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11248 - OTIS REDDING, THE KING OF SOUL, DISC ONE (2015)

OTIS REDDING
''THE KING OF SOUL, DISC ONE''
FEBRUARY 4 2014
276:05
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DISC ONE (63:16)
1 These Arms Of Mine 02:32 (Otis Redding)
2 Hey Hey Baby 02:43 (Otis Redding)
3 That's What My Heart Needs 02:38 (Otis Redding)
4 Mary's Little Lamb 02:38 (Otis Redding)
5 Pain In My Heart 02:22 (Naomi Neville)
6 Something Is Worrying Me 02:23 (Otis Redding, Phil Walden)
7 Come To Me 02:46 (Otis Redding, Phil Walden)
8 Don't Leave Me This Way 02:57 (Otis Redding, Phil Walden)
9 Security 02:32 (Otis Redding)
10 Chained And Bound 02:38 (Otis Redding)
11 Your One And Only Man 03:09 (Otis Redding)
12 That's How Strong My Love Is 02:22 (Roosevelt Jamison)
13 Mr. Pitiful 02:43 (Steve Cropper, Otis Redding)
14 A Woman, A Lover, A Friend 03:20 (Sidney Wyche)
15 Nothing Can Change This Love 03:01 (Sam Cooke)
16 It's Too Late 03:02 (Chuck Willis)
17 For Your Precious Love 02:54 (Arthur Brooks, Richard Brooks, Jerry Butler)
18 Home In Your Heart 02:03 (Otis Blackwell, Winfield Scott)
19 I've Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now) 02:57 (Jerry Butler, Otis Redding)
20 I'm Depending On You 02:28 (Otis Redding)
21 Respect 02:06 (Otis Redding)
22 Ole Man Trouble 02:35 (Otis Redding)
23 Change Gonna Come 04:13 (Sam Cooke)
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DISC TWO (73:44)
1 Shake 02:38 (Sam Cooke)
2 Satisfaction 02:51 (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards)
3 Down In The Valley 02:59 (Bert Berns, Solomon Burke, Babe Chivian, Joseph Martin)
4 My Girl 02:54 (William Robinson, Ronald White)
5 Rock Me Baby 03:36 (Joe Josea, B. B. King)
6 You Don't Miss Your Water 03:03 (William Bell)
7 I Can't Turn You Loose 02:41 (Otis Redding)
8 Just One More Day 03:30 (Steve Cropper, Otis Redding, McElvoy Robinson)
9 Any Ole Way 02:32 (Steve Cropper, Otis Redding)
10 It's Growing 02:49 (Warren Moore, William Robinson)
11 Cigarettes And Coffee 04:00 (Jerry Butler, Eddie Thomas, Jay Walker)
12 Chain Gang 03:02 (Charles Cooke, Sam Cooke)
13 Nobody Knows You (When You're Down And Out) 03:09 (Jimmie Cox)
14 Good To Me 03:50 (Julius Green, Otis Redding)
15 Everybody Makes A Mistake 03:22 (Eddie Floyd, Alvertis Isbell)
16 Just One More Day (Live, 1966) 05:26 (Steve Cropper, Otis Redding, McElvoy Robinson)
17 Mr. Pitiful (Live, 1966) 02:06 (Steve Cropper, Otis Redding)
18 (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction (Live, 1966) 04:36 (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards)
19 These Arms Of Mine (Live, 1966) 04:01 (Otis Redding)
20 Papa's Got A Brand New Bag (Live, 1966) 04:47 (James Brown)
21 Don't Mess With Cupid 02:29 (Steve Cropper, Eddie Floyd, Deanie Parker)
22 My Lover's Prayer 03:09 (Otis Redding)
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DISC THREE (64:38)
1 Try A Little Tenderness 03:20 (Jimmy Campbell, Reg Connelly, Harry Woods)
2 FA-FA-FA-FA-FA (Sad Song) 02:43 (Steve Cropper, Otis Redding)
3 I'm Sick Y'All 02:57 ((Steve Cropper, David Porter, Otis Redding)
4 Tennessee Waltz 02:57 (Pee Wee King, Rex Stewart)
5 Sweet Lorene 02:28 (Isaac Hayes, Alvertis Isbell, Otis Redding)
6 Day Tripper 02:31 (John Lennon, Paul McCartney)
7 You're Still My Baby 03:49 (Chuck Willis)
8 Hawg For You 03:30 (Otis Redding)
9 I Love You More Than Words Can Say 02:56 (Eddie Floyd, Booker T. Jones)
10 Let Me Come On Home 02:56 (Booker T. Jones, Al Jackson Jr, Otis Redding)
11 Open The Door 02:26 (Otis Redding)
12 Tramp (Otis and Carla) 03:03 (Lowell Fulsom, Jimmy McCracklin)
13 Knock On Wood (Otis and Carla) 02:51 (Steve Cropper, Eddie Floyd)
14 Let Me Be Good To You (Otis and Carla) 02:55 (Isaac Hayes, David Porter, Carl Wells)
15 Lovey Dovey (Otis and Carla) 02:36 (King Curtis, Ahmet Ertegun)
16 New Year's Resolution (Otis and Carla) 03:18 (Randle Catron, Mary Frierson, Willia Parker)
17 Ooh Carla, Ooh Otis (Otis and Carla) 02:36 (Alvertis Isbell, Otis Redding)
18 White Christmas 03:05 (Irving Berlin)
19 Merry Christmas Baby 02:28 (Lou Baxter, Johnny Moore)
20 Glory Of Love 02:53 (Billy Hill)
21 The Huckle-Buck 03:04 (Roy Alfred, Andy Gibson)
22 Tell The Truth 03:07 (Lowman Pauling)
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DISC FOUR (74:27)
1 Respect (Live, 1967) 03:43 (Otis Redding)
2 Can't Turn You Loose (Live, 1967) 03:28 (Otis Redding)
3 I've Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now) (Live, 1967) 04:07 (Jerry Butler, Otis Redding)
4 My Girl (Live, 1967) 02:42 (William Robinson, Ronald White)
5 Shake (Live, 1967) 02:32 (Sam Cooke)
6 FA-FA-FA-FA-FA (Sad Song) (Live, 1967) 04:04 (Steve Cropper, Otis Redding)
7 Try A Little Tenderness (Live, 1967) 05:07 (Jimmy Campbell, Reg Connelly, Harry Woods)
8 I've Got Dreams To Remember 03:15 (Otis Redding, Zelma Redding, Joe Rock)
9 Nobody's Fault But Mine 02:23 (Otis Redding)
10 Hard To Handle 02:18 (Alvertis Isbell, Allen Jones, Otis Redding)
11 Thousand Miles Away 02:11 (Otis Redding)
12 The Happy Song (Dum-Dum-De-De-De-Dum-Dum) 02:43 (Steve Cropper, Otis Redding)
13 A Waste Of Time 03:20 (Otis Redding)
14 Champagne And Wine 02:59 (Roy Johnson, Otis Redding, Allan Walden)
15 A Fool For You 02:58 (Ray Charles)
16 I'm A Changed Man 02:17 (Steve Cropper, Otis Redding)
17 Direct Me 02:18 (Steve Cropper, Otis Redding)
18 Love Man 02:19 (Otis Redding)
19 Look At That Girl 02:36 (Otis Redding)
20 Free Me 03:08 (Gene Lawson, Otis Redding
21 The Match Game 02:55 (David Porter, Otis Redding)
22 A Little Time 02:31 (Otis Redding)
23 Johnny's Heartbreak 02:33 (Arthur Alexander, Otis Redding)
24 Amen 03:03 (Traditional)
25 (Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay 02:45 (Steve Cropper, Otis Redding)
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REVIEW/AMG
Steve Leggett
Although his recording career only lasted five years, from 1962 through 1967 (seven studio albums in all), with his biggest hits coming in the last two years of that time, and his only number one, "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay," after his death, Otis Redding is still widely considered the greatest performer of the classic soul era, a designation he undoubtedly deserves. A dynamic performer and a more than competent songwriter ("Dock of the Bay," for instance, is a Redding original), he brought the energy and directness of gospel into the secular world with a fervor and passion that made his songs, and particularly his live versions of them, into gritty sermons on the joy, loss, pain, and yearning that attends being in love. It helped, too, that his backing outfit on most of his tracks was the great Stax Records house band the MG's, who knew how to punch in and stomp it and also when to lay back in a quiet storm behind him, and the band and Redding together were an unstoppable force. There have been plenty of Redding compilations over the years, with this one, The King of Soul, being yet another one, but it is distinctive for its breadth, tracking the arc of Redding's career through 92 tracks arranged chronologically over four discs, and because it also, particularly when covering the early years, includes mono mixes, which often carried more tightly focused punch than the stereo ones. Appearing during the 50th anniversary year of the release of Redding's debut album, Pain in My Heart, this set tells the story of the King of Soul as well as any other compilation out there. Everything essential is here, and with Otis Redding, it's pretty much all essential. He was that kind of artist.
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BIOGRAPHY/AMG
Richie Unterberger
One of the most influential soul singers of the 1960s, Otis Redding exemplified to many listeners the power of Southern "deep soul" -- hoarse, gritty vocals, brassy arrangements, and an emotional way with both party tunes and aching ballads. He was also the most consistent exponent of the Stax sound, cutting his records at the Memphis label/studios that did much to update R&B into modern soul. His death at the age of 26 was tragic not just because he seemed on the verge of breaking through to a wide pop audience (which he would indeed do with his posthumous number one single "[Sittin' On] The Dock of the Bay"). It was also unfortunate because, as "Dock of the Bay" demonstrated, he was also at a point of artistic breakthrough in terms of the expression and sophistication of his songwriting and singing.

Although Redding at his peak was viewed as a consummate, versatile showman, he began his recording career in the early '60s as a Little Richard-styled shouter. The Georgian was working in the band of guitarist Johnny Jenkins at the time, and in 1962 he took advantage of an opportunity to record the ballad "These Arms of Mine" at a Jenkins session. When it became an R&B hit, Redding's solo career was truly on its way, though the hits didn't really start to fly until 1965 and 1966, when "Mr. Pitiful," "I've Been Loving You Too Long," "I Can't Turn You Loose," a cover of the Rolling Stones' "Satisfaction," and "Respect" (later turned into a huge pop smash by Aretha Franklin) were all big sellers.

Redding wrote much of his own material, sometimes with the assistance of Booker T. & the MG's guitarist Steve Cropper. Yet at the time, Redding's success was primarily confined to the soul market; his singles charted only mildly on the pop listings. He was nonetheless tremendously respected by many white groups, particularly the Rolling Stones, who covered Redding's "That's How Strong My Love Is" and "Pain in My Heart." (Redding also returned the favor with "Satisfaction.")

One of Redding's biggest hits was a duet with fellow Stax star Carla Thomas, "Tramp," in 1967. That was the same year he began to show signs of making major inroads into the white audience, particularly with a well-received performance at the Monterey Pop Festival (also issued on record). Redding's biggest triumph, however, came just days before his death, when he recorded the wistful "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay," which represented a significant leap as far as examination of more intensely personal emotions. Also highlighted by crisp Cropper guitar leads and dignified horns, it rose to the top of the pop charts in early 1968.

Redding, however, had perished in a plane crash in Wisconsin on December 10, 1967, in an accident that also took the lives of four members from his backup band, the Bar-Kays. A few other singles became posthumous hits, and a good amount of other unreleased material was issued in the wake of his death. These releases weren't purely exploitative in nature, in fact containing some pretty interesting music, and little that could be considered embarrassing. What Redding might have achieved, or what directions he might have explored, are among the countless tantalizing "what if" questions in rock & roll history. As it is, he did record a considerable wealth of music at Stax, which is now available on thoughtfully archived reissues.
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