The Immortal Otis Otis Redding

• 1 I've Got Dreams To Remember 03:16
• 2 You Made A Man Out Of Me 02:10
• 3 Nobody's Fault But Minen 02:25
• 4 Hard To Handle 02:20
• 5 Thousand Miles Away 02:12
• 6 The Happy Song [Dum-Dum] 02:43
• 7 Think About It 03:02
• 8 A Waste Of Time 03:19
• 9 Champagne And Wine 03:02
• 10 A Fool For You 02:57
• 11 Amen 03:02
• Total Runtime 30:28

Info for The Immortal Otis

The Immortal Otis Redding is a posthumous album from soul artist Otis Redding. The album featured music recorded but not released prior to his death in 1967. 'The Happy Song (Dum-Dum)' was the only song previously released, having been a single in April of 1968.

The Immortal featured four charting singles including 'The Happy Song', 'I've Got Dreams to Remember', 'Amen', and 'Hard to Handle'.

After the Monterey Pop Festival, Otis had to undergo an operation on polyps in his throat, after which he was unable to use his voice for 6 weeks. The rest did him some good, however, because when he returned to the studio his voice was better than ever, and an extremely productive three week period spanning November and (early) December 1967 yielded an abundance of material. These songs provided the basis for four fine posthumous releases, beginning with The Immortal Otis Redding, easily the best of the bunch and one of Otis' best albums, period. The Immortal Otis Redding houses several of Otis' finest songs, and unlike The Dock Of The Bay none of these are repeats; had Stax combined the best of both albums it surely would've been a contender for the best soul album ever. Alas, such wishful thinking aside, much of what is here is wonderful, though perhaps a couple of tracks would've been more fully fleshed out and better developed had Otis lived longer. On the whole, this is Otis' most sophisticated and adult album, and he sings with a restraint that many people criticize him for supposedly lacking. This was a valid criticism of Otis at times in the past, but clearly he was addressing this previous weakness, proving that Otis was continuing to grow as an artist right up until the day he died. As for the album highlights, 'I've Got Dreams To Remember' (a top 10 r&b hit), a sparse ballad written with wife Zelma, is one of the best things he's ever done and is a rare track with female backing singers. 'Hard To Handle' is probably the best-known song here, in large part due to The Black Crowes who had a major hit with it over 20 years later. In all honesty, The Black Crowes' energized, hard rockin' version is considerably better, but Otis' original is still quite good, and the ridiculously catchy 'The Happy Song (Dum-Dum),' another top 10 r&b hit, was a joyous answer song to 'Fa Fa Fa Fa Fa (Sad Song)' that arguably even eclipses it. Also impressive is his unassuming, almost a-capella take on the traditional 'Amen,' which also received considerable airplay in r&b circles, but as per usual with Otis this is no hits-plus-filler affair. Indeed, Donald 'Duck' Dunn has rarely been more funkily impressive than on 'You Made A Man Out Of Me' (which also features a spot-on Otis vocal) and 'Nobody's Fault But Mine,' while 'Think About It' shows off Otis' more sensitive, softer singing style, all while the horns are as hooky as ever. All in all, The Immortal Otis Redding easily ranks among the greatest studio records ever released posthumously. (Scott Floman)

Otis Redding, vocals
Produced by Steve Cropper

Digitally remastered.

9 September 1941, Dawson, Georgia, USA, d. 10 December 1967, Lake Monona, Madison, Wisconsin, USA. The son of a Baptist minister with the same name, Redding assimilated gospel music during his childhood and soon became interested in jump blues and R&B. After resettling in Macon, he became infatuated with local luminary Little Richard and began singing on a full-time basis. A high-school friend and booking agent, Phil Walden (b. Philip Michael Walden, 11 January 1940, Greenville, South Carolina, USA, d. 23 April 2006, Buckhead, Atlanta, Georgia, USA), then became his manager. Through Walden’s contacts Redding joined Johnny Jenkins And The Pinetoppers as a sometime singer and occasional driver. Redding also began recording for sundry local independents, and his debut single, ‘She’s Alright’, credited to The Shooters Featuring Otis, was quickly followed by ‘Shout Bamalama’. Both performances were firmly in the Little Richard mould. The singer’s fortunes blossomed when one of his own songs, ‘These Arms Of Mine’, was picked up by the Stax Records subsidiary Volt. Recorded at the tail end of a Johnny Jenkins session, this aching ballad crept into the American Hot 100 in May 1963. Further poignant releases, ‘Pain In My Heart’, ‘That’s How Strong My Love Is’ and ‘I’ve Been Loving You Too Long’ (written with Jerry Butler), were balanced by brassy, up-tempo performances including ‘Mr. Pitiful’, ‘Respect’ and ‘Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)’.

Redding remained something of a cult figure until 1965, although he had already released a series of excellent albums. It was the release of the magnificent Otis Blue that triggered off a major appreciation, in which original material nestled beside cover versions of the Rolling Stones’ ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’ and two songs by another mentor, Sam Cooke (‘Wonderful World and ‘A Change Is Gonna Come’). His version of the Temptations’ ‘My Girl’ then became a UK hit. Complete & Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary Of Soul contained a stunning version of ‘Try A Little Tenderness’. This song was written in 1933 by Harry Woods, James Campbell and Reginald Connelly, yet Redding turns it into his own aching contemporary soul ballad. Meanwhile the singer’s popularity was further enhanced by the tour of the Hit The Road Stax revue in 1967, particularly in Europe. ‘Tramp’, a magnificent call and response duet with Carla Thomas, also provided major success, while Redding’s production company, Jotis, was responsible for launching the career of Arthur Conley.

A triumphant appearance at the legendary 1967 Monterey Pop Festival gave indication that Redding was about to attract an even wider following. He appeared on stage completely out of fashion with the colourful beads and bells of the audience, wearing one of his familiar dark green silk and mohair suits, with tie and smart shoes. His explosive set was, along with that of Jimi Hendrix, the highlight of the festival. More importantly, he calmed and unified the ‘love crowd’ like never before. He brought his music of black origin into the hearts of white hippies (many of them middle-class kids who had never heard soul music). Horribly poignant were the last words he uttered on the victorious stage at Monterey at the end of an astonishing finale of ‘Try A Little Tenderness’. He said, ‘I’ve got to go now, but I don’t want to’.

A few months later tragedy struck. On 10 December 1967, his light aircraft in which he was travelling plunged into Lake Monona, Madison, Wisconsin, killing the singer, his valet, the pilot and four members of the Bar-Kays. He had recently been voted the world’s top male singer by Melody Maker. This was highly significant because for the previous 10 years Elvis Presley had held the crown. He died on the cusp of greatness at the age of 26 not living to see how important a figure he would become.

The wistful ‘(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay’, a song Redding had recorded just three days earlier, was immediately mixed and released. It became his only million-seller and US pop number 1. The single’s seeming serenity about sitting on a jetty in San Francisco’s harbour, as well as several posthumous album tracks, suggested a sadly unfulfilled maturity as a songwriter. Although some critics now point to Redding’s limited vocal range, few could match his guttural sounding voice, which, at any volume could send shivers into the spine. Such was his emotional drive, and his distinctive sound remains immediately compelling. There is no doubt that Redding matched the smooth vocal intensity of artists such as Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield and Al Green. What should also be acknowledged in addition to his quite remarkable voice is the considerable amount of classic songs he wrote, often with guitarist Steve Cropper. They stand as some of the most enduring moments of the golden age of soul music. Redding should be regarded as a giant of the genre, even though his achievements were made in just a three-year burst of unrivalled energy and explosive talent. Source: The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Colin Larkin. Licensed from Muze.

This album contains no booklet.