Otis Redding and His Orchestra - Live on the Sunset Strip

 

"Are you ready for STAR TIME?!" Recorded live at the Whisky-A-Go-Go on April 9 and 10, 1966, this 2-CD set has three complete (?) shows of Otis and his 10 piece "orchestra" giving the kids a truly powerful soul showcase. Unfortunately, my copy came from our local library and the liner notes are missing, but I understand that Taj Mahal has some great stories of his band, the Rising Sons, opening on these nights, so search that out!

But, the music here is the star - a terrific backing band, complete with horns'n'backing singers, give Otis the foundation for his incredible voice and personality. And you certainly can't fault the set lists - of course, this is before his posthumous hit "Dock of the Bay", but some of his best are here. He moves flawlessly from upbeat dance numbers like "Security" to soulful burners like "Just One More Day", where you can hear Otis playing/singing to the audience off-mic. Once again, there's a blink-of-an-eye change to "These Arms of Mine" then another snap of the fingers and we're off on Otis' high-energy soul-filled, horn-led take on the Stones' "Satisfaction" (which the Stones would use as a template for this song after hearing Otis slay on his version), followed by the classic'n'extended "I Can't Turn You Loose". They finally take a breather before the slow'n'sultry "Chained and Bound" before the end this set with Otis' incredible performance of his hit for Aretha Franklin, "Respect".

The next set is extended over the two CD's, starting with the fast-paced rock'n'soul of "I'm Depending On You" after which Otis tells everyone to let loose since they are recording an album, which leads into the hip-shakin'  "I Can't Turn You Loose" and "Satisfaction" before taking a breather for "Chained and Bound", then a simmerin' "Just One More Day" and the first CD finished as they "put you in a groove" with the bouncey "Any Ole Way".

As we move onto Disc 2 we get the second half of the second set, with his fabulously passionate "I've Been Loving You Too Long", and the set finishes with another rave-up take on "Satisfaction". The final set of this collection opens with the insistent dance beat of "Destiny", followed by Otis giving his all in "Security", they slow down a bit but don't lose any intensity for "Good To Me", another excellent "Respect", he simmers once again in "Chained and Bound", then for the first time here we get a fast-paced take on his great "Mr. Pitiful" that flashes into another extended "Satisfaction", complete with call'n'answer segments and an outta control rave-up ending. Slow down a little for a subtly swingin' "Ole Man Trouble", then back to the dance numbers for "I Can't Turn You Loose" with a nicely prolonged mid-section to give the horns some while also (I'm sure) allowing Otis to interact with the crowd. Although he had long done his tribute to the Stones, his soul/horn take on the Beatles' "Hard Day's Night" is kind of a trip, then back to his slow'n'romantic'n'steamy section for "These Arms Of Mine" before he goes full funk on "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag" and then sending up the crowd with a final "Satisfaction".

Obviously, the repeats are inevitable since there are several sets included here, but all of the versions are solid and have their own variations as they extend things here'n'there in order to work with the crowd. The studio versions are, naturally, tighter, and sometimes the live speeds are unnecessarily accelerated, but these are all solid and fun takes. You'll want it if you're a fan or Otis or just soul music in general.