For the 50th anniversary of its recording date, Otis Redding’s Live at the Whisky A Go Go: The Complete Recordings collects and presents the entire three historic April 1966 shows, seven sets, in their original running order. It’s the full picture of a performer that was both a year away from a breakthrough showing at Monterey Pop, wowing alongside Jimi Hendrix, The Who, and the Grateful Dead, and from his tragic death. In fact, performances from both the Whisky shows and Monterey were released posthumously on live albums; Redding dying in a plane crash in December of 1967. So, the power and energy of a Redding concert has been captured and released on record before, but nothing like it is on this box set. By presenting the shows in sequence and in full, not only can the slight differences in the mostly consistent repertoire be appreciated, but also to a greater degree the sheer stamina of Redding and his fiery ensemble working for their dinner, (as Redding jokes), in front of a boisterous and interactive audience on the Sunset Strip. Yes, there are, count them, ten separate versions of “Satisfaction,” that even the most hardcore Redding and/or Rolling Stones fans may find to be more than enough. Redding makes no secret of his intention to record the shows, for what would become 1968’s In Person at the Whisky A Go Go, so it’s most likely he and his team wanted the most options to choose from; a point Redding even makes as he repeats “Good To Me” on set two of night one. Even with the conceit that they were making a live album, the dynamic force that Otis, his band, and his audience amassed as one drives these seven sets to a place of intense soulful release that seemed beyond the potential from the mere encouragement of tapes rolling.
- Otis Redding
- Live at the Whisky A Go Go: The Complete Recordings
News
Archive- Listen: Alex Koford Releases First Self-Produced, Recorded and Mixed Single, “When I Rise”
- Brooklyn Bowl to Host Benefit for Bad Brains’ HR, with Members of Bad Brains, Fishbone, Living Colour and More
- Warren Haynes, Bill Kreutzmann, Devon Allman and More Share Tributes to Dickey Betts
- Visual Splendor: Phish Commence Sphere Residency with Classics
- Listen: Brian Eno Updates David Bowie’s “Get Real” with Nature Sounds
- Listen: Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats Announce Fourth Full-Length Album ‘South of Here’ with “Heartless” Preview
- The String Cheese Incident Unveil The Mexico Incident with Daniel Donato, moe., Chromeo and More
- Lettuce Expand 2024 Tour Schedule: John Scofield, Ziggy Marley, BISCOLAND and More
Most Popular
- That’s Hot: Paris Hilton Plays Cornhole While Vampire Weekend Deliver Phish, Grateful Dead Medley Jam at Coachella
- Blues Traveler and Big Head Todd & The Monsters Revive Blue Monsters Tour for Summer 2024
- Billy Strings Starts Spring Tour with Bluegrass Standards in Tampa, Fla.
- Grateful Dead Release 16 Previously Unheard Outtakes, Alternate Versions and Mixes of “Scarlet Begonias,” “Ship Of Fools,” “China Doll” and More
- Bob Marley’s Sons Detail The Legacy Tour, First Joint Run in Two-Decades
- Listen: Sean Ono Lennon and James McCartney Unveil Collaborative Single “Primrose Hill”
- Watch: Ronnie Wood and Chuck Leavell Join The Black Crowes, Perform Faces “Stay With Me” for First Time Since 1990
- Ventura Offers Array of Alternatives to Skull & Roses This Week
No Comments comments associated with this post