The Exciting Wilson Pickett
Studio album by Wilson Pickett
Released August 1966 [this reissue was released in 2007]
Recorded May 12, 1965 - May 8, 1966
Genre R&B
Length 31:00
Label Atlantic/4 Men With Beards
Producers Jerry Wexler, Steve Cropper, Jim Stewart, Rick Hall, Tom Dowd
The Exciting Wilson Pickett, released in 1966, was the second album by R&B and soul singer Wilson Pickett. The album charted at #3 on the U.S. Billboard R&B albums chart and #21 on the popular albums chart. According to All Music, this second album firmly established Picket's "stature as a major '60s soul man". The album launched four major hits for Pickett, but All Music emphasizes that the non-hit cuts, "of nearly an equal level", will be of more interest to collectors.
The Exciting Wilson Pickett launched four crossover hit singles. "In the Midnight Hour" reached #1 on the Billboard R&B singles chart and #21 on the pop singles chart. "Land of a Thousand Dances" reached #1 and #6 respectively. "Ninety-nine and a Half (Won't Do)" reached #13 and #53. "634-5789 (Soulsville, U.S.A.)", a song which Pickett had not on first hearing liked, reached #1 and #13.
Pickett later redid the song "Land of a Thousand Dances", originally a hit in 1963 for New Orleans-based composer Chris Kenner, for the soundtrack of The Great Outdoors, a 1988 film starring Dan Aykroyd and John Candy.
Professional Ratings:
allmusic 4.5/5 stars
Review by Richie Unterberger of allmusic:
Less of a hodgepodge than his debut In The Midnight Hour album, Pickett's second album established -- if there had been any doubt -- his stature as a major '60s soul man. The 12 tracks include his monster hits "634-5789," "Ninety-Nine And A Half (Won't Do)," "In The Midnight Hour," and "Land Of 1000 Dances" (the last of which was his first Top Ten pop hit). Collectors will be more interested in the non-hit cuts, which are of nearly an equal level. These include covers of the R&B standards "Something You Got," "Mercy Mercy," and "Barefootin'"; several original tunes written in collaboration with Memphis soul greats Steve Cropper, Eddie Floyd, and David Porter; and Bobby Womack's "She's So Good To Me." It all adds up to one of the most consistent 1960s soul albums.
LP track listing
Side One
1. "Land of 1000 Dances" (Chris Kenner) Ð 2:28
2. "Something You Got" (Chris Kenner) Ð 2:58
3. "634-5789 (Soulsville, U.S.A.)" (Steve Cropper, Eddie Floyd) Ð 3:00
4. "Barefootin'" (Robert Parker) Ð 2:22
5. "Mercy Mercy" (Don Covay, Ronald Dean Miller) Ð 2:30
6. "You're So Fine" (Lance Finney, Willie Schofield, Bob West) Ð 2:38
Side Two
7. "In the Midnight Hour" (Steve Cropper, Wilson Pickett) Ð 2:36
8. "Ninety-Nine and a Half (Won't Do)" (Steve Cropper, Eddie Floyd, Wilson Pickett) Ð 2:44
9. "Danger Zone" (Steve Cropper, Wilson Pickett) Ð 2:12
10. "I'm Drifting" (Homer Banks, Wilson Pickett, David Porter) Ð 2:54
11. "It's All Over" (Steve Cropper, Wilson Pickett) Ð 2:21
12. "She's So Good to Me" (Bobby Womack) Ð 2:17
Personnel:
* Charles Packy Axton Ð tenor sax
* Charles Chalmers Ð tenor sax
* Tommy Cogbill Ð bass
* Steve Cropper Ð guitar
* Donald "Duck" Dunn Ð bass
* Joe Hall Ð piano
* Roger Hawkins Ð drums
* Isaac Hayes Ð piano
* Al Jackson, Jr. Ð drums
* Wayne Jackson Ð trumpet
* Jimmy Johnson Ð guitar
* Andrew Love Ð tenor sax
* Gene Miller Ð trumpet
* Chips Moman Ð guitar
* Floyd Newman Ð baritone sax
* Spooner Oldham Ð piano
* Wilson Pickett Ð vocals