#74: Otis Blue- Otis Redding

Listened to: MP3

Remember when I ripped into #147, that really unnecessary Otis Redding anthology? Well, today I get to prove I’m no anti-Otis, by giving you my review of one of the greatest soul albums ever recorded, Otis Blue. The album opens with “Ole Man Trouble”, and in my opinion this is one of the best album opener tracks of all time. Redding employs the Southern torture of the blues to the soul styling in the composition, which is very much in the style of Sam Cooke. On an album full of covers, Otis starts out showing us how damn good he can write. Most people unfortunately forget this track, probably because it’s followed by Redding’s most famous composition, though not made famous by him. “Respect”, the song that launched Aretha Franklin and became a women’s lib anthem everywhere was written…by a dude. Otis Redding’s “Respect” is hard to listen t without thinking of the (in my opinion) far-superior Franklin rendition, but it’s just different. Otis is singing for one man, Aretha sang for women everywhere. Perhaps this song wouldn’t have overshadowed “Ole Man Trouble” were it not for Aretha, but a world without Aretha is too scary to think of. This album serves another purpose besides showcasing Redding’s talents, and that purpose is shown in track 3. “A Change Is Gonna Come” is a song by a man Otis greatly admired, who died shortly before this album’s inception, the late Sam Cooke, to whom Otis pays tribute. This song has been considered the soul-singer’s answer to “Blowin’ In The Wind”, and there’s more than enough suffering in this song before Redding adds in his own sadness at the loss of Cooke. The visual that comes to mind with this track is the funeral scene in I’m Not There, and the horns only reinforce it. While I may not be the biggest fan of Mr. Cooke, I do believe this song is an incredible composition, and Redding does it justice and rightfully laments it’s composer.



“Down In The Valley” is a fun rendition of the Solomon Burke song, where Otis seems to really enjoy himself after virtually weeping on the last track. Some of the vocal acrobatics Redding lets out on this track make you envious of his talents, and that gritty crackle in his voice only enhances the feel. “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long” is a song I’m well familiar with as The Rolling Stones version, but I might have to admit that Redding not only does it far better, but might have composed the most beautiful song in his oeuvre and placed it smack dab in the middle of this genius album. This is a gorgeous track, where Otis lays the right level of pain and simplicity, and you just feel the need to hold someone you’ve loved too long close and slow dance. “Shake” is the second appearance of Sam Cooke’s songwriting on this album, and proves that both Cooke and Redding knew how to make a great song to dance to. Can’t you see all the hip suburban white kids dancing rebelliously to this track? Because I sure as hell can. The problem with “My Girl” is it’s a pretty standard performance. Now, I had an argument at band practice about this, but let’s be frank: If I want to hear my girl performed in the style of Smokey Robinson, I’ll listen to Smokey Robinson’s version. I’m looking for interpretation, not replication.
The last Sam Cooke song on the album is “Wonderful World”, which is not, in fact, the one you’re thinking of, unless you’re a die-hard Otis Redding or Sam Cooke fan. This track is another fun soul song, especially with some of that great harmony on the chorus that I wish would carry through for the rest of the song. “Rock Me Baby” is Otis putting emphasis on the vocals of a blues song, pulling out the melody of a B.B. King song. The melody in B.B. King songs are often forgotten, even by B.B. himself. Redding’s take on it is, in my opinion, fantastic, and it’s one of my favorite tracks on the album, since it’s unlike any of the others, and therefore displays the diverse range that Redding possessed.

Now we get to my least favorite track, Redding’s atrocious take on the Stones “Satisfaction”. Why in god’s name did this have to happen? It’s…it’s dreadful, and I can not understand how people enjoyed it. It’s one of the biggest sins since Paul Anka’s Rock Swings, in my humble opinion, and I’ll not speak of it any further. The album closes on the terrific “You Don’t Miss Your Water”, an emotional powerhouse of a finale where Redding throws his whole soul in the track and makes you heave with hurt at every note. It’s a suffering that feels so good, and it reminds you one last time why Otis Redding was an act like no other, a true one of a kind composer and performer.

Without a doubt, Otis blue is one of the greatest albums ever recorded, a landmark in soul and music in general, and should be ranked even higher than 74. Without a doubt the best album we’ve reviewed so far this month (but just wait two days). I really hope you guys at home enjoy this one.

-Mike

Oh, yippee. Roxy Music tomorrow. Specifically #394: For Your Pleasure. See you guys there.

#443: Live At The Harlem Square Club- Sam Cooke

Listened to: MP3

Now, before today, I will admit I was not familiar with Sam Cooke’s body of work. In fact, I believe it’s safe to say that anyone under 20 who was not raised to be, or became on their own, a die-hard soul music fan is not familiar with Sam Cooke. His name is not as house-hold-ish as Marvin Gaye or Otis Redding. But I have a personal disdain for Sam Cooke, and it’s no fault of his. When Rolling Stone ranked their “Greatest Singers”, Cooke came in fourth. Above Roger Daltrey, Bob Dylan, Jim Morrison, Mick Jagger, Janis Joplin, Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding, and basically any other singer you’ve ever heard of besides Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, and Elvis Presley. Now, those three I got. So maybe Elvis coulda gone as #1, but that aside, I’m sure I’m not the only one who said “Who the fuck is Sam Cooke, how does he beat out Robert Plant, Mick Jagger, Roger Daltrey, and Jim Morrison, and most importantly, why does Rolling Stone have such a hard on for him?”. Well, gentle reader, I still do not know the answer, but I intend to attempt to discern it from what is considered to be his finest live album, Live At The Harlem Square Club. So, without further ado, let’s get to the album:

“Feel It” starts out with your typical live concert intro, then moves into Sam Cooke singing a swing-type track with a band that’s…is it just me or is the band a little off. The drums feel like their lagging, and it just sounds like the instruments are just playing horribly sloppy. By the end of the track, the band gets it together. I mean, every band needs to get into the groove at the start of their set (God knows we’ve had some awful opening number [I’m talking to you, our cover of That Thing You Do]), but on one of the 500 Greatest albums of all time?

“Chain Gang” is another upbeat kind of track, and now the band just sounds kind of…flat. This is a nice song, but I’m still not getting what makes this guy so special as a singer. As a songwriter, obviously these are very good tracks, but he just sounds like a raspy voiced singer. There are a lot of those. “Cupid” is a fantastic example of what soul music should be. It’s a gorgeous track, and the band even plays well on this one. But, it’s kind of like listening to Rod Stewart (now) sing it. Sure, maybe my desire for his singing to be amazing is based on his ranking on RS’s list, but so what? If you want “unbiased” reviews (aka, reviews that pretend that nothing at all has had any influence on how they feel about things) you can find a million of them on the web. I’m just wearing my bias on my sleeve.

The vocal riff he does at the beginning of “Medley: It's All Right/For Sentimental Reasons” is gorgeous, and then it stops, and he does some stage banter which nicely flows into the song. It’s nice to hear the crowd sing along and scream out to Sam, but I’m just not getting it. Fantastic songs, average singer. “Twistin’ The Night Away” is a classic, obviously, and apparently Cooke’s version is the definitive. I’m just not sure why.

How he ties his last track into the music of “Somebody Have Mercy” is something I could definitely learn from. Cooke has a spirit about him when he performs, that he really loves what he’s doing, the songs he’s singing, and every single person he’s singing for. “Bring It On Home To Me” is where the emotion really comes out. Cooke’s wail, his shrieks, they finally fit with what he’s saying. This is one powerful track, I’ll admit that. “Nothing Can Change This Love” is another fantastic example of Sam Cooke’s great compositional skill. The album ends on “Having A Party”, which is a fun little number to close a show on. Still not getting what make him this mind-blowing singer, but all in all it was a good show to listen to.

Look, as an example of the fourth greatest singer in rock history, this album sucks. But as a time capsule of early soul music, and a great energy live album, it really is very good. I’m sorry that may not have come across in this review, but I do want everyone to give it a chance. He may not be this earth-shattering singer, but as a songwriter and a performer, there’s a spark that’s undeniable. It deserves a place on THIS list. Fourth place on the singers? You know how I feel. What about you?

-Mike

Tomorrow is one I’m very excited for. The first Beatles album on our magical journey (and odds are the only one that won’t have 100000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 guest writers for it), #59: Meet the Beatles.