Sunday, January 26, 2025

The Albums of 1965: Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul


Release Date: September 15, 1965

Produced by Jim Stewart, Steve Cropper

Side One: Ole Man Trouble; Respect; Change Gonna Come; Down in the Valley; I've Been Loving You Too Long

Side Two: Shake; My Girl; Wonderful World; Rock Me Baby; Satisfaction; You Don't Miss Your Water

Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul has become recognized as one of the great soul albums of the 1960s. Backed by the Stax Records house band Booker T and the MG's, the album features outstanding covers, including songs by Sam Cooke, who was tragically killed the year before.

"Ole Man Trouble" opens the album with an invocation inner peace. Aretha Franklin made "Respect" an immortal classic, but Redding's version offers a more frenetic plea. "Change Gonna Come" was the first of the Cooke covers, mournful and gospel infused, uneasy and stirring in delivery. "Down in the Valley" is uplifting, about willing one self to survive. "I've Been Loving You Too Long" is a remarkable vocal by Redding to close side one.

"Shake"offers a more muscular sound, a cover "My Girl" by The Temptations has a more adventurous production. "Wonderful World" is a more intense version of the Cooke's classic hit, "Rock Me Baby" is a soulful rocker. "I Can't Get Satisfaction" builds brilliantly upon the Stones classic. The closer, "You Don't Miss Your Water" ends the album on an uneasy note.

A record that breathes life that will provide endless inspiration on repeated listens, Otis Blue is an immortal classic. 





Sunday, January 19, 2025

The Albums of 1965: The Byrds: Mr. Tambourine Man


Release Date: June 21, 1965

Members: Roger McGuinn (vocals, guitar); Gene Clark (guitar); David Crosby (guitar); Chris Hillman (bass); Michael Clarke (drums)

Produced by Terry Melcher

Side One: Mr. Tambourine Man; I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better; Spanish Harlem Incident; You Won't Have to Cry; Here Without You; The Bells of Rhymney

Side Two: All I Really Want to Do; I Knew I'd Want You; It's No Use; Don't Doubt Yourself, Babe; Chimes of Freedom; We'll Meet Again

The Byrds debut album introduced a West Coast sound heavily influenced by Bob Dylan and The Beatles. The precise harmonies and smooth riffs by The Byrds brought new dimensions to Dylan's music, as four covers were included on the record.

A truncated version of "Mr. Tambourine Man" became a #1 hit on the U.S. and British charts, often credited with inventing the sound of folk rock. Jangly guitars and a sublime vocal by McGuinn transformed Dylan's folk song into a spaced-out anthem, a pivotal moment in the evolution of '60s pop. The album's producer Terry Melcher hired session musicians, the legendary "wrecking crew," to record it, but were only used for that track.

"I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better" featured catchy riffs and a lyric evoking the impatience of youth, further amplified by the fervent vocals. "Spanish Harlem Incident" was from Another Side of Bob Dylan, a somewhat less successful attempt to incorporate Dylan's wordplay, but still a worthwhile effort. "You Won't Have to Cry" is a dead-on Beatles pastiche, even a tad heavier. "Here Without You" is once again in the Beatles style, a foreshadowing of Help! that would be released later that summer. "The Bells of Rhymney" was credited to Pete Seeger, a remembrance of the 1926 General Strike in Great Britain. The wavy distortion of the guitars allows the historical narrative of the song to come into focus like a developing photograph.

Dylan's playful "All I Really Want to Do" is performed as a desperate plea. "I Knew I'd Want You" is a standard mid-60s ballad, while "It's No Use" is more in the style of The Kinks. A version of Jackie De Shannon's "Don't Doubt Yourself, Babe" is played with hints of country and blues. The arrangement of "Chimes of Freedom" is another outstanding reimagining of a Dylan song, a dense meditation, rich with symbolism, on the state of America and the meaning of freedom. McGuinn's impassioned vocals seamlessly navigate the dense lyrics. A flowery "We'll Meet Again" ends the album, a reference to Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove

Approaching its 60th birthday, with Mr. Tambourine Man The Byrds proved themselves as worthy interpreters of Dylan and the British Invasion, while developing their own signature sound. 


The Albums of 1965: Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul

Release Date: September 15, 1965 Produced by Jim Stewart, Steve Cropper Side One: Ole Man Trouble; Respect; Change Gonna Come; Down in the V...