The Exciting Wilson Pickett

The Exciting Wilson Pickett
Studio album by Wilson Pickett
Released	August 1966
Recorded	May 12, 1965–May 8, 1966 Memphis, Tennessee and Muscle Shoals, Alabama
Genre	R&B/Soul
Label	Atlantic 8129
Producer	Jerry 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)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]

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. According to AllMusic, this second album firmly established Picket's "stature as a major '60s soul man".^[2] The album launched four major hits for Pickett, but AllMusic emphasizes that the non-hit cuts, "of nearly an equal level", will be of more interest to collectors.^[2]

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

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.^[3]

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.^[4]

Track listing

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, Bob 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

Personnel

Performance

Charles Packy Axton – tenor sax Charles Chalmers – tenor sax Tommy Cogbill – bass Steve Cropper – guitar Donald "Duck" Dunn – bass Joe Hall – piano Roger Hawkins – drums Isaac Hayes – piano Al Jackson, Jr. – drums Wayne Jackson – trumpet Jimmy Johnson – guitar Andrew Love – tenor sax Gene Miller – trumpet Chips Moman – guitar Floyd Newman – baritone sax Spooner Oldham – piano Wilson Pickett – vocals

Production 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 – photography Jim Stewart – engineer, supervisor Jerry Wexler – supervisor

References

1. Allmusic review
2. The Exciting Wilson Pickett at AllMusic
3. 634-5789 (Soulsville, U.S.A.) at AllMusic
4. Land of 1000 Dances at AllMusic