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Timmy Thomas - Why Can’t We Live Together
…I’ll tell you why Tim, because you you dress like a creepoid, I’m not into dudes and your albums, as a whole, aren’t very good. In 1972 Thomas gave us this single “Why Can’t We Live Together”, which at the time was, I suppose, a fair question. But when the proper full album came out two years later… [insert foghorn emoticon here]. And the few LP’s that followed that? Yikesies!
That said, this track is a fantastic little jam that Thomas originally intended as a demo - using just a simple rhythm machine for percussion, Hammond organ and Thomas’s sweet, sweet vocals. Upon hearing this demo his producer wanted to re-cut the tune with a full band but then reconsidered and chose to leave the recording as is. A good thing I suppose as it went on to reach number one on the R&B chart in 1973. While this track is rumored to be one of the cheapest top ten hits ever made, and his suit was clearly made from some of the cheapest fabric ever sold, and his albums were complete ass, Thomas did spend time as an organ player and accompanist for Byrd and Cannonball Adderley, so a DDLD tip of the hat for that.
While this tune was covered by Sade in 1984, and Joan Osborne and Steve Winwood in 2005, what I find most interesting are the similarities, musically, between “Why Can’t We Live Together” and Yo La Tengo’s “Tired Hippo”, from 2000’s And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out. I’ll assume you have that album, so check it out.
