Average White Band – Soul Searching

This album is literally iconic. There are no skips whatsoever.

For far too many people, Average White Band's catalog and legacy boil down to their seminal 1974 funk showdown, "Pick Up the Pieces." It's a great shame, as the Scotland outfit dropped a string of staples during their peak that are highly beloved in funk and classic soul. 1976's Soul Searching remains their apex. A mature and musically diverse work, Soul Searching found AWB blending a mix of sounds and influences that latched onto their ears into their patented funk style. Amid their head-bopping grooves and smooth soul jams, there's a greater jazz presence, in which the band's locked and in-the-pocket instrumental signatures they were known for venture off into loose, improvisational avenues. Given that soul music entered a new phase by the mid-'70s, AWB and noted producer Arif Mardin kept up with the times and settled into a more mellow, sophisticated sound that differed from the band's earlier work, suited for the late-night Quiet Storm crowd as well as the affluent young Black middle class that embraced the likes of George Benson, Quincy Jones, and Minnie Riperton. As usual, the band is thoroughly solid throughout, and the sincere vocal chemistry between Hamish Stuart and Alan Gorrie, while limited and thin in range, is made up for by excellent arrangements and production. Not to mention, this album is a solid demonstration of why Steve Ferrone is one of the greatest drummers to ever do it. What more can be said about this classic?

My original 1976 Presswell pressing of this gem is fine. It may be crackly for its age, but it still sounds spiffy. The mixing for this album was always interesting to me, as engineers went for a spacious, echo-y ambiance to add to the album's mellow, all-encompassing sound. On some songs, it works perfectly, and in other songs, it sucks some of the low-end, sounding a bit hollow. That could also be a cause of cramming six to five songs on each side. I'd eventually like for this album to be spread out on two separate 45-RPM discs and cut from the actual master tape to hear the production's maximum effect The 1993 Rhino remaster for this album (done by the great Bill Inglot and Ken Perry) sounds unfutzed and is comparable to the original vinyl.

As a hip-hop aficionado you can’t help but enjoy this funk monster because it contains the roots to so many stone cold
classic hip-hop joints. You’ll here traces of “Check the Rhime” by A Tribe Called Quest followed by the horns from Brand Nubian’s “Word is Bond” to name just a few bits of sampled gold raided from this treasure chest. Respect the architect and add this album to your collection.

I have a copy with

Matrix / Runout (Side A Runout): ST-A-763631-E WITH HELP FROM GEORGE DK (PR)
Matrix / Runout (Side B Runout): ST-A-763632-A AT/DK PR

and this edition's US-indicating while the run-out groove more matches https://www.discogs.com/Average-White-Band-Soul-Searching/release/1998855

Is it a variant of this or that ( https://www.discogs.com/Average-White-Band-Soul-Searching/release/1998855 )?

I have a copy with

Matrix / Runout (Side A Runout): ST-A-763631-E WITH HELP FROM GEORGE DK (PR)
Matrix / Runout (Side B Runout): ST-A-763632-A AT/DK PR

However, the labels are US-indicating ones of https://www.discogs.com/Average-White-Band-Soul-Searching/release/2584460

Is it a variant of this or that ( https://www.discogs.com/Average-White-Band-Soul-Searching/release/2584460 )?

Anyone else have this with the side A label from Led Zeppelin - 4 - SD7208?

Plays AWB but mislabelled.

Bought this record mainly for the song titles and wasn't disappointed. Really smooth vibes throughout whole album and you definitely can't hear these dudes are white.