Pick Up The Pieces - Average White Band (1974)

"Pick Up The Pieces" was a 1974 song by the Average White Band from their second album, "AWB". The principal composer of the track was founding member and saxophonist Roger Ball. It was the group's most successful song, and features one of the most recognizable grooves in funk music. It is essentially an instrumental, apart from the song's title being shouted at several points in the song. "Pick Up The Pieces" was first released in the United Kingdom in July 1974 but failed to make an impression on the charts. When the entire album was released in the United States in October 1974, radio stations started to pick up on the song, and on 22 February 1975, it went to the top of the U.S. singles chart and peaked at number five on the soul charts. After its U.S. success, the song charted in the U.K. and climbed to number six. "Pick Up The Pieces" also made it to number eleven on the U.S. disco chart. Average White Band (also known as AWB) is a Scottish funk and R&B band, who had a series of soul and disco hits between 1974 and 1980. AWB was formed in early 1972 by Alan Gorrie (born 19 July 1946, Perth, Scotland) and Malcolm 'Molly' Duncan (born 24 August 1945, Montrose, Scotland), with Owen 'Onnie' McIntyre (born 25 September 1945, Lennoxtown, Scotland), Hamish Stuart (born 8 October 1949, Glasgow, Scotland), Roger Ball (born 4 June 1944, Broughty Ferry, Scotland) and Robbie McIntosh (born 6 May 1950, Dundee, Scotland — died 23 September 1974) joining them in the original line-up. The band's breakthrough was a support slot at Eric Clapton's comeback concert in 1973. MCA Records released their debut album, "Show Your Hand", which sold poorly. Bruce McCaskill, who was Clapton's tour manager, liked the band's music and agreed to manage them. He borrowed money to take them to the U.S. and to promote them. McCaskill had many contacts from his days with Clapton and managed to get Atlantic Records to sign them. The band relocated to New York, signed to Atlantic and released their follow-up, "AWB", better known as "The White Album". This album was the first of many with renowned producer Arif Mardin, and reached #1 in the U.S. Hot 100 chart. In early 1975, the single "Pick Up The Pieces" reached #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song knocked Linda Ronstadt's "You're No Good" out of #1 and sold over one million copies. It was awarded a gold disc by the R.I.A.A. in March 1975. McIntosh died of an accidental heroin overdose at a Los Angeles party on 23 September 1974. McIntosh was replaced by Steve Ferrone (born 25 April 1950, Brighton, England), previously of Bloodstone. As of 2010, and almost forty years after their formation, the group continues to perform. This channel is dedicated to all the great 'old school' R&B music I grew up with, the stuff that originally made me tap my feet and want to be a DJ. Funk, soul, disco, R&B, dance, hip-hop, pop . . . 60s, 70s, 80s . . . whatever you call it, it's all 'Old School' and it's all here!

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Copyright 1974 Atlantic Records
All Rights Reserved

• Category

  Music

[hj04]

Justin Hammer approves.

[Ben Somoroff]

I've been searching for this song for hours. Couldn't remember the name of the song or band. Nor remember how it went. Luckily searching 70 instrumental songs and typing EVERY SINGLE SONG on YouTube (this being one if them) brought me here. The only thing I knew was; mainly or only instrumental, the intro didn't sound anything like the rest of the song, up beat, and from the 70's.

[Hermy1138]

"Ya see, you only smell strong"

[diresDPL]

Driver Parallel Lines !!!!

[Biker790]

We like to call it "funk" ;)

[mrthinlizzyfan]

Sure this was in superman 2

[blonde7000]

Heard this on the radio the other day and enjoyed it

[UTubeQPoster]

People will be grooving to this in the year 2174.

[Michael Gallegos]

Sorry to the AWB. This song was the Bomb, until Ray Camacho and his Band played it for a USO show for us in '75. They put you down...

[JTKKavanagh]

Years ahead of it's time

[Eric Jenkins]

Pick up the pieces!! Pick up the pieces!!