The Very Best of Wilson Pickett [Rhino]

by Wilson Pickett

Overview

Rhino's 1993 collection The Very Best of Wilson Pickett remains the best single-disc anthology of the fiery soul singer's work, choosing 16 of his best tracks for Atlantic and presenting them in excellent remastered sound quality. Pickett never departed all that much from the rough, swaggering vocals that first made his name, but he was utterly electrifying within that style, setting the standard for Southern soul singers behind Otis Redding. All of Pickett's early signature hits -- "In the Midnight Hour," "634-5789 (Soulsville, U.S.A.)," "Land of 1,000 Dances," "Mustang Sally," and "Funky Broadway" -- lead off the disc in quick succession, capturing the emergence of Southern soul as a viable commercial style. But Pickett is just as charismatic on the rest of the material, nearly all of which made the R&B Top Ten and went under appreciated on the pop charts -- he was just too much for white audiences to handle. Pickett did his best to shake up his formula -- he cut a near-psychedelic soul tune, "Engine No. 9," with future Philly soul architects Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff; he helped bring Bobby Womack back into the music business by covering his "I'm in Love" and "I'm a Midnight Mover"; and he made some unpredictable cover choices in the Beatles' "Hey Jude," the Archies' bubblegum tune "Sugar Sugar," and Free's "Fire and Water." Fans who want to dig deeper can go for the double-disc A Man and a Half, but The Very Best of Wilson Pickett is such a concentrated dose of everything that made him great that it should be considered a necessary purchase for anyone who claims to be a fan of real soul music. ~ Steve Huey

Product Details

Release Date:	09/12/2005
Label:	Rhino / Warner Bros.
UPC:	0081227121228
Rank:	6622

Tracks

1. In the Midnight Hour
2. 634-5789 (Soulsville, U.S.A.)
3. Land of 1000 Dances
4. Mustang Sally
5. Funky Broadway
6. I'm in Love
7. She's Lookin' Good
8. Hey Jude
9. Sugar, Sugar
10. Engine Number 9
11. Don't Let the Green Grass Fool You
12. Don't Knock My Love, Pt. 1
13. Fire and Water
14. I'm a Midnight Mover
15. I Found a Love, Pt. 1
16. Everybody Needs Somebody to Love

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Wilson Pickett   Primary Artist,Vocals
Duane Allman   Guest Artist
Ugene Dozier   Piano
Joe Hall   Piano
John Keyes   Trumpet
Jack Peck   Trumpet
Bob Taylor   Trumpet
Gene "Bowlegs" Miller   Trumpet
Jimmy Johnson   Guitar
Charlie Chalmers   Sax (Tenor)
Wayne Jackson   Trumpet,Trumpet
Vince Montana   Percussion,Vibraphone
Al Jackson, Jr.   Drums
David Allman   Guitar
Joe Arnold   Sax (Tenor),Tenor (Vocal)
The Sweet Inspirations   Vocals (Background)
Tommy Cogbill   Bass,Guitar (Bass)
Thom Bell   Organ
Steve Cropper   Guitar
Ronnie Baker   Bass,Guitar (Bass)
Bobby Emmons   Organ
Bobby Wood   Piano
Chips Moman   Bass,Guitar (Bass)
Ed Logan   Sax (Tenor),Tenor (Vocal)
Barry Beckett   Piano,Keyboards
Eddie Hinton   Guitar
Charles Chalmers   Sax (Tenor),Tenor (Vocal)
Marvell Thomas   Organ
Reggie Young   Guitar
Norman Harris   Guitar
Jimmy Mitchell   Saxophone,Sax (Tenor),Tenor (Vocal)
Gilbert Caples   Sax (Tenor),Tenor (Vocal)
Aaron Varnell   Sax (Tenor),Tenor (Vocal)
Albert Lowe   Guitar
James Johnson   Guitar
Andrew Love   Sax (Tenor),Tenor (Vocal)
Bobby Eli   Guitar
Bobby Womack   Bass,Guitar,Guitar (Bass)
Bobby Woods   Piano
King Curtis   Saxophone,Sax (Tenor),Tenor (Vocal)
James Mitchell   Saxophone
Earl Young   Drums
Spooner Oldham   Piano,Keyboards
Charles "Packy" Axton   Sax (Tenor),Tenor (Vocal)
Donald "Duck" Dunn   Bass,Guitar (Bass)
Floyd Newman   Saxophone,Sax (Tenor),Tenor (Vocal)
Gene Chrisman   Drums
Gene Miller   Trumpet
David Hood   Bass,Guitar (Bass)
Lenny Pakula   Piano
Roger Hawkins   Drums
Roland Chambers   Guitar
Jerry Jemmott   Bass,Guitar (Bass)

Technical Credits

Bobby Martin   Arranger
John Bellman   Composer
Geoff Gans   Artwork,Art Direction
Kevin Phinney   Liner Notes
Daniel Hersch   Mastering,Remastering
Reginald Turner   Composer
Jerry Akines   Composer
Lester Christian   Composer,Lyricist
Jerry Wexler   Producer,Composer,Lyricist
Kashif   Composer
Rick Hall   Engineer,Producer
Reggie Turner   Composer
Brad Shapiro   Composer,Lyricist
Willie Schofield   Composer
Arlester "Dyke" Christian   Composer,Lyricist
Tommy Cogbill   Producer
Wilson Pickett   Composer,Lyricist
Steve Cropper   Composer
Bert Berns   Composer,Lyricist
Chris Kenner   Composer,Lyricist
Joan Griffin   Composer
Jeff Barry   Composer
Leon Huff   Composer
Tom Dowd   Engineer,Producer
Gary Peterson   Research
Rachel Gutek   Design
Sir Mack Rice   Composer
Patrick Milligan   Research
Paul Rodgers   Composer
Paul McCartney   Composer
Solomon Burke   Composer,Lyricist
Andy Fraser   Composer,Lyricist
Andy Kim   Composer
Bert Russell   Composer
Bobby Womack   Composer,Lyricist
Bill Inglot   Mastering,Remastering
Kenny Gamble   Composer
King Curtis   Composer,Lyricist
Chris Clarke   Research
Fats Domino   Composer
Eddie Floyd   Composer
Johnny Bellmon   Composer
Victor Drayton   Composer
Joe Tarsia   Engineer
John Lennon   Composer
Johnny Bellman   Composer
Lenny Pakula   Arranger
Roger Collins   Composer
Robert West   Composer
Rodger Collins   Composer
Phil Pickett   Composer,Lyricist