madison blogs
May 2007
Stax of soul!
The 40th anniversary of the Soul Invasion
This month, marks the 40th anniversary of the famous 1967 Stax/Volt European tour. This record label was the heart of the dirty and gritty Memphis sound that launched the careers of Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Isaac Hayes, Rufus & Carla Thomas and Booker T & the MG’s.
British audiences went crazy at the appearance on stage of musicians they’d been listening to in their bedrooms on Dansette record players. It must have been quite something for those guys, often mingling with black GIs, to have seen Booker T and the MG’s and Sam and Dave, plus of course, the legendary Otis Redding in close-up, frenetic, sweaty action at, mainly small clubs and ballrooms, such as the Finsbury Park Astoria and The Ram Jam Club in Brixton.
Everyone who saw the show was knocked out by the raw energy and excitement generated by these artists - the UK had never seen anything quite like this before. The MG’s came on first in their lime-green suits. Next the Mar-Keys joined them (the three-man horn section of Wayne Jackson, Andrew Love and Joe Arnold all dressed in Royal Blue), for a tight funky version of ‘Philly Dog’ followed by ‘Last Night’. Then the vocalists took to the stage in turn: Arthur Conley, Eddie Floyd, Carla Thomas followed by the electrifying Sam and Dave. They set the stage on fire ready for the headline act of Otis Redding, who having to follow them, he was never able to approach a show as anything less than mortal combat. Each night his double-breasted black suit would be soaked with sweat, his voice hoarse!
The artists got just as much enjoyment out of the UK leg of the ground-breaking European tour, though things clearly got a little too lively at some gigs. Moshing was apparently invented one night, by Redding. The buzz the black artists got being on stage was only matched by another, altogether different kind of buzz - the one they got off stage, being able to walk around UK cities without getting the racial abuse they suffered at home.
Respect - to use the title of one Redding’s song - was what Britain in 1967 was all about, at least between musicians and ardent soul fans.
Essential soul section
Live in Europe by Otis Redding
Live in Europe was the first full-length concert album released by Otis Redding, and the last LP of his work that he lived to see issued. Recorded along the Stax/Volt tour of Europe it featured Redding backed by Booker T. & the MG's and the Mar-Keys. Their playing is more elegantly articulated than the work of his usual touring band, and this album is a sort of idealized Otis Redding concert. You get all of the virtuoso flourishes and details that one would expect from this ensemble. The audience, ecstatic at the rare chance to see the soul idol in concert, is very vocal in their enthusiasm for the singer and his songs, and "Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)" is practically a singalong number with some finely detailed playing from Booker T. Jones, Steve Cropper, and Al Jackson, Jr., who, with Wayne Jackson and company, also add some excellent grace notes to the finale, "Try a Little Tenderness." Beyond the musical power of his performance, Redding's emotions are practically overflowing as he addresses the crowd in a very personal manner as he introduces "These Arms of Mine." Excellent stuff!
The Very Best of Sam & Dave
The only Sam & Dave disc you’ll probably need which contains all their classics!
They were funky before we used the word! Gutteral, always vying back and forth for the lead. Sometimes they sang together, but most times, they were both working individually and it still sounds fresh and original today. Backed by the Memphis Horns, all their hits are here. "Soul Man" The smooth "Soothe Me" and the magic "When Something Is Wrong With My Baby". "I Thank You" "Hold On, I'm Comin'" and everything else you’d expect...
Hold On I’m Comin’ by Sam & Dave
If you need to dig a little deeper, try their 1966 first album on Stax: Hold On, I'm Comin'. When the Northern soul stars of Motown were employing strings and pop elements, Sam & Dave rejected pop wholesale and made sure they kept their Memphis soul simple and raw. Their albums never sounded heavily produced, and therein lies much of the appeal of Hold on, I'm Comin'. This duo didn't believe in hiding behind lavish productions. Like the blues and gospel artists who paved the way for soul music, Sam & Dave knew how to seize the moment. From such major hits as "You Don't Know Like I Know" and the title song to solid album tracks like the riveting "It's a Wonder" and the tough yet vulnerable ballad "Just Me," this album epitomizes Memphis soul in all its unpretentious, down-home glory.
Sat 13th Dec 2008