2024 the best of bill withers cd review
Price: Amazon Music Unlimited
(as of Oct 21, 2024 05:29:15 UTC - Details)
17 tracks of tuneful '70s soul from one of the decade's best. Includes both the Sussex and Columbia hits: Ain't No Sunshine; Lean on Me; Use Me; The Same Love That Made Me Laugh; Lovely Day; Just the Two of Us; Grandma's Hands , and more!
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer : No
Language : English
Product Dimensions : 5.6 x 4.9 x 0.4 inches; 3.52 ounces
Manufacturer : Sony Legacy
Item model number : 2012054
Original Release Date : 2000
Run time : 1 hour and 15 minutes
Date First Available : October 21, 2006
Label : Sony Legacy
ASIN : B00004THKR
Country of Origin : USA
Number of discs : 1
Reviewer: johnf
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Bill Withers: a True Original.
Review: Bill Withers's first album was titled "Just As I Am" and that says a lot about the man himself. Bill Withers came on the scene without a gimmick, defied all the then-current conventions of pop and R&B music, did what he felt he needed to do and then left the whole scene behind when he grew tired of it, something few could do. He was his own man from the beginning and was always true to himself.Much of this came from his background. He was born and raised in Slab Fork West Virginia, a coal mining town deep in the state close to where it meets Virginia and Kentucky. His father, like most of the men of the town, was a coal miner, and died when Bill, the youngest of six children, was thirteen. Bill had a pronounced stutter until he was nearly thirty, which affected his life growing up tremendously. He has discussed it in many interviews, including the one in the booklet. It naturally makes a person a bit solitary, introverted and often mistaken for being stupid. Though he grew up friends with the kids on both sides of the railroad tracks (near which he lived) in segregated Slab Fork, he knew he didn't want to live there and found inspiration in movies that showed that life wasn't like a noisy coal town everywhere. He used the Navy as an escape vehicle and stayed in it nine years, a time he felt he extended because of the stutter. He eventually overcame it though and overall it strengthened him and made him more independent than many others. He didn't even consider that deciding to go into music over the age of thirty and having just overcome stuttering any kind of problem.Luck played a factor when his demo tape was heard by Clarence Avant of Sussex Records, a typical independent label of the day. What must have sold it was withers's voice. Bill Withers had one of the most distinctive voices: you always know when it's him singing. It's one of those special voices that can convey almost any emotion, from the hollow loneliness of Ain't No Sunshine to the pure joy of Lovely Day equally effectively. There's no trick to it, you can't say how he does it, he just does it. Another lucky thing was that the producer he was given at Sussex was none other than Booker T. Jones (of Booker T and the M.G.'s) who seemed to know just what Bill Withers wanted because the album, Just As I Am, and it's million-selling single, Ain't No Sunshine were pure Bill Withers in style.Bill Withers recorded and performed in a stripped-down style, especially for the early 70's. Bill wrote all of his songs (sometimes with others but mostly not), music and lyrics, and knew instinctively that his voice was the thing and so usually was accompanied by his own acoustic guitar, bass, an electric guitar that was never too loud, a piano and sometimes an organ, especially in the funk numbers like Use Me. That's all he needed. Many people in the record business told him his records were underproduced, but he knew what he was doing and had the gold records to prove it. Also, contrary to the times, he did not wear tuxes or fancy clothes, or out-there psychedelic gear. Bill came on in normal, comfortable clothes, often a turtleneck or loose shirt. There was no choreography or light show. What you got was, as his second album title proclaimed, Just Bill. His music was just as direct: nothing fancy or over elaborated or worked up; just basically simple tunes that delivered the lyrics, and it worked beautifully. In later years, especially on 1977's Menagerie, he got jazzier, and that worked too, peaking with 1980's Just the Two of Us, with Grover Washington, Jr.But Sussex folded owing taxes to the IRS, and Columbia bought the Sussex assets, including the masters and their roster. bill did okay at Columbia but was constantly butting heads with the A&R men and corporate executives. Bill was an artist who knew what he wanted to do, but to them he was a product and they wanted him to do what they thought would be profitable. This is not uncommon, but it really grated on Bill. I can't imagine what they wanted, maybe, it being the late 70's, they wanted him to do disco or something, but he recorded less frequently and did projects with others. He didn't have the need for the crowds, attention and applause that so many show business people seem to be totally consumed with. In fact, he'd had enough of it all by the early 80's and just quit. That's rare, very rare in his line of work. But as Bill said in an interview, his being over thirty when the whole thing started meant he was already who he was and not some kid just coming up in the world. He was just Bill and he did what he felt was best for himself and his family. A rare guy.The collection here is an absolute joy to listen to. It opens with the later, jazz-influenced songs (four from Menagerie) then goes through the early 70's hits, personal favorites of his like Grandma's Hands, and the better album tracks covering virtually all his studio albums. Not every single is here but all the important ones are and the album tracks chosen are really good. Harlem is a particular standout from his first album and really paints a picture of the place with a New York uptown rhythm, the kind the Drifters might use. There are so many good songs here that you don't have to give a second thought to getting it. Just get it.It as great to see Bill Withers inducted into the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame. Even he sounded surprised. His career wasn't that long. He didn't have dozens of hits like the Temptations. But he was unique and he and his songs will be remembered for a long time.
Reviewer: Katie moore
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Bill Withers CD
Review: I'm extremely happy with my CD. Terrific sound and brought back wonderful memories.
Reviewer: Pawz
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Another great CD
Review: Love the music. I'm very happy I got the cd
Reviewer: Alistair McHarg
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: The Gentle Minstrel
Review: The one word that best describes Bill Withers, besides talented, is gentle. Everything about his style is warm, unassuming, and tender. In fact, he's such a skilled craftsman that it's easy to forget that he's done something almost unheard of in show business. Withers wrote and performed a string of huge hits, stayed true to himself throughout, and left show business with a boatload of money. Today his songs are frequently covered by other artists and show up with clockwork regularity in TV commercials. There's a word for that, guaranteed to put a smile on the face of any creative artist, that word is "royalties." When Bill Withers released his second album he called it "Still Bill" because he wanted his fellow construction workers to know he hadn't changed, in fact, on the cover he wore a hard hat.The breakout success of "Menagerie" introduced the entire country to his amazing gifts as a songwriter, penning tunes that were always deceptively simple and featured amazing hooks, they stayed in your head and were easy to like. The Two Of Us, which he recorded with Grover Washington, Jr., became a music industry legend, remaining on the charts not for months but years. Withers is not a great singer, but his voice is soft and pleasant, matching his style perfectly. His lyrics are always excellent, and there's a wry subtlety that seems to suggest a sly wink. Songs like Use Me offer blatant humor, Who Is He? offers a more sinister view of irony. Tender Things is one of the most perfectly beautiful songs every written by anybody, Lovely Day is joyous, Ain't No Sunshine is universally resonant, and Lean On Me is an anthem that never fails. Perhaps easiest to overlook is Grandma's Hands, a rich and powerful tribute one can imagine being performed by the Isley Brothers or The Spinners.Nobody does sincere emotion like Withers, and yet, from him it doesn't cause a blush, it makes you melt. Listening to Bill Withers soothes your soul and it makes you smile, where else can you get that for $8? There are several Best Of Bill Withers anthology CDs available; this is the one you deserve.
Reviewer: Penny Garvin
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Not all songs at at the same volume
Review: Not all dings are at the same volume making it hard to listen to.
Reviewer: Rufus L.Lamar
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Good product
Review: Good service
Reviewer: Lucy Poole
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: N/A
Review: this is a wonderful cd
Reviewer: Linda Scott
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Price was good
Review: Had been looking for this recording, glad to find it on Amazon
Reviewer: Suzanne Roy
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Great CD and love this singer, I have it in my car and all songs on this CD are great
Reviewer: Micheal Arnold
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Love the music. Excellent service. The CD arrived fast. Thank you.
Reviewer: Cliente Amazon
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Muito bom ð¤©
Reviewer: Tiger
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: CD war so schnell da! Einfach genial. Bin sehr froh diese in meiner Sammlung zu haben!Grandioser Verkäufer!!!
Reviewer: ãªã
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: ãã°ããããããã¯ã¹ã»ãããè²·ã£ããããã©ã¤ããã¾ã£ããã¿ã¤ã ã«ã¯ããã®æ²é ã®ã°ã¬ã¤ãã¹ããããããã£ãããã´ã£ããããã