Customer Reviews

Stax 50th: 50th Anniversary Celebration

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When 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.

After 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.

If 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.

Buy 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.

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 hyperbolium dot com]

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.

....because this is a GREAT deal!

50, yes, 50 classic soul songs with accompanying informative booklet and nice box with lenticular 3D picture for 12 bucks? What is there to think about here? Go out and get this.

So many classics here, many forgotten, many I've never heard before, but still deserving of being included here. The perfect introduction to anyone not at all familiar with this kind of music. Soul done right. Why does hardly anyone do it like this anymore? Let's all hope that this will not be a bygone era.

Long live Southern Soul! And Happy 50th Anniversary to Stax Records! Here's to another 50 years of class.

Sorry for the run-on sentences. I'm just really enjoying this.

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.

If you don't care one way or another, "The Stax 50th Anniversary Celebration" will be a quite welcome addition to your collection. I hold back one star for the business end of things, because yet again on a fine compilation, we are given the 45 edits instead of the complete versions of songs. The ONLY time in the past this was not so was on a 1986 JAPANESE Stax comp, which being that it was mastered in the age of CD's infancy, means that it is inferior sonically to what they could do today. I probabbly wouldn't have bought this had I known ahead of time that it contained edits, but like I said before, if you don't care, what is here certainly is worth it as an introduction or as an addition to one's collection. I just wish record companies would stop being scumbags instead of revering the music as it was recorded and meant to be heard, rather than holding up versions of songs snipped to get more airplay.

I keep looking for the fine print. This is a collection of 50 amazing songs for $12 bux?

I would have paid $50 bux on itunes and I wouldn't have the insanely cool packaging and color book.

Every 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.

This 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.

When "The Summer of Love" enters the conversation, most of us mean San Francisco, 1967. Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead. Be-Ins. Flower Power. Sgt. Pepper.

If 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.

A 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.

Let Motown own the slicker-than-snail-snot "commercial" franchise of urban black music.

And 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.

At 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.

But "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.

There 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.

You 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."

This 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.

The 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.

This 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.

Stax Records is a timeless company. with there Grit&soul approach to music making. finger snapping soulful Vocals&tight Instrumentation that is still felt to this day.the re-mastering,art work overview is fantastic. One Great Label that Housed some of the Greatest names in R&B History. Isaac Hayes, Sam&Dave,Ottis Redding, Rufus Thomas, Carla Thomas, The Staple Singers, Booker T&the MGs,Johnny Taylor,The Emotions&others. Stax was to Memphis as Motown was to Detriot&Chess Records to Chicago. very Soulful&Feel Good Music here a must have.

The Stax 50th Anniversary collection is a great compilation of toe tapping, finger snapping fun music. This is a value, the disc come in a nice box with a several page book and the music remasters sound great. Music lovers don't get deals like this often, quality packaging and two discs full of timeless classics at a low price. I don't know what else to say because this music has been around longer than me, so I have no great insight. Those who are into Motown and classic R&B will certainly love this collection and anyone who loves music in general should give it a try.