#474 - Otis Redding - Live in Europe

I should preface this critique with this statement: "I love Otis Redding!" I remember hearing him when I was a sophomore in high school somewhere around the year 2000 and being blown away. This is significant in that I was probably the only 16 year old kid in 2000 listening to Otis. I can remember getting the Otis Redding Anthology set for Christmas and singing along to "Tramp," "Love Man," "I've Been Loving You Too Long," "Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay," and "Try a Little Tenderness." Most of my friends never caught on, but I believe that if they had just expanded their horizons beyond whatever Staind or Eminem album that was being released at the time, they would have been pleasantly surprised and learned to appreciate some of the best soulful serenades ever created in music. The great thing about Otis is that he sang with nothing short of every ounce of his being. His performances are full of raw emotion and heart. You believe he knows what he is singing about and it never feels force. You can be sure of at least one thing when you put on a Redding record, he was never faking it. This is the problem with the current state of R & B. Everyone comes out with a song about panties dropping (Trey Songz) or throwing up deuces to the women they beat (Chris Brown). They put a drum beat to it and get some rapper to spit a verse and it sells, but it lacks all the emotion and raw appeal of Otis Redding and the likes of him. Otis, Sam Cooke, Lenny Williams, etc. sang about all these same things, but never explicitly. These aspects are what makes the old soul greats in fact great.

That being said, I was fairly disappointed by this album and it has nothing to do with the lack of what I have mentioned above. Otis is doing everything right as he always did. Instead, my dissatisfaction stems from the fact that the production value of this live album is severely lacking. In turn, at times, the listener is unable to decipher or hear what made Otis so great; his emotion. No doubt that the performance was magnificent, seeing as how you have the man backed by the legendary Booker T. & the MG's. I understand that the album's release was during a time where live production is not what it is today, but it is ridiculous how bad it is, at times, throughout this album. He has wonderful renditions of now classics, "Day Tripper" and "I Can't Get No Satisfaction." His personal classics are equally phenomenal. Unfortunately, you can't hear his voice at times and that is a definite problem. Nonetheless, you can witness the rabid nature of Otis' followers by their shouts and pleads despite the lacking audio aspects of the disc. For example, during two breaks in between numbers you can hear one female pleading with the artist to sing a certain song. Over and over. Pleading so much that it's almost disconcerting to listen to, but this is what Otis did to people. That is why he is unique and greatly missed even after all these years. He sweated soul. He cried R & B. If only we could hear how fantastically he did all these things in a live setting. Regardless, I have my anthology and that provides me with the Otis I know and love.

Two covers: Cat Power and this girl.

-d.

God damn I’ve been looking forward to this one. Otis Redding, arguably the greatest voice in R&B history, backed by Booker T. and the M.G.’s, one of the best groups of musicians ever assembled. I’ve always been a fan of just about everything Stax released during the mid 60’s, and this was recorded on a package tour of Stax/Volt artists. I would give anything to find a video of the entire show.

First off, let’s touch on the band. You could remove the vocals and I’d still be ecstatic listening to the songs on this album. Duck Dunn is one of the most influential bass players for a reason. Steve Cropper is a machine, playing tasteful leads and perfectly tight scratch rhythm. I discovered them through the Blues Brothers, where they carried the greatest super group around. I spent a significant portion of my teens and twenties emulating Dunn. Here you find them sounding cleaner live than most artists can pull off in the studio. I challenge anyone to find a single bad note. Insane. This is what all musicians should strive for.

Otis. The man is deserving of every bit of praise ever sent his way. A little history on this recording: As I already mentioned, this was taken from a package tour of Europe, specifically Paris, in March of 67. Redding and all but two members of his band, the Bar-Kays, were killed in a plane crash that December. A mix of classic originals like "Respect" and "Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)" with some random covers, "Day Tripper" and "(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction," find Otis at his frenetic best. The amount of energy pouring off every note is just fantastic.

There’s really no point in reviewing particular tracks. Each is perfect. Great arrangements on the covers, hot horn section, surprisingly balanced recording considering what most live albums from the era sound like. You can drop the needle anywhere you want and not be disappointed. My only complaint is how nearly every number is faded out. I’d love to hear how the band actually wrapped up the songs and if there were any extended solos. Also, I would have liked to hear some of the audience reaction. But that’s not always easy to balance, even now, so I didn’t expect it.

The one possible downfall to all my praise is that it was common practice for live albums to be heavily over-dubbed in the studio, a practice that continued through the mid 70’s (and is still done to a lesser extent today). From what I’ve read, that wasn’t the case with Live In Europe. Still, the possibility does put a slight damper on the praise I’ve been heaping on the band. Regardless, nothing can be taken away from this album. Deserving of a much higher placement on the list, Otis Redding should have a spot in every music fans collection.

The only cover worthy of the man himself, the queen…

-tfm