51. The Dictionary of Soul - Otis Redding
Hi there! I just pressed play and was greeted by the Memphis Horns putting out that sweet Stax Records sound. Unsurprisingly, Otis is backed by Booker T and the MGs, which is a recipe for a fine album (in my humble opinion). Remember how much we enjoyed "Otis Blue"? Of course you do, how could nineteen other fantastic albums erase that one from our memory? This album followed up on the success of "Otis Blue" and a crossover concert at the Whiskey a Go Go which brought the Soul sound to the west coast and opened the ears of a predominantly white audience. Sadly, this was to be his last solo offering prior to his death. Redding was killed in a plane crash just after recording his famous song "(Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay". It's a sad and all too familiar story. But he released this album, and we are going to listen to it, so lets get down to business.
"Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)" leads off the album with the aforementioned horns. The bass player, Donald "Duck" Dunn stands out and holds down the rhythm like a railway spike, and Otis takes charge and sings beautifully. "I'm Sick Y'all" sticks to the formula with horns and bass a plenty. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
The next tune is a cover of "Tennessee Waltz". The piano takes the forefront, and Otis is powerful in his delivery and he sounds like he is in distress. Now, why might that be? Well, I just looked at the lyrics, which were previously unknown to me. His buddy stole his girl... no wonder he sounds like he's going to have a nervous breakdown. It's a nice tune however, despite the upsetting circumstances contained within. Actually, I have to admit, I like the song more now that I know what he's singing about.
A split second after that song ends, "Sweet Lorene" begins with a blast from the horns. He misses her something fierce, I'm guessing from the words of the song. Next up is another cover song, "Try a Little Tenderness", which is his second biggest song, after "Dock of the Bay". It starts out slowly and builds up into a crescendo where he starts to spit out syllables like James Brown. It sounds great and the passion comes through. This song, although possibly not this version, was used in the movies. Donkey from Shrek gives it a nod; Nuke Laloosh in Bull Durham butchers it with his guitar, earning him a lecture from Kevin Costner; and probably most famously, Ducky does his dance number in Pretty in Pink. There may be more examples, but those are the ones that came to mind off the top of my head. Finally, Jay Z and Kanye West sampled this tune in a tribute to Otis.
Side One ends with a cover of "Day Tripper" by the Beatles. They give it the soul treatment and it works perfectly.
Side Two starts with three tunes penned by Redding himself, beginning with "My Lover's Prayer". The horns start it off, and it sounds so familiar, but it may just be the Stax sound. "She Put the Hurt on Me" is an uptempo soul tune, continuing in the same vein. I find that these songs are all variations on the same theme, a fantastically tight band backing up a dynamic and expressive singer.
Having said that, "Ton of Joy" is less straight ahead, with a repeating, almost droning bass rhythm, and relatively subdued horns. Those clever guys shook it up a bit to keep us interested. It is still unmistakably a Stax recording, but it sounds a little different than some of the previous trax. (See what I did there? I can be clever too.)
"You're Still My Baby" is a Chuck Willis tune, and takes us back to the format, with interesting guitar parts that almost seem not to fit into the tune. They are a little jarring after all of the slick sounding soul we have been treated to thus far. Please don't misunderstand me. I'm sure Mr. Cropper intended for it to sound exactly that way, it just stuck out in the mix. "Hawg for You" is a blues tune that ends with some interesting vocals on the fade out. Last up is "Love Have Mercy" which begins with another interesting set of chords that sound momentarily discordant. Seconds later we are off on another Soul explosion. This one moves along nicely and is broken up by those chords again. The verse seems so smooth in comparison. There is some nice drumming in the break and it builds towards the end and then fades out and the album ends.
I could listen to this record over and over. The sound is fairly consistent throughout, and you don't have to spend a lot of energy picking out wheat and chaff, 'cause it's all wheat, baby. The playing is so tight and the arrangements are well thought out, so it just flows once it is on. I can't think of a standout track, although "Tenderness" is arguably the big song on the album. My advice for this one is to hit play, and relax for thirty six minutes and fifteen seconds. Chicks dig Otis too.
Rolling Stone Magazine placed this album at Number 251 on the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time"
"Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)" leads off the album with the aforementioned horns. The bass player, Donald "Duck" Dunn stands out and holds down the rhythm like a railway spike, and Otis takes charge and sings beautifully. "I'm Sick Y'all" sticks to the formula with horns and bass a plenty. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
The next tune is a cover of "Tennessee Waltz". The piano takes the forefront, and Otis is powerful in his delivery and he sounds like he is in distress. Now, why might that be? Well, I just looked at the lyrics, which were previously unknown to me. His buddy stole his girl... no wonder he sounds like he's going to have a nervous breakdown. It's a nice tune however, despite the upsetting circumstances contained within. Actually, I have to admit, I like the song more now that I know what he's singing about.
A split second after that song ends, "Sweet Lorene" begins with a blast from the horns. He misses her something fierce, I'm guessing from the words of the song. Next up is another cover song, "Try a Little Tenderness", which is his second biggest song, after "Dock of the Bay". It starts out slowly and builds up into a crescendo where he starts to spit out syllables like James Brown. It sounds great and the passion comes through. This song, although possibly not this version, was used in the movies. Donkey from Shrek gives it a nod; Nuke Laloosh in Bull Durham butchers it with his guitar, earning him a lecture from Kevin Costner; and probably most famously, Ducky does his dance number in Pretty in Pink. There may be more examples, but those are the ones that came to mind off the top of my head. Finally, Jay Z and Kanye West sampled this tune in a tribute to Otis.
Side One ends with a cover of "Day Tripper" by the Beatles. They give it the soul treatment and it works perfectly.
Side Two starts with three tunes penned by Redding himself, beginning with "My Lover's Prayer". The horns start it off, and it sounds so familiar, but it may just be the Stax sound. "She Put the Hurt on Me" is an uptempo soul tune, continuing in the same vein. I find that these songs are all variations on the same theme, a fantastically tight band backing up a dynamic and expressive singer.
Having said that, "Ton of Joy" is less straight ahead, with a repeating, almost droning bass rhythm, and relatively subdued horns. Those clever guys shook it up a bit to keep us interested. It is still unmistakably a Stax recording, but it sounds a little different than some of the previous trax. (See what I did there? I can be clever too.)
"You're Still My Baby" is a Chuck Willis tune, and takes us back to the format, with interesting guitar parts that almost seem not to fit into the tune. They are a little jarring after all of the slick sounding soul we have been treated to thus far. Please don't misunderstand me. I'm sure Mr. Cropper intended for it to sound exactly that way, it just stuck out in the mix. "Hawg for You" is a blues tune that ends with some interesting vocals on the fade out. Last up is "Love Have Mercy" which begins with another interesting set of chords that sound momentarily discordant. Seconds later we are off on another Soul explosion. This one moves along nicely and is broken up by those chords again. The verse seems so smooth in comparison. There is some nice drumming in the break and it builds towards the end and then fades out and the album ends.
I could listen to this record over and over. The sound is fairly consistent throughout, and you don't have to spend a lot of energy picking out wheat and chaff, 'cause it's all wheat, baby. The playing is so tight and the arrangements are well thought out, so it just flows once it is on. I can't think of a standout track, although "Tenderness" is arguably the big song on the album. My advice for this one is to hit play, and relax for thirty six minutes and fifteen seconds. Chicks dig Otis too.
Rolling Stone Magazine placed this album at Number 251 on the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time"
Buy it here.
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