CD - Otis Redding: Otis Blue (Collectors Edition)

Regular visitors to the Shades site will know that Otis isn't revered in quite the same way here as he is in most circles - which of course probably says just as much about Shades tastes as it does about the consensus. Which is not to say that Redding's output is not enjoyed by the Primer - and as Otis Blue was probably the best realised of all his original albums (ignoring the many anthologies that have been released since his death) a reissue is hopefully something we can all enjoy.

 "Otis Blue" was originally recorded over a 24 hour period in 1965 but, unlike many soul albums of the era, it always felt more like a fully realised album than simply a collection of singles and filler. similar in that respect to Aretha's early releases - just not quite as good, obviously . As such, apart from one of the many excellent anthologies, Shades has always felt it was probably on balance the best of his original albums. So what do we get in the 'Collectors Edition'.

First and foremost, the whole album has been successfully remastered - and this alone possibly makes the purchase worthwhile. The reissue is a 2 CD affair: the first CD features the album in mono, a second CD the stereo release - which is interesting but at this stage hardly makes it an essential buy. However, extras on the first CD include six alternate versions / singles including previously unreleased mono mixes of stereo album versions of 'I've Been Loving You For Too Long', 'Ole Man Trouble', and 'Respect'. It also features six classic songs recorded Live at The Whisky A Go Go in Los Angeles in April 1966, including 'Satisfaction' and 'Respect', both of course on the original album. The second CD features more live performances and are more polished than those on CD1 - the latter features his road band and, whilst enjoyable, the band proves on occasion to be a little iffy in the 'in tune' department. Of the two versions of the original album, I prefer the mono release - I know that the singles from the album were originally released in mono, so that might be colouring my judgement, but the stereo production is a little too basic and obvious for my tastes. No idea what the story was on original release - were both mono and stereo versions of the LP released?

The album, as we know, features some of Otis' best performances, including a trio of Sam Cooke songs - 'Change Is Gonna Come', 'Shake' and 'Wonderful World' - as well as Otis signatures such as 'Respect', his version of Smokey's 'My Girl' and 'I've Been Loving You Too Long'. It's also handsomely packaged, with good photos and liner notes.

Overall, definitely worth the price, with the additional material more than just filler. Some might argue that the spirit of the original is somewhat compromised by tagging the extra material onto the end of the original album on the first CD, but if that bothers you, then you can always stop listening after track 11 - but then that would be kind of pointless!