The Exciting Wilson Pickett

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The Exciting Wilson Pickett
Studio album by
Wilson Pickett
ReleasedAugust 1966
RecordedMay 12, 1965–May 8, 1966
StudioMemphis, Tennessee and
Muscle Shoals, Alabama
GenreSouthern soul[1]
Length30:54
LabelAtlantic
8129
ProducerJerry Wexler, Steve Cropper, Jim Stewart, Rick Hall, Tom Dowd
Wilson Pickett chronology
In the Midnight Hour
(1965) 		The Exciting Wilson Pickett
(1966) 		The Wicked Pickett
(1966)
Singles from The Exciting Wilson Pickett
  1. "In the Midnight Hour"
    Released: June 1965
  2. "634-5789 (Soulsville, U.S.A.)"
    Released: January 1966
  3. "Ninety-nine and a Half (Won't Do)"
    Released: May 1966
  4. "Land of 1,000 Dances"
    Released: July 1966
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[3]

The Exciting Wilson Pickett, released in 1966, was the third 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, becoming the highest-charting studio album of Pickett's career. The making of the album saw Pickett end his relationship with Stax Studios in Memphis, Tennessee, where he had cut his early singles, and move to Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, where he would record for the next two years. According to AllMusic, this album firmly established Picket's "stature as a major '60s soul man".[4] The album launched four major hits for Pickett, but AllMusic emphasizes that the album cuts, "of nearly an equal level", will be of more interest to collectors.[4]

Originally released on the Atlantic label, the album has been re-issued on CD by Rhino, Collectables and Warner Bros. Records. In 2007, a new LP edition was released by the label 4 Men with Beards.

Hit singles[edit]

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, his biggest pop hit. "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.[5]

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.[6]

Track listing[edit]

  1. "Land of 1000 Dances" (Chris Kenner) – 2:28
  2. "Something You Got" (Kenner) – 2:58
  3. "634-5789 (Soulsville, U.S.A.)" (Steve Cropper, Eddie Floyd) – 3:00
  4. "Barefootin'" (Robert Parker) – 2:22
  5. "Mercy Mercy" (Don Covay, Ronald Dean Miller) – 2:30
  6. "You're So Fine" (Lance Finney, Willie Schofield, Robert West) – 2:38
  7. "In the Midnight Hour" (Cropper, Wilson Pickett) – 2:36
  8. "Ninety-nine and a Half (Won't Do)" (Cropper, Floyd, Pickett) – 2:44
  9. "Danger Zone" (Cropper, Pickett) – 2:12
  10. "I'm Drifting" (Homer Banks, Pickett, David Porter) – 2:54
  11. "It's All Over" (Cropper, Pickett) – 2:21
  12. "She's So Good to Me" (Bobby Womack) – 2:17
  • Tracks 1,2,4-6,12 recorded May 9-11, 1966 in Muscle Shoals
  • Track 7 recorded May 12, 1965 in Memphis
  • Tracks 9,11 recorded September 16, 1965 in Memphis
  • Tracks 3,8,10 recorded December 20, 1965 in Memphis

Personnel[edit]

Production[edit]

  • Haig Adishian – cover design
  • Steve Cropper – supervisor
  • Tom Dowd – engineer, supervisor
  • A. Scott Galloway – liner notes
  • Rick Hall – engineer, supervisor
  • Dan Hersch – digital remastering
  • Bill Inglot – digital remastering
  • John Peck
  • Bob Rolontz – liner notes
  • Nick Samardge – front cover photography
  • Jim Stewart – engineer, supervisor
  • Jerry Wexler – supervisor

References[edit]

  1. ^ Pitchfork Staff (August 22, 2017). "The 200 Best Albums of the 1960s". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 15, 2023. ...as a whole The Exciting Wilson Pickett helped distinguish Southern soul...
  2. ^ AllMusic review
  3. ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
  4. ^ a b The Exciting Wilson Pickett at AllMusic
  5. ^ 634-5789 (Soulsville, U.S.A.) at AllMusic
  6. ^ Land of 1000 Dances at AllMusic
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