Customer Reviews

Stax Profiles

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This collection is not worth the full price of a CD today when money is funny and change is strange. Missing are the duets, b-sides and alternative versions for this "Greatest Hits" compliation. Two blown up photos & 2 paragraphs by Dr. Mable John, who has more billing on this CD than Carla herself. If Stax is out reinvent itself with their catalog, the label should spend some money on a historian / writer to document this beautiful soul darling's career. Who is she if one wants to know her more.

Some others complain they didn't get a toy in their Happy Meal. If you want a lot of food for a low price then hog down at Micky Ds. However, if you are looking for a fine meal, you'll pay for what you get. This album has been mastered with great sound and the song selections were cherry picked by someone who KNOWS. I agree with the comment that "Gee Whiz", alone is worth the price of the album. However, most of the songs are worth a 5 star rating. Carla in her prime! Her voice and style takes me back to the '60s; to when I was young and its an express ride. Just like a scent is considered to be thee most powerful of the senses to evoke a memory; listening to Carla Thomas takes me THERE.

This album has a lot of songs that are basically alike. They're almost all trite, mid-tempo pop songs about love. Even the chord changes are the same: "icecream changes" (I IV IV V), over and over again, with an augmented chord thrown in as a gimmick on the V chord. Several of the reviewers here have complained that there's not enough material on this disc, but actually by the time I was done listening to it I was wishing that I had heard even less of the same old same old.

With 15 good songs and 45 minutes, I understand that more might be wanted but this CD sounds great. My 5-star rating is an opinion of what is included without deduction for not including more. Carla Thomas is the Queen of Memphis Soul and this is a good compilation, the only Carla Thomas CD I am likely to ever own.

She may be best known for calling Otis Redding "country" on his song "Tramp" (later to be re-worked into a hit for pioneering rap duo Salt-N-Pepa); she only contributed dialog to "Tramp" (comically accusing Otis of being "straight from the Georgia woods"), she recorded other songs with Redding and was a singer in her own right. She performed at the concert in the documentary film WATTSTAX, recently shown on PBS.

STAX PROFILES: CARLA THOMAS consists of 15 songs recorded 1960-1972; songs are not in chronological order. Disc packaged in (smooth) black jewel case; running time: 41:42. Booklet includes a few short paragraphs by Mable John, one b&w photograph, and limited track information (including songwriting credits, some recording dates, some release dates, some musician personnel). Sound quality is good.

The first problem with this collection is that it includes only 15 songs, amounting in less than 45 minutes of music. That is almost half as much music as I expect on a compilation. Granted, this is a collection of songs compiled by singer Mable John, but I think some of Thomas's duets with Redding should have been included.

Issues of comprehensiveness aside, I am not impressed with these recordings. I do not find Thomas's voice particularly engaging or dynamic; it would best be described as "sweet". The music is nothing special. These songs are not shining examples of Soul music.

If unfamiliar with Carla Thomas, there are probably better CDs to buy. If already a Carla Thomas fan, only purchase this CD if there are specific songs on it already desired.

There is less than 45 min of music on this disc.

Not all of the music is from her Stax recordings.

Did I mention there are only 15 songs and not even an hour of music?

This is worth the price of the disc just to have this version of this song in your collection. The rest is great but Gee Whiz is AMAZING