Hard to Handle: Black America Sings Otis Redding

by N/A

Overview

Otis Redding was simply one of the finest and most powerful soul singers of all time, and his death in 1967 at the age of 27 not only silenced a gifted artist, it halted a career that seemed poised to break through to major mainstream success after Redding had dominated the R&B charts for several years. However, Redding's considerable gifts as a vocalist and live performer have tended to overshadow his legacy as a songwriter -- he wrote nearly all his best-known tunes, and the earthy but heartfelt emotional immediacy of his songs made them powerful material in his hands, as well as those of other artists. Ace Records have made a compelling case for Otis Redding the songwriter on the compilation Hard to Handle: Black America Sings Otis Redding, which features 24 covers of Redding's compositions from 23 artists (Redding's protege Arthur Conley gets two numbers), as well as a rare performance by Redding himself. While Aretha Franklin's recording of "Respect" is here (one of the few examples of a singer beating Otis on one of his own tunes), most of the other selections are relatively obscure, but there's plenty of top-shelf talent on deck, including Irma Thomas ("Security"), Percy Sledge ("I've Got Dreams to Remember"), Lou Rawls ("Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa [Sad Song]"), Etta James ("I Got the Will"), and the Staple Singers ("Sitting On the Dock of the Bay"). What's surprising with many of these recordings is how strongly Redding's original performances defined the songs, and how the vocalists and arrangers tend to defer to the originals, even in the case of artists who had strong styles of their own; while most of these singers find something of their own in Redding's songs, his melodic style was so distinct it's hard for anyone to sing something like "These Arms of Mine" or "Hard to Handle" without a bit of Redding showing through (though Judy Clay's transformation of "Mister Pitiful" into "Sister Pitiful" shows admirable spirit). Hard to Handle is a fine testament to the lasting importance of Otis Redding as an artist and a composer, as well as a top-notch collection of deep soul from the '60s into the '80s, indicating how powerful his legacy has been. ~ Mark Deming

Product Details

Release Date:	10/02/2012
Label:	Ace / Ace Uk
UPC:	0029667052627
Rank:	135151

Tracks

1. These Arms of Mine  - Ray Allen  - Otis Redding  -  Washington
2. Sister Pitiful  - Judy Clay  - Tom Dowd  - Otis Redding  - Jerry Wexler
3. I've Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now)  - William Bell  - Jerry Butler  - Otis Redding
4. Baby Cakes  - Maxine Brown  - Otis Redding
5. Think About It  - Don Covay  -  King Floyd  - Otis Redding  - Elijah Walker
6. Shout Bamalama  - Mickey Murray  - Otis Redding  - Bobby Smith
7. Security  - Rick Hall  - Otis Redding  - Irma Thomas
8. I've Got Dreams to Remember  - Saul Davis  - Barry Goldberg  - Otis Redding  - Zelma Redding  - Joe Rock  - Percy Sledge
9. Give Away None of My Love  - Buddy Miles  - Otis Redding
10. I'm Missing You  - Mitty Collier  - Rick Hall  - Otis Redding  - Loretta Williams
11. I Can't Turn You Loose  - James Carr  - Quinton Claunch  - Otis Redding  - Rudolph Russell
12. Chained and Bound  - Otis Redding  - Wayne Shuler  - Bettye Swann
13. Just One More Day  - Clarence Carter  - Steve Cropper  - Otis Redding  - McEvoy Robinson
14. Wholesale Love  - Arthur Conley  - Otis Redding
15. Hawg for You  - Tina Britt  - Juggy Murray Jones  - Otis Redding
16. Loving by the Pound [Take 2]  - Steve Cropper  - Otis Redding
17. Hard to Handle  - Al Bell  - Patti Drew  - Allen Jones  - Otis Redding  - Phil Wright
18. A Year, a Month and a Day  - Arthur Conley  - Otis Redding  - Alan Walden
19. Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)  - David Axelrod  - Steve Cropper  - Lou Rawls  - Otis Redding
20. Monkey on My Back  - Jackie Hairston  - Otis Redding
21. Keep Pushing Me  -  Purify  - Otis Redding
22. Good to Me  - Bert Berns  - Julius Green  - Donald Height  - Otis Redding
23. Respect  - Aretha Franklin  - Otis Redding  - Jerry Wexler
24. (Sittin' on The) Dock of the Bay  - Steve Cropper  - Otis Redding  -  Staple Singers
25. I Got the Will  - Barry Beckett  - Etta James  - Otis Redding

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Maxine Brown   Primary Artist
Judy Clay   Primary Artist
Tina Britt   Primary Artist
The Staple Singers   Primary Artist
William Bell   Primary Artist
Mitty Collier   Primary Artist
Arthur Conley   Primary Artist
Jackie Hairston   Primary Artist
Irma Thomas   Primary Artist
Etta James   Primary Artist
Percy Sledge   Primary Artist
Mickey Murray   Primary Artist
Aretha Franklin   Primary Artist
Buddy Miles   Primary Artist
Albert Washington & the Kings   Primary Artist
Patti Drew   Primary Artist
Bettye Swann   Primary Artist
King Floyd   Primary Artist
James Carr   Primary Artist
James & Bobby Purify   Primary Artist
Clarence Carter   Primary Artist
Donald Height   Primary Artist
Lou Rawls   Primary Artist
Otis Redding   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Joe Rock   Composer
Jerry Butler   Composer
McEvoy Robinson   Composer
Jerry Wexler   Producer
Phil Wright   Producer
Rick Hall   Producer
Quinton Claunch   Producer
Nick Robbins   Mastering
Otis Redding   Composer,Producer
Arthur Conley   Composer
Al Bell   Composer
Steve Tracy   Photo Courtesy
David Axelrod   Producer
Zelma Redding   Composer
Steve Cropper   Composer,Producer
Bert Berns   Producer
Barry Beckett   Producer
Juggy Murray Jones   Producer
Julius Green   Composer
Saul Davis   Producer
Tom Dowd   Producer
Buddy Miles   Producer
Elijah Walker   Producer
Loretta Williams   Composer
Ady Lupton   Photo Courtesy
Ray Allen   Producer
Alan Walden   Composer
Roger Stewart   Memorabilia
Allen Jones   Composer
Rudolph Russell   Producer
Bobby Smith   Producer
Don Covay   Composer
Bobby Gallocker   Cover Photo
Paul Jeffrey   Package Design
Barry Goldberg   Producer
Wayne Shuler   Producer
Roger Armstrong   Memorabilia
Tony Rounce   Liner Notes,Memorabilia