The Immortal Otis Redding
The Immortal Otis Redding is a posthumous studio album by American soul recording artist Otis Redding, released in June 1968 by Atco Records. It compiles 11 songs recorded by Redding in a three-week stretch of sessions that concluded days prior to his death in December 1967.[1] "The Happy Song (Dum-Dum)" was the only song previously released, having been a single in April 1968. The Immortal Otis Redding featured four charting singles including "The Happy Song", "I've Got Dreams to Remember", "Amen", and "Hard to Handle".
| The Immortal Otis Redding | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 1968 | |||
| Recorded | 1967 | |||
| Genre | Soul | |||
| Length | 30:01 | |||
| Label | Atco | |||
| Producer | Steve Cropper | |||
| Otis Redding chronology | ||||
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Critical reception
Writing for Creem magazine in 1977, Robert Christgau called The Immortal Otis Redding his favorite album by Redding and "probably among my five most-played LPs", because it "showcases the unduplicated warmth, tenderness, and humor of his ballad singing".[2] The following year, it was voted the 33rd best album ever in Paul Gambaccini's poll of prominent rock critics, published in his book Rock Critics' Choice: The Top 200 Albums. Christgau ranked it third in a list accompanying the book.[3] The album was included in "A Basic Record Library" of 1950s and 1960s recordings, published in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981).[4]
Music critic Dave Marsh gave the album five stars in The New Rolling Stone Record Guide (1983).[5] Lindsay Planer from AllMusic gave it three-and-a-half stars and said although it "wasn't quite on par with" Redding's several other studio albums, the songs on The Immortal Otis Redding were "welcome (if not mandatory) additions to all manner of listeners".[1]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I've Got Dreams to Remember" | Otis Redding, Zelma Redding, Joe Rock | 3:10 |
| 2. | "You Made a Man Out of Me" | Deanie Parker, Steve Cropper | 2:06 |
| 3. | "Nobody's Fault But Mine" | Redding | 2:20 |
| 4. | "Hard to Handle" | Redding, Alvertis Isbell, Allen Jones | 2:18 |
| 5. | "Thousand Miles Away" | Redding | 2:09 |
| 6. | "The Happy Song (Dum-Dum-De-De-De-Dum-Dum)" | Redding, Steve Cropper | 2:40 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7. | "Think About It" | Don Covay, Redding | 2:59 |
| 8. | "A Waste of Time" | Redding | 3:15 |
| 9. | "Champagne and Wine" | Redding, Roy Johnson, Allan Walden | 2:49 |
| 10. | "A Fool for You" | Ray Charles | 2:55 |
| 11. | "Amen" | Jester Hairston (uncredited) | 3:20 |
Personnel
Credits adapted from Allmusic.[6]
- Otis Redding – vocals
- Booker T. Jones, Isaac Hayes – keyboards, piano
- Steve Cropper – guitar, producer
- Donald Dunn – bass guitar
- Al Jackson Jr. – drums
- Wayne Jackson – trumpet
- Andrew Love, Joe Arnold – tenor saxophone
Charts
Album
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Singles
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References
- Planer, Lindsay. "The Immortal Otis Redding - Otis Redding". AllMusic. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
- Christgau, Robert (March 1977). "Consumer Guide: A Guide to 1967". Creem. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
- Gambaccini, Paul (1978). Rock Critic's Choice: The Top 200 Albums. Omnibus. pp. 83–4. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
- Christgau, Robert (1981). "A Basic Record Library: The Fifties and Sixties". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 0899190251. Retrieved March 16, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- The New Rolling Stone Record Guide. Random House, Rolling Stone Press. 1983. p. 415. ISBN 0394721071.
- "The Immortal Otis Redding - Otis Redding : Credits". Allmusic. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
- "The Immortal Otis Redding - Otis Redding > Awards > AllMusic". Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2014-10-28.
- "Otis Redding / Artist / Official Charts". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 2014-10-28.
