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.
Background and content
Bill 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]
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 BillboardTop 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 BillboardHot 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]
