see the strain anyway.

if bill withers and dusty springfield got together and had a little too much wine, that would be the perfect thing for this day