60 albums
1966 - Otis Blue / Otis Redding Sings Soul

Well the Internet is at pains to tell me that Otis Blue was released in 1965 but my (British) copy clearly has 1966 written on the labels and the sleeve, so … 1966 it is.

I can’t remember how this album came into my possession, but I suspect that, like so many, it was bought at a jumble sale back in the late 70s when I was working my way through the history of popular music. I bought so many albums that way and it taught me so much. I suspect that watching Otis Redding’s performance at Monterey on the telly had a huge impact too - I can’t be sure when I first saw that film but it was probably around then too.

I love that so many albums of this era have such good intro notes on the sleeve - this one has notes by “Bob Rolontz” who, Wikipedia tells me, was credited with inventing the “platinum disc”

Soul is not something that can be feigned - you either have it or you don’t. Otis Redding has it, to a degree almost unrivalled by any other young singer in sight.

Bob Rolontz - Otis Blue sleeve notes, 1965

I’ve listened to this a lot over the years so it’s very familiar, although familiarity hasn’t dulled things. So much good stuff on here, it sags in a couple fo places so it ain’t perfect but probably not too far off.