Average White Band Line Up “All the Pieces” for New Box Set

From their million-selling U.S. No. 1 hit “Pick Up the Pieces” to a slew of soulful albums that have served as the backbone for countless hip-hop greats, Scottish funk outfit Average White Band have been long overdue for a proper catalogue rediscovery – something the fine folks at Edsel are doing with an exhaustive 19-disc box set, All the Pieces: The Complete Studio Recordings 1971-2003.

The AWB – first comprised on record of bassist/guitarist/vocalists Alan Gorrie and Hamish Stuart, “Dundee Horns” Malcolm Duncan and Roger Ball, drummer Robbie McIntosh and guitarist Onnie McIntyre, first rose to prominence as a support act for Eric Clapton in 1973; a failed album on MCA nonetheless attracted the attention of Clapton’s manager, Bruce McCaskill, who got the band a deal with Atlantic Records. Arif Mardin personally produced the band’s biggest hits, including acclaimed sophomore album AWB. A crucial lineup change occurred during the band’s hit period, when an overdose killed McIntosh; he was replaced by acclaimed session drummer Steve Ferrone. The band would disband in the early ’80s, with Stuart joining Paul McCartney’s touring ensemble; Gorrie, McIntyre, Ball and Santana drummer Alex Ligertwood recorded 1988’s Aftershock, and several albums with shifting lineups ensued through the self-released Living in Colour in 2003. Gorrie and McIntyre continue to lead a lineup of AWB in concerts through Europe.

All the Pieces contains all of the band’s studio albums, including both 1973 debut Show Your Hand and revised reissue Put It Where You Want It (1975), hits AWB (1974) and Cut the Cake (1975), double live Person to Person (1976), Benny and Us, a 1977 collaboration with Ben E. King, the half-new album/half-compilation Volume VIII (1980), a bonus disc of pre-Atlantic AWB outtakes released in 2003 and two discs of rare alternate takes and dance remixes. If you’re looking to dive in and, well, pick everything up, now’s the time to do so!

The box is available today in the U.K.; full specs and pre-order links are after the jump.

All the Pieces: The Complete Studio Recordings 1971-2003 (Edsel (U.K.), 2014)

Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.

Disc 1: Show Your Hand (MCA MCF 2514 (U.K.)/345 (U.S.), 1973)

1. The Jugglers
2. This World Has Music
3. Twilight Zone
4. Put It Where You Want It
5. Show Your Hand
6. Back in ’67
7. Reach Out
8. T.L.C.

Disc 2: How Sweet Can You Get? The Clover Sessions (Disc 2 of AWB reissue – Columbia 513413 2 (U.K.), 2003)

1. Person to Person
2. There’s Always Someone Waiting
3. McEwan’s Export
4. Got the Love
5. Work to Do
6. Just Want to Love You Tonight
7. Pick Up the Pieces
8. I Just Can’t Give You Up
9. How Sweet Can You Get (Mark 1)

Disc 3: AWB (Atlantic K 50058 (U.K.)/SD 7308 (U.S.), 1974)

1. You Got It
2. Got the Love
3. Pick Up the Pieces
4. Person to Person
5. Work to Do
6. Nothing You Can Do
7. Just Wanna Love You Tonight
8. Keepin’ It to Myself
9. I Just Can’t Give You Up
10. There’s Always Someone Waiting

Disc 4: Put It Where You Want It (MCA MCL 1650 (U.K.)/475 (U.S.), 1975)

• reissue of Disc 1 with “How Can You Go Home” replacing “The Jugglers”

Disc 5: Cut the Cake (Atlantic K 50146 (U.K.)/SD 18140 (U.S.), 1975)

1. Cut the Cake
2. School Boy Crush
3. It’s a Mystery
4. Groovin’ the Night Away
5. If I Ever Lose This Heaven
6. Why
7. High Flyin’ Woman
8. Cloudy
9. How Sweet Can You Get
10. When They Bring Down the Curtain

Disc 6: Soul Searching (Atlantic K 50272 (U.K.)/SD 18179 (U.S.), 1976)

1. Overture
2. Love Your Life
3. I’m the One
4. A Love of Your Own
5. Queen of My Soul
6. Soul Searching
7. Goin’ Home
8. Everybody’s Darling
9. Would You Stay
10. Sunny Days
11. Digging Deeper

Discs 7-8: Person to Person (Atlantic K 60127 (U.K.)/SD-2 1002 (U.S.), 1976)

1. Person to Person (Live)
2. Cut the Cake (Live)
3. If I Ever Lose This Heaven (Live)
4. Cloudy (Live)
5. T.L.C. (Live)

1. I’m the One (Live)
2. Pick Up the Pieces (Live)
3. Love Your Life (Live)
4. School Boy Crush (Live)
5. I Heard It Through the Grapevine (Live)

Disc 9: Benny and Us (with Ben E. King) (Atlantic K 50384 (U.K.)/SD 19105 (U.S.), 1977)

1. Get It Up for Love
2. Fool for You Anyway
3. A Star in the Ghetto
4. The Message
5. What is Soul
6. Someday We’ll All Be Free
7. Imagine
8. Keepin’ It to Myself

Disc 10: Warmer Communications (Atlantic XL 13053 (U.K.)/SD 19162 (U.S.), 1978)

1. Your Love is a Miracle
2. Same Feeling, Different Song
3. Daddy’s All Gone
4. Big City Lights
5. She’s a Dream
6. Warmer Communications
7. The Price of the Dream
8. Sweet & Sour
9. One Look Over My Shoulder (Is This Really Goodbye?)

Disc 11: Feel No Fret (RCA XL 13063 (U.K.)/Atlantic SD 19207 (U.S.), 1979)

1. When Will You Be Mine
2. Please Don’t Fall In Love
3. Walk On By
4. Feel No Fret
5. Stop the Rain
6. Atlantic Avenue
7. Ace of Hearts
8. Too Late to Cry
9. Fire Burning

Disc 12: Shine (RCA XL 13123 (U.K.)/Arista AL 9523 (U.S.), 1980)

1. Our Time Has Come
2. For You, for Love
3. Let’s Go Round Again
4. Whatcha Gonna Do for Me?
5. Into the Night
6. Catch Me (Before I Have to Testify)
7. Help is On the Way
8. If Love Only Lasts for One Night
9. Shine

Disc 13: Volume VIII (Atlantic SD 19266 (U.S.), 1980)

1. Kiss Me
2. Love Won’t Get in the Way
3. Love Gives, Love Takes Away
4. Growing Pains
5. Pick Up the Pieces
6. Person to Person
7. Cut the Cake
8. A Love of Your Own
9. Queen of My Soul

Disc 14: Cupid’s in Fashion(RCA XL 13217 (U.K.) / Arista AL 9594 (U.S.), 1982)

1. You’re My Number One
2. Easier Said Than Done
3. You Wanna Belong
4. Cupid’s in Fashion
5. Theatre of Excess
6. I Believe
7. Is It Love You’re Running From
8. Reach Out I’ll Be There
9. Isn’t It Strange
10. Love’s a Heartache

Disc 15: Aftershock(Polydor 839 466-1 (U.K.) / Track Record 58830 (U.S.), 1988)

1. The Spirit of Love
2. Sticky Situation
3. Aftershock
4. Love At First Sight
5. I’ll Get Over You
6. Later We’ll Be Greater
7. Let’s Go All the Way
8. We’re In Too Deep
9. Stocky Sachoo-a-Shun

Disc 16: Soul Tattoo(SPV Recordings 085-33752 (U.K.), 1996 / Foundation Records 720907-1601-2 (U.S.), 1997)

1. Soul Mine
2. Back to Basics
3. Livin’ on Borrowed Time
4. Every Beat of My Heart
5. When We Get Down to It
6. Oh Maceo
7. Do Ya Really
8. I Wanna Be Loved
9. No Easy Way to Say Goodbye
10. Love is the Bottom Line
11. Welcome to the Real World
12. Window to Your Soul
13. You Shoulda’ Known

Disc 17: Living in Colour(self-released, 2003)

1. Check Your Groove
2. Down to the River
3. Living in Colour
4. One of My Heartbeats
5. Close to You Tonight
6. Half Moon in the Crescent City
7. Think Small
8. I Can’t Help It
9. I’m Gonna Make You Love Me
10. Love Won’t Let Me Wait

Disc 18: Alternate versions and rarities

1. Reach Out (First Version – rec. 1971)
2. The Jugglers (First Version – rec. 1971)
3. It Didn’t Take Me a Minute (rec. 1971)
4. In the Beginning (rec. 1971/1972)
5. Look Out Now (rec. 1971/1972)
6. White Water Dreams (rec. 1971/1972)
7. Walk Tall (Live in 1976)
8. I’m Gonna Make You Love Me (Live in 1976)
9. Wasn’t I Your Friend
10. Miss Sun (rec. 1980)

Disc 19: Remixes

1. Back in ’67 (First version – rec. 1971/1972)
2. The Spirit of Love (Radio Short Version) (12″ A-side – Track Record TRK-58831-1 (U.S.), 1988)
3. The Spirit of Love (Dance Mix) (12″ B-side – Track Record TRK-58831-1 (U.S.), 1988)
4. Let’s Go Round Again (The Brothers Mix)
5. Livin’ on Borrowed Time (DJ Slok Remix) (from In Flux: Drum ‘N’ Bass in Movement – IRMAmerica 4284783-2 (U.S.), 1997)
6. Things (DJ Philly P & Joey M Remix)
7. Stop the Rain (Supreme One Mix)
8. Let’s Go Round Again (Cosmic Village Mix) (from Dance Panic Presents Dance Classics Remixes 2000/2 – Victor VICP-61116~17 (JP), 2000)
9. Let’s Go Round Again (12” Version) (12″ A-side – RCA XC 1152 (U.K.), 1980)