An Essential New Otis Redding Collection

Courtesy Atlantic Records

Get your news from a source that’s not owned and controlled by oligarchs. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily.


Otis Redding
The Complete Stax/Volt Singles Collection

Shout! Factory

Is Otis Redding the greatest soul singer of all time? Fans of James Brown or Solomon Burke, among others, might disagree, but the Big O certainly delivered the goods. There’s no better place to explore the legacy of the Georgia great than this irresistible three-disc, 70-track set, which includes every original A- and B-side in its original mono mix (a recent trend in reissues that makes sense, since ’60s singles were targeted to AM radio).

While casual fans may already know “Respect” (which predates Aretha’s cover), Redding’s rowdy version of the Stones’ “Satisfaction” or “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay,” his biggest hit, released shortly after his death in 1967, there’s a wealth of other down-home R&Br to discover here.

Backed by his ferocious Stax colleagues, including Booker T and the MGs and the horns of the Mar-Keys, Redding always went full-force, whether revamping the Sinatra standard “Try a Little Tenderness,” shouting “Look at the Girl” or sparring playfully with frequent duet partner Carla Thomas on “Tramp.” A compilation of his lesser-known flip-sides alone would have been a godsend. The Complete Stax/Volt Singles Collection is essential.

For a different take on Redding, check out Lonely and Blue: The Deepest Soul of Otis Redding (Stax/Volt), a new compilation intended to look like an old album, that emphasizes his knack for gritty ballads.

BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY...

Trump is clamping down on the media—using lawsuits, lies, intimidation, and a thuggish Federal Communications Commission. Corporate media are caving, but Mother Jones won’t back down. To help us stand strong, a generous board member has chipped in a $50,000 digital matching gift. Help us make the most of it before the deadline!

Until midnight TONIGHT, every contribution will be matched dollar-for-dollar.

We have nearly 50 years of experience standing up to bullies. Government intimidation, nuisance lawsuits, threats to our nonprofit status—we’ve seen it all. Yet because we’re supported by a community of readers like you, we’re still here and still reporting like hell. Please stand with us. Every dollar you give will go twice as far.

payment methods

BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY...

Trump is clamping down on the media—using lawsuits, lies, intimidation, and a thuggish Federal Communications Commission. Corporate media are caving, but Mother Jones won’t back down. To help us stand strong, a generous board member has chipped in a $50,000 digital matching gift. Help us make the most of it before the deadline!

Until midnight TONIGHT, every contribution will be matched dollar-for-dollar.

We have nearly 50 years of experience standing up to bullies. Government intimidation, nuisance lawsuits, threats to our nonprofit status—we’ve seen it all. Yet because we’re supported by a community of readers like you, we’re still here and still reporting like hell. Please stand with us. Every dollar you give will go twice as far.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate