Personnel: Otis Redding (vocals); Johnny Jenkins (guitar); Charles "Packy" Axton (tenor saxophone); Floyd Newman (baritone saxophone); Wayne Jackson (trumpet).
Booker T. & The MG's: Booker T. Jones (piano, organ); Steve Cropper (guitar, piano); Donald "Duck" Dunn, Lewis Steinberg (bass); Al Jackson Jr (drums).
Producer: Jim Stewart.
Reissue producer: Yves Beauvais.
Recorded between 1962 and January 1964. Originally released on Atco (33-161). Includes liner notes by Bob Altshuler.
Digitally remastered by Bill Inglot and Dan Hersch (DigiPrep).
After Otis Redding made his mark on the Top 100 pop charts with his Fall 1963 single "Pain In My Heart," he released a debut album of the same name the following year that showed this Georgia soul singer to be no flash in the pan. The bulk of PAIN is covers that either pay homage to influences like Sam Cooke ("You Send Me") and Little Richard ("Lucille") or ride on the coattails of recent hits by Don Gardner and Dee Dee Ford ("I Need Your Lovin') and the Kingsmen ("Louie Louie"). Although Redding's interpretive skills were impressive, his early, self-penned material such as "These Arms Of Mine" and "That What My Heart Needs" were an even greater representation of his burgeoning talent. Apparently fans of soul agreed--both songs made the Top 30 on the R&B charts.
- Genre: Pop
- Format: Vinyl
- RSD Release Date: DDD
