Details Big Star, considered to be among the founders of power pop, has been cited as an influence by many of the major alternative bands of the ’80s and ’90s, and continues to be a powerful presence in today’s musical landscape. Artists such as R.E.M., Teenage Fanclub, The Replacements (who famously penned the song “Alex Chilton”) and Wilco all enthusiastically …
Details In 1968, Johnnie Taylor’s provocative single, “Who’s Making Love” gave the newly independent Stax Records its first major hit. The song peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and helped to bolster the label’s profile. The album Who’s Making Love was released months later, and not only featured the title track but also an irresistible collection of …
Details Back on vinyl for the first time since 1969, Soul Explosion offers a sampling of the Stax Records’ biggest hits and stars of the day, with Eddie Floyd, the Mad Lads, the Staple Singers, Albert King and more. The second disc of the set includes a selection of rare tracks, many of which are exclusive to this collection. These include …
Details As part of Stax’s year-long, 60th anniversary celebration, this quirky collection of long-lost gems from the latter days of the Stax empire, Stax Country highlights the Memphis soul label’s effort to branch out into country music. Although the majority of the tunes on this album never made it to the radio waves, the tracks here stand as a unique …
Details 1972 release by the legendary blues guitarist Albert King featuring various musicians backing him including some of the Bar-Kays, the Isaac Hayes Movement, and the Memphis Horns. Tracklist 1. I’ll Play The Blues For You (Parts I & II)2. Little Brother (Make A Way)3. Breaking Up Somebody’s Home4. High Cost Of Loving5. I’ll Be Doggone6. Answer To The Laundromat …
Details An unsung monster from the waning hours of the Stax empire, Roy Lee Johnson & The Villagers‘ eponymous LP is as funky as anything the label ever released. While its sound is unmistakably Stax — its elegant yet earthy sensibility couldn’t come from anywhere else — the music expands on the formula via tight, hypnotic grooves and scorching guitar …
Details Woman to Woman is Shirley Brown‘s first album and finds the singer settling in nicely to a set of slow ballads, all soaked with an ache that the singer seems born to convey. The title track is the song most associated with the singer and one of the great love-triangle melodramas of the ’70s, sparking a series of answer songs, …
Details The remastered LP also includes new liner notes from author, journalist and music critic Jeff Weiss, as well as from Melvin’s son Mario Van Peebles, director of New Jack City (1991) and 2003’s Baadasssss!, which chronicles the making of his father’s landmark film. The soundtrack features a combination of hymn-based vocalization and jazz rhythms, capturing the funky, gritty and …
Details The ultimate combination of funk and soul with a gospel edge. The Sons of Truth deliver their message with their own signature blend of sweet-soul vocal harmonies and wah-wah-laced grooves. An essential offering from the Stax subsidiary label, Gospel Truth. Don’t be fooled by the down-and-out vibe of the album cover – between the sweet-soul tinged vocal harmonies and …
Details 50th Anniversary Edition of The Staple Singers’ iconic fourth album for Stax Records, “Be Altitude: Respect Yourself”. Featuring the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section and The Memphis Horns, the album is pressed on 180-gram vinyl with ALL-ANALOG mastering from the original stereo tapes by Jeff Powell at Take Out Vinyl. Includes the Billboard Hot 100 #1 hit “I’ll Take You …
This compilation of festive songs features legendary Stax Records recording artists, including The Staple Singers, Carla Thomas, Rufus Thomas, The Emotions, Isaac Hayes, and more. With a newly unearthed version of the Billy Hayes / Jay W. Johnson classic “Blue Christmas” beautifully sung by legendary Stax recording artist Carla Thomas and an unreleased Alternate Mix of “Merry Christmas Baby” by …
Legendary soul singer and songwriter William Bell has returned to his original home, Stax Records, for the appropriately titled This Is Where I Live, his first major release in almost four decades. Known for writing and performing several soul standards – “You Don’t Miss Your Water,” “Private Number,” “Every Day Will Be Like a Holiday,” and “I Forgot To Be …
Details The 1971 concept album, Victim of the Joke?…An Opera is the third solo LP from the acclaimed producer, songwriter, and singer David Porter. Listed as one of the “100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time” by Rolling Stone, Porter established his career at Stax, working alongside writing partner Isaac Hayes. This ambitious LP stands as a testament to Porter’s endless …
Details A landmark album released by Isaac Hayes and the Bar-Kays at the height of their powers in 1971, Shaft not only resulted in an Oscar win for Hayes, but launched the wah-wah workout and #1 smash-hit, “Theme from Shaft” into cultural ubiquity. Its legacy transcends time as not only one of the most lasting and most successful Blaxploitation albums of all time, but one …
This compilation of festive songs features legendary Stax Records recording artists, including The Staple Singers, Carla Thomas, Rufus Thomas, The Emotions, Isaac Hayes, and more. With a newly unearthed version of the Billy Hayes / Jay W. Johnson classic “Blue Christmas” beautifully sung by legendary Stax recording artist Carla Thomas and an unreleased Alternate Mix of “Merry Christmas Baby” by …
Get Up! saw Ben Harper team up with legendary Blues musician Charlie Musselwhite for a collection of songs that blend gospel, roots, country and R&B together to create a record that is considered a Modern Blues classic. Upon its release in January of 2013, the album charted at Number 1 on the Billboard Blues Album Chart and number 27 in …
