Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sing Soul (Collector’s Edition)

CD1

1. Ole Man Trouble
2. Respect
3. Change Gonna Come
4. Down In The Valley
5. I've Been Loving You Too Long
6. Shake
7. My Girl
8. Wonderful World
9. Rock Me Baby
10. Satisfaction
11. You Don't Miss Your Water
12. I've Been Loving You Too Long (Mono Mix Of Stereo Album Version)
13. I'm Depending On You (B-Side)
14. Respect (Mono Mix Of Stereo Album Version)
15. Ole Man Trouble (Mono Mix Of Stereo Album Version)
16. Any Ole Way (B-Side)
17. Shake (Live, 1967 - Sereo Mix Of Single Version)
18. Ole Man Trouble
19. Respect
20. I've Been Loving You Too Long
21. Satisfaction
22. I'm Depending On You
23. Any Ole Way

CD2

1. Ole Man Trouble
2. Respect
3. Change Is Gonna Come
4. Down In The Valley
5. I've Been Loving You Too Long
6. Shake
7. My Girl
8. Wonderful World
9. Rock Me Baby
10. Satisfaction
11. You Don't Miss Your Water
12. Respect (1967 Version)
13. I've Been Loving You Too Long
14. My Girl
15. Shake
16. Satisfaction
17. Respect

With his powerful voice and boundless energy, Otis Redding helped define the sound of Sixties soul like no other male singer. Before his untimely death, the Georgia singer recorded an unrivaled body of work with the Stax Records house band that includes such incomparable classics as “Try A Little Tenderness,” “Pain In My Heart,” and the #1 hit “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay.”

Undoubtedly, The Big O’s crowning achievement was Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul. Released on September 15, 1965, this landmark album celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Redding recorded the majority of Otis Blue in a whirlwind 24-hour studio session in July of 1965, backed by the Booker T. & The MG’s, Isaac Hayes, and the Mar-Key horns. The album went on to top the R&B charts behind such iconic singles as “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long,” his take on The Rolling Stones classic “Satisfaction,” and “Respect,” a song famously covered two years later by Aretha Franklin. Otis Blue continues to be recognized as one of the most important recordings ever, being recognized by both Rolling Stone and Time Magazine as one of the greatest 100 albums of all time.

One of the enduring mysteries of music history is the identity of the woman on the cover of Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul. The photo was a stock image licensed for use on the cover, which was standard at the time. Recently, the photographer, Peter Sahula, told Stax Museum archivist Tim Sampson that "I'm almost sure this is Dagmar [Dreger], but I can't find any others from that shooting, and her face is in shadow. So it's hard for me even to be sure…” Sahula further went on to explain that if it wasn’t Dagmar, it was almost certainly Nico, the enigmatic singer for The Velvet Underground, who was also an occasional model for Mr. Sahula’s shoots. Mr. Sahula has no record of the shoot, and there is no further information in the Stax Archives. In an effort to solve this mystery once and for all, it is now being put to the fans to help Rhino, The Estate of Otis Redding, and the public to find Dagmar.

In 2008, Rhino released a two-CD Collector’s Edition with stereo and mono versions of the original album, plus previously unreleased alternate mixes, as well as selections from Redding’s explosive live albums Live At The Whisky A Go Go and Live In Europe. After several years out of print, Rhino is bringing the Collector’s Edition of Otis Blue back for the 50th. It will be available on September 18.