AVERAGE WHITE BAND REISSUES AND RARITIES

THE AVERAGE WHITE BAND came out of the fertile Scottish music scene in the early 1970s, and their second album, recorded for the legendary Atlantic Records label and released in August, 1974, saw the band achieve their commercial breakthrough, with the smash hit single, Pick Up The Pieces, a skin-tight piece of instrumental Funk that is probably playing on a radio station somewhere in the world as you read this.

From then on, the band were up and running, and despite the death of drummer Robbie McIntosh of a drugs overdose, soldiered on to become a massive success not only in the UK, but also in the USA, where their innate feel for funk, old-school R&B and soul styles earned them the admiration and respect of US music ian s, and hit big with an American audience eager to dig into the band’s compulsive grooves. Indeed, their glittering catalogue includes such mighty recordings as Queen of My Soul, If I Ever Lose This Heaven and Let’s Go Round Again, irrepressible slabs of hook-laden, intensely danceable Funk.

Since departing from the band line-up in 1982, when they originally went their separate guitarist / vocalist Hamish Stuart has been far from idle; in the late eighties and early 1990’s, Hamish was a member of SIR PAUL McCARTNEY’S touring and recording band, and in recent years, has opened his own ‘Gastropub’ in Kent!

He has also pursued an absorbing solo career, and his magnificently soulful high tenor voice is still in superb shape. Hamish performs at the 606 Club in Chelsea every month, an event that has become a ‘must-see’ show for music fans of taste and discernment.

THE AVERAGE WHITE BAND, led by founder-member ALAN GORRIE, reformed in the early 1990s, and are still going strong today.

Of particular interest is the first release on cd of their first album and previously unreleased second album.

* Playing their own brand of soul, the Average White Band rocketed to fame and fortune in late 1974 with their absolute classic eponymous second album (usually known as the “White Album”) and the accompanying single “Pick Up The Pieces”, an instantly recognisable and perennial classic, and a staple of `gold’ radio stations around the world. Both the album and single reached #1 on the US pop charts – in the UK, both reached # 6.

* This package starts with the band’s first album “Show Your Hand”, originally released on MCA in 1973 and never previously issued on CD in Europe. The album is expanded to feature eight bonus tracks, seven of which are previously unreleased. The first three of these date from the band’s first ever session together in Denmark Street in 1971, the remainder from a session at Island’s studios later the same year. The eighth bonus track is the rare non-album single “How Can You Go Home?” (also making its CD debut).

* The second disc commences with what was intended to be the band’s second album for MCA, “How Sweet Can You Get?”. However MCA rejected it, and it was only ever issued as part of a “White Album” package many years later. We have now created its intended sleeve for the first time for this special release.

* Producer Arif Mardin heard the songs, signed the band to Atlantic Records and set about re-recording eight of the songs along with two new compositions. The resulting album “Average White Band” was issued in September 1974 and was sitting at the top of the charts by Christmas (along with “Pick Up The Pieces”), going on to spend a whole year in the listings.