Customer Reviews

Be Altitude: Respect Yourself

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Ah, the Staple Singers. The soul group that brought me to soul. As an old punk rocker, old Bowie fan, and more, I just LOVE the Staple Singers. The musicianship is par excellence, and the singing is the sound of deep, moving musical moments. You cannont listen to this album and not be moved. Its just soooooo good. So good production, and the remastered version is absolutely fantastic. GET THIS ALBUM. Your life and soul will be greatly improved. I just wish there was more Staple Singers albums to listen to. They are all fantastic. Even live!!!!

This was the first album of the Staple Singers that I purchased on CD. I mainly got it to find out how their hit Respect Yourself sounds as well as I'll Take You There. I'm sure pleased that I did get this CD. Respect Yourself is almost five minutes long (while the single of it was only three and a half); this song is one of my favorite of theirs, as it tells you that if you disrespect anybody that you run into, you are disrespecting yourself as well. That is a great song. I also love I'll Take You There. The single of it is about three and a half minutes long, but on this album, you get the song in extended form. Love this song too!! I also like: This World, Are You Sure, We the People, I'm Just Another Soldier, and Name the Missing Word. Love this group. I have every one of their Stax album titles on CD. These folks are full of soul!!

The Staple Singers get Right here.The Stax Musicianship is in High Gear here.this is When Soul Music was Soul Music.Great Arrangements&So Much Feeling that you can't turn it off.the Music is So Deep&Rich that it will Bring Tears Of Joy To Your Heart&Soul.Genius in front of The Mic&Behind it.

This is a classic Stax record. Isaac Hayes produces with a soulful rhythm section and unobtrusive horns. And lord can Mavis Staples sing! This is a very moving and uplifting album with music to match its message.

I have a copy of this cd, and it is a worth while cd to have in your collection.

The songs are up lifting, Mavis lead off songs, in which you can feal a feeling of excitment.

Pop Staples has a sound that makes you want to respect yourself, and get others to do the same thing.

The whole cd is just exciting and wonderful

Ever evolving on Stax this album was timed just about perfectly as the Staples ultimate achievement on the label. The previous album The Staple Swingers had set the stage and here the curtain opened fully and everyone was all set to listen. This represents the Staples and Stax during the time of Wattstax when the label was entering into it's second golden age. Throughout the entire album the Stax styled funk is turned up really heavy and as far as Mavis is concerned her wailing,grunting and expansive singing really achieved it's full flower and impact. Two of these songs actually crossed the Staples over big time into the pop world and those are of course "Respect Yourself" and "I'll Take You There". Both feature slinky,often stop and start grooves and inspirational messages that anyone with a heart can feel inner peace and joy from hearing. Yes their core soul audience who impacted heavy but everyone was invited to come on these rides as they occured and still do each time these songs show up on an oldies or retro soul radio station. The entire album is endowed with this spirited type of sound from the uplifting and onlooking "This Old Town (People In This Town" imagines a world where there is no concern for differences and peace is the way. As with much soul and funk message music of the time the Staples happily acknowledge the difference in people rather than insist everyone is the same and tries to bring to the forefront the idea that those qualities are what must bring us together as opposed to alienate. On "We The People" and "Name The Missing Word" Mavis shows great will power and and fearlessness in her aggresive vocal style,assuring that while she's preaching even the seculuar gospel she and her family have the stuff backing them up to fight for the peace they desire. This also comes out strongly on "I'm Just Another Soldier" and a version of "Jesus Christ Superstar" alternating lead vocals between Mavis's power and Pop's understated,whispery fire. As what Ricky Vincent called the United Funk era was about to unfold before the music world this album really represented that movement beginning to take hold and is one of the key moments not just for Stax or the Staples themselves but for the entire genre of funky soul in and of itself.

The Be Altitude CD by the Staples Singers is an example of a genre of music which I am afraid is being lost to today's listeners. Given the overproduced/techno sounds of so much current music, the spare soul/funk/gospel tunes of the Staples Singers are a real listening pleasure. Be sure to check out 'Freedoms Highway' by the group as well.

This album is what probably the Staple Singers' spring board to becoming more of a house hold name. The creative juices from the production, writers, musicians, songs and the Staple Singers' vocal delivery must have been created by some kind of divine intervention!

Unforgettable classics like "I'll Take You There" pretty much started it all. This song is still a favorite, even after 30+ years, it's still fresh. From radio to t.v. commercials - you can't escape it. "Respect Yourself" pretty much solidified their footing in the pop world. Also, the tracks "This World" and "We The People" are a just inches away from crossing over the funky-groove borderline!

If you're a big fan of the 70's Staple Singers, this is definitely the album to start your collection.

This happens to be my favorite musical group of all time. Their songs are easy to understand the words to and the words are fantastic. Very spiritual/moving/meaningful but still a great sound!! Was one of my fav record albums in the 70's and now I have it as a fav CD in the 2000's!!

This is one of the most inspiring, uplifting, moving, and wonderful recordings of all time. Mavis, "Pops", Cleo and Yvonne. I salute all of you.........THANK YOU!!!