Otis Redding should be a household name to all music fans, let's be honest. If it's not for you, do yourself a favor and get this album, Otis Blue.
This album has so many great songs on it. I was surprised song after song after song. It's mostly cover songs, including songs by the Rolling Stones "Satisfaction," The Temptations "My Girl," a few Sam Cooke songs, and a bunch of others. Although most of the songs are covers, there is also a small handful of Otis Redding originals that will make your soul groove.
The most popular Otis Redding song on this album is probably one that not many know he actually wrote. Even I was surprised. "Respect" was written by Mr. Redding, but it was made insanely popular by the one and only Aretha Franklin. I know Aretha's version much better so Otis' kind of caught me off guard. The original version doesn't have the "R-E-S-P-E-C-T" part or (my favorite part) the "sock it to me! sock it to me! sock it to me!"s. It almost feels like an entirely different song without Aretha's touch, but it's still got just as much soul as can be.
Otis Blue is definitely an album from this list that I will listen to many more times. I've always known Otis Redding from random hits of his, but this is the first time I've listened to a full Redding album front to back. I'll definitely have to jump around to some of his other records and give those a spin too.
Dad's Take:
It's a shame that most people today know Otis Redding for one incredible song. By the time he recorded "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" just before his death in 1967, Redding had been around for about seven years, and had become a legend of black music, crossing over to white audiences. "Dock of the Bay" is a great song, but it doesn't even come close to showing how much emotion Redding could put into a song.
Otis Redding had a great voice and could deliver a great song with as much soul as James Brown and the other greats. Redding was a superstar, and this album shows why. Brad already talked about "Respect." One of my personal favorites is the highly emotional ballad, "A Change Is Gonna Come." Very few songs have ever been this soulful. And many of those that are were performed by Otis Redding. Some are right here on this record. I dare you to try to do anything but listen when Redding sings "I've Been Loving You Too Long." That song demands your full attention, grabs your guts, twists them, and doesn't let go. I also really like "Shake," even if it is maybe a little too reminiscent of "Twisting the Night Away."
Like most albums of the time, there's a lot of filler here, especially cover versions. But even when he's performing more pop-oriented soul tunes like "My Girl" and "What A Wonderful World," and even the Stones' "Satisfaction," Redding is a great singer. I like him best when he dives deep into old-school soul like "Rock Me Baby," but it's difficult for him to do anything I don't like. At the end of the album, I really want to give him a drink of water, since he misses it so much, but even though "You Don't Miss Your Water" kind of makes me laugh, it's still a great song and a brilliant bit of soul singing.
If you only know Otis Redding for "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay," go out and find more of his music. This album is a great place to start, but you can pick just about any album you want. Otis Redding is one of the true greats of soul music, one of three (including James Brown and Sam Cooke) to have been given the title "The King of Soul." Those other two are in good company with him.
No comments:
Post a Comment