STAX OF SOUL

Stax of Soul (aka, Soul Emotion in a previous release) brings together some Oldies but Goodies and some head-scratching choices. Most of us remember Inez Foxx’s “Mockingbird” and Sister Sledge’s “We Are Family.” But do you remember the Detroit Emeralds’ “Feel the Need in Me” or First Choice’s “Love and Happiness”?

I love Silver Convention’s “Fly Robin Fly” and The Three Degrees’ “When Will I See You Again.” But the compilers of this music CD have Al Jarreau sing “Ain’t No Sunshine” instead of Bill Withers’ iconic rendition. Ike and Tina Turner’s “Living For the City” sounds fine–but it’s no “Proud Mary.”

Do you remember these songs? Any favorites? GRADE: B

TRACKLIST:

1Al WilsonShow And Tell
2Climax (6)Precious And Few
3The WhispersSeems Like I Gotta Do Wrong
4Inez FoxxMockingbird
5Al JarreauAin’t No Sunshine
6Detroit EmeraldsFeel The Need In Me
7The Philly Groove OrchestraDidn’t I Blow Your Mind
8Ike & Tina TurnerLiving For The City
9First ChoiceLove And Happiness
10Ohio PlayersSummertime
11Sister SledgeWe Are Family
12Rose RoyceWishing On A Star
13Silver ConventionFly Robin Fly
14The Three DegreesWhen Will I See You Again
15Ben E. KingSupernatural Thing
16The FantasticsSomething Old Something New
17Freda PayneBand Of Gold
18Marvin GayeWhat’s Going On
19James BrownGet Up Offa That Thing
20CommodoresRise Up

16 thoughts on “STAX OF SOUL

  1. Steve+A+Oerkfitz

    I know about a third of these. My favorite track would be the Marvin Gaye. I like the song Love and Happiness but only know it by Al Green. Also like Ain’t No Sunshine but only know it by Bill Withers. I’m sick of We Are .Family.

    Reply
      1. Todd Mason

        At first, I thought the title indicated a Stax Records anthology, but continuing to scan, it clearly isn’t. The Withers track was presumably pricier (and whoever leases it now, since its label is long defunct, is a question) than a Jarreau cover…I can see Jarreau’s voice lacking a certain pain useful for that song.

  2. Deb

    “Show and Tell” and “Band of Gold” are my two favorites on this album—which I suspect is like a lot of compilation albums: what can we get the rights to cheap and how can we make them work together thematically?

    Reply
    1. george Post author

      Deb, you’re right about the mechanics of assembling these compilation CDs. What’s available? How much does the song cost? What can we afford?

      Reply
  3. Jeff+Meyerson

    I agree with Steve on “We Are Family” – so tired of it.

    Silver Convention was a German group that had two huge hits – “Fly Robin Fly” and “Get Up and Boogie.” Each only had six words in the lyrics – Fly-Robin–Up-to-The-Sky. And Get-Up-and-Boogie-That’s-Right. On a car trip through Europe in the mid-’70s we heard them repeatedly on the radio. “Fly, Robin, Fly” was a #1 song, “Get Up and Boogie” was only kept out of #1 by Wings’s “Silly Love Songs.”

    Also, it was always Inez and Charlie Foxx on “Mockingbird.” What happened to her brother?

    I’d take “What’s Going On” and “Band of Gold” too, as well as “Fly, Robin, Fly” and “Mockingbird” and “Precious and Few.”

    The “Stax” in the title reminds me of a two CD collection you should cover soon – The STAX 50th ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION. Booker T. & the MGs, Otis Redding, Carla Thomas, Sam & Dave, Eddie Floyd, The Mar-Keys, Isaac Hayes, The Staple Singers, etc.

    Reply
    1. george Post author

      Jeff, I’m glad you brought THE STAX 50th ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION up. Yes, I have it and plan to post about it. But the “Stax” in “Stax of Soul” doesn’t seem to have anything to do with Stax Records. I think what the compilers meant was “Stacks of Soul.”

      Reply
      1. Todd Mason

        Ah, I didn’t get far enough along before my Stax Records comment…they wanted you, the purchaser, to think of Stax, certainly. IIRC, Fantasy bought their catalog not too long before Fantasy sold itself to Concord.

      1. Todd Mason

        I am still Much more tired of “Fly, Robin, Fly” than I suspect I’ll ever be of “We Are Family”…and I haven’t heard the Silver Convention in possibly decades at this point.

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