Next year will mark the 50th anniversary of Otis Redding topping the charts with his signature song, “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay.” (Redding tragically passed away in a plane crash just weeks before its release.) Leading up to the “Dock of the Bay” anniversary, Rhino will introduce a new vinyl collection that brings together all seven of the soul singer’s studio albums.
Otis Redding: The Definitive Studio Album Collection will be available as a 7-LP set from Rhino on Dec. 15.
The albums included in the collection are Pain In My Heart (1964), The Great Otis Redding Sings Soul Ballads (1965), Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul (1965), The Soul Album (1966), Complete and Unbelievable…The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul (1966), King & Queen—Otis Redding & Carla Thomas (1967), and The Dock of the Bay (1968).
Pre-order The Definitive Studio Album Collection here.
All of the LPs replicate the original packaging, from the sleeve artwork down to small details like the original record labels (Volt and Stax) and catalog numbers, all housed together in a side-loading slipcase. Several of these albums are long out-of-print and back on vinyl in mono for the first time in years.
Related: “Dock of the Bay” hits #1
The music follows Redding’s career from his 1964 debut Pain In My Heart up to The Dock of the Bay, which was released in February 1968, just a few months after the singer’s untimely death in December 1967.
The albums are packed with top 10 R&B hits: “Chained And Bound,” “Mr. Pitiful,” “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long” and his cover of the Rolling Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” Another highlight is “Respect,” a song Redding wrote and recorded in 1965, which later become a massive hit for Aretha Franklin. Another essential is “Tramp” from his unforgettable duets album with Carla Thomas, King & Queen. As it happens, that’s also the last album the singer would release during his lifetime.
Redding’s music career began fatefully in 1962 when an unexpected opportunity to record two songs led to a contract with Stax Records in Memphis. Throughout his career, the singer was backed by the legendary Stax house band: keyboardist Booker T. Jones, guitarist Steve Cropper, bassist Donald “Duck” Dunn and drummer Al Jackson Jr.
Otis Redding: The Definitive Studio Album Collection Album Listing
Pain In My Heart
The Great Otis Redding Sings Soul Ballads
Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul
The Soul Album
Complete and Unbelievable…The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul
King & Queen—Otis Redding & Carla Thomas
The Dock of the Bay
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Watch the video for “Dock of the Bay”
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