..and not a moment too soon. The sun has reappeared from its gray cocoon, the temperature has risen above chilling, the war in Iraq is over, the despotic rule dispelled and disbanded, and now the looting, rioting and arson can begin in earnest. How wonderful to know that the Iraqis are just the same as the denizens of South Central LA, the only difference being the Iraqis don’t appear to have any weapons of mass destruction. It was all a ruse – I can see the headlines revisited in twenty years by the History Channel...”Saddam was a ‘Sweety’- Was only planning grand firework parade for Iraqi children”, along with the classics from yesteryear “Archduke Ferdinand still alive – World War One a mistake”; shipping news: “Marie Celeste arrives at Liverpool” and “Ghenghis Khan named Turkish ambassador to U.N.” If truth is the first victim of war, then read on – I’ve got some great lies for you this month.
Average White Band Gives Up On Album – Can’t Be Bothered !
Well, let me dispel that ugly falsehood at once...I was there when they finished it, and I saw it being hauled away in the big truck to the manufacturers – and I have a piece of paper that says “deW no pish” ..no, I’m sorry it’s upside down, it’s “Ship on Wed.” which means THIS WEEK. The brand new, never before seen or heard, first studio record in seven years from those darlings of the Twilight Home and pension fund, the Overage white Band, have a new release
“Living In Colour” (that’s color in English) ready for YOU at their first concerts of the spring beginning next week.
A platinum moment in a plutonium-seeking year, folks, and all coming to a theatre near you – if you live in the nippy Northeast that is, for now anyway.
We are going to subject you to an initial ‘private’ release on our own label for this upcoming tour where you will only be able to get your copy at the gigs, or online via our website sales department; it won’t be available in stores right away – that will come nearer summer time when people can brave the trip to Tower, Borders or Sam Goody in shorts and t-shirt (AWB, of course) without fear of frostbite or the need for kapok clothing and foot-warmers en route.
Hopefully, it’ll turn out to be one of those great summer records that we measure our lives by – or used to before we had things like mortgages, tuition fees and tax-days to serve that purpose.
AWB’s Album “Living In Colour” A Ripoff Of D’Angelo, Maxwell And The Whole Neo-Soul Patrol”
Another filthy lie, I tell you. Not once did the pair of them cross my mind while writing these songs, let alone either of them call me up to see how it was coming along. I was actually listening to old Mamas & Papas tapes and the odd Cowsills record, deliberately to avoid such malignant critique at this delicate stage so soon after birth. (it weighs 8lbs.6oz by the way, and it’s a girl) The only things we ripped off were bits of old Average White Band – who doesn’t? – some Temptations, Stylistics, Spinners, Marvin Gaye, Al Green, Stevie Wonder, Memphis Horns, Les McCann, Eddie Harris, The Crusaders, and all the usual suspects that have sat on our shoulders through every album we’ve ever made. So eat that one, you swine!
Alan Gorrie walks out on AWB Project
Well, yeah,.. but I’d left my wallet at home – and I came back an hour later, but they’d finished without me, so it’s not strictly true. Look, I was only given a year or two to come up with tunes for this record, and when all but eight of them were thrown out for riotous behaviour, I got a bit ticked off; wouldn’t you? Anyway, we worked it out in the end, thanks to immeasurable contributions from Klyde and Fred and Matt Noble, our co-producer with whom I used to write many years ago (Sticky Situation, and I’ll Get Over You, from the Aftershock album), and when they found I had rolls of quarters for the parking meters, they more or less begged me to come back. How could I refuse those sad, pleading faces?
Average White Band guilty of murdering classic songs
Not Guilty!! First of all, the evidence is purely circumstantial – no-one has heard anything yet, your honor, and even then the headline betrays a callously subjective viewpoint from those who might consider any rendering of original hits to be sacrilegious and blasphemous, unless slavishly copied and unmodified.
True, we have delved into two songs that have long been favorites – in the case of “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me,” one that has been around AWB since the very first days of the band with Robbie McIntosh at the helm, and with “Love Won’t Let Me Wait” a tune we had fantastic reaction to when we performed it in Europe a couple of years back, as an encore, and which Onnie & I did last year on a BBC unplugged session for a Scottish morning talk show. It’s also the only damn song I can sing just as easily at eight in the morning as I can late at night, so if any of you radio & TV casting directors need early am. promo slots featuring somewhat live music…..here’s your chance.
And so, if that’s all the innuendo and prevarication you can muster as a measure of misplaced pique in the face of our admittedly-oft-postponed album offering, let me assure you that it should be well worth the wait; those of you who have heard snippets live, such as “Down To The River”, “Think Small”, “Check Your Groove”, and “I Can’t Help It”
(these last two premiered at the Birchmere this year) will have an idea of the overall picture. I won’t bore you with meaningless previews of the other new songs on the record, suffice to say that the title track, “Living In Colour” is one of those rare cases where you absolutely KNOW you can bet on your own horse to finish well – and it
showcases Klyde’s vocal to great and sensitive effect.
The rest you will hear any day now, if you can tear yourself away from the endless, wall-to-wall coverage of the remains of the war in Iraq and hot foot it to one of the upcoming concerts at the end of this month into the beginning of May where we’ll be treating each concert as a virtual album-release party. Just bring your best friends, a valid credit card or wad of cash for the bar, and a fresh pair of ears for the evening. We’ll do the rest – supply the music, break out the new CDs, dress up in outrageous costumes, and perform acrobatic feats and conjuring tricks by request, until all have been thoroughly satisfied.
As for these last three, well, I did promise a few lies, didn’t I?
A.G.
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