NEW LP
New sealed copy. 2026 Rhino Reserve Series remastered reissue. Remastered from the original analog masters at The Mastering Lab and pressed on 180 gram audiphile quality vinyl by Fidelity Record Pressing in California.
Otis Redding's debut album, Pain in My Heart, was released on March 17, 1964, through Atco Records, a subsidiary of Atlantic Records. Redding recorded for Volt Records, a Stax Records subsidiary based in Memphis. The album includes four successful singles released in 1962 and 1963: "These Arms of Mine," "That's What My Heart Needs," "Security," and the title track, written and arranged by Allen Toussaint under the pseudonym Naomi Neville.
Redding's opportunity came when he drove guitarist Johnny Jenkins to a Stax studio session in 1962. After Jenkins finished early, Redding performed "These Arms of Mine," which became his first Stax single and sold over 800,000 copies. The title track sparked copyright issues due to its similarity to Irma Thomas's "Ruler of My Heart" but became Redding's most successful effort to date, reaching number 60 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album also includes covers of songs by Rufus Thomas, Richard Berry, Little Richard, and Ben E. King.
Critics gave the album positive reviews. AllMusic's Bruce Eder praised Redding's "astonishing power, energy and boldness" and noted the album "was practically a road map to Mick Jagger and any number of other would-be white soul shouters in the UK." Rolling Stone observed that the title track "set the pattern for all his ballads to come" and awarded the album four out of five stars. The album peaked at number 20 on Billboard's R&B chart.
TRACKLIST:
A1 Pain In My Heart
A2 The Dog
A3 Stand By Me
A4 Hey Hey Baby
A5 You Send Me
A6 I Need Your Lovin'
B1 These Arms Of Mine
B2 Louie Louie
B3 Something Is Worrying Me
B4 Security
B5 That's What My Heart Needs
B6 Lucille
