The Average White Band

The Average White Band - Show Your Hand - 1973 - MCA

Show Your Hand was where it all began for the Average White Band, which turned out to be one of the hottest funk/soul outfits of the mid- to late '70s. But when MCA released this debut LP in 1973, the band's commercial success was still a year away — it wasn't until they joined the Atlantic roster in 1974 that they exploded commercially. Show Your Hand, in fact, was among 1973's neglected R&B releases. In retrospect, it's easy to point the finger at MCA and say, "You dropped the ball; this album should have done better." Atlantic successfully broke AWB in 1974, so why weren't MCA's promotions and marketing people able to accomplish that the previous year? But in all fairness to MCA, breaking AWB was a challenge — imagine trying to convince '70s soul stations that a white band from Scotland played first-class funk and soul. Back in 1973, a lot of program directors at R&B stations probably took one look at this LP and assumed that AWB was a rock band; it took Atlantic to convince those programmers that the name Average White Band was meant to be ironic. Of course, anyone who gave Show Your Hand a serious listen in 1973 realized that AWB certainly wasn't typical of the era's long-haired white bands — stylistically, they inspired comparisons to the Isley Brothers and Tower of Power, not Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, or Mahogany Rush. Whether AWB is turning up the funk on "T.L.C." or chilling out on the smooth soul of "Twilight Zone," there is no getting around the fact that Show Your Hand is very much an R&B album. Show Your Hand (which MCA reissued as Put It Where You Want It in 1975) never became as well-known as AWB's subsequent recordings for Atlantic, but that doesn't make it any less impressive a debut for Hamish Stuart and his colleagues. © Alex Henderson, allmusic.com

This debut album showed the future potential of one of the great British soul/ R&B/ /funk groups. The Average White Band made some brilliant albums, and their "Atlantic Avenue", "Pick Up The Pieces", and "You Got It" are three of the best soul/funk songs ever written. Listen to their "Cut the Cake," and "Person to Person" albums, and check out the band's rare 1974 "AWB/The Clover Sessions" album, a 20-track remastered promotional 2 x CD-R acetate album set @ AWB/TCS

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

Side 1
"The Jugglers" (AWB, Alan Gorrie) – 4:55
"This World Has Music" (Bamlett, Gorrie, Ware) – 5:45
"Twilight Zone" (Roger Ball, Gorrie) – 5:12
"Put It Where You Want It" (Joe Sample, Gorrie, Layne) – 4:00

Side 2
"Show Your Hand" (Gorrie) – 3:40
"Back in '67" (Ball, Gorrie, Robbie McIntosh) – 4:00
"Reach Out" (AWB, Ball) – 4:00
"T.L.C." (AWB, Gorrie) – 8:20

N.B: This album was re-released in 1975 as "Put It Where You Want It", which excluded "The Jugglers" and included the track "How Can You Go Home".

BAND

Alan Gorrie - Bass, Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals
Hamish Stuart - Bass, Guitar, Vocals
Onnie McIntyre - Guitar, Vocals
Roger Ball - Keyboards, Alto Saxophone
Malcolm Duncan - Tenor Saxophone
Robbie McIntosh R.I.P - Drums, Percussion

BIO

The Average White Band had their name jokingly bestowed on them by Bonnie Bramlett of Delanie & Bonnie; during their prime, AWB's solid grooves and overall chemistry were anything but average. But the name did reflect their paradoxical position: they were an American-style soul band made up of native Scots. The group was formed in Glasgow, Scotland, in early 1972 by Alan Gorrie (b. Jul. 19, 1946, Perth, Scotland) on bass, vocals, Michael Rosen; (soon replaced by Hamish Stuart; [b. Oct. 8, 1949, Glasgow, Scotland] [guitar, vocals]), Onnie McIntyre, (b. Sep. 25, 1945, Lennox Town, Scotland) on vocals, guitar, Robbie McIntosh (b. 1950, Scotland - d. Sep. 23, 1974, Los Angeles), Roger Ball, (b. Jun. 4, 1944, Dundee, Scotland) on keyboards, saxophone, and Malcolm Duncan, (b. Aug. 24, 1945, Montrose, Scotland) on saxophone. After their 1973 debut album, Show Your Hand, went unnoticed, they hooked up with producer Arif Mardin to record Average White Band (frequently called AWB because of the initials on the cover). Released in August 1974, the album topped the charts and spawned the near-instrumental dance hit "Pick Up the Pieces," which also went to number one. Meanwhile, tragedy struck the band, when drummer Robbie McIntosh died of a drug overdose; he was replaced by Steve Ferrone (b. Apr. 25, 1950, Brighton, England). AWB nearly replicated its success with the third album, Cut the Cake, and its title single, both of which reached the Top Ten. But the sameness of the group's approach and such side projects as an album with Ben E. King broke its momentum. Also, the rise of disco left its funky soul style sounding dated. AWB managed a couple more gold albums in Person to Person (January 1977) and Warmer Communications (March 1978), and its popularity lasted longer in the UK than in the US, but by the start of the '80s the band was permanently out of fashion. The band members have worked as session sidemen for artists ranging from Chaka Khan to Paul McCartney and Badfinger. © Rick Clark & William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide