Customer Reviews

Still Bill

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Bill Withers' 2nd LP was also his highest charting album, reaching #4 in 1972. Amazingly enough, this is the first time this album has been available in the U.S. on CD. Besides the big hits, "Use Me" and "Lean on Me" it also includes the much covered album cut "Who Is He" and the minor Top 40 hit "Kissing My Love." These are 10 strong songs that show Withers reaching a peak in his songwriting. Also, check out album tracks "Lonely Town, Lonely Street" and "Another Day To Run". This CD includes liner notes by Withers himself. The 2 Bonus tracks are taken from the 1973 album "Live At Carnegie Hall" which is a superb CD in itself. If you only know Withers music from his numerous Hits collections, than dip in to his catalog. "Still Bill" is not only one of Bill Withers best albums, but an overlooked classic from the 70's.

One of my all-time favorite albums. Following his big surprise hit with "Ain't No Sunshine," Withers insisted on the right to produce his follow-up album, and the results, as you can hear, were stellar. He rounded up some pals from the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band, guys that he jammed with regularly in the 'hood, and the tight, compact ensemble sizzled their way through his latest set of plainspoken, soul-piercing funk ballads. This album includes chart-topping hits such as "Use Me," "Another Day To Run," and "Use Me," but it also has lesser-known emotionally raw powerhouses like "Who Is He (And What Is He To You?)" and "I Don't Want You On My Mind" that tend to get forgotten in the foggy haze of various best-of collections. "Lonely Street, Lonely Town" is another fine example of Wither's empathic humanist world view, a soft folkie sentiment with a killer funk groove to back it up. Amazingly, this is the first time this album has been reissued in its entirety: snap it up while you can, and enjoy one of the best records the early 1970s had to offer!

As great as Bill Withers 1971 debut album "Just As I Am" was, Bill showed exactly what he was capable of with the follow up album. Taking the production reins himself when Booker T. Jones was unavailable, and enlisting rhythmic and co-production assistance from ex-Charles Wright band members James Gadson, Benorce Blackmon, Ray Jackson, and Melvin Dunlap, he surpassed everyone's expectations. Led by the #1 Pop and R&B smash "Lean On Me" and the follow up "Use Me"(#2 Pop and R&B)the whole album has a great laid back, funky feel. My personal faves besides the two big hits are "Who Is He, And What Is He To You" recently covered by Meshell N'degeocello, also the touching "Let Me In Your Life, and the groove "Kissing My Love" whose beat was lifted by Dr. Dre on "Let Me Ride" and on Tara Kemp's "Hold Me Tight". This new reissue is nicely filled out with two tracks from the live album recorded at Carnegie Hall. After being out of print on CD for a number of years, it's great to see this classic album available once again.

For years, Bill Withers fans have had to be satisficed ("satisfied", but "sacrificed") with "best of" and compilation albums that, although well intentioned, have not reflected this artist's complete vision at the time the album was produced. Finally -- now that these original recordings have been re-mastered, we have a second chance to hear the work as Bill and his producers meant for them to be heard.

This is a great album -- Lyrical, emotional, funky, blue-zy ... Still Bill.

Finally a Ful Bill Withers Album that Highlights this Man's Songwriting&All-Around Flavor as a Artist of various Styles&Vibes.the Album Sounds really strong from start to finish&it's nice to have more than another Greatest Hits or Best of Project.His Voice is Right on with this Set as well.

If Bill Withers had been more of a genre hog, like Barry White on one hand, George Clinton on another, he may even be more well known than he is. Unless you were deaf or on the north pole in the 1970s, everyone knew Wither's "Lean On Me" and "Use Me."

And well they should: Withers sat perfectly on the fifty yard line where pop, soul and funk intersected. A radio programmer would call his work pop-soul. Accurate, but more so in showing the limits of labels.

Better to say that Wither's work sticks so amazingly today because in every funk song, the hooks are perfect. Listen here to the riff in "Use Me." Step back, pretend you have never heard it, and just listen again and again for the first time. Listen to how the syncopation chimes from the electric keyboard, so hooky with stops that it brands, indelibly into your ear. "Who Is He And What Is He To You," works the same way, and is even more miraculous because its line is even simpler. But does it leave an impression.

"Lean On Me" is the ballad you know. It works so well due to Wither's voice. I love his kind of singing. He knows that he does not have the natural growl of a Wilson Picket or the amazing balladry of Otis Redding. But Wither's sings with the intimacy of talking, raising his voice with such ease of the notes.

This is not showmanship, this is direct communication.

I recently saw Bill, minus six inches of 70s sideburns, on Tavis Smiley. It is good to know some people are still around, and one is Bill.

Bill Withers is simply a genius singer-songwriter and he showed this in the previous album his debut how well he can take simple sounding arrangements and lyrics and fashion such poignant and heart-wrenching emotions out of his listener that at least for me never fails to entertain. While this album as a complete package does not in my opinion surpass the debut it nevertheless comes real close. We get a more confident artist here as the songwriting has more complex arrangements and unlike the debut has no covers here with all the tracks being original and the lyrics are a little lighter themed and more fun as compared with the darker more serious themes of the debut.

This album can be considered a greatest hits compilation part 2 when taken together with the debut album as there are no fillers here and every track is a gem although "Lean On Me", "Use Me", "Who Is He", "Take It All In and Check It All Out" and "I Don't Want You On My Mind" do stand out as the creme de la creme of this wonderful album. The sound quality has been remastered and is pretty good and the mini-lp replica sleeve (mlps) design although not the best that I've seen is still decent enough. Also included is a 16 page booklet with all the lyrics in both English and Japanese. Another treat is the 2 bonus tracks comprising a live version of "Lonely Town, Lonely Street" and "Let Me In Your Live" reminding us of just how good a live act Bill Withers is.

Overall this is a very good follow up album to the classic "Just As I Am" with a decent mlps design, good sound quality and excellent content making this version of the recording a recommended addition to your classic r&b/soul sonic library.

I can add no more to what's been said and am glad I'm in the company of others who know that Bill Withers is an inimitable and riveting pop, country-funk artist. (I heard Bill say during one of his last concerts, "They never did know what to call me. But one day I read that one writer called me a "folk artist". I grabbed a pen and paper and wrote to him so fast and said, "Don't ever call me that!".) But, I always see him firstly as an incredible vocalist and songwriter. Long life to you Billy!

I'm what you old heads would call a Young Buck but i can remember my dad singing imagination when i was a little kid bill whithers will always hold a specail place in my memory

I heard one of the songs on the album in my car on Sirius/XM radio and I had no idea it was an old song by Bill Withers. The song is Use Me and I "use" it for my tap class. It is perfect for the warm ups that I do. I like some of the other songs on the album as well. Who knew?!