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BILL WITHERS ~ THE COMPLETE SUSSEX AND COLUMBIA ALBUMS
SONY 886978946720 (Barcode: 886978946720) ~ USA ~ Classic Pop

Recorded: 1971 - 1985 Released: 2012

Although sadly almost forgotten today, American singer / songwriter Bill WithersFind albums by this artist was one of the great heroes of the Soul scene throughout the 1970s. His illustrious, but relatively short career included many successful chart hits and Grammy Awards (both nominations and winnings), ending with him slowly disappearing from the limelight, for reasons not completely clear, especially since his enormous talent remains obviously unexhausted. Withers recorded four albums for the SussexFind albums on this label label (including the live recording of his Carnegie Hall concert) and another four albums for ColumbiaFind albums on this label, all during the 1970s. Then, after an almost six years break his last album was recorded in 1985, also for Columbia. All these nine albums are included in this Box Set.

Withers was an absolutely unique voice of his generation and in many respects he was more important than most of his contemporaries. He managed to compose sublime melodies and write intelligent, meaningful and touching lyrics and then perform them masterfully, like almost no other Soul artist of his generation. Deeply rooted in Blues and Gospel, his particular brand of Soul, mixed with early Funk, was absolutely marvelous and way ahead of its time. He recorded with excellent musicians, like keyboardist Booker T. JonesFind albums by this artist, guitarist Stephen StillsFind albums by this artist and drummer Jim KeltnerFind albums by this artist, who played on his debut album and later with members of the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm BandFind albums by this artist: keyboardist Ray JacksonFind albums by this artist, guitarist Benorce BlackmonFind albums by this artist, bassist Melvin DunlapFind albums by this artist and drummer James GadsonFind albums by this artist, who played on the remaining Sussex albums. Following his move to Columbia, he was accompanied by many of the great Funk and Jazz musicians on the label´s roster.

The music and the subject matter of Withers´ songs lost absolutely nothing of their value and meaning over time. Struggle with loss, addiction, social injustice, pains of heart and other deeply personal subjects, which Withers manages to capture precisely and in a few words, are closer to poetry than simple songs´ lyrics and combined with the sublime melodies are true masterpieces of songwriting. Considering the fact that songs of such quality are rarely created today, these gems become even more precious.

Remastered and mini-sleeved, this Box Set is an excellent tribute to a great Afro-American troubadour, who should not be forgotten and who still has so much to offer today. This is an exceptional addition to any serious music collection.
Updated: 26/01/2019Posted: CD 9 Mini-Sleeve Box Set Remastered Recommend To A Friend

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