Use Me
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For My Friend
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Let Us Love
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Album: Live At Carnegie Hall (1973)

In the latest offering from my collection of “live” albums, I selected a double LP from the great Bill Withers. Everyone seems to have a soft spot for Bill. He’s indefatigably earnest, yet I believe if “Lean On Me” was released in 2009, it would be as big of a hit as it was in 1972.

Live At Carnegie Hall was recorded in the fall of that year, and Bill was at the height of his talents. You can feel the love from the crowd, and I couldn’t think of a classier venue for Bill’s honeyed voice, unabashed positivity, and laid-back groove. True heads will be pleased to hear that Bill’s touring band was The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band who, a few years prior, had a big hit of their own, “Express Yourself” (sampled in a huge N.W.A. song of the same title).

Leading off the LP is a track that was burning up the airwaves at the time he performed it, the classic “Use Me.” Bill slows down the groove a bit, but cranks up the intensity of his vocals. Lyrically, I think of Bill as a romantic, bohemian sort but in this song, he gets raw. Basically, it’s all about how this woman treats him like shit, but he puts up with it because the sex is on. You can hear everyone getting down, and Bill and The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band indulges them with a spirited reprise.

As “Lean On Me” will attest, Bill is one of the few R&B singers evolved enough to explore male-male friendships. In the bluesy work-in-progress (the first and second verses are the same), “For My Friend,” Bill and his buddy have said some “nasty things” to each other and unless one of them bites the bullet and apologizes, their friendship may be over. To my knowledge, this track was only released in this live version — a minor gem.

The final selection is “Let Us Love,” a plea from Bill to be show love to each other everyday, rather than just on Christmas or Easter. How nice.