The Average White Band - S/T - Blu-Ray Audio Disc

2024

Transferred from the Original Half-Inch Four-Channel Masters.
Blu-Ray with 192/24 Resolution Quadraphonic & Hi-Res Stereo Mixes.

Quadraphonic sound, or 4.0 surround sound, utilizes four audio channels connected to four speakers positioned at the corners of a listening space. The multi-tracked audio is mixed dimensional, immersing the listener in an expansive soundscape.

Scottish funk group Average White Band's self-titled sophomore album dominated the charts after its 1974 release, with the hit track "Pick Up the Pieces" peaking at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100.

After debuting with 1973's excellent but neglected Show Your Hand (later reissued as Put It Where You Want It), the Average White Band switched from MCA to Atlantic and hit big with this self-titled gem. Upon first hearing gutsy, Tower of Power-influenced funk like "Person to Person" and the instrumental "Pick Up the Pieces" (a number one R&B hit), many soul fans were shocked to learn that not only were the bandmembers white -- they were whites from Scotland. Like Teena Marie five years later, AWB embraced soul and funk with so much conviction that it was clear this was anything but an "average" white band. This album is full of treasures that weren't big hits but should have been -- including the addictive "You Got It," the ominous "There's Always Someone Waiting," and a gutsy remake of the Isley Brothers' "Work to Do."

Alex Henderson