Bill Withers - Live at Carnegie Hall (1973)
One of the best live albums I've ever heard. This is Bill Withers at his most soulful, and his presence on stage is unrivalled. The story he tells before Grandma's Hands (Track 4) about going to his grandmother's church and singing along with the hymns is as funny as it is touching, and you can hear that the audience is there for the interludes almost as much as they are for the music.
I Can't Write Left Handed is the stand out track in an album full of highlights. In the introduction, Bill explains that they wrote the track before the Vietnam War ended, and he tells the story of a veteran he met who had lost his right arm. Even though the song is about the war, it's very much not a political or social protest song. It highlights how war, described as "politics by other means", is also a deeply personal event. The spoken introduction talks about the naivety of the youth who were asked to be the front line of the conflict:
I think about those kind of young guys now
Who all of a sudden, somebody comes up, and they're very law-abiding
So if somebody says "Go" they don't ask any questions, they just go
The instrumentation throughout the album is phenomenal, particular highlights include Ray Jackson on I Can't Write Left Handed, and percussionist Bobbye Hall throughout the whole set.
The pressing on the vinyl is clean, with very minimal crackling or popping, and no warping at all.
Purchased at Plug Seven on Smith St.
https://plugseven.com/
Rating: 87.
