Bill is a studio album by American country singer-songwriter Bill Anderson. It was released in July 1973 on MCA Records and was produced by Owen Bradley. It was Anderson's first studio album to be released on the MCA label after Decca Records merged with the label. It was also his twenty first studio recording to be released and only album project to be issued in 1973. The album included three singles, two of which became number one hits in either the United States and Canada. The album itself also would reach peak positions on national publication charts.
| Bill | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 1973 | |||
| Recorded | April 1973 | |||
| Studio | Bradley's Barn, Mt. Juliet, Tennessee | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Label | MCA | |||
| Producer | Owen Bradley | |||
| Bill Anderson chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Bill | ||||
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Background and content
editBill was recorded in April 1973 in Mount Juliet, Tennessee. The sessions were held specifically at Bradley's Barn, a studio owned by the album's producer, Owen Bradley. Anderson and Bradley had been collaborating on albums since Anderson's debut record was released in 1963. This would be his twenty first album all together.[2] The record consisted of 11 tracks.[3] Three of its tracks were written by Anderson. This included the single, "If You Can Live with It (I Can Live Without It)". Some of the album tracks were covers of songs previously recorded by other performers. Among these covers was "(Altogether Now) Let's Fall Apart", which was first made a hit single by Ronnie Milsap. The record also featured a cover of the pop track "Have You Seen Her". This song was first recorded by The Chi-Lites.[2]
Release and reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    |
Bill was released in July 1973 on MCA Records. It was Anderson's first album to be released under MCA after his previous label (Decca) merged with the company.[2] It was issued originally as a vinyl LP and as a cassette. Both formats featured tracks on both side of the record.[3][4] Bill peaked at number 15 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart in September 1973 after spending 14 weeks on the chart.[5] The album also included three singles released to radio in 1973. The first was "If You Can Live With It (I Can Live Without It)" in January 1973.[6] It peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart while also reaching number two on the RPM Country Singles chart in Canada.[7][8]
In June 1973, "The Corner of My Life" was issued as the second single.[6] Like its previous single, "The Corner of My Life" peaked at number two on the Billboard country chart.[9] Additionally, the single reached the top spot of the RPM country singles chart.[8] The third and final single release came with "World of Make Believe" in November 1973.[6] It became Anderson's first number one hit in the United States since 1969 when it reached the position in February 1974.[10] The song also topped the Canadian country chart around the same time.[8] In years following its release, Bill received a rating of 2.5 stars from Allmusic.[1]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "If You Can Live with It (I Can Live Without It)" | Bill Anderson | 2:43 |
| 2. | "Look How I Love You" | James Gilreath | 2:39 |
| 3. | "Home and Things" | Anderson | 2:45 |
| 4. | "Baby's Blue Again" | Jim Weatherly | 3:56 |
| 5. | "Number One" | Jerry Chesnut | 1:52 |
| 6. | "(All Together Now) Let's Fall Apart" | Johnny Koonse | 2:20 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Corner of My Life" | Anderson | 3:35 |
| 2. | "Gonna Shine It on Again" | Weatherly | 3:04 |
| 3. | "World of Make Believe" |
| 2:38 |
| 4. | "I Can't Mend It" | Ray Griff | 2:14 |
| 5. | "Have You Seen Her" | 2:08 |
Personnel
editAll credits are adapted from the liner notes of Bill.[2]
- Bill Anderson – lead vocals
- Hal Bauksbaum – photography
- Owen Bradley – record producer
Chart performance
edit| Chart (1973) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[11] | 15 |
Release history
edit| Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | July 1973 | Vinyl | MCA | [12] |
| United States | [2][3] | |||
| Cassette | [4] |
References
edit- ^ a b "Bill – Bill Anderson – Songs, Review, Credits". Allmusic. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Anderson, Bill (July 1973). "Bill (Liner Notes and Album Information)". MCA Records.
- ^ a b c d e "Bill Anderson – Bill (1973, Vinyl)". Discogs. August 18, 1973. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
- ^ a b c d "Bill Anderson – Bill (cassette version)". Discogs. August 18, 1973. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
- ^ "Bill chart history". Billboard. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
- ^ a b c Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
- ^ ""If You Can Live with It (I Can Live Without It)" chart history". Billboard. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
- ^ a b c "Search results for "Bill Anderson" – Country Singles". RPM. July 17, 2013. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
- ^ ""The Corner of My Life" chart history". Billboard. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
- ^ ""World of Make Believe" chart history". Billboard. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
- ^ "Bill Anderson Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
- ^ "Bill Anderson – Bill (Canadian release)". Discogs. August 18, 1973. Retrieved April 22, 2020.