You know things have come full circle when a box set is issued for an artist for whom multi-volume sets, on CD no less, already exist. And while Otis! probably won't be the last Redding Anthology, by rights it should be. This is the closest you can come to getting a concise picture of the magical moment in time when Otis Redding and Stax Records were united.
Otis! is laid out somewhat imaginatively. The 100-page book, instead of giving us Otis' life story, offers numerous essays by those who knew Redding and Redding-philes from Al Green to former Maytal Toots Hibbert. The book also calls attention to the importance of the social and political climate in which Otis recorded; and although sometimes boring, it does contain some valuable insight. Rhino has taken a nice departure from the norm in the organization of the discs, as well. Though the first three are presented in standard chronological order, the fourth is entirely live.
Disc one starts almost before the beginning. The first three cuts are from Otis's pre-Stax days; and, despite the fact that the songs are basically late 50's/early 60's frat-rock, Otis's delivery stands out. By the time his first LP, Pain In My Heart was released (represented by five cuts) in 1962, it was obvious that Otis and Booker T. and the MG's were the perfect match. Otis has found his voice, and drummer Al Jackson, Jr. seems to have been born to play behind him. Following Redding's every shout with a slammin snare, his every moan with a subtle bass drum accent, Al's style jibes perfectly. Finishing up the disc are five cuts from the Otis Blue album. "Change Is Gonna Come," from these sessions, shows Otis' growth into a truly great singer; the Sam Cooke classic resonates with even more fervor and passion than the original.
Volume two covers 1965-67, including tracks from what is arguably Redding's masterpiece, the Dictionary of Soul. "Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa" and "Try A Little Tenderness" are two of the all-time greatest recorded moments, perfectly demonstrating the uncanny rapport between Otis and the MG's. Even the potentially cheesy "Things Go Better With Coke" comes alive. Indeed, it's not until Otis actually recites the song's title that we realize its commercial theme. Amazingly, Otis, like Elvis, could transcend bad material and make it his own.
The final volume of studio material covers Otis' last tracks, as well as some posthumously released tunes - including, of course, "(Sittin' On) the Dock of the Bay." While this is the weakest of the three discs, it is by no means "bad." In his short recorded lifetime, for whatever reason, the man simply wasn't capable of doing anything bad. There are, perhaps, "lesser" cuts; and most of them appear on the third CD.
The live disc surpasses expectation. Sweaty, pounding, drums, tinny guitars, a meaty bass and out-of-tune horns provide the backdrop, and, front and center, Otis - shoutin' and singin' and moanin.' The album is down and
dirty, raw soul, warts and all. Rumor has it that at the height of their success, the Stones refused to play after Otis. Now we know why.
Otis! is exactly what Rhino would have you believe - definitive. It'll keep you warm at night, without running up the power bill too high. (John Howie)