Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!: Day 289 - Otis Redding (#2)

 Complete & Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul - Otis Redding

Stax/Volt

Produced by Jim Stewart, Booker T. and the MG's, Issac Hayes and David Porter

Released 15th October 1966

US Chart #73

US R&B Chart #5

UK Chart #23

 Personnel
Otis Redding – vocals
Steve Cropper – guitar
Donald Dunn – bass
Booker T. Jones - keyboards, piano
Isaac Hayes – keyboards, piano
Al Jackson, Jr. – drums
Wayne Jackson – trumpet
Gilbert Cable – tenor saxophone (on "Try a Little Tenderness")
Andrew Love – tenor saxophone
Joe Arnold – tenor saxophone
Floyd Newman – baritone saxophone 

Singles on  Complete & Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul

A-Side: Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song) 2:37
B-Side: Good To Me 2:57

US Chart #29

US R&B Chart #12

UK Chart #23

A-Side: Try A Little Tenderness 3:20
B-Side: I'm Sick Y'all 2:40

US Chart #25

US R&B Chart #4

UK Chart #46

A-Side: Day Tripper    
B-Side: Shake

UK Only Release

UK Charts #43

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Complete & Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul was the Fifth Studio Album from Otis Redding and the last Solo Long Player prior to his death on 10th December 1967 (King & Queen released in March 1967 was a collaboration with Carla Thomas).

In 1966, Redding returned to the Stax studio and recorded several tracks, including "Try a Little Tenderness", written by Jimmy Campbell, Reg Connelly and Harry M. Woods in 1932. This song had previously been covered by Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra, and the publishers unsuccessfully tried to stop Redding from recording the song from a "negro perspective". It is often considered his signature song, Jim Stewart reckoned, "If there's one song, one performance that really sort of sums up Otis and what he's about, it's 'Try a Little Tenderness'. That one performance is so special and so unique that it expresses who he is." On this version Redding was backed by Booker T. & the M.G.'s, while staff producer Isaac Hayes worked on the arrangement, and he did an amazing job of bringing to life an old 1930s song and making it sound like it had been written for the times!

After his magnificent treatment of The Stones' Satisfaction in 1966 he turned his hand to The Beatles for this album and a rousing and soulful Daytripper (Redding wasn't the only Soul man to take a shot on The Beatles, in 1968 Wilson Pickett recorded Hey Jude at the FAME studio in Muscle Shoals with Duane Allman providing the awesome guitar work) which ended up getting a UK Single Release in 1967.

Seven of the tracks on the album were either written by or co-written with Redding. Issac Hayes, David Porter and Steve Cropper also contributed to the songwriting process for the album.

Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!