Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums of All Time - Rated 304/500!
Just As I Am catapulted Bill Withers into super-stardom in 1971. Featuring the worldwide mega-hit and Grammy Award-winning "Ain't No Sunshine", Just As I Am, Withers' debut album, established him as one of the premier singer/songwriters of the era and brought the world a fresh look at Rhythm & Blues. Equipped with an acoustic guitar and backed by three-quarters of Booker T. & the MGs and Stephen Stills on guitar, Bill Withers recorded one of the biggest albums of the '70s, producing the timeless hit "Ain't No Sunshine" along with the other Withers essentials "Harlem", "Grandma's Hands", and "I'm Her Daddy". As a testament to his talents, Bill Withers was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005.
"When the 31-year-old Withers recorded 'Sunshine,' he was still working at a factory making toilet seats for 747s. He intended to write more lyrics for the part where he repeats the phrase 'I know' 26 times, but the other musicians told him to leave it." - Rolling Stone
Features:
180g Vinyl
Musicians:
Al Jackson, drums
Jim Keitner, drums
Booker T. Jones, guitar, keyboards
Stephen Stills, guitar
Bill Withers, guitar
Bobbie Hall Porter, percussion
Donald "Duck" Dunn, bass
Chris Ethridge, bass
Selections:
1. Harlem
2. Ain't No Sunshine
3. Grandma's Hands
4. Sweet Wanomi
5. Everybody's Talkin'
6. Do It Good
7. Hope She'll Be Happier
8. Let It Be
9. I'm Her Daddy
10. In My Heart
11. Moanin' And Groanin'
12. Better Off Dead