Miscellaneous Performers
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Stax - 50th Anniversary Celebration - Miscellaneous Performers Box Set Review
Box Set Review
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 had a 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 label’s most comprehensive compilation ever, which is great news for Soul fans. In a nutshell, Stax was created by a white country fiddler Jim 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 specialising in Blues, Rockabilly and Soul. Satelitte changed to Stax sometime in 1960 (because of another Satellite label name), eventually folding in 1975. With Soul nights still popular in the Wrexham and north Wales area, this is just what every specialist and casual listener needs with a whopping 50 tracks. From a British perspective, the biggies you’ll know are – Booker T & The Mgs’ instrumentals Soul Limbo (used as the theme tune for the BBC’s 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 album Green Onions in 1964. Then there’s duo Sam and Dave’s anthemic Soul Man, which secured them being the most critically accalimed and successful Soul duo in history, along with Hold On I’m Comin’ which remains a dance favourite, despite never charting here.
Appropriately, it begins with Carla Thomas, considered the Queen Of Memphis Soul with her American chart debut Gee Whiz (Look At His Eyes) She was a bigger star in the States with 21 chart hits. Included here are – B-A-B-Y, I Like What You’re Doing (To Me) and her only UK hit – Tramp – duetting with 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 act too with his only UK entry – Do The Funky Chicken from April 1970. Another Rufus classic was Walking The Dog and it’s here in all its brassed-up Funk. Arguably the next best Soul singer after Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding’s posthumous hit (Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay, recorded only three days before his death, became his first number one in America and three in the UK in 1968. Redding replaced Elvis as the World’s Top Male Singer in a Melody Maker poll shortly before he died in a plane crash aged 26. If you’re a fan of Sky’s Soccer AM you’ll know Jean Knight’s Mr. Big Stuff from the catwalk skit. Popular band, who still perform today with only one original member, The Bar-Kays became the chosen ones to back many Stax artists, particularly Redding, with their brilliant instrumental Soul Finger more than matching Booker T’s Green Onions for originality and excitement. Gospel – Soul family outfit The Staple Singers were steeped in more traditional and less commercial work, with their USA R&B / chart –topping I’ll Take You There 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, bringing Hayes an Academy Award for Best Original Song, though the Bar-Kays’ Son Of Shaft is quite tragic. Knock On Wood, Eddie Floyd’s classic (covered by David Bowie, Amii Stewart amongst a hundred others) was major highlight in early ’67.Of the lesser known, it’s Otis Redding who shines once again on the emotive and beautiful I’ve Been Loving You Too Long, with the Astors’ Candy making a Northern Soul classic. The severeley underrated What A Man (Linda Lyndell) was later sampled on Salt-N-Pepa / En Vogue top ten hit Whatta Man in ’94. Of all the excellent tracks, it’s Private Number by William Bell and Judy Clay that best sums up Stax.
File under : Wow!
