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Bill Withers - Bill Withers' Greatest Hits (1981) MFSL Remastered 2016

Posted By: Designol

Date: 27 Jan 2025 13:08:46

Bill Withers created mellow, downhome-style soul for barely more than a decade before retreating from the industry to pursue craftsman interests. Yet over the course of the handful of albums he made for Sussex and CBS, the Appalachian native struck lasting emotional chords in legends ranging from Booker T. Jones to Stephen Stills – not to mention the millions of listeners that fell under the spell of now-standard tracks such as "Lean on Me," "Use Me," and "Ain't No Sunshine." The antithesis of the sweaty R&B shouter that prowled the edge of stages, Withers dealt in calm and vulnerability, qualities that come to fore on the seminal Bill Withers' Greatest Hits.

Characteristics ranging from the tension of the guitars, funky bends of the bass, whisper-soft coo of the formal strings, airiness of the backing harmonies, and sharpness of the snare drum emerge with utmost clarity and lifelike presence. Always prized for its naked honesty and pure conviction, Withers' music positively caresses the senses on this SACD, the unadulterated production and beautiful soundscapes revealed anew with each listen.

Incredibly, Withers almost never got a shot at recording. After receiving a deal from Sussex while laboring as a toilet-seat manufacturer, he landed in the care of Stax bandleader Booker T. Jones, who gathered most of his fellow MG members – along with Stills and Jim Keltner – to assist in Withers' debut. Two takes from those sessions, the Grammy-winning "Ain't No Sunshine" and devotional "Grandma's Hands," are included here, and showcase the vocalist's incredible breath control, folksy drawl, and restrained phrasing. They also indicate his penchant for converting biographical experience into eminently catchy combinations of pop, gospel, blues, and soul.

Evidence of Withers' crossover appeal is found not only via his chart successes on both the pop and R&B charts, but in the DNA of his best work. There's not one forgettable moment on Greatest Hits. Covered by the likes of Fiona Apple, Mick Jagger, Isaac Hayes, Alicia Keys, and dozens more, "Use Me" rides a riveting clarinet riff and urban tempo to express the double-edged feelings associated with an edgy relationship. On the loping "Who Is He (And What Is He to You?)," Withers again splits the bitter and sweet. For the Latin-tinged "Lovely Day," Withers holds a single note for 18 seconds and composed a song that's been sampled and rerecorded countless times by artists spanning Diana Ross to R. Kelly. And with "Lean on Me," the West Virginian devised a masterpiece that's been for more than four decades part of the classic American songbook, an updated hymn carried to immortality by members of the Charles Wright & 103rd Street Rhythm Band.

A veritable template for British soul contemporaries like Sam Smith and an extension of the timeless fare explored by Van Morrison, Curtis Mayfield, and Al Green, Bill Withers' Greatest Hits belongs in every music lover's library. Secure your lowest-numbered copy of this seminal edition by ordering from Music Direct today!

At only ten tracks, Greatest Hits is a little brief and doesn't contain much of his earliest material, but it remains a first-rate compilation of Bill Withers' prime hits, featuring "Use Me," "Ain't No Sunshine," "Lean on Me," "Who Is He (And What Is He to You)," and "Just the Two of Us." The latter-day Legacy compilation is a bit more thorough, but this remains a good basic overview.

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Allmusic.com

Bill Withers at Allmusic
Bill Withers at Wiki

Tracklist:

01. Just the Two of Us (4:00)
02. Use Me (3:52)
03. Ain't No Sunshine (2:06)
04. Lovely Day (4:17)
05. I Want to Spend the Night (3:44)
06. Soul Shadow (3:36)
07. Lean on Me (4:22)
08. Grandma's Hands (2:03)
09. Hello Like Before (5:35)
10. Who Is He What Is He to You (3:16)

EAC log

Exact Audio Copy V1.3 from 2. September 2016

EAC extraction logfile from 17. July 2017, 0:03

Bill Withers / Bill Withers' Greatest Hits (2016 MFSL)

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Gap handling : Appended to previous track

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Track | CTDB Status
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==== Log checksum 01BBAD33E60641D288BE7583F99E60540396015EACAFB9758E961FC5CD56D381 ====

DR log

foobar2000 1.2 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1
log date: 2017-07-23 18:22:50

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Analyzed: Bill Withers / Bill Withers' Greatest Hits
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

DR Peak RMS Duration Track
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
DR13 -0.27 dB -16.92 dB 4:00 01-Just the Two of Us
DR12 -1.50 dB -15.27 dB 3:52 02-Use Me
DR13 -0.78 dB -17.08 dB 2:06 03-Ain't No Sunshine
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DR12 -1.34 dB -15.81 dB 4:22 07-Lean on Me
DR15 -0.30 dB -17.05 dB 2:03 08-Grandma's Hands
DR11 -0.24 dB -15.26 dB 5:35 09-Hello Like Before
DR12 -0.29 dB -14.66 dB 3:16 10-Who Is He What Is He to You
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Number of tracks: 10
Official DR value: DR12

Samplerate: 44100 Hz
Channels: 2
Bits per sample: 16
Bitrate: 720 kbps
Codec: FLAC
================================================================================

All thanks to original releaser

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