{"product_id":"bill-withers-still-bill-mobile-fidelity-sacd","title":"BILL WITHERS - STILL BILL (MOBILE FIDELITY) SACD","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNumbered, limited edition Hybrid SACD.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSoul masterwork serves up universal emotions, smooth singing, and direct songwriting.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMore than 50 years after its original release, Bill Withers'\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eStill Bill\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eremains true to its title — and stands as the greatest male-fronted soul album not made by a singer named Marvin, Al, Sam, James, or Ray. Though the saying \"keeping it real\" did not exist in popular parlance when Withers released his sophomore effort on Sussex Records, no words better capture the music's approach, mindset, and value.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEvery facet of\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eStill Bill\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003eradiates honesty, truth, and emotion. These characteristics — along with Withers' strong singing, hybrid arrangements, and deceptively simple songwriting — have allowed the album to endure to the point where it sounds as fresh today as in 1972.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMastered on Mobile Fidelity's renowned mastering system and housed in mini-LP gatefold sleeve packaging, Mobile Fidelity's numbered edition SACD of\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eStill Bill\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003egives this lush classic luxe sonic treatment. Replete with intoxicating detail and depth, the collectible reissue zeroes in on the music's crux — Withers' unique, rich, West Virginia-accented voice — while clearing a true-to-the-source path to the extraordinary backing he receives from members of the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe diverse spectrum of colors, textures, and tones Withers captured at the Record Plant can now be experienced for the first time outside the L.A. studio. And the lifelike presence and directness of his singing, as well as the smooth glide of his phrasing, further elevate the magnificence of the music and underscore why the record\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eRolling Stone\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003enamed the 303rd Greatest Album of All Time continues to escalate in stature.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter rising into the Top 5 of the Billboard Album charts and attaining gold status within a year of release,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eStill Bill\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ehas long been evaluated not by sales — but according to its merit, spirit, and agelessness. Included by The Guardian on its \"1,000 Albums to Year Before You Die\" list (2007) as well as in Tom Moon's 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die book (2008), its contemporary standing as one of history's most venerated soul efforts eclipses the positive reception it enjoyed in the early ‘70s.\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eStill Bill\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ewalks the same hallowed ground as\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eWhat's Going On\u003c\/em\u003e,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eCall Me\u003c\/em\u003e,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eNight Beat\u003c\/em\u003e, and\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eGenius + Soul = Jazz\u003c\/em\u003e. Like those landmarks,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eStill Bill\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eplays with a mix of consistency, effortlessness, and complexity that rewards repeat listening and transcends categorization.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn combining four of the era's predominant styles — Philly soul, sweaty funk, Southern-reared blues, acoustic-based folk — and melding them with standout production borrowed from both minimalist affairs and sophisticated singer-songwriter albums,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eStill Bill\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003eoccupies a distinct universe. Its rhythmic fare is equally laidback and invigorating; relaxing and rollicking; eloquent and muscular; soft and tough. Withers' calm, self-assured voice hovers above it all, doubling as a warm blanket that adds comfort and grace to lyrics steeped in maturity, perspective, and compassion. Withers' balanced outlook on human desires, needs, and situations stem from his own existence as a former blue-collar employee who believed his time as a musician would soon end. That grounding forever separates Withers from other contemporary soul greats — and stamps\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eStill Bill\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ewith a conversational nature and egoless approachability.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"I mean look, I'm really a factory worker,\" said Withers in 1972. \"That's a real job.\" There's that word again: real. The songs on\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eStill Bill\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003eare tethered to modesty and actuality, wedded to a belief in simplicity, and connected to universal truths that link us all — independent of our economic or social standing. No track better exemplifies those principles than \"Lean on Me,\" a feel-good paean to brotherhood and community that hit No. 1 on the pop and R\u0026amp;B charts en route to becoming a mainstream staple.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWithers approaches the plainspoken insight on \"Lonely Town, Lonely Street\" and heartbreaking vulnerability of \"I Don't Want You on My Mind\" with similar sincerity and straightforwardness. His proclivity for authenticity extends to the record's other big hit: the sexual, funk-laden \"Use Me,\" which reached No. 2 and reflects the singer's everyman persona. It's an identity couched in keeping it real, the very inclination that ultimately led Withers to retire in the mid-'80s rather than bend to industry pressures or risk credibility.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat commitment to truthfulness and realism helps make\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eStill Bill\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003efeel as unaffected as the air we breathe. Looking back on \"Lean on Me\" years later, Withers said it seemed like \"something that was there before I got here\" — the kind of song that could be 100 or 10 years old, or one we encounter anew 10 years into the future. The same can be said for every note on\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eStill Bill\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BILL WITHERS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49367329865972,"sku":null,"price":65.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0395\/2040\/3623\/files\/CMOB_2268_SA__194450__05132025025656-6227.jpg?v=1789113432","url":"https:\/\/grevillerecords.com.au\/products\/bill-withers-still-bill-mobile-fidelity-sacd","provider":"GrevilleRecords","version":"1.0","type":"link"}