So lucky to catch this wonderful documentary tonight and this song just blew me away.

This scene and the scene where he and is helping Kori record her song, were very touching. Kori has an awesome voice.

Yeah I've been watching this documentary for weeks now on OnDemand and I was moved by this scene. Bill is such a great person and his legacy speaks volumes. I've brought alot of his later albums after Still Bill, +Justments, and Making Music. Great stuff.

shorttrini said:

This scene and the scene where he and is helping Kori record her song, were very touching. Kori has an awesome voice.

Oh don't even start!!! My neighbors must have thought there was a wolf howling at this point.

very cool docu

very sad this thread is getting ignored

why the fuck dont more peeps worship at the feet of mr withers??

Bill wrote it for George Benson. On the first video, you can see Bill in the studio while the song is being recorded. If you buy the deluxe version of George's 2009 album, there is a DVD with some more interviews with musicians who participated on the album.

I can't wait to see the documentary.

George Benson did a "making of" the song, and they show Bill in the studio with them.

http://www.youtube.com/wa...re=related

I lost it at the end of Kori's "Blue Blues" when Bill tried to hide his tears. The whole film squeezed the water works out of me

It put alot of things in perspective when Bill admitted that he's a manic depressive, and it made me identify with him even more.

There're funny bits though,,,,,like his view on the word "sell out"

Harlepolis said:

I lost it at the end of Kori's "Blue Blues" when Bill tried to hide his tears. The whole film squeezed the water works out of me

It put alot of things in perspective when Bill admitted that he's a manic depressive, and it made me identify with him even more.

There're funny bits though,,,,,like his view on the word "sell out"

I just can't stop listening to thisc clip. The fact that an unheard gem such as this (while recorded by George Benson a few years ago) gives me hope for the future of music. This song in twenty years will be a standard sung by a by then old as dirt Chaka Khan and Patti Labelle. There's something creepy and yet comforting about that imagiine for me.

sosgemini said:

Harlepolis said:

I lost it at the end of Kori's "Blue Blues" when Bill tried to hide his tears. The whole film squeezed the water works out of me

It put alot of things in perspective when Bill admitted that he's a manic depressive, and it made me identify with him even more.

There're funny bits though,,,,,like his view on the word "sell out"

I just can't stop listening to thisc clip. The fact that an unheard gem such as this (while recorded by George Benson a few years ago) gives me hope for the future of music. This song in twenty years will be a standard sung by a by then old as dirt Chaka Khan and Patti Labelle. There's something creepy and yet comforting about that imagiine for me.

Funny you mentioned this.

In the DVD extras, he invited a couple of his friends like Jim Brown to his home studio and played a song he recorded about his dad, the song was 15 years old. Like his daughter said, he is obsessively engaged in the recording process, so you know he's sitting on a good collection of them, however, as the movie perfectly established, he seems - and for good reason - pretty cagey about releasing his music.

I just hope its not a case of revered dead genius, I would love for him to get revered for his new work while he's here with us.

[Edited 2/20/11 1:47am]

sosgemini said:

shorttrini said:

This scene and the scene where he and is helping Kori record her song, were very touching. Kori has an awesome voice.

Oh don't even start!!! My neighbors must have thought there was a wolf howling at this point.

Her voice stopped me in my tracks, when I first heard it. It has a haunting quality, about it.

Good doc also felt when he said he was manic depressive. I said to myself that's why like many of his songs make me cry cause you can really feel him.

Love this doc! Just caught it the other day on one of the cable channels. Very informative, inspiring and moving. When I see stuff like this it's hard for me not to reflect on the current state of "popular" music and so called celebrity's and artists of today.

I think this should be required viewing for every popular "artist" out there today. Period.

Bfunkthe1 said:

Love this doc! Just caught it the other day on one of the cable channels. Very informative, inspiring and moving. When I see stuff like this it's hard for me not to reflect on the current state of "popular" music and so called celebrity's and artists of today.

I think this should be required viewing for every popular "artist" out there today. Period.

Harlepolis said:

sosgemini said:

I just can't stop listening to thisc clip. The fact that an unheard gem such as this (while recorded by George Benson a few years ago) gives me hope for the future of music. This song in twenty years will be a standard sung by a by then old as dirt Chaka Khan and Patti Labelle. There's something creepy and yet comforting about that imagiine for me.

Funny you mentioned this.

In the DVD extras, he invited a couple of his friends like Jim Brown to his home studio and played a song he recorded about his dad, the song was 15 years old. Like his daughter said, he is obsessively engaged in the recording process, so you know he's sitting on a good collection of them, however, as the movie perfectly established, he seems - and for good reason - pretty cagey about releasing his music.

I just hope its not a case of revered dead genius, I would love for him to get revered for his new work while he's here with us.

[Edited 2/20/11 1:47am]

Yeah, definitely. I wish he'd put some stuff out on one of the smaller labels, or find some way of releasing music in a more direct way (in download form, say), without having to come up against some of the aspects of the business that've burned him so badly in the past. I thought both 'A Telephone Call Away' and 'Mi Amigo Cubano' were really good and if he's got stuff of that quality in his 'vault', he's certainly got something worth parting with cash for. Like you say, it'd be a shame if it only comes out when he passes.

sosgemini said:

So lucky to catch this wonderful documentary tonight and this song just blew me away.

This scene was a real high point of the documentary for me, too - and it's sweet when you see him giving her some heartfelt praise for her singing afterwards.

The other scene that sticks in my mind is when he's playing back 'Mi Amigo Cubano' for the cameras. He seems so subdued and stoical for most of the film, but there you see him really come alive with enthusiasm, and it was great to see his passion for his art coming through. The slightly sad thing about it, though, is that whole behaviour is consistent with the kind of depression a lot of great musicians and artists seem to have, where they have the blinding highs and bursts of creativity (his wife mentioned that he's up all hours when he's working on something), but then the troughs kick-in after that. For the lucky ones, I guess perhaps they even out.

deebee said:

sosgemini said:

So lucky to catch this wonderful documentary tonight and this song just blew me away.

This scene was a real high point of the documentary for me, too - and it's sweet when you see him giving her some heartfelt praise for her singing afterwards.

The other scene that sticks in my mind is when he's playing back 'Mi Amigo Cubano' for the cameras. He seems so subdued and stoical for most of the film, but there you see him really come alive with enthusiasm, and it was great to see his passion for his art coming through. The slightly sad thing about it, though, is that whole behaviour is consistent with the kind of depression a lot of great musicians and artists seem to have, where they have the blinding highs and bursts of creativity (his wife mentioned that he's up all hours when he's working on something), but then the troughs kick-in after that. For the lucky ones, I guess perhaps they even out.

It really depends on what even out is and nobody would tell me. I would love to meet a drug-free manic depressive who has the ability to even out so they could tell me their secret.

The film is a real emotional roller coaster. The part where he said that he tries not to dwell on his comfort zone - that hit me like a brick, because thats the story of my adult life. And the part where he said "I'd like to know how it feels for my desperation to get louder". Whew! Heavy stuff.

Harlepolis said:

deebee said:

This scene was a real high point of the documentary for me, too - and it's sweet when you see him giving her some heartfelt praise for her singing afterwards.

The other scene that sticks in my mind is when he's playing back 'Mi Amigo Cubano' for the cameras. He seems so subdued and stoical for most of the film, but there you see him really come alive with enthusiasm, and it was great to see his passion for his art coming through. The slightly sad thing about it, though, is that whole behaviour is consistent with the kind of depression a lot of great musicians and artists seem to have, where they have the blinding highs and bursts of creativity (his wife mentioned that he's up all hours when he's working on something), but then the troughs kick-in after that. For the lucky ones, I guess perhaps they even out.

It really depends on what even out is and nobody would tell me. I would love to meet a drug-free manic depressive who has the ability to even out so they could tell me their secret.

The film is a real emotional roller coaster. The part where he said that he tries not to dwell on his comfort zone - that hit me like a brick, because thats the story of my adult life. And the part where he said "I'd like to know how it feels for my desperation to get louder". Whew! Heavy stuff.

I was trying to end on a vaguely positive note! Yes, you're right: 'even out' is too strong and doesn't reflect people's experience of things. I suppose, put starkly, I just mean that they manage to stay alive, first and foremost; that they find some kind of ways for getting through the troughs, when they hit. (And perhaps even manage to keep reaping at least some fruits from the creative highs, along the way.) What I was thinking about was how many musicians (not to mention how many people in everyday life) are, sadly, consumed by their demons and we end up losing before their time, through a whole host of vices. It's something to be grateful for when people manage to find a way to stay in the game - present company included.

deebee said:

Harlepolis said:

It really depends on what even out is and nobody would tell me. I would love to meet a drug-free manic depressive who has the ability to even out so they could tell me their secret.

The film is a real emotional roller coaster. The part where he said that he tries not to dwell on his comfort zone - that hit me like a brick, because thats the story of my adult life. And the part where he said "I'd like to know how it feels for my desperation to get louder". Whew! Heavy stuff.

I was trying to end on a vaguely positive note! Yes, you're right: 'even out' is too strong and doesn't reflect people's experience of things. I suppose, put starkly, I just mean that they manage to stay alive, first and foremost; that they find some kind of ways for getting through the troughs, when they hit. (And perhaps even manage to keep reaping at least some fruits from the creative highs, along the way.) What I was thinking about was how many musicians (not to mention how many people in everyday life) are, sadly, consumed by their demons and we end up losing before their time, through a whole host of vices. It's something to be grateful for when people manage to find a way to stay in the game - present company included.

Point taken

Slap me and call me a fool. How could I have ignored this man's back catelog? Sweet Jehovah, help me!!!

Wow, I watched this documentary as well. Love Bill Withers. My favorite songs of his is "Who is and What is He to You" , "Grandma's Hands", just to name a few. Great songwriter. I never get tired of his music. His vocals to his songs make you "feel" the words. The only other artist of Bill's time whose songs made me feel that way is "Al Green". Bill's daughter's voice is beautiful too, and I like her song "Blue Blues". She definitely has her father's talent.

[Edited 2/21/11 13:49pm]

silverchild said:

I'll be yet another person singing the praises of that scene in the studio with his daughter that follows the scene with her singing so beautifully across the room with him at the piano.

He turns and briefly cries and, I don't know how true this is, but it came across to me as perhaps his first major realization of seeing and hearing at least part of his former self. The guy who was a musical legend and still had some “show-off steroids”. And this was given even more poignancy in hearing from his daughter earlier that he had been more of a balanced critic with her throughout her life, rather than a doting father. In other words, he apparently wasn't one for false praise.

That made me sit up on the couch in awe. It also made it easier to keep from choking on my emotion.

Travelgal said:

silverchild said:

Yeah I've been watching this documentary for weeks now on OnDemand and I was moved by this scene. Bill is such a great person and his legacy speaks volumes. I've brought alot of his later albums after Still Bill, +Justments, and Making Music. Great stuff.

(Attempting to look as cool as Mr.James Gadsen? The drummer on a number of his works) Just brought CDs online and did not find +Justment can you direct me where to go Thank you my brother

Amazon.com is the place to go...and they have it cheap too!

http://www.amazon.com/Jus...amp;sr=8-1

Great album!

silverchild said: