Atlantic 7308
Producer: Arif Mardin
Track listing: You Got It / Got the Love / Pick Up the Pieces / Person to Person / Work to Do / Â Nothing You Can Do / Just Wanna Love You Tonight / Keepin’ It to Myself / I Just Can’t Give You Up / There’s Always Someone Waiting
February 22, 1975
1 week
In 1973, the Average White Band was in danger of living up to its ironic moniker. The Scottish sextet, which concocted an interesting brew of funk, jazz, and soul, was signed in Britain to MCA, which released its debut album, Show Your Hand. Although the album wasn’t issued in America, the group crossed the Atlantic set on conquering the States and recording their second album in Los Angeles. “We started recording the second album and we were practically finished with it when we went to MCA, and we said, ‘How do you like it?’ And they said, ‘We don’t. Who are you guys?’ They didn’t know us because we were signed to MCA in England,” says rhythm guitarist Onnie McIntyre.
Down but not out, the group remained in Los Angeles with hopes of securing another record deal. At a party held at the home of a friend, AWB (which also included singer/bassist Alan Gorrie, singer/guitarist Hamish Stuart, keyboardist/sax player Roger Ball, sax player Malcolm (Molly) Duncan, and drummer Robbie McIntosh), ran into legendary Atlantic A&R executive Jerry Wexler. “We took the tapes over there, because we knew he was going to be there,” says McIntyre. “We played them for him and everyone fell about. Jerry was knocked out by them.” Wexler signed the band to Atlantic, which was a dream come true for the band, since the label had a reputation for working with such R&B legends as Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, and Otis Redding. Atlantic was far more understanding of AWB’s creative vision than MCA.
After securing the tapes of its aborted second album from MCA, the group was flown to Criteria Sound Studios in Miami. “They said, ‘We like the material, but we want you to record two new songs,'” says McIntyre. The group came up with “You Got It” and “Nothing You Can Do.” Other tracks, including “Pick Up the Pieces,” were altered a bit during the sessions. “We changed the bass line and some of the drum parts,” McIntyre says.
The sessions at Criteria were a dream come true for the band. “The very first day we went to the studio, Aretha was in recording and Jerry, Arif Mardin, and Tom Dowd were behind the desk,” says McIntyre. “All our heroes were there. I remember Alan was trying to take a photograph and he was visibly shaking.”
The Miami sessions went so well, the band opted to re-record the entire album, traveling to Atlantic’s New York Studios to complete the project. AWB, says McIntyre, “captured the band at its peak. The creative juices were all flowing and the chemistry was right.”
Unfortunately, AWB‘s success didn’t come without tragedy. With the album starting to move up the charts, the band was booked for a week at the Troubadour in Los Angeles. “The buzz was happening. It was sold out every night,” says McIntyre. “On the last night, a lot of stars turned up, like Cher, Elton John, and Martha Reeves, and they joined us onstage.” On September 23, 1974, at a party to celebrate the triumphant final night of the engagement, McIntosh died of a heroin overdose. The drummer thought he was snorting cocaine.
The group was devastated by McIntosh’s death, but vowed to carry on, with McIntosh’s friend Steve Ferrone serving as a replacement. Appropriately enough, it was the instrumental titled “Pick Up the Pieces” that began to catch on. The dance hit crossed over to top 40 as the album began climbing the chart. On February 22, 1975, both the single and the album hit the top simultaneously.
THE TOP FIVE
Week of February 22, 1975
1. AWB, Average White Band
2. Blood on the Tracks, Bob Dylan
3. Heart Like a Wheel, Linda Ronstadt
4. Miles of Aisles, Joni Mitchell
5. War Child, Jethro Tull