Live In London and Paris

Otis Redding and the Stax-Volt Revue headed to Europe in March 1967 to spread their Memphis soul to eager, awaiting audiences. These two performances, a seven song set at Finsbury Park Astoria in London and a ten song set at the Olympia Theatre in Paris (where there was no 11 pm curfew), feature Stax’s in-house band, Booker T. and the MGs and the Mar-Keys. Only select tracks have previously seen limited release as part of obscure collections, including the long out-of-print Stax Volt In Europe, Vol. 3. Now, presented as complete performances, they capture the incredible energy and untouchable vocal talents of one of the finest soul singers of any era. Redding feeds off the crowd and has never sounded more enthused, smashing through the highlights of his emerging catalog with “Shake” and “Respect,” adding a horn-fueled punch to the Rolling Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction)” and the Beatles’ “Day Tripper. When he slows down for “Try a Little Tenderness,” it’s a heart-stopping performance that builds to cathartic heights. The recording was originally overseen by legendary engineer Tom Dowd; this remix and re-master is top-notch.