Stax 50th: 50th Anniversary Celebration

Stax 50th: 50th Anniversary Celebration Artist: Various Artists
Label: Stax
Category: Music



Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Format: Box set
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 2


UPC: 888072302037
EAN: 0888072302037
ASIN: B000KP62UM


Release Date: 2007-03-13

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Tracks:

  1. GEE WHIZ (LOOK AT HIS EYES) - Carla Thomas
  2. LAST NIGHT - The Mar-Keys
  3. YOU DON'T MISS YOUR WATER - William Bell
  4. GREEN ONIONS - Booker T. & The MGs
  5. WALKING THE DOG - Rufus Thomas
  6. I'VE BEEN LOVING YOU TOO LONG (TO STOP NOW) - Otis Redding
  7. CANDY - The Astors
  8. RESPECT - Otis Redding
  9. YOU DON'T KNOW LIKE I KNOW - Sam & Dave
  10. I WANT SOMEONE - The Mad Lads
  11. HOLD ON I'M COMIN' - Sam & Dave
  12. LET ME BE GOOD TO YOU - Carla Thomas
  13. YOUR GOOD THING (IS ABOUT TO END) - Mable John
  14. KNOCK ON WOOD - Eddie Floyd
  15. B-A-B-Y - Carla Thomas
  16. TRAMP - Otis & Carla
  17. SOUL FINGER - The Bar-Keys
  18. BORN UNDER A BAD SIGN - Albert King
  19. SOUL MAN - Sam & Dave
  20. (SITTIN' ON) THE DOCK OF THE BAY - Otis Redding
  21. I GOT A SURE THING - Ollie & The Nightingales
  22. SOUL LIMBO - Booker T. & The MGs
  23. I'VE NEVER FOUND A GIRL (TO LOVE ME LIKE YOU DO) - Eddie Floyd
  24. WHAT A MAN - Linda Lyndell
  25. PRIVATE NUMBER - William Bell & Judy Clay
  26. WHO'S MAKING LOVE - Johnnie Taylor
  27. I FORGOT TO BE YOUR LOVER - William Bell
  28. I LIKE WHAT YOU'RE DOING (TO ME) - Carla Thomas

Tracks:

  1. TIME IS TIGHT - Booker T. & The MGs
  2. SO I CAN LOVE YOU - The Emotions
  3. WALK ON BY - Isaac Hayes
  4. DO THE FUNKY CHICKEN - Rufus Thomas
  5. JODY'S GOT YOUR GIRL AND GONE - Johnnie Taylor
  6. MR. BIG STUFF - Jean Knight
  7. NEVER CAN SAY GOODBYE - Isaac Hayes
  8. WHATCHA SEE IS WHATCHA GET - The Dramatics
  9. RESPECT YOURSELF - The Staple Singers
  10. THEME FROM SHAFT - Isaac Hayes
  11. SON OF SHAFT - The Bar-Kays
  12. THAT'S WHAT LOVE WILL MAKE YOU DO - Little Milton
  13. I'VE BEEN LONELY FOR SO LONG - Frederick Knight
  14. HEARSAY - Soul Children
  15. IN THE RAIN - The Dramatics
  16. I'LL TAKE YOU THERE - The Staple Singers
  17. STARTING ALL OVER AGAIN - Mel & Tim
  18. DEDICATED TO THE ONE I LOVE - The Temprees
  19. IF YOU'RE READY (COME GO WITH ME) - The Staple Singers
  20. CHEAPER TO KEEP HER - Johnnie Taylor
  21. I'LL BE THE OTHER WOMAN - Soul Children
  22. WOMAN TO WOMAN - Shirley Brown

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Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars As good a place to start as any for this great southern soul music.......2007-03-14

Along with Hi Records (Al Green, Ann Peebles, Syl Johnson, et al), Stax (and it's subsidiary VOLT) introduced America and the world to Memphis Soul Music. This compilation gathers the greats and the not-so-familiar into the perfect introduction and overview to Stax Records. Highly recommended. The package of art/booklet/box, in addition to the great sounding remastering, only adds to the enjoyment.

5 out of 5 stars Solid Gold Soul.......2007-03-14

Concord 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.

Historian 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.

Stax'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").

Isaac 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).

Stax'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.

This 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. [©2007 redtunictroll at hotmail dot com]

5 out of 5 stars Great value for the price.......2007-03-13

Stax Records was to Memphis and rhythm and blues what Chess Records was to Chicago and blues. This recently issued two-disc box set contains 50 seminal blues and R&B recordings. There isn't "filler" in the bunch, so for those on tight budgets who don't have money to blow on the larger boxed sets or discs by the individual artists, this set is the way to go. Stax has been acquired by the Concord Music Group and they've done a great job with this sampler, which can be appreciated by both new and long-time fans. The booklet that comes with the box set is very nicely done.

Music CD:

  1. Sings Woody Guthrie and Jimmie Rodgers & Cowboy Songs ~ Ramblin' Jack Elliott
  2. Banking Left ~ Gideon Freudmann
  3. Glory ~ Joseph Spence
  4. Dust Bowl Ballads ~ Woody Guthrie
  5. Jeremy Brown & Jeannie Teal ~ Gordon Bok
  6. Electric Warrior: The Sound of Indian America ~ Russell Means
  7. Amazing Grace ~ Judy Collins
  8. Land of the Bottom Line ~ John Gorka
  9. The Bird or the Wing ~ Carrie Newcomer
  10. Finnegan's Wake ~ Schooner Fare

Music CD

Music CD

Music CD

The Early Years (1957-1958) ~ Bill Clifton

American Folk Songs for Christmas ~ Mike Seeger, Peggy Seeger, Penny Seeger

The BBC Sessions ~ Gaye Bykers on Acid

20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Whitesnake ~ Whitesnake

Yodelling Songs of the Alps ~ Heidi

30 Years of Jembé: San Bissaba Foli ~ Adama Dram%C3%A9

Blue Fever

Exitos

Piume de Cristallo ~ Ennio Morricone

Da Ya Think I'm Sexy