A little bit of personal history, and a lot of good music.
I lived with my ex for more than 20 years, they do say you can learn something from every one and every one has at least one good thing in them. His was music, he had impeccable and widely varied taste in music (total drunken arse in most other respects but his taste/ knowledge of music was superb). I took two things from that relationship, the best was my daughters, and for them I would have happily done another 20 years, and then there is Otis Redding. Believe it or not I had hardly heard of Otis pre-ex. Soul isn’t generally my thing, but in this case, I make an exception. I can’t imagine not knowing this voice, total one off and unique.
BTW…………..Is there is such a thing as a music appreciation gene?? If so, I think my eldest daughter has inherited it. She is the one I gave my half of the vinyl collection too (getting my rightful half of the vinyl collection was a battle Gandalf would have been proud of). She also has my old Marantz turntable and amp. She is familiar with virtually every band and musician in both halves of the vinyl collection plus contemporary music I have never heard of, in fact now she introduces me to music, which is kinda nice. She is working on the ex for his half of the vinyl collection but I have a feeling it will stay locked in his attic, totally unlistened too and unloved, until they burry him, which is very sad. But for now……………..Otis Redding……………..his voice is like no other.
Nobody sings 'Sitting on the Docks of the Bay' like Otis Redding. This is one musician I've seen in concert I'm proud to say. And you've introduced me to a lot of music that I may not have heard otherwise, Loretta.
ReplyDeleteI think there must be a "music appreciation gene" and I think my son has it. Like your daughter he is familiar with every kind of music imaginable, both old and new, no matter what genre. He too has introduced me to a lot of music I probably never would have come across without him telling me about it.
ReplyDeleteI Love Otis Redding !!!
I think my appreciation of Otis Redding and soul in general was somewhat tainted by my dislike of 'Townies' when I was a lad. In later life I came to appreciate soul musicians like Otis Redding more and actually I always did like Sam and Dave a bit (Hold On I'm Coming) Wilson Picket (In the Midnight Hour) and the wonderful Percy Sledge classic When a Man Loves a Woman, huge disco hits from my youth....but I wouldn't have admitted at the time. Otis Redding was undoubtedly brilliant as your selection of videos here proves, but at the time these records came out, I belonged to a youth sub-culture that was opposed to soul fans in the UK (sometimes violently) so it took a while to come to terms with the music of the opposition I suppose. I think the Stones eventually won me over to soul in the mid 1970s. Thanks for posting these great songs Loretta.
ReplyDelete''Otis Redding was undoubtedly brilliant as your selection of videos here proves, but at the time these records came out, I belonged to a youth sub-culture that was opposed to soul fans in the UK''
Deleteyep me too, I was more into the old blues men folleed by a period as a happy hippy chick. I didn't do the motown/ disco/ soul stuff. Which is why I give credit where its due. It really is thanks to my ex that I grew to love Otis. While I sat in darkened smoke filled rooms at the back of pubs, listening to B B King, Howling Wolf and bands with strange names like 'Chicken Shack', he was doing the motown thing in various clubs usually situated over Burtons shops.
As to whether there is an appreciation gene, I don't know but I tend to go for nuture over nature as a general rule. I hope your daughter gets the entire collection before too long, it is good to have such a family heirloom I think.
ReplyDeleteMe too..............this collection really has been the cause of many disagreements. Daughter stated, at a fairly young age, that the only thing she wanted from either of us was the record collection. When the ex and I split up she asked for it then, he refused, I managed to secure at least half of the collection for her and finally let her take it away some time last year. I waited until I was sure she was settled. She has repeatedly asked for the other half but so far...........it remains in the attic of the ex........as I told her there's not a lot I can do about that, I did the best I could by getting 'my' half.
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