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,
tried to cash in by reissuing
as
Put It Where You Want It
. Although
offered different artwork, the two LPs aren't much different in terms of material.
"The Jugglers,"
which opened
, 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;
is essentially
with a new cover, a new title, and a new opening track -- and whatever you call this collection of pre-
material, it was an impressive start for
. So why isn't
-- or
, if you prefer -- as well known as their
recordings? It all comes down to marketing. Thanks to producer
Arif Mardin
,
AWB
received a much more aggressive promotional campaign than they got from
. Nonetheless,
'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
(aka
) is hardly
'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