Friday, April 20, 2007

Funky Friday Has Stax Appeal

The Bar-Kays - Soul Finger

Booker T. & The MGs - Soul Limbo

Rufus Thomas - Do The Funky Chicken

Jean Knight - Mr. Big Stuff

The Staple Singers - I'll Take You There


A couple of weeks ago I picked this up for $15.99. It is a 2 disc set of classic Stax Records material from the '60s & '70s, all remastered and packaged with a cool booklet (lots of photos and stories) in a hardboard box. That nifty graphic of fingers snapping on the cover is a lenticular - you move the box, the fingers really snap. Coolness. And the music is smoking. 50 tracks in all, and not a dull moment to be had. There is sultry soul, swampy blues funk, good time party music and everything in between. It is fantastic of course, and filled with more classics than you can shake a stick at. I still can't believe how cheap it was. Highly recommended. Here's the full line-up...

1. GEE WHIZ (LOOK AT HIS EYES) - Carla Thomas
2. LAST NIGHT - The Mar-Keys
3. YOU DON'T MISS YOUR WATER - William Bell
4. GREEN ONIONS - Booker T. & The MGs
5. WALKING THE DOG - Rufus Thomas
6. I'VE BEEN LOVING YOU TOO LONG (TO STOP NOW) - Otis Redding
7. CANDY - The Astors
8. RESPECT - Otis Redding
9. YOU DON'T KNOW LIKE I KNOW - Sam & Dave
10. I WANT SOMEONE - The Mad Lads
11. HOLD ON I'M COMIN' - Sam & Dave
12. LET ME BE GOOD TO YOU - Carla Thomas
13. YOUR GOOD THING (IS ABOUT TO END) - Mable John
14. KNOCK ON WOOD - Eddie Floyd
15. B-A-B-Y - Carla Thomas
16. TRAMP - Otis & Carla
17. SOUL FINGER - The Bar-Keys
18. BORN UNDER A BAD SIGN - Albert King
19. SOUL MAN - Sam & Dave
20. (SITTIN' ON) THE DOCK OF THE BAY - Otis Redding
21. I GOT A SURE THING - Ollie & The Nightingales
22. SOUL LIMBO - Booker T. & The MGs
23. I'VE NEVER FOUND A GIRL (TO LOVE ME LIKE YOU DO) - Eddie Floyd
24. WHAT A MAN - Linda Lyndell
25. PRIVATE NUMBER - William Bell & Judy Clay
26. WHO'S MAKING LOVE - Johnnie Taylor
27. I FORGOT TO BE YOUR LOVER - William Bell
28. I LIKE WHAT YOU'RE DOING (TO ME) - Carla Thomas
Disc: 2
1. TIME IS TIGHT - Booker T. & The MGs
2. SO I CAN LOVE YOU - The Emotions
3. WALK ON BY - Isaac Hayes
4. DO THE FUNKY CHICKEN - Rufus Thomas
5. JODY'S GOT YOUR GIRL AND GONE - Johnnie Taylor
6. MR. BIG STUFF - Jean Knight
7. NEVER CAN SAY GOODBYE - Isaac Hayes
8. WHATCHA SEE IS WHATCHA GET - The Dramatics
9. RESPECT YOURSELF - The Staple Singers
10. THEME FROM SHAFT - Isaac Hayes
11. SON OF SHAFT - The Bar-Kays
12. THAT'S WHAT LOVE WILL MAKE YOU DO - Little Milton
13. I'VE BEEN LONELY FOR SO LONG - Frederick Knight
14. HEARSAY - Soul Children
15. IN THE RAIN - The Dramatics
16. I'LL TAKE YOU THERE - The Staple Singers
17. STARTING ALL OVER AGAIN - Mel & Timn
18. DEDICATED TO THE ONE I LOVE - The Temprees
19. IF YOU'RE READY (COME GO WITH ME) - The Staple Singers
20. CHEAPER TO KEEP HER - Johnnie Taylo
21. I'LL BE THE OTHER WOMAN - Soul Children
22. WOMAN TO WOMAN - Shirley Brown

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