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Complete & Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul (1966)

Where the lyrics of Complete & Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul take you, and where it was really made.

The first side is mostly covers and the second side is mostly Redding's own songs, and this was the last solo studio album released before his death.

Key places

Stax Records studios, Memphis (1966)

Recording site Ardent Studios — The album was recorded at Stax Records studios in Memphis between May and September 1966. The marker shows Memphis city centre, not the exact studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Fifth studio album by Otis Redding, released October 1966 on the Stax label
• Last solo studio album released before his death
• Side one is mainly cover versions; side two is mainly songs written by Redding
• Two singles: "Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)" and "Try a Little Tenderness"
• Peaked at number 73 on the Billboard 200 and at number 5 on the R&B LP chart

Background

• Redding's third album, Otis Blue, led to a rearrangement of the Stax company
• Redding performed at the Whisky a Go Go on the Sunset Strip before a predominantly white audience
• He was one of the first soul artists to play in the western United States
• Bob Dylan offered him an alternative track of "Just Like a Woman"; Redding declined
• After that performance he returned to the Stax studios to keep recording new songs

Recording

• Booker T. & the M.G.'s, the Memphis Horns and Isaac Hayes took part in the sessions
• Recording took place between May and September 1966 at Stax Records studios in Memphis
• "Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)" is derived from the theme of The $64,000 Question and was written by Redding and Cropper
• "Try a Little Tenderness" was recorded on September 13 and released as a single on November 14, 1966
• Side one includes the country standard "Tennessee Waltz" and The Beatles' "Day Tripper"

Cover

• The artist wears a red cape and red cap with a white suit and leans on a book-shaped figure
• The book carries the album title; the cover is ochre yellow
• Red letters MY - MY - MY appear below Redding against a cyan blue background

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Otis Ray Redding Jr. was born September 9, 1941 in Dawson, Georgia, and raised in Macon.
• He left school at 15 to support his family, performing in local talent contests and at Macon's Douglass Theatre.
• In 1958 he joined Johnny Jenkins' band, the Pinetoppers, touring the Southern states as singer and driver.
• A Stax Records session in 1962 led to a contract and his first hit, "These Arms of Mine".

Career

• His debut album Pain in My Heart was released by Stax in 1964; he later reached a wider pop audience.
• He performed at Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles, toured Europe, and played the Monterey Pop Festival in June 1967.
• "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" was recorded shortly before his death and released January 1968, becoming his only Billboard Hot 100 number one.
• He died in a plane crash on December 10, 1967 in Lake Monona, near Madison, Wisconsin.
• He is known as the "King of Soul" and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• AllMusic: Mark Deming gave it 5 out of 5 stars in a retrospective review
• Rolling Stone: rated it 4 out of 5 stars and said Redding gives one of his most mature performances on "Try a Little Tenderness"
• BBC Music: Daryl Easlea gave a positive review in 2009, saying Redding was at the peak of his powers when he recorded it
• Critic Jon Landau called it the finest record to come out of Memphis and the best example of modern soul ever recorded

Reappraisal

• Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: number 251 originally, 254 in the 2012 revised list, 448 in the 2020 revised list
• Included in Robert Christgau's Basic Record Library of 1950s and 1960s recordings
• Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums: voted number 488 in 2000
• Easlea said "Try a Little Tenderness" was Redding's most remembered song after "(Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay"

Records

• Billboard 200 peak: number 73
• R&B LP chart peak: number 5
• Single "Try a Little Tenderness": number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 4 on the Hot R&B chart

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Bob Dylan offered Redding an alternative track of "Just Like a Woman", and Redding turned the offer down.
• "Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)" takes its theme from The $64,000 Question, and David Porter sang the fa-fa part alongside Redding.
• "Try a Little Tenderness" had earlier recordings by Aretha Franklin in 1962 and Sam Cooke in 1964, and Redding rearranged it with Isaac Hayes.
• Parts of "Try a Little Tenderness" were later mixed into "Otis" by Jay-Z and Kanye West, which won a Grammy Award.
• The album's sessions were recorded at Stax Records studios in Memphis between May and September 1966.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org

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