Stax Records, an imprint of Concord
Bicycle Music, is pleased to announce the release of Otis Redding – Live At The
Whisky A Go Go: The Complete Recordings. In chronological order, this six-CD
collection presents the entirety of Redding’s historic performances over three
nights at the famed Sunset Strip venue. The seven sets, recorded Friday, April
8th – Sunday, April 10th,,1966, feature the singer’s popular songs of the time,
including “Respect,” “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long” and his cover of The
Rolling Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” Several of these
recordings--all remixed and remastered from the original 4-track analog
tapes--will be made available for the very first time on October 21. In fact,
this collection will be the first to offer fans the chance to relive all of the
sets in their entirety--including between-song banter by Redding--exactly as
they were performed. Rounding out the package is a poster, plus new liner notes
from Los Angeles-based journalist Lynell George and box set co-producer Bill
Bentley.
By the spring of 1966, 24-year-old Otis Redding was a
bona-fide star on the R&B and soul radio waves. The singer was enjoying the
critical and commercial success of his third studio album, Otis Blue, and was
watching his singles cross over to the (typically very white) pop charts.
Redding had yet to be fully embraced by a white audience, and this weekend-long
gig in Hollywood--booked at a venue known more for hosting hippies, and
launching bands like The Doors, The Byrds and Buffalo Springfield--was a shrewd
move to introduce Redding to a new market. In fact, Redding would be the first
major soul act to perform on the Whisky’s stage. In her liner notes, Lynell
George adds context: “The Strip, like much of 1960s Los Angeles, had invisible
but tough to permeate dividing lines...Redding began to see this three-night
run as just the right spark to help him jump over all those many lines--from
star to superstar, from R&B/soul to pop, from all-black rooms to arenas…”
In the end, these Whisky sets (with Otis' nine-piece band) did prove to be an
important step in Redding’s career, and introduced him to the emerging counter-culture
of the 60s. Of the Whisky shows, The Doors' guitarist Robby Krieger said,
"I remember standing right in front of the stage for the whole show. I
never heard of Otis Redding before and I was amazed at the energy that he
created on the stage.” A year later,
Otis would be the star act at the Monterey Pop Festival, sharing a lineup that
included Jimi Hendrix and The Who. Tragically, just as his career was reaching
its peak, Redding’s life would be cut short in a plane crash, in December 1967.
Redding has been inducted into the Rock 'n Roll Hall of
Fame, Georgia Music Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame. He has been honored with a U.S. Postage stamp
and won a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Rolling Stone named him the eighth greatest singer of all-time and
U.K.'s Q magazine ranked him at number four.
In his liner notes, Bill Bentley recalls, “Redding’s music
had a power and urgency that grabbed you by the throat…There wasn’t any other
singer like him then, and those of us who had discovered his music knew we were
listening to the very essence of what soul music really was.” Bentley wasn’t
alone. The Los Angeles Times’ music critic, Pete Johnson, covered one of
Redding’s sets that weekend, calling the performance, “The most exciting thing
the rock-worn room had ever harbored.” Redding’s legacy is well known – his
brief but iconic discography speaks for itself; but these particular recordings
will allow fans to step back in time, and experience a pivotal moment in the
rise of a star.
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