Various: Stax ’68: A Memphis Story 2018

 

When it comes to soul, Stax Records owned the '60s. Classic records from Otis Redding, Sam & Dave,

OTIS REDDING

Rufus & Carla Thomas, and a legion of others helped transform what was once known as rhythm 'n' blues into rugged, emotionally bare "soul" music. This made Stax one of the decade's most influential labels of any genre. It all crescendoed in 1968, a tempest-tossed year when the label redefined its own sound and, in the process, channeled a larger historical zeitgeist.

Stax '68: A Memphis Story, captures this crossroads in stunning, beautiful detail. The five-disc box set

contains the A- and B-sides of every single released under the Stax banner in 1968, including the company's sub-labels. With a 56-page book including revelatory, in-depth liner notes by Andria Lisle, Robert Gordon, and Steve Greenberg, as well as rare and previously unseen photos, the set presents more than 120 songs from this unprecedented creative period in American music. Some tracks are by soul legends (Isaac Hayes, The Staple Singers, William Bell, Booker T. & The M.G.'s, Johnnie Taylor) and some come from the deeper Stax catalog, and are equally incredible artists (Linda Lyndell, The Soul Children, The Mad Lads).

Three earth-shattering events altered the state of Stax in '68. America reeled following the assassination

THE BAR KAYS

of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose death occurred practically in Stax's back yard. The resulting social, political, and cultural cataclysms profoundly affected the label's direction. Stax was also working overtime to reinvent itself in the wake of Otis Redding's untimely December '67 passing and the dissolution of a deal with Atlantic Records that gave the label perpetual rights to Stax's back catalog. When the deal ended, Stax also lost one of their leading artists, Sam & Dave, who were signed to Atlantic, but released their music on Stax.

Redding's iconic "(Sittin' on the) Dock of the Bay" and Sam & Dave's "I Thank You" were the label's

ALBERT KING

first singles of '68. The former showed how much Redding was evolving and how much Stax (along with the rest of the world) had lost with his passing. The latter, like "Dock of the Bay," was a huge hit on both the Pop and R&B charts, underlining Sam & Dave's crossover potential. Both were essentially the artists' Stax swan songs.


1968 was a pivotal year in Stax Records' history and a fascinating story in itself. Otis Redding (their

BOOKER T.  & THE MG'S

biggest star) and four members of the Bar-Kays were killed in a plane crash in December 1967. Their distribution agreement with Atlantic Records was dissolved, resulting in the loss of several more artists from Atlantic, and in the loss of their entire back catalog to Atlantic, which meant Stax earned no revenue from its previous recordings. Then, the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Memphis exacerbated racial tensions not just nationwide, but acutely in Stax's hometown of Memphis (King was in Memphis to support striking sanitation workers).

Rising from the ashes, Stax had an ambitious plan to create an entirely new catalog in just over a year.

ISAAC HAYES

Otis Redding's posthumous classic "Dock of the Bay" was a tremendous help in getting the label off the ground again. But the model of a house band and single producer that had given Stax their legendary sound was not going to work for the amount of material that had to be created in order to give them a solid catalog. To that end, they had to bring in outside producers, which began to upset what had essentially been a cooperative up to that point. At the same time, the music business was shifting from singles sales to album sales, and Stax was keen to make that transition as well.

As far as the music, it's all top-notch, but you can hear the change in sound taking place. Of course,

EDDIE FLOYD

there are songs you recognize, but there are at least as many that you probably don't. Despite the pervasive unrest, the songs never get overtly political. Even "Tribute to a King" isn't about Dr. King, but about the King of Soul Music, their friend Otis Redding. The music stands on its own, of course, but the story behind it all is remarkable and largely untold. Stax '68 is a great collection of music, and this excellent set places it in a proper historical context, telling the story of the rebirth of one of America's great soul labels.

AN ESSENTIAL COLLECTION COMMEMORATING A PIVOTAL YEAR FOR STAX RECORDS

THE STAPLE SINGERS

AND AMERICAN HISTORY; 1968. A 5-disc set features all the singles (A- and B-sides) released on all Stax labels throughout '68. Features over 120 iconic songs from artists that defined an era including: Otis Redding, The Staple Singers, William Bell, Booker T. and the M.G'.s, Carla Thomas, Johnnie Taylor, Albert King, Isaac Hayes, Linda Lindell, Rufas Thomas and many more
              

Various – Stax ’68: A Memphis Story
Label:Stax – CR00103, Craft Recordings – CR00103
Format:    5 x CD, Compilation
Country:US
Released:Oct 19, 2018
Genre:Funk / Soul
Style:Rhythm & Blues, Soul

DISC 1.

                 

01. Otis Redding – (Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay    2:38
02. Otis Redding – Sweet Lorene    2:28
03. Sam & Dave – I Thank You    2:43
04. Sam & Dave  –Wrap It Up    2:32
05. Memphis Nomads – Don't Pass Your Judgement    2:07
06. Memphis Nomads – I Wanna Be (Your Lover & Your Honey)    2:42
07. Shirley Walton – I Was Born To Love You    2:59
08. Shirley Walton – I'm So Glad You're Back    2:41
09. Otis Redding, Carla Thomas – Lovey Dovey    2:35
10. Otis Redding, Carla Thomas – New Year’s Resolution    3:22
11. Ollie & The Nightingales – I Got A Sure Thing    2:37
12. Ollie & The Nightingales – Girl, You Have My Heart Singing    2:06
13. Eddie Floyd – Big Bird    3:02
14. Eddie Floyd – Holding On With Both Hands    2:28
15. Bar-Kays – A Hard Day’s Night    2:44
16. Bar-Kays –  I Want Someone    3:11
17. Johnnie Taylor – Next Time    2:32
18. Johnnie Taylor – Sundown    2:44
19. William Bell – Every Man Oughta Have A Woman    2:53
20. William Bell – A Tribute To A King    2:51
21. Mable John – Able Mable    2:41
22. Mable John – Don’t Get Caught    2:36
23. Rufus Thomas – The Memphis Train    2:30
24. Rufus Thomas – I Think I Made A Boo Boo    2:20
25. Jeanne & The Darlings – What Will Later On Be Like    2:47
26. Jeanne & The Darlings – Hang Me Now    2:18

Flac Size: 297 MB

DISC 2.

                 

01. Derek Martin – Soul Power    2:52
02. Derek Martin – Sly Girl    3:14
03. Linda Lyndell – Bring Your Love Back To Me    2:08
04. Linda Lyndell – Here I Am    2:14
05. Carla Thomas – A Dime A Dozen    2:52
06. Carla Thomas – I Want You Back    2:30
07. Kangaroo's – Groovy Day    2:51
08. Kangaroo's - Every Man Needs A Woman    2:41
09. Isaac Hayes  – Precious, Precious [Short Version]    2:42
10. Isaac Hayes – Going To Chicago Blues    3:24
11. The Mad Lads – Whatever Hurts You    3:00
12. The Mad Lads – No Time Is Better Than Now    2:13
13. Otis Redding – The Happy Song (Dum Dum)    2:41
14. Otis Redding – Open The Door    2:24
15. Albert King – (I Love) Lucy    2:52
16. Albert King – You’re Gonna Need Me    2:49
17. Johnnie Taylor – I Ain't Particular    2:27
18. Johnnie Taylor – Where There’s Smoke There’s Fire    3:06
19. Eddie Henderson Quintet – Georgy Girl    3:06
20. Eddie Henderson Quintet – A Million Times Or More    2:22
21. Shirley Walton – Send Peace And Harmony Home    2:46
22. Shirley Walton – The One You Can’t Have All By Yourself    2:51

Flac Size: 215 MB

DISC 3.

                

01. Booker T. & The MG's – Soul-Limbo    2:23
02. Booker T. & The MG's – Heads Or Tails    2:30
03. Eddie Floyd – I've Never Found A Girl (To Love Me Like You Do)    2:46
04. Eddie Floyd – I'm Just The Kind Of Fool    3:13
05. Delaney & Bonnie – It's Been A Long Time Coming    2:20
06. Delaney & Bonnie – We’ve Just Been Feeling Bad    2:34
07. Linda Lyndell – What A Man    2:41
08. Linda Lyndell – I Don't Know    2:29
09. Harvey Scales & The Seven Sounds – Broadway Freeze    2:57
10. Harvey Scales & The Seven Sounds – I Can't Cry No More    2:41
11. Johnny Daye – Stay Baby Stay    2:49
12. Johnny Daye – I Love Love    2:45
13. Bobby Whitlock – Raspberry Rug    2:15
14. Bobby Whitlock – And I Love You    2:05
15. Judy Clay, William Bell – Private Number    2:41
16. Judy Clay, William Bell – Love-Eye-Tis    2:40
17. Jimmy Hughes – I Like Everything About You    2:49
18. Jimmy Hughes – What Side Of The Door Am I On    2:56
19. The Del-Rays – Lollipop Lady    2:13
20. The Del-Rays – (There's) Always Something There To Remind Me    3:26
21. Lindell Hill – Remone    3:28
22. Lindell Hill – Used To Be Love    3:27
23. The Aardvarks – Subconscious Train Of Thought    3:52
24. The Aardvarks – Unicorn Man    2:17
25. Fresh Air – Somebody Stole My Gal    2:19
26. Fresh Air – Somebody Stole My Gal [Instrumental]    2:20
27. Judy Clay – Bed Of Roses    2:41
28. Judy Clay – Remove These Clouds    3:10
29. The Staple Singers – Long Walk To D.C.    2:30

Flac Size: 263 MB

DISC 4.

                

01. The Staple Singers – Stay WIth Us    2:32
02. The Soul Children – Give 'Em Love    2:47
03. The Soul Children – Move Over    2:57
04. Johnnie Taylor – Who's Making Love    2:47
05. Johnnie Taylor – I'm Trying    2:59
06. Rufus Thomas – Funky Mississippi    2:58
07. Rufus Thomas – So Hard To Get Along With    3:04
08. Carla Thomas –  Where Do I Go    2:22
09. Carla Thomas – I've Fllen In Love (With You)    2:43
10. The Mad Lads – So Nice    2:40
11. The Mad Lads – Make Room    2:48
12. Charmells – Lovin' Feeling    2:54
13. Charmells – Sea Shell    2:39
14. Jeanne & The Darlings – It's Unbelievable (How You Control My Soul)    2:16
15. Jeanne & The Darlings – I Like What You’re Doing to Me    2:41
16. Southwest F.O.B. – Smell Of Incense    2:40
17. Southwest F.O.B. – Green Skies    2:02
18. The Village Sound – Sally’s Got A Good Thing    2:19
19. The Village Sound – The La La Song    2:06
20. Eddie Floyd – Bring It On Home To Me    2:31
21. Eddie Floyd – Sweet Things You Do    2:06
22. Booker T. & The MG's  –Hang 'Em High    3:53
23. Booker T. & The MG's – Over Easy    4:05
24. Ollie & The Nightingales –Y ou're Leaving Me    2:50
25. Ollie & The Nightingales – Showered With Love    2:38
26. The Pop Corn Generation – Kitchy Kitchy Koo    2:39
27. The Pop Corn Generation – Shake It    2:05
28. Bar-Kays – Copy Kat    2:20
29. Bar-Kays – In The Hole    2:54

Flac Size: 301 MB

DISC 5.

    

01. Dino & Doc – Mighty Cold Winter    2:37
02. Dino & Doc – A Woman Can’t Do (What A Man Can Do)    2:31
03. William Bell –  I Forgot To Be Your Lover [45 Version]    2:19
04. William Bell – Bring The Curtain Down    2:32
05. The Goodees – Condition Red    2:52
06. The Goodees – Didn’t Know Love Was So Good    2:28
07. Mable John – Running Out    2:07
08. Mable John – Shouldn't I Love Him    2:29
09. Billy Lee Riley – Family Portrait    2:43
10. Billy Lee Riley – Going Back To Memphis    2:54
11. William Bell – My Baby Specializes    2:37
12. William Bell – Left Over Love    2:56
13. The Soul Children – I'll Understand    2:41
14. The Soul Children – Doin' Our Thang    2:35
15. The Staple Singers – The Ghetto    3:45
16. The Staple Singers – Got To Be Some Changes Made    2:35
17. Albert King – Blues Power    3:13
18. Albert King – Night Stomp    3:40
19. The Epsilons – The Echo    2:38
20. The Epsilons – Really Rockin'    2:10
21. Rufus Thomas – Funky Way    2:56
22. Rufus Thomas – I Want To Hold You    2:11
23. This Generation – The Children Have Your Tongue    2:45
24. This Generation – Give Her What She Wants    2:19
25. Daaron Lee – Who’s Making Love    2:50
26. Daaron Lee – Long Black Train    4:01
27. Johnnie Taylor – Take Care Of Your Homework    2:35
28. Johnnie Taylor – Hold On This Time    2:36

Flac Size: 269 MB