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Otis Redding
The Definitive Collection 9½ ( 1992 )
Respect / Mr Pitiful / Love Man / (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction / Security / I Can't Turn You Loose / Shake / Hard To Handle / Tramp / Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song) / My Lover's Prayer / These Arms Of Mine / That's How Strong My Love Is / Cigarettes And Coffee / My Girl / A Change Is Gonna Come / I've Been Loving You Too Long / Try A Little Tenderness / Pain In My Heart / (Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay
Steve Cropper was a member of Booker T And The MG's, a more than accomplished funky instrumental group that appeared on numerous records both of their own, and in combination with a variety of soul singers. Steve Cropper co-writes 'Mr Pitiful', 'Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)' and 'Dock Of The Bay'. He also adds pretty nifty guitar work to a number of songs on this collection. Otis Redding made a reputation for himself through some blistering live shows. Interestingly, for those shows, he'd often use less celebrated musicians than the likes of Steve Cropper, but the results were no less impressive. Otis Redding was a performer, he performed, and understood performance. He gave his all. Apart from that, he wrote some damn great songs in his time. The aforementioned 'Mr Pitiful' swings, rocks and does things to your feet and heart. 'Satisfaction' is indeed the famous Jagger / Richards song. Plenty of horns feature on this Otis Redding version, and it's very entertaining! But god, this man wrote some songs. 'Hard To Handle'? You know, that song 'Hard To Handle'? The Black Crowes did a famous version. It's an Otis Redding composition. 'Respect'? You know, that Aretha Franklin song? Well, it's an Otis Redding song. The immortal and timeless 'Dock Of The Bay'? Yeah, you get the idea. The reflective 'Dock Of The Bay' became a huge hit for Otis in the aftermath of his death in a plane crash, December 1967. A lot of great soul singles from the Sixties featured great bass lines. The bass line in 'Dock Of The Bay' is subtle, distinctive and perfect. The vocal is mellow and relaxed. The vocal is more than just mellow and relaxed, there is a pure quality here, a richness that's hard to put into words. And besides, I dig the whistling section!
Otis Redding was equally at home writing and singing stunning emotional ballads such as 'These Arms Of Mine' as he was writing and singing the likes of 'I Can't Turn You Loose' which absolutely rocks - one hell of a groove. Fabulous drum sound, wonderful brass parts, great vocals.... don't ask for more. Otis sings the immortal 'My Girl' and does a damn fine job of it, but then, you should know that already. That's the problem reviewing a collection such as this. Songs so familiar next to other songs that should be so familiar, but possibly aren't as household as the likes of 'Respect', 'My Girl' or 'Hard To Handle'. 'Dock Of The Bay' closes this collection, a collection that was released to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the singers death. A couple of songs before that, we get 'I've Been Loving You Too Long'. Another timeless soul classic written by Otis - the sound of honey and gold, heartache and passion.
Share Your Views?
| Readers Comments otis@redding.pot this is indeed a great record! sitting on the dock of the bay was the song that changed my life completely; otis was one of the best musicians ever! |
this page last updated 18/05/07
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