Otis Redding's Live in London and Paris is a largely redundant, highly repetitive, for-fans-only release of two 1967 concerts drawn from almost identical setlists. But this characterization misses the point, because Redding's music-- in its constantly evolving urgency, abandon, and complexity-- invites even the casual listener to become obsessive. To listen to his live performances is to give in to the urge to compare them, argue over them, parse their differences.
One of the most dynamic singers ever to put his stamp on the pop charts, Redding consistently emphasized song over performance, which means each take is singular and unrepeatable. Live in London and Paris features especially remarkable stagings from the Stax Records' infamous 1967 European package tour, and captures Redding at the full height of his powers as a showman. So what if the two strong live albums still in print-- 67's Live in Europe, which overlaps with London and Paris, and 68's In Person at the Whisky a Go Go-- render this new collection essentially inessential? Redding's superlative stage presence ought to appeal to all listeners, whether they've studiously researched the making of Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul or just groove to "(Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay" whenever it's on the oldies station. Regardless of the repetitive nature of Live in London and Paris-- in fact, because of it-- leaning close to listen for each staging's distinctive qualities can be a rewarding experience.
IntroductionsAt London's Finsbury Park Astoria and four days later at the Olympia Theatre in Paris, Emperor Rosko rouses the crowd by having them spell out Redding's name. One English fan, sitting suspiciously close to Tom Dowd's recording equipment, can be heard screaming out the letters of Doris Troy's name; Roger Armstrong's liner notes suggest it signals his disapproval of this new wave of R&B that Redding represents. The French are far better spellers, and Rosko declares them "groovy, baby, groovy." Both intros seem like relics of the period, but they show just how well his music has aged. There is no dust on these songs.
**"Respect"**Redding had some spelling of his own to do on this tour, namely R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Better known today as a hit for Aretha Franklin, his "Respect" makes an especially apt opener, its urgent tempo and pleading lyrics riling up the crowd. In London, the song sounds reckless as Redding leads the band at double time. In fact, "Respect" almost gets away from him: Halfway through he botches a cue but quickly recovers. The Paris performance dials the tempo down a bit, amps up the Mar-Keys' horns, and spotlights Donald "Duck" Dunn's elastic bassline.
**"My Girl"**Redding's first European hit was his cover of the Temptations' chart smash "My Girl". In both venues the song retains its famous three-note bass theme and loping tempo, but the M.G.s transfer that bassline to Steve Cropper's guitar, which adds a lush backdrop for Redding's earthy vocals. In Paris, where "My Girl" was Redding's fourth song of the night instead of his second, Cropper and Dunn double up on that ascending melody so that it provides a more emphatic commentary on Redding's delivery. Here the differences in the technical recordings become clear: The London show fuzzes around the edges, whereas the Paris set sounds much crisper-- you can hear every thrum of Booker T.'s organ and every click of Al Jackson, Sr.'s drumstick against the snare rim.
**"Shake"**In both shows, "My Girl" leads abruptly into the faster "Shake", originally by Sam Cooke but also covered on Otis Blue. The band knows how well the transition works: Those horn blasts, punctuated by Cropper's guitar, herald a new song at a new tempo, leaving the audience with barely enough time to catch their breaths. In London, it's the band's finest, tightest moment, as every instrument-- even the audience's clapping and shouts-- clicks into place to emphasize that jumpy groove. In Paris, it's even better, with Jackson's drum fills rolling in and out of the chorus and Redding involving the audience even more:
**"Day Tripper"**In London "Shake" is followed by "Day Tripper", an effective one-two punch. Redding's cover essentially finishes what the Beatles started: It syncopates the rhythms, revs up the tempo, and trips out the melody, making the original sound like a rough sketch. In Paris, however, Redding and the band move "Day Tripper" to near the end of the show so that it leads into closer "Try a Little Tenderness". Booker T.'s organ is an airplane landing, the Mar-Keys' horn stabs sound like sparks of fire, and Redding elaborates on the lyrics, picking a phrase and repeating it demonstratively: "Gottagottagottagottagotta! You gotta love me when I want it, baby!"
"Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)""Here's a song I love to sing, and I want you to help me sing it along together," Redding says in London by means of introducing "Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)", and despite its mournful horn preface, it's not really a sad song, but rather a song about sad songs. He actually has to teach the London audience how to do a call and response, drawing them out a bit to sing "Sock it to me, baby!" and "Wang dang doodle" back to him. In Paris, the crowd sings and claps along with no prompting, and that, more than Redding's insistent performance, puts the song over.
**"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"**Of course the London crowd goes nuts for this one. The Rolling Stones were hometown boys, and Redding had covered that group's signature hit on Otis Blue, which was his first hit album in England. Jackson's drums give the song its headlong momentum, and the band breaks it down for Redding to explore the improvisational potential of the syllables "-faction." Even though it comes earlier in the Paris show, Redding still sounds like he's feeding off the French audience's enthusiasm, throwing himself into the song completely. It's one of his most commanding performances on this disc, although the longer version from In Person at the Whisky a Go Go proves superior, if only for the call and response with the band and the quickening tempo on the climax.
**"Try a Little Tenderness"**More than any other pair of tracks, these two versions of "Try a Little Tenderness"-- closing both shows-- sound more or less identical, right down to Emperor Rosko calling Redding out for multiple encores. The big push on the London performance sounds a bit shaky, but the band clicks into place soon enough. In Paris, it's simply more efficient, and his encores-- repeating that final push-- are messy but genuinely moving.
That leaves three tracks from Paris that weren't played in London, where a curfew ensured a shorter show: "I Can't Turn You Loose" maintains the energy and pace of "Respect" and includes the album's best breakdown; "I've Been Loving You Too Long" finds an ideal balance between gruff and tender; and later in the show, "These Arms of Mine" sounds as if Redding were writing the song as he goes. The inclusion of these tracks not only emphasizes the ebb and flow between fast and slow songs, with the intensity never waning, but also suggests that the Paris show could have been released on its own. That would have made a stronger, if shorter, release, rather than a minor reissue from a major artist. But if you've read this far, you probably ought to pick it up anyway.
