09/06/2019: “Pick Up The Pieces” by Average White Band

This band’s moniker was picked up when somebody remarked that the music they played was “too much for the average white man”.

Certainly, it was very unusual for a band primarily composed of Scottish people to make such an impact on the funk scene, which was heavily dominated by African-Americans at the time.

Regardless of their origin, the music the band made speaks for itself. The groove is masterful. The guitar is sublime, the drums are engaging, the saxophone more than makes up for the lack of vocals; the only vocals present are the shouted “pick up the pieces”.

The catchiness of the sax holds the song together, but the strength of the rhythm section is the track’s bedrock.

The band were actually flown to Miami to record this tune. Perhaps Scotland didn’t have the right funk pedigree!

The song was released in 1974 as a single from their album AWB, but was initially overlooked in the U.K. until it saw success in America.

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