OTIS REDDING/THE IMMORTAL OTIS REDDING SD-33 252 (-68) US

Second posthumous album, showing up just four months after "Dock Of The Bay"    https://monolover.blogspot.com/2018/10/otis-reddingthe-dock-of-bay-volt-s-419.html . While that was a no less than superb compilation of 45 cuts this contains his final recordings, last session just a couple of days before his death in a plane crash. With issues like this you can always ponder if it was all canonized to be issued before he left, or if parts then were still developing from first trials or demos and polished up by the label afterwards. Probably some of both, but even if added to or refined in any way it's still a tophole soul album. His voice sounds more mature than earlier, less strained as he's confident enough to relax and just let it out without being too self-aware. Support is beautiful with emotional brass and background vocals to an adaptive rythm section. Audio on this US press (matrixes have etched ST-C-681291-A/92-A with "M" at nine o'clock and "LW AT" at three) is superduper, stereo mix quite panned though with enough overlapping to make it natural. Favorite tracks - "I've Got Dreams To Remember", "Nobody's Fault But Mine", "Think About It" and "The Happy Song". Issued and reissued on vinyl and CD pretty much all over the world through the years plus 4-track and cassette. First UK in both mono and stereo on Atlantic (587/8 113). Also as US white label mono promo. Premiere US had label as shown here on thick vinyl and glossy cover with ATCO ad inner. (YZÖ*) (ÖRÖ*)