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- May 2007
- Rating: 10/10+
This mouthwatering 2-CD collection comes from the back catalogue of one of greatest Soul labels in history.
Tamla Motown are probably the most commercially successful, but Stax also hada pretty impressive roster of artists themselves like luminaries Otis Redding,Carla Thomas, Booker T & The MGs, The Staple Singers, and Sam and Dave.
This turns out to be the labels most comprehensive compilation ever, which isgreat news for Soul fans. In a nutshell, Stax was created by a white country fiddlerJim Stewart and his sister Estelle Axton. His St and her Ax gave us Stax.
In 1957, they began as Satellite Records based in Memphis Tennessee specialisingin Blues, Rockabilly and Soul. Satelitte changed to Stax sometime in 1960(because of another Satellite label name), eventually folding in 1975. WithSoul nights still popular in the Wrexham and north Wales area, this is justwhat every specialist and casual listener needs with a whopping 50 tracks.
From a British perspective, the biggies youll know are Booker T & The MGsinstrumentals Soul Limbo (used as the theme tune for the BBCs cricket coverage),Time Is Tight and arguably the greatest instrumenatl of all-time Green Onions,with the latter charting in 1979, fifteen years after it was recorded on the albumGreen Onions in 1964. Then theres duo Sam and Daves anthemic Soul Man,which secured them being the most critically accalimed and successful Soul duoin history, along with Hold On, Im Comin which remains a dance favourite,despite never charting here.
Appropriately, it begins with Carla Thomas, considered the Queen Of MemphisSoul with her American chart debut Gee Whiz (Look At His Eyes). She wasa bigger star in the States with 21 chart hits. Included here are B-A-B-Y,I Like What Youre Doing (To Me) and her only UK hit Tramp duettingwith Otis Redding in July 1967, which is a hoot if you listen to the lyrics.
Her father Rufus, who was instrumental in introducing Funk, gets in on the acttoo with his only UK entry Do The Funky Chicken from April 1970. AnotherRufus classic was Walking The Dog and its here in all its brassed-up Funk.Arguably the next best Soul singer after Marvin Gaye, Otis Reddings posthumoushit (Sittin On) The Dock Of The Bay, recorded only three days before hisdeath, became his first number one in America and three in the UK in 1968.
Redding replaced Elvis as the Worlds Top Male Singer in a Melody Maker pollshortly before he died in a plane crash aged 26. If youre a fan of SkysSoccer AM youll know Jean Knights Mr. Big Stuff from the catwalk skit.Popular band, who still perform today with only one original member, TheBar-Kays became the chosen ones to back many Stax artists, particularlyRedding, with their brilliant instrumental Soul Finger more than matchingBooker Ts Green Onions for originality and excitement.
Gospel/Soul family outfit The Staple Singers were steeped in more traditionaland less commercial work, with their USA R&B / chart-topping Ill Take YouThere being a sublime offering from 1972, as was the classy Respect Yourself.Considered more iconic than the movie itself, The Theme From Shaft(Isaac Hayes) has signs of Soul mutating into a funkier direction, bringingHayes an Academy Award for Best Original Song, though the Bar-Kays Son OfShaft is quite tragic.
Knock On Wood, Eddie Floyds classic (covered by David Bowie, AmiiStewart amongst a hundred others) was major highlight in early 67. Of thelesser known, its Otis Redding who shines once again on the emotive and beautifulIve Been Loving You Too Long, with the Astors Candy making a NorthernSoul classic. The severly-underrated What A Man (Linda Lyndell) waslater sampled on Salt-N-Pepa/En Vogue top ten hit Whatta Man in 94.
Of all the excellent tracks, its Private Number by William Bell andJudy Clay that best sums up Stax.
Note that this package also contains a 50-page booklet includes archivephotographs and notes by Rob Bowman, and a full list of the 50 tracks can befound on the Amazon link above.
File under: Wow!
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Elly Roberts passed away in 2011, but he was a man who was so passionate about all types of music and loved meeting his musical heroes, such as Mick Hucknall at a book signing at the Trafford Centre, Manchester in 2007.
A former teacher and also a music journalist, DJ and radio presenter on local community station Calon FM, plus appearances on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 2, Elly started doing reviews for DVDfever.co.uk in 2004 and he did the majority of the CD and concerts reviews on the website.
I know also that he loved getting away for the summer to Spain and I hope that wherever he is now he is enjoying the hot sunshine and, as one of his friends has said on his Facebook page, that he is interviewing his musical heroes.