Rocks In The Attic #110: Wilson Pickett - ‘Wilson Pickett In Philadephia’ (1970)

I found this in the sale racks at Real Groovy in Auckland. I figured it must be a relatively decent release as the record was brand new - indicating that it was a reissue - so I quickly surmised that the general bad taste of New Zealand record buyers had left it languishing in the ‘New Items’ racks for so long that the staff decided to put it in the sale racks. I held onto it until I got it out of the shop - and what a find!

This album represents Pickett’s first recording outside of the Deep South, and away from the familiarity of Memphis and Muscle Shoals. It has a slightly grittier and funkier sound than his earlier work, but it’s nicely held together by the studio band and producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff.

Hit: Help The Needy

Hidden Gem: Get Me Back On Time, Engine Number 9 (Part 1)