I was inspired by a great new documentary on Bill Withers called Still Bill. From his album of the same name, this week's mix begins with his "Lean On Me". Also on here is Big Daddy Kane's "Rap Summary (Lean On Me)" which samples the Withers song.
Bill Withers is also on here trading vocals with Billy Preston on Quincy Jones' cover of Stevie Wonder's "Superstition", with Stevie also guesting on harmonica. Quincy credits them on the album as "help by three beautiful brothers". Hard to argue with that description.
"If You Were My Woman" by The Ohio Players was not released until the recent reissue of the Pain album and is an interpolation of the Gladys Knight & The Pips hit "If I Were Your Woman". Both of them are on here.
The version of Johnny Cash's "I Still Miss Someone" on here is a 60s recording without the spare production and back-up singing of the original 50s version. By contrast, the version of Bob Dylan's "You're A Big Girl Now" is not the ornate album version from Blood On the Tracks, but the original demo version.
The rest: the a cappella version of "Strong Island" by J.V.C. F.O.R.C.E, Kristin Hersh's cover of Neil Young's "Like A Hurricane", Neil Young's droll "Roll Another Number (For The Road)", Ferlin Husky's tragic "Drunken Driver", the funky "If The Papes Come" by A Tribe Called Quest, the whimsical "Starfish And Coffee" by Prince, Al Green's devoted "Loving You", the bouncy "For Those Who Like To Groove" by Ray Parker Jr. & Raydio, a spare "stripped" version of The Jackson 5"s "I Want You Back" with Michael's vocals up front, the sweet "Nothing From Nothing" by French Coffey, Billy Paul's mystical "East" and Charlie Parker's gorgeous version of the standard "Dancing In the Dark".
