Average White Band-AWB (1974)


 

Artist: Average White Band

Title  AWB

Label:  Atlantic

Format: LP

Cat: SD 7308

Year of Release: 1974

Country and Year of Edition: US 1974 Monarch Pressing

Sell Price: $2.99 G/G 9/13/22

Discogs Last Sold: 8/31/22 NM/NM $16.00

Low: $0.86 G/G

Median: $3.00

Average: $4.29

High: $16.00

Current low price: $1.00 P/Gen, $2.00 G+/G, $3.00 VG/VG

Current Number on Sbale at Discogs:  41

Have/Want: 3053/399

Where Sold:  Mountain Lakes, NJ

Time it took to sell:  7 years

Where and When Purchase: Worcester early 80's That's Entertainment 99 cent bin

Gwiz-gau Letter Grade: B-

Sad To See It Go: No

I've had this heavily worn copy of AWB since the early 80's from the dollar bin.  Dominant in it's day in the US with Critics and a Billboard #1 both on the album and singles chart with the unavoidable "Pick Up The Pieces."

So why did I find these funky Scotsmen rather tepid?  When the band is at their best outside of the hit, it's from interplay like side one closer "Work To Do" where a solo busts out.  Figures the Isley Brothers wrote that one for a single a couple years before.  "Just Wanna Love You Tonight" has an intro that verges on psychedelia, but that fades into  upscale hotel band that would be forced to known covers only, if a DJ hasn't taken their gig long ago.  The opener comes off like a slick Steve Winwood.  The slickness is certainly well played, especially the drumming of Robbie McIntosh.

With such a clean veneer it may come as a shock the history of AWB's peak years are a bit tragic.  I always had peripheral knowledge that drummer Robbie McIntosh died of a heroin overdose.  When you hear the details, it was accidental.   After a gig at the Troubadour in LA at a Hollywood party hosted by Freelandia "non-profit" airline founder Ken Moss, people got a toot of heroin/morphine that was confused for cocaine.  This "cocaine" almost took out bassist Alan Gorie as well.  Gorie famously had to be walked around by Cher (!) until he recovered.  Moss served 120 days for this misdeed.  Gorie still performs to this day in Average White Band.  

This album was only several months old at the time and "Pick Up The Pieces" didn't become #1 until February 1975.  There were no other charting singles, but this spotlight put the album right into the Rock Canon.  Still the track is undeniable and mostly instrumental outside the chorus chant, unlike the rest of the album, The group continued to have top 30 albums for the rest of the 70's and after a short 80's hiatus reformed as a permanent touring fixture.

Life can be strange sometimes.



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