Average White Band Albums Ranked

The Average White Band (also known as AWB) is a Scottish funk and R&B band that had a series of soul and disco hits between 1974 and 1980. They are best known for their million-selling instrumental track “Pick Up the Pieces”, and their albums AWB and Cut the Cake. The band name was initially proposed by Bonnie Bramlett. They have influenced others, such as the Brand New Heavies, and been sampled by various musicians, including the Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, TLC, The Beatnuts, Too Short, Ice Cube, Eric B. & Rakim, Nas, A Tribe Called Quest, Christina Milian, and Arrested Development,[2] making them the 15th most sampled act in history.[3] As of 2020, 48 years after their formation, they continue to perform. Here are all of the Average White Band albums ranked.

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6. Warmer Communications (1978)

“The first two tracks lay down some heavy funk; in fact, “Your Love is a Miracle” might be the funkiest 6 minutes in AWB’s repertoire. But the guys cool things down on their cover of 70s folk-rock superstar James Taylor’s “Daddy’s All Gone” and the wafting, tropical “She’s a Dream”. The title track – an experiment in reggae – is probably the weakest song on the album, but the band still adds R&B flourishes that make it an enjoyable listen. “Sweet and Sour” is another highlight, standing up admirably to all of the other great AWB instrumentals. The consistency of this album is what makes it so enjoyable; none of these tracks are throwaways.”

5. Pickin’ Up The Pieces: The Best Of Average White Band (1992)

“Average White Band proves that soul has no color ! Its the music that counts, and they have been hitting the right notes for over 40 years ! This collection brings back a lot of wonderful memories of blasting my boom box as I walked around the neighborhood . AWB has always been welcome in the black community, and I suspect any community that enjoys well-written, funky soul music !”

4. Person To Person (1976)

“Few live albums actually capture the true essence of an actual concert. This album provides you the opportunity to experience an AWB concert. All of the songs are tight and the group shows off their superior musicianship by playing several solos and stretching their wings on almost every track. It is a one of a kind experience that every true fan of AWB must have in their collection.”

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3. Show Your Hand (1973)

“The standout songs are “This World Has Music,” “Put It Where You Want It,” and “Reach Out.” The track “How Can You Go Home” was left off this reissue, it’s a shame too, because that would have been another standout song. “The Jugglers” is more of what their sound would evolve into, while tracks like, “Back in ’67” and “Twilight Zone” sound a little like something that would be on the Beatles’ “Let It Be” album.”

2. Cut The Cake (1975)

“The title song opens the album with an almost instructional “united funk” style jam with the bass,guitar and horns all responding to each other JB’s style in total rhythmic harmony on the one. “School Boy Crush” gets into a deep,bass/guitar heavy stomp led along by percussive sleigh bells while “It’s A Mystery”,a version of “If I Ever Lose This Heaven” and “Why” are all melodically complex mid tempo numbers-full of liquid electric pianos and vocal harmonies. “High Flyin’ Woman” mixes this creamy,melodic approach with the heavy funk groove while “How Sweet Can One Get” comes out with a down home,Crusaders like jazz-funk type groove.”

1. AWB (1974)

“The best they’ve done as a single album but not the best of everything they’ve done. This one’s a classic and should be part of any music lover’s collection. Try not to classify them just listen to the arrangements, instrumentation and vocals. You’ll get it.”