Otis Redding’s The Dock of the Bay will be available on MONO LP here for the first time in a very, very long time on 180g vinyl.
This album has both “(Sittin On) The Dock of the Bay” and “Tramp”- true classics. Perfect for vinyl purists.
Review:
It was never supposed to be like this: “(Sittin' on) The Dock of the
Bay” was supposed to mark a beginning of a new phase in Otis
Redding's career, not an ending. Producer/guitarist Steve Cropper had a
difficult task to perform in pulling together this album, the first of several
posthumous releases issued by Stax/Volt in the wake of Otis Redding's death.
What could have been a cash-in effort or a grim memorial album instead became a
vivid, exciting presentation of some key aspects of the talent that was lost
when Redding died. Dock of the Bay is, indeed, a mixed bag of singles and
B-sides going back to July of 1965, one hit duet with Carla Thomas, and a pair
of previously unissued tracks from 1966 and 1967, respectively. There's little
cohesion, stylistic or otherwise, in the songs, especially when the title track
is taken into consideration – nothing else here resembles it, for the obvious
reason that Redding never had a chance to follow it up. Despite the
mix-and-match nature of the album, however, this is an impossible record not to
love. Cropper chose his tracks well, selecting some of the strongest and most
unusual among the late singer's orphaned songs: “I Love You More Than Words
Can Say” is one of Redding's most passionate performances; “Let Me Come on
Home” presents an ebullient Otis Redding accompanied by some sharp playing;
and “Don't Mess With Cupid” begins with a gorgeous guitar flourish and
blooms into an intense, pounding, soaring showcase for singer and band alike. No
one could complain about the album then, and it still holds more than four
decades later.
All Music Guide – Bruce Eder