The Average White Band Albums (14)
What The Critics Say
Long after the Average White Band disappeared from the charts, its impact was being felt. Hip-hop, urban contemporary and new jack swing artists sampled AWB's '70s classics to death in the late 1980s and early to mid-1990s, and such retro acts as the Brand New Heavies wore AWB's influence like a badge of honor. When Soul Tattoo was released in mid-1997, AWB was a quintet consisting of longtime members Alan Gorrie (lead vocals, bass), Onnie McIntyre (guitar, vocals) and Roger Ball (sax) and newcomers Eliot Lewis (keyboards, lead vocals, bass and guitar) and Pete Abbott (drums, percussion). Although not in a class with Cut the Cake or Soul Searching, the album (AWB's first since 1989's Aftershock) is surprisingly good. Thankfully, the band makes no attempt to appeal to 1997's urban contemporary market, and material ranging from the invigorating, horn-driven funk of "Soul Mine," "Love Is the Bottom Line" and the instrumental "Oh, Maceo" to the laidback soul of "Back to Basics," "Welcome to the Real World" and "No Easy Way to Say Goodbye" sounds like it could have been recorded 20 years earlier. Longtime AWB fans will be glad to hear how well Gorrie's voice has held up, and they'll definitely find Soul Tattoo to be inspired and satisfying. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
This underrated Average White Band album produced by David Foster featured songs by AWB with Foster co-writing a couple with the guys. The album's smooth, jazzy sound turned off fans that liked AWB rawer. Time, however, has treated these tracks well (they can be found on CD) and what wasn't cutting-edge at the time has proven to be timeless trinkets. Check out: "Catch Me (Before I Have to Testify)," "Let's Go Round Again," "For Your Love," and "Into the Night," the LP's rawest cut. ~ Andrew Hamilton, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
From their self-titled sophomore album of 1974 to 1978's Warmer Communications, the Average White Band enjoyed a commercial winning streak in the '70s; all of the albums they recorded for Atlantic during that period went either gold or platinum in the United States (and that is in addition to their impressive sales in Europe). But if any AWB album demonstrated that all good things must eventually come to an end, it was Feel No Fret. This 1979 LP marked the first time since 1973's Show Your Hand (also known as Put It Where You Want It) that an AWB album didn't enjoy either gold or platinum sales in the U.S., and it was also the most uneven album they recorded in the '70s. So what went wrong? Perhaps the absence of Arif Mardin was a factor; Mardin had produced all of AWB's previous Atlantic releases, whereas they produced Feel No Fret themselves. If Mardin had been encouraging the Scottish soul/funk band to go that extra mile, they settled for decent or competent on this record. Feel No Fret is far from a total meltdown, and the material is generally likable -- especially the good-natured "Atlantic Avenue," the slow-grinding "When Will You Be Mine," and a remake of the Burt Bacharach/Hal David favorite "Walk On By" (which became a minor hit and made it to number 32 on Billboard's R&B singles chart). But after Mardin-produced treasures like AWB, Soul Searching, Cut the Cake, and Warmer Communications, AWB followers had become extremely spoiled -- they expected excellence, not a record that was merely adequate. Nonetheless, hardcore devotees (as opposed to casual listeners) will want to hear this album, which Rhino reissued on CD as Feel No Fret...and More (with four bonus tracks added) in 1994. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
'Warmer Communications'
Release Date 1/1/1978
Tracks 9
Label Atlantic
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Like Earth, Wind & Fire and the Ohio Players, the Average White Band demonstrated that even the mightiest of funk bands can experience a creative and commercial decline. 1978's Warmer Communications was the last AWB album that went gold; by the time they came out with 1979's uneven Feel No Fret, AWB's popularity had decreased. That isn't to say that nothing they recorded after the '70s has merit; 1997's Soul Tattoo found AWB providing a decent and satisfying, if less than essential, CD 17 years after the '70s ended. Nonetheless, many AWB fans agree that Warmer Communications was the Scottish band's last truly excellent album. This 1978 LP didn't have a blockbuster single like "Cut the Cake" or "Pick Up the Pieces"; the funky single "Your Love Is a Miracle" only made it to number 33 on Billboard's R&B singles chart. But Warmer Communications (which Arif Mardin produced) didn't need a major single to sell at least half a million copies in the United States, where fans were willing the buy the record regardless of how much radio airplay it received. In fact, fans found that they could easily play this album from start to finish without ever feeling disappointed -- and you can't say that about Feel No Fret, AWB's next album. Warmer Communications gets off to an impressive start with "Your Love Is a Miracle," and AWB keeps the creative momentum going whether they're getting funky on "Same Feeling, Different Song" and "Big City Lights" or chilling out on slow jams that include "One Look Over My Shoulder (Is This Really Goodbye?)," the ethereal "She's a Dream," and a memorable cover of James Taylor's "Daddy's All Gone." There are no dull moments on Warmer Communications, which was a welcome addition to AWB's catalog. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Benny and Us celebrates two distinctly different acts at interesting career junctures. AWB had just come off of the moody classic Soul Searching, and King's last album release, 1976's I Had a Love, came and went. Benny and Us benefited both acts as AWB gave King camaraderie and skilled backing; King gave them a context -- something they needed at this point. Ned Doheny's "Get It Up for Love" is a great mix of King's methodical delivery and the band's effortless, glossy yet earthy sound. "Star in the Ghetto" has skilled horn and string arrangements by album producer Arif Mardin and features emotive backing vocals from Hamish Stuart and Alan Gorrie. The best track, the relentless and funky "The Message," has Gorrie's high-pitched, popping basslines and Stephen Ferrone's great drum kicks providing a great counterpoint to King's stiff vocals. This effort has its fair share of remakes and revamps. King's 1967 hit, "What Is Soul," gets a Tower of Power-styled production. More notable tracks, Donny Hathaway's "Someday We'll All Be Free" and John Lennon's "Imagine," merge into one another and have good and surprisingly felt performances from King. For the last track, the group does a remake of the AWB classic "Keepin' to Myself." Although King can't attain Gorrie's laid-back proficiency on the original, it's fun to hear Ferrone play on a track so identified with late drummer Robbie McIntosh, who had played with King. Although Benny and Us wasn't a huge commercial success, fans of both King and AWB will be pleased with the work here. ~ Jason Elias, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Scotland's Average White Band was in a celebratory mood on its third major-label release, the live double-album Person to Person. Following the crossover success of the band's self-titled debut and subsequent Cut the Cake, Person to Person presented the six-piece R&B/funk act stretching out on most of its hits. Lead vocalists Alan Gorrie and Hamish Stuart switch between guitar and bass chores throughout, and drive the opening title track and "Cut the Cake." The ballads "If I Ever Lose This Heaven" and "Cloudy" provide nice changes of pace; rhythm guitarist Onnie McIntyre and drummer Steve Ferrone shine on lesser-known gems like "I'm the One" and "Love Your Life." But the real prize of this collection is an 18-minute version of the Average White Band's biggest hit, the instrumental "Pick Up the Pieces." After the expected solos from the studio version by saxophonists Roger Ball and Malcolm "Molly" Duncan, McIntyre, Stuart, Gorrie, and Ferrone take extended leads in this masterpiece of editing -- the track actually features different versions from four concert halls, all spliced together so that each musician could have the solo of his choice represented. A few walk-through versions ("T.L.C.," "School Boy Crush," and the Marvin Gaye hit "Heard It Through the Grapevine") away from being a classic, Person to Person still shows what a great live act this underrated band was in its heyday. ~ Bill Meredith, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
AWB's artistic winning streak continued with its outstanding fourth album, Soul Searching. Interestingly, this wasn't an album that enjoyed a great deal of publicity or that contained a lot of major hits. In fact, its biggest single, the dreamy "Queen of My Soul," only made it to number 21 on Billboard's R&B albums chart. But thanks to the devoted following AWB had acquired since signing with Atlantic in 1974, Soul Searching went gold. Indeed, AWB aficionados were quite receptive to first-rate material ranging from the invigorating "I'm the One" to the hauntingly romantic "A Love of Your Own." By zeroing in on their strengths -- hard-hitting funk and delightfully melodic soul -- AWB saw to it that Soul Searching was every bit as rewarding as its predecessors. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
When the Average White Band recorded their debut album, Show Your Hand, for MCA in 1973, they had yet to become well known. But their second album (and first for Atlantic) made them huge -- and in 1975, MCA tried to cash in by reissuing Show Your Hand as Put It Where You Want It. Although Put It Where You Want It offered different artwork, the two LPs aren't much different in terms of material. "The Jugglers," which opened Show Your Hand, was replaced with a new opener: the previously unreleased "How Can You Go Home." But except for the opening track, the two LPs contained the same material in the same order; Put It Where You Want It is essentially Show Your Hand with a new cover, a new title, and a new opening track -- and whatever you call this collection of pre-Atlantic material, it was an impressive start for the Average White Band. So why isn't Put It Where You Want It -- or Show Your Hand, if you prefer -- as well known as their Atlantic recordings? It all comes down to marketing. Thanks to producer Arif Mardin, AWB received a much more aggressive promotional campaign than they got from MCA. Nonetheless, AWB's truly hardcore, truly devoted fans speak highly of this album. They'll tell you that the band shows a great deal of promise on the gritty funk of "T.L.C." and "Put It Where You Want It" as well as softer items like "Show Your Hand" and the melancholy "Twilight Zone." While Put It Where You Want It (aka Show Your Hand) is hardly AWB's most famous album and didn't contain a major hit single, it was still a promising debut for the Scottish soul-funk outfit. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
