Pain in My Heart

Product Description

The 1964 debut album from the legendary Soul shouter. While Otis Redding died in 1967, just as he was achieving the success he so richly deserved, his recorded output proves that his talents were in full force even before the world began to take notice. When listening to Pain in My Heart, there is no denying that Otis hit the ground running with this excellent set of soulful gems. 12 tracks. Warner.

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Like most R&B albums of the early 1960s, Otis Redding's 1964 debut was a haphazard mixture of the artist's contemporary hits ("These Arms of Mine," "Pain in My Heart"), B-sides ("Something Is Worrying Me," "Hey Hey Baby"), and covers of popular hits of the day ("You Send Me," "Stand by Me"). Stylistically, Redding was still trying to find his feet; though he obviously had the voice and ability to pull off tender ballads like the title track, he hadn't yet given up on trying to scream like Little Richard ("Lucille"). Uneven as they may be, the tracks on Pain in My Heart get over on the sheer soulfulness of Redding's singing. Worth the price of admission alone is the underrated "Security," which was the first in a string of great uptempo Redding originals. --Dan Epstein