Booker T. & The MGs: Booker T. Jones (keyboards); Steve Cropper (guitar); Donald "Duck" Dunn (bass); Al Jackson, Jr. (drums).

The Memphis Horns: Andrew Love (tenor saxophone); Wayne Jackson (trumpet, French horn).

The Falcons: Wilson Pickett, Eddie Floyd, Bonny "Mack" Rice, Willie Schofield.

Producers: Robert West, Correc-Tone Recording Co., Lloyd & Logan, Wilson Pickett, Bert Berns, Jerry Wexler, Jim Stewart, Steve Cropper, Tom Dowd, Tommy Cogbill, Rick Hall, Dave Crawford, Brad Shapiro, Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff.

This set collects material from one of the pre-eminent soul shouters of the 60's, Wilson "Wicked" Pickett.

Pickett began singing in churches in his teens, eventually deciding to follow the path of Sam Cooke and other gospel singers who crossed over into the pop market. First with the Falcons and then solo, he honed his astonishingly powerful singing style in recordings he made with musicians from the Stax label and the Muscle Shoals studio. He had huge hits with "Mustang Sally," "Land Of 1000 Dances," and his masterpiece, "In The Midnight Hour."

A Man and a Half: The Best of Wilson Pickett is a double-disc set that collects the absolute cream of Pickett's early sides with The Falcons and all the highlights of his successful alliance with the Atlantic label. With "Mustang Sally," "In the Midnight Hour," "Ninety Nine & a Half," "Hey Jude," "Land of 1000 Dances," "You're So Fine," and "634-5789" all included, this excellent compilation should be one of the cornerstones of anybody's soul collection. ~ Cub Koda

For anyone but session-counting completists, A MAN AND A HALF should serve as the be-all, end-all Wilson Pickett collection. With two discs, 44 tracks, musical support from Memphis and Muscle Shoals session players, and songs by numerous fellow luminaries (including Steve Cropper, Don Covay, Eddie Floyd, Isaac Hayes, and Bobby Womack), this set brings together some of the finest soul sides recorded in the 20th century. Of course, it is Wicked Pickett's riveting, gravel-filled voice that makes it all happen.

Arranged chronologically, A MAN AND A HALF begins with "I Found a Love" (a 1961 single from Pickett's first band, the Falcons) and ends with a live version of "Funky Broadway" (performed at a '71 concert in Ghana). In between are such unassailable classics as the chugging "Mustang Sally," the call-and-response dance anthem "Land of 1000 Dances," and the soulster's signature tune--"In the Midnight Hour." The set is devoid of filler; the non-hit singles are of amazing quality and even Pickett's gritty reading of "Hey Jude" (with Duane Allman on guitar) has its unique charms. This is an indisputable cornerstone of any soul lover's collection.