View Larger
Rate it!
Avg: 4.0 (68 ratings)
- Date Released: January 1, 1973
- Genre: Rock/Pop
- Style: Soul, R&B
- Label: Columbia/Legacy
- Copyright: (P) 1973 SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT. WARNING: All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication is a violation of applicable laws.
-
We Say...
"I appreciate you coming out in this rain!" Bill Withers says, after he and his band smoke through "Use Me," the opening selection on this landmark live album. Then, they dive right back into the groove. Withers sounds ecstatic here — as anyone who’d gone from being a mechanic who wrote songs to an R&B superstar inside of two years might be. He’d hit No. 1 in the summer of 1972 with the instant standard "Lean on Me"; now he was headlining Carnegie Hall. Who wouldn’t want to kick back in and play some more?
Or, as much to the point, hear some more? Withers made wonderful records, but he never sounded this free and loose. When, in the middle of "Friend of Mine," he says, "Let me introduce you to some friends of mine," meaning the band, it’s genuinely warm, not just stage shtick. (For the record, that band consists of pianist Ray Jackson, percussionist Bobbye Hall, drummer James Gadson, guitarist Bernard Blackman, bassist Melvin Dunlap, who’s "so quiet he said eight words last year; six of those were ‘airport,’" as well as hired horns and strings.)
Withers was a brilliant storyteller: the intro to "Grandma’s Hands" ("At the funerals, they used to have to tie the caskets down!") is almost better than the song itself. (Almost.) And the crowd is a fully functioning member of the band: the audience’s claps bring it all home during the near-14-minute encore medley of "Harlem" and "Cold Baloney" as much as Withers and his killer combo. This show would have been worth coming out for in a hurricane. -
They Say...
A wonderful live album that capitalizes on Withers' trademark melancholy soul sound while expanding the music to fit the room granted by a live show. Lovely versions of "Grandma's Hands" and "Lean on Me" are balanced by heartfelt downbeat numbers like "Better Off Dead" and "I Can't Write Left-Handed," the latter being an anti-war song with a chilling message. The set finishes off with the lengthy "Harlem/Cold Baloney," with lots of audience-pleased call-and-response going on. One of the best live releases from the '70s.
“ The indie iTunes — Hardcore music fans are migrating to eMusic, the iTunes Music Store's cheaper, cooler cousin.”
Rolling Stone
This album includes one or more tracks available only with a full album download.
eMusic Tip
Paid downloads are counted towards an album discount but free downloads are not.
COMPLETE FOR FREE!
You can download the rest of the tracks from this album for free! Just click the Complete Album button.
We’re sorry this album can only be downloaded using paid subscription download credits.
We recommend you Save it for Later by clicking the Save for Later button shown just above this message. For a list of related albums you can download right now, check out these recommendations.
We'll give you 12 additional free credits to download this album and start your paid subscription.
Get 12 bonus credits on us if you download this album. Sweet!
| 01. |  |
Use Me |
8:35 |
|
| 02. | |
Friend Of Mine |
4:28 |
|
| 03. | |
Ain't No Sunshine |
2:58 |
|
| 04. | |
Grandma's Hands |
4:53 |
|
| 05. | |
World Keeps Going Around |
5:19 |
|
| 06. | |
Let Me In Your Life |
4:16 |
|
| 07. | |
Better Off Dead |
3:41 |
|
| 08. | |
For My Friend |
3:01 |
|
| 09. | |
I Can't Write Left-Handed |
6:44 |
|
| 10. | |
Lean On Me |
5:47 |
|
| 11. | |
Lonely Town, Lonely Street |
3:59 |
|
| 12. | |
Hope She'll Be Happier |
4:26 |
|
| 13. | |
Let Us Love |
5:20 |
|
| 14. | |
Medley: Harlem/Cold Baloney |
13:43 |
|
14 Total Tracks, 77:10 Total Length
Loading...
Playlists If you like Bill Withers, check out these member playlists
Explore music recommended by Bill Withers fans
Credits
- Bill Withers - Guitar (Acoustic) // Bill Withers - Vocals // Bill Withers - Producer // Bill Withers - Main Performer // Bill Withers - Horn Arrangements // Bobbye Hall - Percussion // Melvin Dunlap - Bass // Melvin Dunlap - Producer // James Gadson - Drums // James Gadson - Producer // Gary Ladinsky - Engineer // Phil (Boogie) Schier - Engineer // Leo Sacks - Reissue Producer // Tom "Curly" Ruff - Mastering // Don Hunstein - Photography // Tony Martell - Executive Producer // Bob Gruen - Photography // Clayton Riley - Liner Notes // Alice Butts - Art Direction // Barron Storey - Illustrations // The L.T.D. Horns - Horn Section // Raymond Jackson - Piano // Raymond Jackson - Producer // Raymond Jackson - Horn Arrangements // Raymond Jackson - String Arrangements
Choose from over 7 million
music downloadseMusic features legendary and emerging artists in every genre: classic rock to classical,indie to international, soundtracks to spiritual, jazz to country and many more.
MP3 downloads work on any digital media player
With eMusic, you OWN your music without any restrictions. Burn music to a CD, play it on your computer, mobile phone or any digital media player - including iPod®, Zune® and Walkman®.
Songs available for 50¢ or less
eMusic subscriptions start at just $11.99 a month for 24 downloads - that's just 50¢ per song! And it gets better from there - our plans go as low as 42¢ per song!
Music Discovery
eMusic is about discovery. We make finding new music fun again with music recommendations from our award-winning team of music experts, member playlists and new music features.
Cancel anytime
With all the great music and site features we're pretty sure you will love eMusic. If not, no problem. You can cancel at any time and keep the music you have downloaded.
© 1992 - 2009 All Media Guide, LLC