Various Artists: Stax 50th Aniversary Celebration - Disc 2 of 2 CD Track Listing

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Various Artists Stax 50th Aniversary Celebration - Disc 2 of 2 (2007)
Stax 50th Aniversary Celebration - Disc 2 of 2\n2007 Concord Music Group\n\nOriginally Released March 13, 2007 \n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: While it's true that this double-disc, 50-track mid-centennial anniversary celebration of the birth of Stax Records -- a label synonymous with Southern soul -- will not rival the three box sets issuing the company's complete singles, it's a killer document. Concord Records purchased the Stax catalog (which occurred when the company purchased Fantasy Records) and continues its solid program of bringing the label's shelf in fine style into the 21st century with this cool little set. Packaged in a small bookcase box with the Stax logo in live "wiggle card" mode (the fingers "snap" when you move it back and forth), it all begins with Carla Thomas' 1961 single "Gee Whiz (Look at His Eyes)," and moves through the rest of that year, 1962, and 1963, which saw the success of the Mar-Keys' "Last Night," William Bell's "You Don't Miss Your Water," and Booker T. & the MG's "Green Onions." 1964 is completely skipped over since no singles charted in the pop or R&B charts in that year before Otis Redding entered the picture with "Respect" in 1965.\n\nAlong the way are the established and well-known acts like Sam & Dave, Eddie Floyd, the Bar-Kays, Albert King's groundbreaking blues "Born Under a Bad Sign" in 1967, all the way through to Johnnie Taylor's number one R&B chart hit "Who's Makin' Love" (it hit number five on the pop charts). Thomas and Bell follow and round out the set, but the Taylor cut is a milestone. Along the way it becomes obvious what a powerhouse -- on disc one alone -- Stax was. From 1965 through 1968 they placed 21 singles in the Top 50. Among these were a number one -- Otis Redding's "(Sittin On) The Dock of the Bay" -- and a number two, Sam & Dave's "Soul Man." Many of the rest, like the Bar-Kays' "Soul Finger" and others topped the R&B charts. One of the more remarkable aspects of the Stax label is that unlike the Northern soul labels like Motown, Stax didn't use strings on its records until 1968. The first charting side that did use them was Ollie & the Nightingales' "I Got a Sure Thing." There are other semi-obscurities here (at least to the more casual observer) as well the Mad Lads' "I Want Someone" and Linda Lyndell's awesome "What a Man" from 1968.Disc two begins in 1969 with Booker T. & the MG's "Time Is Tight," which possessed that same funky groove that had made their other records hits, but the B-3 drift was different, airier, spookier. It was the soul charge led by Donald "Duck" Dunn , Steve Cropper, and Al Jackson, Jr. that kept the soul groove intact. It's such a strange tune because it has such a soundtrack feel to it, it's amazing it hit number six on the Billboard pop chart and seven on the R&B chart. The sound of Stax was changing and becoming one that was taking in the expanding realities of the soul world as evidenced by the Emotions' beautiful "So I Can Love You," with extensive horns layered in the background as the women's voices float over the B-3. The Southern grit is here, it's just framed more elaborately. But none of this prepares listeners for Isaac Hayes' read of the Bacharach/David nugget "Walk on By," which was then-current in popular cultural memory as Dionne Warwick's hit song. But Hayes completely reworked the single version with dramatic strings and fuzz-wah guitar in the intro. Rufus Thomas, a mainstay on the label, had his own hit with the back to the James Brown funky soul groove "Do the Funky Chicken" in 1970. Other cuts on this volume worth noting -- though there isn't a weak one in the batch -- are Jean Knight's "Mr. Big Stuff," a number two pop hit -- and Johnnie Taylor's "Jody's Got Your Girl and Gone," which hit the top spot on the R&B list and number 28 on the pop chart. Hayes was big during the years 1969-1972 placing all three of his singles, as he was also concentrating on albums and the Shaft soundtrack with "Never Can Say Goodbye," and the "Theme from Shaft" reaching the Top 40. The Staple Singers scored with "Respect Yourself" in 1971, which was a big year for the label in general as they placed seven tunes in the Top 100 of the pop charts and the Top 40 in R&B. 1972 was the same, with no less than seven more hits entering the Top 100 pop and Top 20 R&B. These include a hit by bluesman Little Milton in "That's What Love Will Make You Do," the Dramatics number five smash "In the Rain," and the Staple Singers' "chart-topper "I'll Take You There." Disc two ends with the 1974 single "Woman to Woman" by Shirley Brown; it reached the top spot on the R&B chart but only hit number 29 in pop.\n\nThe sequencing, while chronological, is wonderfully split between the harder, grittier soul sound of Stax through the mid-'60s, and the larger productions being put in place. The sound of Stax was changing, but its essential groove never did. The textures might have been a bit sweeter, but they still reached deep into gospel, R&B, and hard-edged Southern soul for their inspiration. This is a terrific introduction for the novice -- the sonic reproduction is terrific -- and it's a killer singles soundtrack for the aficionado. It's also the grooviest party soundtrack around. -- Thom Jurek\n\nAmazon.com Editorial Review\nWhen Concord Music purchased Fantasy Records in 2006, the bulging Stax catalog came along for the ride. Not a bad deal, especially since Stax remains one of the richest and most vital sources of '60s and '70s soul, blues, and R&B. The newly reactivated label's debut release is a lavishly boxed double-disc set of 50 highlights--as opposed to hits--from the Memphis label's voluminous vaults to celebrate its 50th anniversary. All the usual suspects appear, including Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Isaac Hayes, Johnnie Taylor, Eddie Floyd, Albert King, and the Staple Singers. But the compilers deliver a well-rounded, even eclectic collection by including tracks from such relatively obscure acts as the Astors, Ollie & the Nightingales, the Mad Lads, Linda Lyndell, and Mable John, whose "Your Good Thing (Is About to End)" is one of the great lost soul treasures. Propelled in large part by house band Booker T. & the MGs, the majority of these songs have become integral threads in the fabric of American soul. Even at two and a half hours, there's not a dull moment here. That is a testament not just to the Stax musicians, but to a label whose artists defined a classic sound that remains as timeless, relevant, influential, and electrifying as when it was recorded. --Hal Horowitz \n\nAmazon.com Product Description\nFIRST TIME EVER! 50 GREATEST STAX HITS IN A SPECIAL 2CD BOXED SET. Set includes chart toppers by Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Rufus and Carla Thomas, Booker T & the MGs, Isaac Hayes, The Staples Singers, Johnnie Taylor, and more \n*Packaged in a UNIQUE HARD COVER BOX with LENTICULAR COVER ART *EVERY MAJOR STAX AND STAX-ATLANTIC HIT from the label's 1960s and 70s heyday. *THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE STAX HITS COLLECTION EVER! *Release coincides with the 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF STAX *DIGITALLY REMASTERED *Features a MULTI-PAGE BOOKLET with notes from "Soulsville USA: The Story of Stax" by noted soul music historian Rob Bowman \n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nTwo and a half magic hours, June 19, 2007 \nBy Jesse Kornbluth "Head Butler" (New York)\nWhen "The Summer of Love" enters the conversation, most of us mean San Francisco, 1967. Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead. Be-Ins. Flower Power. Sgt. Pepper. \n\nIf by "love" we mean white kids from all over the country convening in urban crash pads --- well, that sets the bar pretty low, doesn't it? Given the opportunity, we could have done that. A lot of us would, even now. Just tell us where to show up. \n\nA year before Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed there, it was a lot harder to show the love in Memphis. And yet, in an ancient movie theater in South Memphis, black and white musicians made some of the most inspired music we'll ever hear. \n\nLet Motown own the slicker-than-snail-snot "commercial" franchise of urban black music. \n\nAnd nine bows to Atlantic, with 18 singles on the Billboard Hot One Hundred Charts in the late Spring of 1967 --- ranging from Aretha Franklin doing the unofficial black national anthem ("Respect") to the white Long Island band, the Young Rascals. The only other competition Stax had in this rarified interracial zone in the late '60s: Sly & the Family Stone. \n\nAt Stax, something wonderful flourished, and it's in the grooves for all to hear --- starting with an interracial house band backing up such megawatt soul signers as Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, Rufus Thomas and Eddie Floyd. Their influences were various: rock, pop, country, blues. Mixed together, they produced music that was at once familiar and not --- music that jarred the ear just enough that you had to listen to it. \n\nBut "produced" isn't quite the right word. At Stax, they mostly recorded "live." Even when they didn't, the theater's acoustics made music sound "live." As a result, you heard an excitement --- a vibrancy --- in these records that was available nowhere else in American popular music. Just listen to one of the 50 songs on the Stax 50th Anniversary Celebration when the horns --- horns! --- kick in and you'll remember how exciting music could be. \n\nThere was so much talent on the label it was able to survive the December '67 plane crash that killed Otis Redding and two-thirds of his backup band. The reason: Stax had the Staples Singers coming on strong. And Stax had Issac Hayes. \n\nYou remember "Shaft" --- "can you dig it?" But Hayes also self-produced "Hot Buttered Soul", a record that featured an unlikely 18-minute version of "By the Time I Got to Phoenix." This was as radically different from '60s pop music as Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On." \n\nThis two-CD boxed set has hits galore: "Green Onions", "I've Been Loving You Too Long", "Knock on Wood", "Born Under a Bad Sign" and "Respect Yourself." It also has songs you don't know, oddities that sure sound like hits. \n\nThe through-line: men and women singing one love song after another. The music can be raw --- loss makes for even better songs than happiness --- but I don't think I'm making it up when I say the primary ingredient of that music is love. First, of course, love of music, pure and simple. But more, love of the historical moment, love of the knowledge that when we're creating together, there's no reason we can't get along. \n\nThis Stax set is testimony to a grand idea, now honored too often only with empty words. It's also great fun, music that holds its own with the best pop this country has ever produced --- music so enjoyable you can forget the moral it contains. \n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nStax Up Very Nicely Indeed, May 2, 2007 \nBy El Lagarto (Ambler, PA)\nWhen I was coming up, getting my feet wet in R&B, soul, and blues, the word Stax was synonymous with quality and authenticity. If it came from Stax, you were almost certainly assured of getting the genuine article - not a copy of a copy of a copy. Stax certainly had its share of breakout stars, Sam & Dave, Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, The Staple Singers - acts that got national approbation. \n\nAfter the headliners came a group of equally talented performers who were minor deities in R&B circles - Booker T. & the MGs, Albert King, Carla Thomas, and Johnnie Taylor among them. Late arrivals to this material may be interested to learn what Walkin' the Dog - Rufus Thomas - sounded like before the Stones cashed in. There are multiple wonderful surprises on this 2-CD set - from Little Milton - That's What Love Will Make You Do - to - Jody's Got Your Girl And Gone - Johnnie Taylor - to the priceless - Your Good Thing Is About To End - Mable John. \n\nIf you want the material that broke out you'll be more than satisfied - Mr. Big Stuff - Jean Knight - and the irresistible - Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get - The Dramatics - not to mention classics by artists previously listed. But the real fun is digging way down into material you've most likely never heard - Candy - The Astors - just great! About the only disappointment this terrific set has to offer is discovering that Isaac Hayes just doesn't hold up very well. His voice is glorious, but the delivery is goopy and the over-arrangements intolerable. \n\nBuy now, think later! 2-CDs - which cleverly add up to 50 tracks (50th Anniversary Edition), sturdy box, excellent booklet. I simply cannot imagine where you could find more for less - this wonderful collection could easily provide the foundation for a really solid, and delightful, collection. Switchin' labels on the tables, this assortment Stax up real nice. \n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nExcellent Bargain!!, April 26, 2007 \nBy Paul Warren "rhythm reviewer" (Farmington Hills, MI United States)\nFor the price of a single CD, you get two discs with 50 slices of prime Memphis soul in a nicely compacted and novel box. What more can you ask? Some may debate a bit about whether or not the chosen 50 hits are the best 50 from Stax, but the debate would stem from the fact that Stax had so many hits to choose from, which is a wonderful testament for the label. Personally, I think the essential hits are here, and they are sequenced pretty much in chronological order. The often overlooked hit, "Private Number" by Judy Clay & William Bell is so-o-o-o great, it almost justifies the cost of this collection by itself. I think Concord Records (who replaces Fantasy Records as owner of much of the Stax catalog after about 3 decades) did a very nice job with this package and I highly recommend this set to any Stax soul fan who wants to carry 50 great cuts with them wherever they go. \n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nFantastic Collection at an UNBELIEVABLE price, March 17, 2007 \nBy MusicFreak74 (Los Angeles, CA)\nI keep looking for the fine print. This is a collection of 50 amazing songs for $12 bux? \n\nI would have paid $50 bux on itunes and I wouldn't have the insanely cool packaging and color book. \n\nEvery song on this collection is a smash. From Green Onions to Respect Yourself plus gems like Carla Thomas, Isaac Hayes, hello! Amazing stuff. I put this on, kicked back with the book and just enjoyed. When it was over, I put it on again. \n\nThis is perfect for parties, driving, dancing, hanging out .... it's a fantastic collection and I'm buying them for my friends. At $12 bux, I might buy a back up set just in case. I don't know if this is a promotional price but I'm psyched. \n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nSolid Gold Soul, March 14, 2007 \nBy redtunictroll (Earth, USA)\n\nConcord Records, which acquired the Stax catalog with their purchase of Fantasy Records in 2004, kicks off a 50th anniversary reissue celebration with this double-disc set of the label's pioneering hits. While Motown's Berry Gordy made his label a nationwide institution with a broad commercial identity, the artists and producers at Stax initially carved out a more regionally identifiable sound. The gospel roots of the Memphis-based Stax were unmistakable, and the house bands (The Mar-Kays and the MGs) added a distinct, bluesy bite. Where Motown's music could feel manicured for radio, Stax forged a sound for the roadhouse. But it's exactly that live vitality that eventually made Stax such an iconic stand out. \n\nHistorian Rob Bowman calls out several elements that molded the classic Stax sound, but none more notable than the musician's pay scale. Outside of the South musicians were paid by the hour (or three-hour session), but in Memphis they were paid by the song. Where Motown had tight arrangements on paper before sessions began, Stax tasked its players to create and refine arrangements on the fly. Only when the band found a song's unique groove were the vocalists invited in, and then to often sing live. The arrangements included horn charts in place of background singers, emphasizing the vocalist without mixing them out front. Finally, the live vibe of these performances was carried to tape via the reverberant acoustics of Stax's legendary studio-in-a-former-movie theater. It all added up to a sound that was unique and instantly recognizable on record and on the radio. \n\nStax's defining period, from 1961 to 1968, is best remembered for the tight grooves of Booker T. & The MG's, the duets of Sam & Dave, and the standard-defining sides of Otis Redding. But as revered as were these hits, their commercial reach was surprisingly limited. By the late '60s Stax was expanding on their hard soul sound in an effort to break into northern urban markets. Most immediately noticeable were the addition of string arrangements to Ollie & The Nightingales' "I Got a Sure Thing" and Eddie Floyd's "I've Never Found a Girl." The latter's softer horns and call-and-response backing vocals marked additional shifts in the Stax sound. Stax expanded their recording beyond their Memphis studio, conducting sessions in Muscle Shoals and elsewhere. They still cut the occasional old-school hard-groove hit, such as Booker T's "Time is Tight" and Rufus Thomas' novelty "Do the Funky Chicken," but increasingly the label's commercial goals were broader, even expanding into purchased masters by Jean Knight ("Mr. Big Stuff") and Mel & Tim ("Starting All Over Again"). \n\nIsaac Hayes, who'd been a writing and session-playing staple at Stax broke out as a solo artist with his 1969 debut "Hot Buttered Soul." A pair of the album's lengthy tracks, covers of "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" and "Walk on By," were edited down to a double A-side, with the latter's superb slow-motion, fuzz-and-flute deconstruction of Bacharach & David featured here. But it was on the album chart where Hayes lived out Stax's vision, landing his debut on the pop, R&B, jazz and easy listening charts simultaneously. Additional Hayes hits followed, with "Theme From Shaft" crossing over to score Stax's second chart-topping pop hit (Otis Redding's "Dock of the Bay" was first and the Staple Singers' "I'll Take You There" was the third and last). \n\nStax's continued to land singles on the charts until the label's demise in the mid-70s, with Shirley Brown's "Woman to Woman" standing as the final entry (and R&B #1) in 1974. Ironically, for all the label's financial troubles, the early '70s were a time of fruitful hit-making (including a trio of top singles by The Staple Singers), but apparently not business success. Concord is set to revitalize the label's fortunes with both new releases and a program of anniversary reissues. This opening salvo is a two-CD set enclosed in a fold-open box with a clever piece of flicker art depicting Stax's trademark snapping fingers logo. Inside are inset CD trays and a 50-page booklet with superb color photos (albeit in CD-booklet scale), an essay by Rob Bowman (adapted from his essay for the earlier 4-CD "The Stax Story"), and release and chart info. \n\nThis is a good place to start one's exploration of the Stax sound, and a valuable guide to the upcoming expanded album reissues. The two CDs include a generous helping of the label's best-known sides and many R&B hits that will be new to '60s pop fans. Those who can't wait for the reissues can find more on the previously issued 4-CD "The Stax Story," or dive headlong into the massive early-90s box sets "The Complete Stax-Volt Singles" volumes 1-3. For all but the most ardent Stax fans the latter sets are overkill, and this collection (and the upcoming LP reissues) is a great entry point. [

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