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+'Justments
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May 2025
+ 'Justments Album Bill Withers Bill Withers - Justments 1974.jpg April 6, 1974 1974 Record Plant (Los Angeles, California) Dijobe Sound (Orange, California) Bill Withers' home Soul, funk 37:56 Sussex Bill Withers, Melvin Dunlap, James Gadson Live at Carnegie Hall 1973 Making Music 1975
Adjustments (stylized as +'Justments) is the third studio album by American soul singer-songwriter and producer Bill Withers. The album was released in April 6, 1974 through Sussex Records. It contains the hit single, "The Same Love That Made Me Laugh" (US #50, Canada #39), which charted during the spring of 1974.
Reception
AllMusic 3.5 5album r1712992 review Bill Withers: + 'Justments > Review Quint Kik 29 August 2011 Christgau's Record Guide B+Christgau Robert Robert Christgau 1981 Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies Ticknor & Fields 089919026X Consumer Guide '70s: W https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_chap.php?k=W&bk=70 March 22, 2019 robertchristgau.com
The album cover shows Withers writing the following explanation of the title:
Life like most precious gifts gives us the responsibility of upkeep. We are given the responsibility of arranging our own psyces to best benefit our survival. We have the choice of believing or not believing in things like God, friendship, marriage, love, lust or any number of simple but complicated things. We will make some mistakes both in judgement and in fact. We will help some situations and hurt some situations. We will help some people and hurt some people and be left to live with it either way. We must then make some adjustments, or as the old people back home would call them, "'JUSTMENTS".
The album features José Feliciano playing guitar on "Can We Pretend" and congas on "Railroad Man". Withers was a guest musician and composer on the 1973 Feliciano album Compartments.
Legal tussles between Withers and Sussex prevented further recording sessions until Columbia signed the singer a year later. Columbia bought Withers' back catalog, re-releasing his earlier hit records, but +'Justments was not reissued on CD until 2010.
Track listing
Bill Withers, except where noted You 5:18 The Same Love That Made Me Laugh 3:23 Stories 2:42 Green Grass 3:08 Ruby Lee Melvin Dunlap, Bill Withers 3:16 Heartbreak Road 3:06 Can We Pretend Denise Nicholas 3:47 Liza 3:02 Make a Smile for Me 3:14 Railroad Man Melvin Dunlap, Bill Withers 6:24
Personnel
Bill Withers – lead and backing vocals, guitar (2, 9), acoustic piano (4), electric piano (5, 6, 9)
Benorce Blackmon – guitar (1)
José Feliciano – guitar (7), congas (10)
Ray Jackson – electric piano (1, 2)
John Barnes – acoustic piano (1, 3), electric piano (4)
John Myles – electric piano (7, 8, 10), clavinet (10), string arrangements
Melvin Dunlap – bass (1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10)
James Gadson – drums (1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10)
Chip Steen – congas (5, 10)
Dorothy Ashby – harp (2, 3, 4, 7)
Production
Bill Withers – producer
Melvin Dunlap – producer
James Gadson – producer
Phil Schier – engineer
Bobby Thomas – engineer
Carl Overr – art direction
John Van Hamersveld – design
Norman Seeff – photography
Studios
Recorded at Record Plant (Los Angeles, CA) and Dijobe Sound (Orange, CA).
Mastered at Artisan Sound Recorders (Hollywood, CA).
Charts
Chart (1974) Peakposition Billboard Pop Albumsartist p5859/charts-awards/billboard-albums yes Bill Withers US albums chart history allmusic.com 2011-08-2967 Billboard Top Soul Albums7
Singles
Year Single Chart positionsartist p5859/charts-awards/billboard-singles yes Bill Withers US singles chart history allmusic.com 2011-08-29 Billboard Hot 100 Cash Box Top 100 USR&B RPM Magazine1974 "The Same Love That Made Me Laugh" 50 43 10 39 "You" — — 15 —1975 "Heartbreak Road" 89 — 13 —
External links
Bill Withers - + 'Justments at Discogs
References
Category:1974 albums
Category:Bill Withers albums
Category:Sussex Records albums