Recycled
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Album Summary
By 1977, Edgar Winter was a man who had been through the fire and come out the other side with something to prove, and 'Recycled' was his statement piece with the reconstituted White Trash outfit. Released on Blue Sky Records, the album found Winter leaning back into the gritty, horn-drenched soul and funk that had always been the heartbeat of the White Trash sound, even as the music landscape was shifting fast beneath everyone's feet. Produced during a period when the industry was wrestling with the rise of disco and the first tremors of punk, Winter and the band locked into a groove that felt both lived-in and urgent, capturing a raw, sweaty energy that spoke to late nights and hard miles on the road.
Reception
- The album received a modest commercial reception, finding its audience primarily among loyal fans of the White Trash sound rather than crossing over to mainstream chart success in any significant way.
- Critical response at the time was mixed, with some reviewers appreciating the band's commitment to soulful, horn-driven rock while others felt the record arrived at a moment when the market had moved in a different direction.
- The album did not produce a major breakthrough single, though tracks like 'Puttin' It Back' and 'Open Up' were noted by fans as strong examples of the band's live-wire energy preserved on wax.
Significance
- 'Recycled' stands as a testament to Edgar Winter's deep-rooted commitment to blue-eyed soul and funk-rock at a time when most artists were chasing trendier sounds, making it a document of artistic integrity over commercial calculation.
- The album captures a transitional moment in American rock history, sitting at the crossroads of Southern-inflected soul, hard rock, and the early stirrings of new wave, with the track 'New Wave' itself nodding knowingly to the changing times.
- As one of the later entries in the White Trash chapter of Edgar Winter's career, 'Recycled' preserves the horn-heavy, groove-forward ensemble sound that distinguished this band from the broader rock mainstream of the era.
Tracklist
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A1 Puttin' It Back —
4:08
-
A2 Leftover Love —
5:51
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A3 Shake It Off —
3:56
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A4 Stickin' It Out —
5:11
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A5 New Wave —
3:46
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B1 Open Up —
5:02
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B2 Parallel Love —
4:09
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B3 The In And Out Of Love Blues —
5:41
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B4 Competition —
7:31
Artist Details
Edgar Winter's White Trash was a smoking hot horn-driven rock and soul outfit put together by the albino Texas keyboard wizard Edgar Winter around 1970, rising up out of the same Beaumont, Texas blues roots that shaped his brother Johnny, and that group brought a raw, sweat-soaked fusion of rock, R&B, jazz, and gospel that hit the soul of anybody lucky enough to hear it. They carved out a wild and funky niche in the early '70s music scene at a time when rock was stretching its arms wide open, and their 1971 debut album along with the scorching live record *Roadwork* showed the world that Edgar wasn't just riding his famous brother's coattails — he was a force of nature all his own. White Trash never quite got the mainstream shine they deserved, but serious music lovers and those who caught them live knew they were witnessing something special, a bridge between the gritty soul of the South and the electrified energy of rock and roll that only a handful of acts ever pulled off with that kind of authenticity.
