the average white band / albums

When the Average White Band recorded their debut album, Show Your Hand, for MCA in 1973, they had yet to become well known. But their second album (and first for Atlantic) made them huge -- and in 1975, MCA tried to cash in by reissuing Show Your Hand as Put It Where You Want It. Although Put It Where You Want It offered different artwork, the two LPs aren't much different in terms of material. "The Jugglers," which opened Show Your Hand, was replaced with a new opener: the previously unreleased "How Can You Go Home." But except for the opening track, the two LPs contained the same material in the same order; Put It Where You Want It is essentially Show Your Hand with a new cover, a new title, and a new opening track -- and whatever you call this collection of pre-Atlantic material, it was an impressive start for the Average White Band. So why isn't Put It Where You Want It -- or Show Your Hand, if you prefer -- as well known as their Atlantic recordings? It all comes down to marketing. Thanks to producer Arif Mardin, AWB received a much more aggressive promotional campaign than they got from MCA. Nonetheless, AWB's truly hardcore, truly devoted fans speak highly of this album. They'll tell you that the band shows a great deal of promise on the gritty funk of "T.L.C." and "Put It Where You Want It" as well as softer items like "Show Your Hand" and the melancholy "Twilight Zone." While Put It Where You Want It (aka Show Your Hand) is hardly AWB's most famous album and didn't contain a major hit single, it was still a promising debut for the Scottish soul-funk outfit. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide