King & Queen
Studio album by
Otis Redding and Carla Thomas
ReleasedMarch 16, 1967
RecordedJanuary 18–24, 1967
GenreSoul
Length32:53
LabelStax/Atlantic
S716
ProducerJim Stewart
Booker T. & the MG's
Isaac Hayes
David Porter
Otis Redding and Carla Thomas chronology
Complete & Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul
(1966)		 King & Queen
(1967)		 Live in Europe
(1967)

King & Queen is a studio album by American recording artists Otis Redding and Carla Thomas. It is Thomas' fourth album and Redding's sixth and the final studio album before his death on December 10, 1967. Influenced by Marvin Gaye's duets, the album features ten covers of soul classics and the eleventh finishing song co-written by Redding.

The album includes crossover hits "Tramp" and "Knock on Wood". Following Redding's death, the single "Lovey Dovey" was also released. The original album's liner notes were written by Tennessee Senator Howard H. Baker, Jr. It was released on March 16, 1967, by Stax Records.[1]

Background and recording

Producer Jim Stewart had the idea to produce a duet album with Otis Redding and Carla Thomas, as he thought it would help their musical careers' progress, and that "[Redding's] rawness and [Thomas's] sophistication would work" well together.[1] Another reason to combine the two artists was in the hopes of achieving a success similar to that which Motown singer Marvin Gaye had with both Mary Wells and Kim Weston.[2][3] Carla Thomas was already successful in the R&B business; she had already had many singles appear in both the Hot 100 and Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles charts, most recently her 1966 song "B-A-B-Y". Redding agreed to record with Thomas, simply stating, "Well, hey, you from Memphis, you from Tennessee, you can hang". At the time the album was recorded in January 1967, Thomas was studying at Howard University in Washington D.C. for an M.A. in English. Recorded in about six days (another source states only three days),[4] the album features eleven songs: ten covers of soul classics, and an eleventh song, "Ooh Carla, Ooh Otis", that Redding co-wrote with Al Bell.[5] It features house band Booker T. & the M.G.'s, pianist Isaac Hayes, and the brass section the Memphis Horns.[3] Six out of eleven songs were cut during their session; the rest were overdubbed by Redding in the following days owing to their concert obligations.[6]

Release

Three singles were released from the album: "Tramp", the first cut song, was released as a single in April and peaked at number two on Billboard Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles chart and at number twenty-six on Billboard Hot 100; "Knock on Wood" peaked in September at number eight on the Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles chart and number thirty on the Hot 100 charts; and "Lovey Dovey" was released late in 1968, and charted at number twenty-one on the Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles list and number sixty on the Hot 100.[6] The album was released on March 16, 1967.[3]

Retrospective reviews

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[2]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[7]
Record Mirror[8]
The Village VoiceA−[9]

In retrospective reviews King & Queen has gained positive comments. Jason Ankeny of Allmusic gives the album 4.5 stars out of 5. He states that "Redding and Thomas enjoy an undeniable chemistry, and they play off each other wonderfully", and summarizes the album as follows: "Otis Redding never recorded a lighter, more purely entertaining record than King & Queen".[2] Robert Christgau gives it an "A−"; although he says the album was "pretty ephemeral", he praises the music, and writes that it sounds "vivacious, catchier and funnier [than] most soul music".[9]

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Knock on Wood"Steve Cropper, Eddie Floyd2:48
2."Let Me Be Good to You"Isaac Hayes, David Porter, Carl Wells2:48
3."Tramp"Lowell Fulson, Jimmy McCracklin3:00
4."Tell It Like It Is"George Davis, Lee Diamond3:13
5."When Something Is Wrong with My Baby"Hayes, Porter3:14
6."Lovey Dovey"Ahmet Ertegun, Eddie "Memphis" Curtis2:33
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
7."New Year's Resolution"Randle Catron, Willie Dean "Deanie" Parker, Mary Frierson3:14
8."It Takes Two"Sylvia Moy, William "Mickey" Stevenson3:03
9."Are You Lonely for Me, Baby?"Bert Berns3:14
10."Bring It On Home to Me"Sam Cooke3:14
11."Ooh Carla, Ooh Otis"Alvertis Isbell, Otis Redding2:32

Personnel

Charts

References

  1. 1 2 Bowman 1997, p. 110.
  2. 1 2 3 Jason Ankeny. "King & Queen". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 Chris Jones (October 22, 2008). "Otis Redding & Carla Thomas King & Queen Review". BBC Music. BBC. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
  4. ↑ Brown 2001, p. 109.
  5. ↑ Brown 2001, p. 112.
  6. 1 2 Bowman 1997, pp. 110–111.
  7. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
  8. ↑ "SURPRISE 'FRIENDS' L.P. FROM PAUL PLUS MONKEES NEWIE & SOUL GOODIES" (PDF). Record Mirror. July 8, 1967. p. 8. Retrieved June 10, 2022 – via worldradiohistory.com.
  9. 1 2 Christgau, Robert (December 20, 1976). "Christgau's Consumer Guide to 1967". The Village Voice. New York. pp. 69–70. Retrieved June 22, 2013.
  10. ↑ "OTIS REDDING & CARLA THOMAS | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  11. ↑ "BRITAIN'S TOP R&B ALBUMS" (PDF). Record Mirror. July 8, 1967. p. 11. Retrieved January 28, 2022 – via worldradiohistory.com.
  12. ↑ "Otis Redding Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  13. ↑ "Otis Redding Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 31, 2021.

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