The Best of Bill Withers: Lean on Me

~ Release by Bill Withers (see all versions of this release, 3 available)

Tracklist

▼ CD 1
#TitleRatingLength
1Lovely Day
producer:
Clarence McDonald and Bill Withers
bass guitar:
Jerry Knight (in 1977)
drums (drum set) and shakers:
Russell Kunkel (in 1977)
guitar:
Ray Parker (in 1977)
keyboard:
Clarence McDonald (in 1977)
percussion:
Ralph MacDonald (in 1977)
lead vocals:
Bill Withers (in 1977)
arranger:
Clarence McDonald
concertmaster:
Charles Veal (violinist, conductor and arranger) (in 1977)
phonographic copyright (℗) by:
CBS, Inc. (US broadcasting company; file no releases here!) (in 1977) and Columbia Records (not for release label use! company owned by Sony Music Entertainment, only use for manufacturing/distribution and copyright holding) (in 1977)
part of:
The Rolling Stone Magazine’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time: 2021 edition (number: 402)
recording of:
Lovely Day (in 1977)
writer:
Skip Scarborough and Bill Withers
publisher:
Chappell Music Ltd., Chelsea Music Publishing Co., Ltd., Golden Withers Music, Plaid Flowers Music, Sweet Cookie Music, Unichappell Music, Inc., Warner–Tamerlane Publishing Corp. (publisher; do NOT use as release label), フジパシフィックミュージック, ヤマハミュージックエンタテインメントホールディングス (holding company – do not use as release label) and ワーナー・チャペル音楽出版 Synch事業部
4.754:12
2I Want To Spend The Night
producer:
Keni Burke and Bill Withers
bass guitar:
Keni Burke
drums (drum set):
Russell Kunkel
guitar:
Bill Withers
keyboard:
Dean Gant
percussion:
Ralph MacDonald
vocals:
Bill Withers
brass [horns] and strings arranger:
Paul Riser
concertmaster:
Charles Veal (violinist, conductor and arranger)
phonographic copyright (℗) by:
CBS, Inc. (US broadcasting company; file no releases here!) (in 1977)
recording of:
I Want to Spend the Night
lyricist and composer:
Bill Withers
publisher:
Golden Withers Music and フジパシフィックミュージック
3:40
3Let Me Be The One You Need
producer:
Keni Burke, Clarence McDonald and Bill Withers
bass guitar:
Keni Burke
congas and drums (drum set):
Russell Kunkel
keyboard:
Clarence McDonald
percussion:
Ralph MacDonald
vocals:
Bill Withers
brass [horns] and strings arranger:
Paul Riser
concertmaster:
Charles Veal (violinist, conductor and arranger)
phonographic copyright (℗) by:
CBS, Inc. (US broadcasting company; file no releases here!) (in 1977)
recording of:
Let Me Be the One You Need
writer:
Skip Scarborough and Bill Withers
publisher:
Golden Withers Music, Plaid Flowers Music, Sweet Cookie Music, Unichappell Music, Inc., Warner–Tamerlane Publishing Corp. (publisher; do NOT use as release label), フジパシフィックミュージック, ヤマハミュージックエンタテインメントホールディングス (holding company – do not use as release label) and ワーナー・チャペル音楽出版 Synch事業部
4:41
4Hello Like Before
producer:
Larry Nash (piano) and Bill Withers
phonographic copyright (℗) by:
Columbia Records (not for release label use! company owned by Sony Music Entertainment, only use for manufacturing/distribution and copyright holding) (in 1975)
recording of:
Hello Like Before
writer:
John Collins (Songwriter) and Bill Withers
5:26
5Tender Things
producer:
Clarence McDonald and Bill Withers
bass guitar:
Keni Burke
drums (drum set):
Russell Kunkel
guitar:
Ray Parker
keyboard:
Clarence McDonald
percussion:
Ralph MacDonald
vocals:
Bill Withers
arranger:
Clarence McDonald
concertmaster:
Charles Veal (violinist, conductor and arranger)
phonographic copyright (℗) by:
CBS, Inc. (US broadcasting company; file no releases here!) (in 1977)
recording of:
Tender Things
lyricist and composer:
Bill Withers
publisher:
Golden Withers Music and フジパシフィックミュージック
4:56
6I Wish You Well
recording of:
I Wish You Well
lyricist and composer:
Bill Withers
3:58
7Ain't No Sunshine
recording engineer:
Bill Halverson and Bill Lazarus
producer:
Booker T. Jones
mixer:
John Golden (mastering engineer)
acoustic guitar:
Stephen Stills
drums (drum set):
Al Jackson, Jr. (Booker T & The MGs drummer)
electric bass guitar:
Donald “Duck” Dunn (US bass guitarist, session musician, record producer & songwriter)
lead vocals:
Bill Withers
strings arranger:
Booker T. Jones
phonographic copyright (℗) by:
Columbia Records (not for release label use! company owned by Sony Music Entertainment, only use for manufacturing/distribution and copyright holding) (in 1972)
part of:
Rolling Stone Magazine’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time (as at 2016-06-10) (number: 280) and The Rolling Stone Magazine’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time: 2021 edition (number: 309)
recording of:
Ain’t No Sunshine (in 1971)
lyricist and composer:
Bill Withers
publisher:
EMI Music Publishing Ltd. (PRS‐affiliated) and EMI Songs Ltd.
4.452:03
8Grandma's Hands
recording engineer:
Bill Halverson and Bill Lazarus
producer:
Booker T. Jones
mixer:
John Golden (mastering engineer)
electric guitar:
Stephen Stills
lead vocals:
Bill Withers
arranger:
Booker T. Jones
recording of:
Grandma’s Hands (in 1971)
lyricist and composer:
Bill Withers
publisher:
Interior Music Corp.
42:00
9The Same Love That Made Me Laugh
recording of:
The Same Love That Made Me Laugh
lyricist and composer:
Bill Withers
publisher:
Interior Music Corp.
3:22
10Lean On Me
producer:
Benorce Blackmon (guitarist, producer, writer), Melvin Dunlap, James Gadson (American drummer), Ray Jackson (trombonist, pianist and arranger) and Bill Withers
drums (drum set) and percussion:
James Gadson (American drummer)
electric bass guitar:
Melvin Dunlap
electric guitar:
Benorce Blackmon (guitarist, producer, writer)
piano and lead vocals:
Bill Withers
Wurlitzer electric piano:
Ray Jackson (trombonist, pianist and arranger)
strings arranger:
Ray Jackson (trombonist, pianist and arranger)
phonographic copyright (℗) by:
Columbia Records (not for release label use! company owned by Sony Music Entertainment, only use for manufacturing/distribution and copyright holding) (in 1972)
part of:
Rolling Stone Magazine’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time (as at 2016-06-10) (number: 205) and The Rolling Stone Magazine’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time: 2021 edition (number: 236)
recording of:
Lean on Me (in 1972)
lyricist and composer:
Bill Withers
publisher:
EMI Music Publishing Ltd. (PRS‐affiliated), Interior Music Corp., Songs of Universal, Inc., Universal/MCA Music Ltd. (not for release label use!), シンコーミュージック・エンタテイメント and ユニバーサル・ミュージック・パブリッシング Synch事業部
4.34:17
11Harlem
recording engineer:
Bill Halverson and Bill Lazarus
producer:
Booker T. Jones
mixer:
John Golden (mastering engineer)
vocals:
Bill Withers
arranger:
Booker T. Jones
recording of:
Harlem
lyricist and composer:
Bill Withers
publisher:
Interior Music Corp.
43:22
12Use Me
engineer:
Bob Hughes (engineer) and Phil Sheer
producer:
Benorce Blackmon (guitarist, producer, writer), Melvin Dunlap, James Gadson (American drummer), Ray Jackson (trombonist, pianist and arranger) and Bill Withers
acoustic guitar:
Benorce Blackmon (guitarist, producer, writer)
clavinet and Wurlitzer electric piano:
Ray Jackson (trombonist, pianist and arranger)
drums (drum set) and percussion:
James Gadson (American drummer)
electric bass guitar:
Melvin Dunlap
lead vocals:
Bill Withers
phonographic copyright (℗) by:
Columbia Records (not for release label use! company owned by Sony Music Entertainment, only use for manufacturing/distribution and copyright holding) (in 1972)
recorded at:
Record Plant (aka “Record Plant” Los Angeles) in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States
recording of:
Use Me
lyricist and composer:
Bill Withers
publisher:
Interior Music Corp. (in 1972)
4.353:42
13Who Is She
producer:
Benorce Blackmon (guitarist, producer, writer), Melvin Dunlap, James Gadson (American drummer), Ray Jackson (trombonist, pianist and arranger) and Bill Withers
clavinet:
Ray Jackson (trombonist, pianist and arranger)
drums (drum set) and percussion:
James Gadson (American drummer)
electric bass guitar:
Melvin Dunlap
electric guitar:
Benorce Blackmon (guitarist, producer, writer)
lead vocals:
Bill Withers
strings arranger:
Ray Jackson (trombonist, pianist and arranger)
phonographic copyright (℗) by:
Columbia Records (not for release label use! company owned by Sony Music Entertainment, only use for manufacturing/distribution and copyright holding) (in 1972)
recording of:
Who Is He (And What Is He to You)?
writer:
Stanley McKenny and Bill Withers
3:12
14You Just Can't Smile It Away
engineer:
Ed Cherney and Keith Seppanen (Engineer)
producer:
Bill Withers
solo saxophone:
Ernie Watts (jazz and blues saxophonist)
synthesizer [synthesizer strings]:
Robbie Buchanan (Canadian producer)
synthesizer [Yamaha DX-7]:
Paul Smith (keyboardist/producer, worked with Bill Withers and Idris Muhammad)
background vocals:
Edie Lehman and Kate Markowitz
vocals:
Bill Withers
phonographic copyright (℗) by:
CBS, Inc. (US broadcasting company; file no releases here!) (in 1985)
recorded at:
Sunset Sound in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States and Yamaha R&D Recording Studios
recording of:
You Just Can’t Smile It Away
lyricist and composer:
Bill Withers
publisher:
フジパシフィックミュージック and Bleunig Music (from 1985 to present)
4:41
15Just The Two Of Us
producer:
Ralph MacDonald and Grover Washington, Jr.
drums (drum set):
Steve Gadd (drummer)
electric bass guitar:
Marcus Miller (jazz musician)
electric guitar:
Eric Gale
percussion:
Ralph MacDonald
Rhodes piano:
Richard Tee
saxophone:
Grover Washington, Jr.
lead vocals:
Bill Withers
phonographic copyright (℗) by:
Elektra/Asylum Records (not for release label use! copyrights holder, distributor within the US) (in 1980)
edit of:
Just the Two of Us (original studio mix) by Bill Withers & Grover Washington, Jr.
recording of:
Just the Two of Us (Bill Withers song) (from 1980-06 until 1980-07)
writer:
Ralph MacDonald, William Salter and Bill Withers
3.53:57
16Stepping' Right Along
engineer:
Keith Seppanen (Engineer)
producer:
Bill Withers
clavinet and synthesizer [Yamaha DX-7]:
Bill Withers
drums (drum set):
John Robinson (session drummer)
electronic drum set [Simmons], hi-hat, tambourine and tom-tom [toms]:
M.B. Gordy
guitar:
Joe Kelly (obscure disco artist)
percussion:
Paulinho da Costa (Brazilian percussionist)
synthesizer [Yamaha DX-7, pizzicato, horns]:
Paul Smith (keyboardist/producer, worked with Bill Withers and Idris Muhammad)
synthesizer [Yamaha DX-7, strings, voices] and vibraphone [vibes]:
Don Freeman
other vocals [Hots!]:
Denise Routt
vocals:
Bill Withers
phonographic copyright (℗) by:
CBS, Inc. (US broadcasting company; file no releases here!) (in 1985)
recorded at:
Yamaha R&D Recording Studios
recording of:
Steppin’ Right Along
lyricist and composer:
Bill Withers
publisher:
フジパシフィックミュージック and Bleunig Music (from 1983 to present)
5:42
17You Try To Find A Love
recording of:
You Try To Find a Love
lyricist:
Bill Withers
writer:
Michel Colombier (French score composer) and Bill Withers
composer:
Michel Colombier (French score composer)
publisher:
Michel Colombier Music, Victor Music Arts, フジパシフィックミュージック, Bleunig Music (from 1985 to present) and Coldeye Music (from 1985 to present)
5:42
18My Imagination
recording of:
My Imagination
lyricist and composer:
Bill Withers
4:54

Credits

Release group

artist & repertoire support:Steve Berkowitz (A&R executive at Sony. Also credited as reissue producer)