Otis Redding Live In London & Paris CD

The titanic soul machine that was Otis Redding is captured in peak form on this live album, documenting two nights of his performances on the Stax soul revue's 1967 European tour. Some of these tracks were previously issued on the LIVE IN EUROPE album released that same year, but it took until 2008 for a full sonic accounting of those spectacular sets. Backed by the stellar Stax house band of the time, which comprised Booker T. & the M.G.'s plus members of the Mar-Keys, Redding wails, moans, croons, pleads, and testifies his way through some of the best-loved items in his repertoire, from the love-junkie cry of "I've Been Loving You Too Long" to the propulsive Beatles reinvention "Day Tripper." This is the King of Soul at the top of his game, giving his all for fans who feed that energy right back towards the stage.

Personnel: Otis Redding (vocals); Steve Cropper (guitar); Joe Arnold, Andrew Love (tenor saxophone); Wayne Jackson (trumpet); Booker T. Jones (organ); Donald "Duck" Dunn (bass instrument); Al Jackson, Jr. (drum).

Audio Mixer: Stephen A. Hart.

Rolling Stone (p.81) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[The London] show is a barnburner -- six torrid uptempo soul numbers leading into Redding's signature whisper-to-a-scream anthem 'Try a Little Tenderness.'"
Down Beat (p.86) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "He vigorously seizes and throttles songs associated with Sam Cooke, Smokey Robinson, the Rolling Stones and the Beatles....This is mandatory listening for soul enthusiasts..."
Dirty Linen (p.65) - "The fans are wildly enthusiastic, and Redding delivers....Outstanding."
Clash (magazine) (p.108) - "Both Otis and band are peerless, whipping the European crowd into a frenzy before taking them along on a rollercoaster musical ride..."
Record Collector (magazine) (p.96) - 5 stars out of 5 -- "A clear contender for one of the most storming live albums of all time, it equals James Brown's LIVE AT THE APOLLO for guts and intensity."