The Phoenix Network:
 
 
 
About  |  Advertise
 
Music
CD Reviews  |  Classical  |  Download  |  Live Reviews  |  Music Features  |  New England Music News

Stax 50th Anniversary Celebration

Stax
By TED DROZDOWSKI  |  December 17, 2007
4.0 4.0 Stars
staxinside
This year, California’s Concord label took ownership of Memphis’s greatest musical treasure chest, the Stax Records catalogue, and celebrated the 50th anniversary of the founding of the company that made Otis Redding, Rufus Thomas, Isaac Hayes, Sam & Dave, and the Staple Singers stars by opening the lid. What tumbled out included the PBS-special Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story DVD, the never-before-released TV performances in the Dreams To Remember: The Legacy of Otis Redding DVD, and the footage from a groundbreaking 1967 European tour on the concert-length Stax/Volt Revue Live in Norway DVD. These discs shine the spotlight of history on a label that changed American music and, for a time, served as a major bridge across the country’s racial divide. And for an old-fashioned earful of music, there’s the 50-singles, double-CD Stax 50th Anniversary Celebration compilation. This smartly packaged set includes a thoughtful booklet about the label and its artists by journalist Rob Bowman. But what’s best are the endlessly listenable tunes, which include the Staples’ “Respect Yourself,” Thomas’s “Walking the Dog,” Hayes’s “Theme from Shaft,” Sam & Dave’s “Hold On I’m Comin’,” and Jean Knight’s “Mr. Big Stuff.”
Related:
  Topics: CD Reviews , Isaac Hayes , Rufus Thomas , Otis Redding ,  More more >
  • Share:
  • RSS feed Rss
  • Email this article to a friend Email
  • Print this article Print
Comments

Today's Event Picks
Plus 2 more >>
ARTICLES BY TED DROZDOWSKI
Share this entry with Delicious

 See all articles by: TED DROZDOWSKI

MOST POPULAR
RSS Feed of for the most popular articles
 Most Viewed   Most Emailed 
HOT TOPICS
 More Topics . . .
LATEST SLIDESHOWS

All Slideshows



Friday, January 09, 2009  |  Sign In  |  Register
 
thePhoenix.com:
Phoenix Media/Communications Group:
TODAY'S FEATURED ADVERTISERS
Copyright © 2009 The Phoenix Media/Communications Group