161 - Otis Redding - The Dock of the Bay
The first couple of times I put The Dock of the Bay on, it just kind of cruised by; pleasant, but completely not hooking me. There was something disjointed about the album. The obvious thing was how different “(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay” is from the rest of the songs. This is where history had to come into play. The Dock of the Bay was released shortly after his death, with the famous single being an indication of a change Otis was making in his artistic direction. With that background, this album serves not as a greatest hits but as a sketch of his career and the title song indicating the bright possibilities that never happened.
It's a nice sounding album; just doesn't really do anything for me. The Dock of the Bay shows his powerful voice, energetic examples of Southern soul, and heart-wrenching, gospel-inspired ballads of him pleeeeeaaaaading, baby, pleading.
Songs I Knew I Liked: “(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay”
Songs I Now Like: “I Love You More Than Words Can Say” (which screamed for Lenny Kravitz to cover, IMO) and “Old Man Trouble”
Songs I Don't Want to Ever Hear Again: None I would particularly avoid.