stax Archive
10 Aug 2020
Book Review: Eddie Floyd with Tony Fletcher — Knock! Knock! Knock! on Wood
Eddie Floyd is best known for his 1966 hit single, “Knock on Wood.” Backed by the Stax band Booker T & the MGs, Floyd delivered a powerful, soulful and highly […]
11 Jun 2019
Album Review: Various Artists — Soul Explosion
There’s undeniable appeal in retrospective compilations. With the benefit of hindsight and historical context, compilers can curate a set of songs that displays the character of a given theme, be […]
07 Apr 2018
Album Review: Stax Singles Vol. 4: Rarities & the Best of the Rest
Beginning in the early 1990s, the labels owning the Stax/Volt catalog set about releasing impressive box sets of classic material from the venerated yet ultimately troubled Memphis record label. 1991 […]
24 Dec 2017
Boxed Set Review: Isaac Hayes — The Spirit of Memphis
Isaac Hayes was the man. Certainly, he developed an outsized public persona, with his bare chest, furry boots, wide-brimmed hat, chains and gold-played Cadillac (though not all at the same […]
03 Dec 2017
Vinyl Roundup Part Two
Today I take a look at four simply superb reissue/compilations, all on vinyl. Don’t Look Now Original Soundtrack (Waxworks) Don’t Look Now was a 1973 thriller starring Donald Sutherland and […]
29 Sep 2017
‘Stax 60’ Album Release Campaign Features 10 Albums by 10 Legendary Artists
The venerable and legendary Stax Records was started 60 years ago in Memphis, Tennessee. Originally doing business as Satellite Records, the label founded by Jim Stewart and Estelle Axton (and […]
22 Jul 2017
Album Review: John Gary Williams
Memphis-based Stax Records had a long, impressive and tumultuous history. The label that was home to legendary artists like Booker T & the MGs, Otis Redding and Isaac Hayes produced […]
04 Jun 2015
Album Review: The Complete Stax Soul Singles Vol 3: 1972-1975
Nearly a quarter century ago (April 30, 1991 to be exact), a lavish, 9CD set called The Complete Stax/Volt Singles: 1959-1968 was released. Housed in a large box and featuring […]
28 Mar 2013
Album Review: Albert King – Born Under a Bad Sign
Here’s one often reliable method for discerning whether an album is an important one: when you first hear it, do you recognize several of the songs via popular cover versions? […]
25 Feb 2013
Album Review: Otis Redding – Lonely & Blue
Released in 1966, Lonely & Blue was perhaps Otis Redding‘s finest collection of songs centering on the heartfelt, pained end of the soul balladeering spectrum. With its trademark packaging design […]
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