Wilson Picket - In The Midnight Hour (1965) & The Exciting Wilson Pickett (1966) [2016]

Wilson Picket - In The Midnight Hour (1965) & The Exciting Wilson Pickett (1966) [2016] @320

His debut LP "In The Midnight Hour" is chock-full of singles and their equally cool flipsides. Winners include June 1965's classic floor-filler "In The Midnight Hour" b/w "I'm Not Tired" on Atlantic 45-2289 (his first R&B No. 1) – November 1965's "Don't Fight It" b/w "It's All Over" on Atlantic 45-2306 (R&B No. 4) and February 1966's "634-5789 (Soulsville, U.S.A.)" b/w "That's A Man's Way" on Atlantic 45-2320 (his second R&B No. 1). Before that trio struck gold - Atlantic Records had tried "I'm Gonna Cry" b/w "For Better Or Worse" in June 1964 on Atlantic 45-2233 – following that in January 1965 with "Come Home Baby" b/w "Take A Little Love" on Atlantic 45-2271 – but neither took.

After "In The Midnight Hour" (the third single around the LP) slaughtered all in its path – Pickett's high octane strident Soul mirrored his nickname 'wicked' – and almost everything he released was met with excitement second only to Otis Redding and Solomon Burke – the two other great shouters on Atlantic's classy books. The huge bass and drum opening to "Ninety Nine And A Half (Won't Do)" led the assault for the second LP in early May 1966 - Atlantic 45-2334 stalling at No. 13 with the album cut "Danger Zone" as its B-side. Perhaps it was the slower slinky groove in "Ninety Nine..." that saw it not puncture the Top 10 - no such worries for the album's other monster "Land Of 1000 Dances". Released only weeks later in July 1966 and backed with his cover of the 1959 Falcons ballad "You're So Fine" - Atlantic 45-2348 quickly made mincemeat of the charts and raced to No. 1 - his third chart topper.

Part of a reissue like this is the undiscovered LP cuts that never get the attention they deserve - "It's All Over" was penned by Picket with his pal Steve Cropper - the guitarist in Booker T & The MG's. Everything about it rocks - the slow Soulful groove - the piano playing and Pickett's distinctive growl given full reign as he pleads with the listener to feel his pain. And not for the first time will he reach to Bobby Womack for a stone-cold killer like "She's So Good To Me" (he penned "Midnight Mover" on the next twofer). It's interesting also to note the subtle differences between the LP and edit of "Don't Fight It" - another great hooky brass-driving sanctifier. The "Come Home Baby" duet with Tami Lynn is a bit rough around the edges recording-wise - but its full of emotion and 60ts passion. Better is another Pickett/Cropper composition - the stroller "I'm Not Tired" - in the fact the man had his songwriting hand in 9 of the LPs 12 cuts. (Mark at the flicks)

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