If you have not heard these CDS, you really need to do so. I was lucky enough that one of the branches of my local library had this in its inventory, so I requested the title.
STAX is to Memphis (and southern soul / R&B music) what Motown is (was) to Detroit. These two discs are a veritable treasure trove of some true classics from the '60s and 70's. Indeed, what The Funk Brothers were to Motown (the band who backed most of the tracks) Booker T & the M.G. were to STAX (and its subsidiary, Volt).
There are some great-sounding recordings on these discs (musically and technically), and like the Motown box set, allows the listener to take a stroll through the various artists' offerings (you'll find people like Sam & Dave, The Bar-Kays, Isaac Hayes, The Staples Singers, Otis Redding, Eddie Floyd, Albert King...and the list goes on).
I'm pretty sure that these tracks are remastered (sometimes, this isn't such a good thing...i.e. with the Loudness war in full swing these days), and I have to say that having listened to that version, they did indeed sound quite clean.
On a scale of zero to five stars, I'd rate this compilation as a solid 4.5 or possibly 4.75. The only reason I wouldn't give it a five-star rating is that I would have liked for more tracks to have been included...but I guess that's just being greedy.
Anyway...if you have not heard these discs (and trust me, you have indeed heard many of the tunes that you will find on these two CDs), you really should give yourself a treat. Again, like the Motown box set, to hear the tracks, one after the next, reminds you of just how much talent passed through the doors of STAX records.
Highly recommended.
Here's a link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RwAoIuzHj0
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