Fans of Otis Redding have twice the reason to celebrate this holiday season with the release of two separate products celebrating The King of Soul's output in 1966.
First up, Rhino is reissuing Complete & Unbelievable...The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul as a double-disc set. Joe filled us in on this release back in August, but here's a refresher: This album, Otis' fifth and final released before his tragic passing the following year, is Memphis soul par excellence, recorded with an all-star lineup of session men that included Booker T. & The MG's, the Memphis Horns and Isaac Hayes on piano. The album was bolstered by two Top 30 hits, "Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)" and his yearning, classic take on "Try a Little Tenderness." Hailed by Jon Landau as "the finest record ever to come out of Memphis and certainly the best example of modern soul ever recorded," The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul was ranked on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time in 2003.
This double-disc release includes both original mono and stereo mixes of the album, five B-sides and outtakes and three cuts from the following year's Live in Europe (1967). A new vinyl pressing of the album, featuring both mixes of the album and a bonus 7" replicating the original "Try a Little Tenderness" single with its B-side "I'm Sick Y'all," will also be available, Look for them both on October 7.
Two weeks later, Concord and Stax will release a killer six-disc box set, Live At The Whisky A Go Go: The Complete Recordings. For the first time, all seven of Redding's electrifying sets on the Sunset Strip from Friday, April 8 to Sunday, April 10, 1966 will be featured in one package. First excerpted on an album within the year after his passing, these shows marked some of Redding's first crossover success with white rock audiences. Robby Krieger of The Doors and Bob Dylan (who offered "Just Like a Woman" to Redding) were in attendance, and the shows earned accolades in The Los Angeles Times, further establishing the 24-year-old singer as a force to be reckoned with.
"Redding's wild vocal riffing and interplay with the uninhibited horns remain exciting today especially on the multiple performances of "Satisfaction," which will make you think Otis wrote it himself," Joe wrote in a 2010 review of Stax's Live on the Sunset Strip, which featured some of the latter sets in full. "[He] sounds proud growling as he introduces 'something new,' the song 'Good to Me,' and tortured during 'Just One More Day' in its two performances. Even when swaggering through a gritty, improvised Southern soul workout, Otis' voice embodied heartache."
Live At The Whisky A Go Go features six discs of uncut performances, newly remixed from the original four-track elements. The box is rounded out by new liner notes by journalist Lynell George and producer Bill Bentley plus a poster. Get it all October 21.
Check out full order links and details below!
Complete and Unbelievable...The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul: 50th Anniversary Edition (Rhino R2 555965, 2016)
2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Disc 1: Mono album and bonus tracks
- Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)
- I'm Sick Y'all
- Tennessee Waltz
- Sweet Lorene
- Try a Little Tenderness
- Day Tripper
- My Lover's Prayer
- She Put the Hurt on Me
- Ton of Joy
- You're Still My Baby
- Hawg for You
- Love Have Mercy
- You Left the Water Running
- Trick or Treat
- Loving by the Pound (Take 1)
- Don't Mess with Cupid
- Try a Little Tenderness (Take 1, Stereo)
Disc 2: Stereo album and bonus tracks
- Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)
- I'm Sick Y'all
- Tennessee Waltz
- Sweet Lorene
- Try a Little Tenderness
- Day Tripper
- My Lover's Prayer
- She Put the Hurt on Me
- Ton of Joy
- You're Still My Baby
- Hawg for You
- Love Have Mercy
- Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song) (Live in Europe - March 1967)
- Day Tripper (Live in Europe - March 1967)
- Try a Little Tenderness (Live in Europe - March 1967)
Disc 1, Tracks 1-12 released as Volt album 415, 1966
Disc 1, Track 13 released as Stone Records single 209-A, 1976
Disc 1, Tracks 14-15 and 17 released on Remember Me (Stax SCD-8752-2, 1992)
Disc 1, Track 16 released as Volt single 136-B, 1966
Disc 2, Tracks 1-12 released as Volt album S-415, 1966
Disc 2, Tracks 13-15 released on Live in Europe (Volt S-416, 1967)
Live At The Whisky A Go Go: The Complete Recordings (Stax/Concord, 2016)
Disc 1: Friday, April 8, 1966 - Set 1/Set 2 (Part 1 *)
- Introduction
- I Can't Turn You Loose
- Pain in My Heart
- Good to Me
- Just One More Day
- Pitiful
- (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
- I'm Depending on You *
- I've Been Loving You Too Long *
- Good to Me *
- Security *
- Respect *
Disc 2: Friday, April 8, 1966 - Set 2 (Part 2)
- Just One More Day
- (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
- Any Ole Way
- These Arms of Mine
- I Can't Turn You Loose
- Pain in My Heart
- Good to Me
- (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction (Reprise)
Disc 3: Saturday, April 9, 1966 - Set 1
- Introduction
- Pitiful
- Good to Me
- Respect
- Just One More Day
- I Can't Turn You Loose
- Ole Man Trouble
- (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
Disc 4: Saturday, April 9, 1966 - Sets 2 & 3 (*)
- Introduction
- (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
- Any Ole Way
- I've Been Loving You Too Long
- I'm Depending on You
- I Can't Turn You Loose
- Introduction *
- Security *
- Just One More Day *
- These Arms of Mine *
- (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction *
- I Can't Turn You Loose *
- Chained and Bound *
- Respect *
Discs 5-6: Sunday, April 10, 1966 - Sets 1 & 2
- Introduction
- I'm Depending on You
- I Can't Turn You Loose
- (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
- Chained and Bound
- Just One More Day
- Any Ole Way
- I've Been Loving You Too Long
- (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction (Reprise)
- Introduction
- Destiny
- Security
- Good to Me
- Respect
- Chained and Bound
- Pitiful
- (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
- Ole Man Trouble
- I Can't Turn You Loose
- A Hard Day's Night
- These Arms of Mine
- Papa's Got a Brand New Bag
- (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
Portions of this set previously released as In Person At The Whisky A Go Go (ATCO SD-33265, 1968), Recorded Live (Previously Unreleased) (Atlantic SD-19346, 1982), Good to Me: Live At The Whisky A Go Go - Vol. 2 (Stax SCD24 8579-2, 1993) and Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul: Collector's Edition (Atlantic/Rhino R2 422140, 2008)
Disc 4, Tracks 8-14; Disc 5, Tracks 2-9 and Disc 6, Tracks 2-14 previously released on Live on the Sunset Strip (Stax STX-32046, 2010)
Mark says
Fun stuff to hear soon! Your description above says Friday, April 8 to Sunday, April 10, 1968 instead of Friday, April 8 to Sunday, April 10, 1966.