Have I gone & staxed my soul.,, 25 Sep 2008
Clambering out of my bat cave I stumbled into,no not robin,but this box set.It's a blinder.Hay 'mr.big stuff''Time is tight'can I do the'soul limbo."A what am I going on about back there",here's the big stuff it's a great box set from stax.Iv not got that much soul,so most of it was new to me,what a treat. P.S. sorry I have nothing to add as from where Stax came from,but I am a smart arse!

If You Like Music, Soul Music, 25 Jul 2008
If you are a serious Soul fan you will have most of these tracks already.
If you are a Music fan you will be familiar with most of the twenty or so Stax artist featured on this fifty track CD.
This is no Greatest Hits Collection (plenty of them here on Amazon)but a wonderful insight into one of the greatest Record Labels of the sixties and early seventies.
If you like Music, Soul Music, then this is a worthy addition to any CD Collection

In a music store near you, 15 Apr 2008
Not fot the first time we get a Stax retrospective but here it comes with the half century marker.
Like the other famous Memphis label-Sun-the label concentrated on black music after its beginnings as a country music label called Satellite.
The first hit single was by Carla Thomas daugter of Rufus who'd once been on Sun and who made the first Stax single as a duet with Carla.
Gee Whiz strraddled the boundaries between high school pop and R & B and has been much covered.
Sun was actually ready to set as Stax set the pace for what was to follow in the 60s which was even blacker music and the label would eventually be sold out to the corporates in the 70s
The reissue programs would come shortly and it never ends


The Premier Soul label, 09 Jun 2007
Stax was responsible for the sound we have come to call Soul. Curiously for a Black Music institution, it's success was a result of a multi racial mix (Booker T and the MGs were 2 Black, 2 White for example), and there's plenty of evidence of the link between R & B and Country music in Stax output - those being the dominant musical genres in the South and especially Memphis.

If you are a Soul music fan, then you may have many of these tracks in your collection and be familiar with most, but put together like this, these 50 tracks leave no-one in any doubt that here was a musical phenemenon.

This is music from an era where the radio was king and getting a song played was the key to getting a hit record. In the early days, Stax perfected the art of producing songs that not only matched the 3 minute song format, but also had something to say - that was usually about love and loss, although you'll also find instrumentals and dance tunes.

The death of Otis Redding is often cited as a watershed for Stax. There were however, other factors which also forced the label to change. The licensing deal that had existed with Atlantic was discovered to have given the rights to all the Stax songs to Atlantic, which meant effectively, the label had no back catalogue. Add to that the increase in racial tension following the death of Martin Luther King and you had a set of circumstances which pushed Stax into a different direction, albeit one that would take a couple of years to become fully apparent.

So, this compilation journeys from "Gee Whiz" and it's innocence, through the emotion of Otis and his peers and on to the orchestral Soul of Isaac Hayes and the Civil Rights anthems of The Staple Singers, before something of a return to the roots with The Soul Children and Shirley Brown. It is journey you will find worth taking

Stax of timeless brilliance., 28 Apr 2007
Would you believe that Stax started as a country label but through gospel almost inadvertently gained an interest in soul music. Not bad for a label that along with the more commercially popular Motown is the most influential in black music( Though you could throw in reggae labels like Trojan if you were feeling picky )It's initial success rooted from the deep South with it's heavy gospel influence ushered in one revolution in black music but after the death of Otis Redding in 1967 and the disbanding of Sam & Dave, the label marshalled a new brand of soul all over again led by Isaac Hayes. It ,s this ability to adapt and innovate that makes this such an important label , as well as the brilliant music of course.
Jim Stewart along with Estelle Axton founded the label in Memphis as "Satellite " records but it wasn't till 1961 that the label achieved it's first top ten hit with the gospel harmonies of "Gee Whiz( Look At His Eyes)" by Carla Thomas. It was the formation of it's in house rhythm section Booker T & the MG,s that really nailed the Stax sound . The horn section , which later became The Memphis horns , provided brassy backing, funked up and slinky, and their three tracks-"Green Onions " , Soul Limbo" (Or the cricket music as it was known in my formative years) and "Time Is Tight"- on this fifty track compilation are instantly recognisable classics .
The emergence of Otis Redding , a singer of truly outstanding emotive talent , gave the label further credence , not to mention some of the songs he wrote -"Respect" and the ever superb "(Sittin On) The Dock Of The Bay"- a song that still gives me goose bumps bigger than maltesers. Add to that the emollient tones of Sam & Dave , the bluesy Albert King , and the graceful ballads of William Bell and the label had a formidable array of talent .
Even after Booker T & the MG,s influence waned, at least on the playing side( the band did more administrative work than session playing as the sixties merged into the seventies) the label under the guidance of Al Bell continued to prosper and not just that either. Former songwriter, producer and session player Isaac Hayes became an artist in his own right mixing up funk , jazz , soul and mellifluous easy listening to startling and groundbreaking effect . The albums "Shaft" ( Which kick started the blaxploitation movement and meant Stax became central to black America's disenchantment with society and those in power ) and "Hot Buttered Soul" ( A work of genius which should be in any albums to hear before you die list) sold millions of copies . Then there were The Staples Singers commercial gospel sound , the close knit harmonies of Mel & Tim, the more classic Stax Soul Children and oddities like the swinging irreducible "Mr Big Stuff".
Something went badly wrong somewhere however , as the label was declared bankrupt in 1975 amid allegations of financial corruption and mis-management. In 1977 all Stax,s assets , including all contracts and masters were purchased by a group who then licensed "Fantasy" records to handle all Stax product (as they put it) It may be product to some but to most , it's timeless evocative brilliance and it's good to know that their artists and legacy is still being appreciated today and that's why this release is the least this defining label deserves.

Have I gone & staxed my soul.,, 25 Sep 2008
Clambering out of my bat cave I stumbled into,no not robin,but this box set.It's a blinder.Hay 'mr.big stuff''Time is tight'can I do the'soul limbo."A what am I going on about back there",here's the big stuff it's a great box set from stax.Iv not got that much soul,so most of it was new to me,what a treat. P.S. sorry I have nothing to add as from where Stax came from,but I am a smart arse!

If You Like Music, Soul Music, 25 Jul 2008
If you are a serious Soul fan you will have most of these tracks already.
If you are a Music fan you will be familiar with most of the twenty or so Stax artist featured on this fifty track CD.
This is no Greatest Hits Collection (plenty of them here on Amazon)but a wonderful insight into one of the greatest Record Labels of the sixties and early seventies.
If you like Music, Soul Music, then this is a worthy addition to any CD Collection

In a music store near you, 15 Apr 2008
Not fot the first time we get a Stax retrospective but here it comes with the half century marker.
Like the other famous Memphis label-Sun-the label concentrated on black music after its beginnings as a country music label called Satellite.
The first hit single was by Carla Thomas daugter of Rufus who'd once been on Sun and who made the first Stax single as a duet with Carla.
Gee Whiz strraddled the boundaries between high school pop and R & B and has been much covered.
Sun was actually ready to set as Stax set the pace for what was to follow in the 60s which was even blacker music and the label would eventually be sold out to the corporates in the 70s
The reissue programs would come shortly and it never ends


The Premier Soul label, 09 Jun 2007
Stax was responsible for the sound we have come to call Soul. Curiously for a Black Music institution, it's success was a result of a multi racial mix (Booker T and the MGs were 2 Black, 2 White for example), and there's plenty of evidence of the link between R & B and Country music in Stax output - those being the dominant musical genres in the South and especially Memphis.

If you are a Soul music fan, then you may have many of these tracks in your collection and be familiar with most, but put together like this, these 50 tracks leave no-one in any doubt that here was a musical phenemenon.

This is music from an era where the radio was king and getting a song played was the key to getting a hit record. In the early days, Stax perfected the art of producing songs that not only matched the 3 minute song format, but also had something to say - that was usually about love and loss, although you'll also find instrumentals and dance tunes.

The death of Otis Redding is often cited as a watershed for Stax. There were however, other factors which also forced the label to change. The licensing deal that had existed with Atlantic was discovered to have given the rights to all the Stax songs to Atlantic, which meant effectively, the label had no back catalogue. Add to that the increase in racial tension following the death of Martin Luther King and you had a set of circumstances which pushed Stax into a different direction, albeit one that would take a couple of years to become fully apparent.

So, this compilation journeys from "Gee Whiz" and it's innocence, through the emotion of Otis and his peers and on to the orchestral Soul of Isaac Hayes and the Civil Rights anthems of The Staple Singers, before something of a return to the roots with The Soul Children and Shirley Brown. It is journey you will find worth taking

Stax of timeless brilliance., 28 Apr 2007
Would you believe that Stax started as a country label but through gospel almost inadvertently gained an interest in soul music. Not bad for a label that along with the more commercially popular Motown is the most influential in black music( Though you could throw in reggae labels like Trojan if you were feeling picky )It's initial success rooted from the deep South with it's heavy gospel influence ushered in one revolution in black music but after the death of Otis Redding in 1967 and the disbanding of Sam & Dave, the label marshalled a new brand of soul all over again led by Isaac Hayes. It ,s this ability to adapt and innovate that makes this such an important label , as well as the brilliant music of course.
Jim Stewart along with Estelle Axton founded the label in Memphis as "Satellite " records but it wasn't till 1961 that the label achieved it's first top ten hit with the gospel harmonies of "Gee Whiz( Look At His Eyes)" by Carla Thomas. It was the formation of it's in house rhythm section Booker T & the MG,s that really nailed the Stax sound . The horn section , which later became The Memphis horns , provided brassy backing, funked up and slinky, and their three tracks-"Green Onions " , Soul Limbo" (Or the cricket music as it was known in my formative years) and "Time Is Tight"- on this fifty track compilation are instantly recognisable classics .
The emergence of Otis Redding , a singer of truly outstanding emotive talent , gave the label further credence , not to mention some of the songs he wrote -"Respect" and the ever superb "(Sittin On) The Dock Of The Bay"- a song that still gives me goose bumps bigger than maltesers. Add to that the emollient tones of Sam & Dave , the bluesy Albert King , and the graceful ballads of William Bell and the label had a formidable array of talent .
Even after Booker T & the MG,s influence waned, at least on the playing side( the band did more administrative work than session playing as the sixties merged into the seventies) the label under the guidance of Al Bell continued to prosper and not just that either. Former songwriter, producer and session player Isaac Hayes became an artist in his own right mixing up funk , jazz , soul and mellifluous easy listening to startling and groundbreaking effect . The albums "Shaft" ( Which kick started the blaxploitation movement and meant Stax became central to black America's disenchantment with society and those in power ) and "Hot Buttered Soul" ( A work of genius which should be in any albums to hear before you die list) sold millions of copies . Then there were The Staples Singers commercial gospel sound , the close knit harmonies of Mel & Tim, the more classic Stax Soul Children and oddities like the swinging irreducible "Mr Big Stuff".
Something went badly wrong somewhere however , as the label was declared bankrupt in 1975 amid allegations of financial corruption and mis-management. In 1977 all Stax,s assets , including all contracts and masters were purchased by a group who then licensed "Fantasy" records to handle all Stax product (as they put it) It may be product to some but to most , it's timeless evocative brilliance and it's good to know that their artists and legacy is still being appreciated today and that's why this release is the least this defining label deserves.


So so, 06 Oct 2008
Late night background music of only moderate quality. Some of the tracks seem to consist entirely of into.

it's the truth!, 05 Sep 2008
Self Portrait is Lalah's 4th album and she just keeps on getting better and better. The cover sticker calls it contemporary urban soul, whatever that is. Genre defying it certainly is. Rhythm n Bass it is not, neither is it neo soul - more a deep soul. If you must have a comparison......think along the lines of Anthony Hamilton.

Whatever. It's an excellent example of the art of songwriting, simple but sympathetic arrangements, wonderfully effective backing vocals, great musicianship and production. On top of all that is the voice. THE voice. Full, warm, earthy, full of soul. In fact, close your eyes and from time to time - particularly in the ad libs - you will swear that you are listening to Donny. I can give no higher compliment than that.

Every time I play this album I get taken back to the time when soul albums were events, got into your heart and mind and were played and played......and played. Not like the disposable output of much of today's sales-targeted product. It seems to have been made with no mind to whether or not it would sell - and it's much the better for it. There's the rub - it should sell in bucketloads. Lalah should be a household name, and not because of her father but because of her own true talent.

If you like your music honest, classy, great songs, great arrangements and musicianship, then this is for you. Buy with confidence.

By 1969, black artists were following rock's lead and recording extended epics. At the forefront of such experimentation was big bad Isaac Hayes, co-author of countless Stax classics and an artist in his own right. On this, his second album, Hayes takes two adult-pop benchmarks, Burt Bacharach's "Walk On By" and Jimmy Webb's "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" and spins them out into slow-building sermons lasting 12 and 18.5 minutes apiece. Heavily romantic, they predate by two years Barry White's symphonic adventures in the same style, revolutionising soul music in the process. Meanwhile, on the album's third epic, the 10-minute "Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic", Hayes and his backing band the Bar-Kays wind up sounding, bizarrely, like a black Crazy Horse. --Barney Hoskyns

Have I gone & staxed my soul.,, 25 Sep 2008
Clambering out of my bat cave I stumbled into,no not robin,but this box set.It's a blinder.Hay 'mr.big stuff''Time is tight'can I do the'soul limbo."A what am I going on about back there",here's the big stuff it's a great box set from stax.Iv not got that much soul,so most of it was new to me,what a treat. P.S. sorry I have nothing to add as from where Stax came from,but I am a smart arse!

If You Like Music, Soul Music, 25 Jul 2008
If you are a serious Soul fan you will have most of these tracks already.
If you are a Music fan you will be familiar with most of the twenty or so Stax artist featured on this fifty track CD.
This is no Greatest Hits Collection (plenty of them here on Amazon)but a wonderful insight into one of the greatest Record Labels of the sixties and early seventies.
If you like Music, Soul Music, then this is a worthy addition to any CD Collection

In a music store near you, 15 Apr 2008
Not fot the first time we get a Stax retrospective but here it comes with the half century marker.
Like the other famous Memphis label-Sun-the label concentrated on black music after its beginnings as a country music label called Satellite.
The first hit single was by Carla Thomas daugter of Rufus who'd once been on Sun and who made the first Stax single as a duet with Carla.
Gee Whiz strraddled the boundaries between high school pop and R & B and has been much covered.
Sun was actually ready to set as Stax set the pace for what was to follow in the 60s which was even blacker music and the label would eventually be sold out to the corporates in the 70s
The reissue programs would come shortly and it never ends


The Premier Soul label, 09 Jun 2007
Stax was responsible for the sound we have come to call Soul. Curiously for a Black Music institution, it's success was a result of a multi racial mix (Booker T and the MGs were 2 Black, 2 White for example), and there's plenty of evidence of the link between R & B and Country music in Stax output - those being the dominant musical genres in the South and especially Memphis.

If you are a Soul music fan, then you may have many of these tracks in your collection and be familiar with most, but put together like this, these 50 tracks leave no-one in any doubt that here was a musical phenemenon.

This is music from an era where the radio was king and getting a song played was the key to getting a hit record. In the early days, Stax perfected the art of producing songs that not only matched the 3 minute song format, but also had something to say - that was usually about love and loss, although you'll also find instrumentals and dance tunes.

The death of Otis Redding is often cited as a watershed for Stax. There were however, other factors which also forced the label to change. The licensing deal that had existed with Atlantic was discovered to have given the rights to all the Stax songs to Atlantic, which meant effectively, the label had no back catalogue. Add to that the increase in racial tension following the death of Martin Luther King and you had a set of circumstances which pushed Stax into a different direction, albeit one that would take a couple of years to become fully apparent.

So, this compilation journeys from "Gee Whiz" and it's innocence, through the emotion of Otis and his peers and on to the orchestral Soul of Isaac Hayes and the Civil Rights anthems of The Staple Singers, before something of a return to the roots with The Soul Children and Shirley Brown. It is journey you will find worth taking

Stax of timeless brilliance., 28 Apr 2007
Would you believe that Stax started as a country label but through gospel almost inadvertently gained an interest in soul music. Not bad for a label that along with the more commercially popular Motown is the most influential in black music( Though you could throw in reggae labels like Trojan if you were feeling picky )It's initial success rooted from the deep South with it's heavy gospel influence ushered in one revolution in black music but after the death of Otis Redding in 1967 and the disbanding of Sam & Dave, the label marshalled a new brand of soul all over again led by Isaac Hayes. It ,s this ability to adapt and innovate that makes this such an important label , as well as the brilliant music of course.
Jim Stewart along with Estelle Axton founded the label in Memphis as "Satellite " records but it wasn't till 1961 that the label achieved it's first top ten hit with the gospel harmonies of "Gee Whiz( Look At His Eyes)" by Carla Thomas. It was the formation of it's in house rhythm section Booker T & the MG,s that really nailed the Stax sound . The horn section , which later became The Memphis horns , provided brassy backing, funked up and slinky, and their three tracks-"Green Onions " , Soul Limbo" (Or the cricket music as it was known in my formative years) and "Time Is Tight"- on this fifty track compilation are instantly recognisable classics .
The emergence of Otis Redding , a singer of truly outstanding emotive talent , gave the label further credence , not to mention some of the songs he wrote -"Respect" and the ever superb "(Sittin On) The Dock Of The Bay"- a song that still gives me goose bumps bigger than maltesers. Add to that the emollient tones of Sam & Dave , the bluesy Albert King , and the graceful ballads of William Bell and the label had a formidable array of talent .
Even after Booker T & the MG,s influence waned, at least on the playing side( the band did more administrative work than session playing as the sixties merged into the seventies) the label under the guidance of Al Bell continued to prosper and not just that either. Former songwriter, producer and session player Isaac Hayes became an artist in his own right mixing up funk , jazz , soul and mellifluous easy listening to startling and groundbreaking effect . The albums "Shaft" ( Which kick started the blaxploitation movement and meant Stax became central to black America's disenchantment with society and those in power ) and "Hot Buttered Soul" ( A work of genius which should be in any albums to hear before you die list) sold millions of copies . Then there were The Staples Singers commercial gospel sound , the close knit harmonies of Mel & Tim, the more classic Stax Soul Children and oddities like the swinging irreducible "Mr Big Stuff".
Something went badly wrong somewhere however , as the label was declared bankrupt in 1975 amid allegations of financial corruption and mis-management. In 1977 all Stax,s assets , including all contracts and masters were purchased by a group who then licensed "Fantasy" records to handle all Stax product (as they put it) It may be product to some but to most , it's timeless evocative brilliance and it's good to know that their artists and legacy is still being appreciated today and that's why this release is the least this defining label deserves.


So so, 06 Oct 2008
Late night background music of only moderate quality. Some of the tracks seem to consist entirely of into.

it's the truth!, 05 Sep 2008
Self Portrait is Lalah's 4th album and she just keeps on getting better and better. The cover sticker calls it contemporary urban soul, whatever that is. Genre defying it certainly is. Rhythm n Bass it is not, neither is it neo soul - more a deep soul. If you must have a comparison......think along the lines of Anthony Hamilton.

Whatever. It's an excellent example of the art of songwriting, simple but sympathetic arrangements, wonderfully effective backing vocals, great musicianship and production. On top of all that is the voice. THE voice. Full, warm, earthy, full of soul. In fact, close your eyes and from time to time - particularly in the ad libs - you will swear that you are listening to Donny. I can give no higher compliment than that.

Every time I play this album I get taken back to the time when soul albums were events, got into your heart and mind and were played and played......and played. Not like the disposable output of much of today's sales-targeted product. It seems to have been made with no mind to whether or not it would sell - and it's much the better for it. There's the rub - it should sell in bucketloads. Lalah should be a household name, and not because of her father but because of her own true talent.

If you like your music honest, classy, great songs, great arrangements and musicianship, then this is for you. Buy with confidence.

Before Barry White........, 25 Sep 2007
......came Isaac Hayes. A four track album ? In 1969 ? You've got to be kidding, right ? No Sir. Isaac Hayes took the orchestration and elongation of soul music to the nth degree with this ground-breaking release. Whether or not you find the four abnormally-extended workouts to your own personal taste or not, you simply have to admire the artist's willingness to push back the boundaries of contemporary popular music and the sheer chutzpah of it all.

The opener, "Walk On By" is a magnificent interpretation of the track made famous by Dionne Warwick in anyone's book. Lushly and lasciviously orchestrated it has so many peaks it leaves you breathless, despite its essential laid back groove. The contender for the longest track name ever is next, and a wonderful earthy funker it is too, with Hayes' band right on the money. Top dollar soul/funk. "One Woman" seems like a throwaway cut in comparison to its mighty counterparts, but it has a great chorus rise to it with peerless gospelly female backing vocals. The album's closer, the monumental pot boiler of "By The Time I Get To Phoenix" out-Barry Whites Barry White three years or so before he made the drawn-out soulful spoken introduction his own in many people's eyes. This track is a mighty eighteen-minute opus, rising to a classic, comparatively frenetic ending that just leaves one in awe of this album's achievement. Remember once again. It was 1969.

Throughout this album the sound and standard of musicianship (from the Bar-Kays) is top notch, save for one strange crackly bit two thirds of the way through "One Woman". Overall, though, highly recommended if you are interested in the progression of soul music.


There's nothing like this !!, 23 Sep 2006
I can remember well the first time I heard this album. Used to a diet of Soul from the more commercial end of the spectrum, this was the album that sent me on a journey to discover Soul and Funk in all its forms - and what an album!!

I cannot hear Ike's version of "Walk on By" without marvelling at the sheer audacity of the man - but I love it, the strings, the guitars, the slow build up (will he ever sing?) and then the gravelly vocal - epic stuff.

There' more - "...Phoenix" is the same but more so, and while "One Woman" is almost standard fare, Hyper..." was the forerunner of the funk workouts Ike would become famous for on "Shaft".

No. this is not for everyone, and there are better albums but Soul music would not be the same without it and I love it.

I,m souled on this album(Sorry), 07 May 2004
It starts with a crisp peal of percussion and then the strings flow dreamily in. They seethe with honeyed intensity but then glistening steely bursts of guitar crackle like lightning on the horizon. Then they sound suddenly wonky, slightly out of key before that incredible rumble of a voice joins the fray with admirable restraint. Over the next ten minutes Isaac Hayes takes us through a rendition of “Walk on by” that is both graceful and majestic ending with a string twanging fevered intensity and along the way incorporates girly backing vocals, a clarinet and fermented key boards.
Isaac Hayes recorded “Hot Buttered Soul” in 1969, his first album for Stax records he was shoved into a studio at short notice along with three producers and the Bar -Kay’s rhythm section under the instructions to produce anything as long as he did it with alacrity. Which is why Hayes got away with producing an album that contained just four songs, only one of them an original, and saw him produce not so much cover versions as stretch -limo versions as he distend the originals way beyond their intended lengths through audacious instrumentation arrangements and slow-mo raps that if done by any one else would be so corny they could be sponsored by Green Giant.
His opening take on Bacharach/Davids “Walk on by” leads into the one original song on the album the tongue dislocating “Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic” which is a fantastic funk work out with hip swivelling bass and swanky licks of wah wah which ends with demented piano. His version of Chalmers/Rhodes “One Woman” is relatively restrained coming in under six minutes with more female backing and those trademark strings which leads into his truly extraordinary version of Jimmy Webbs “By the time I get to Phoenix”. Here Hayes over lachrymose organ and swishes of hi-hat actually introduces the song he’s going to sing before embarking on an epic tale of betrayal and love gone bad. Then those strings quiver in, the horns break out like a rash, the clarinet and piano motifs weep sympathetically in the background and Hayes sings the song with increasing crooning vehemence while the instruments rise in fervour until it reaches a point of such glorious epiphany it’s almost masochistic. “You had a good heart and you abused it” he sings. Listening to this it’s hard to disagree.
This is a brilliant album One of the truly great soul releases up there with anything by Green, Gaye or Mayfield. In fact in terms of its fervent emotional catharsis it’s up their with anything in the entire musical canon.

Forget the rest cos this is the best, 24 Feb 2004
At Glastonbury 2003, (i think), Hayes did a set which consisted of 15 minutes of 'SHAFT!' he's a complicated man etc.' Why didn't he play something from an album that sets him above other soul folk? The rendition of 'walk on by' is not just another attempt at remaking the original but a successful delivery of a classic song with a touch of conseptual improv. The best track by far, is 'Hyperbolersylabic'. This isn't soul, but hardcore funk. This literally has never failed to get me wailing along to Isacc's dulsit tones and bouncing along to a fantasticaly simple, pounding bass line. This gets closer to a Funkadelic live jam at points, (all be it with just the one guitar and piano), than a soul revolution. The final track is extremely long (18:00), most of which is story telling, but this needn't be skipped if the album is listened to the way it should be. Just sit back, with unnecessary sunglasses and a free 45 minutes.

Bloated, Tedious, Over Rated, 29 Jan 2004
It is difficult for me to quite understand how this has become such a classic. Perhaps it is the wonderful production of 'Walk on By'. Besides that sound, which is admittedly way ahead of it's time, I can hear little to recommend on this album. All 4 tracks are sprawling, unfocused messes - getting to the end of the disc in one sitting is a real chore, and I have an unusually large attention span for music.
Issac comes across as insincere and untalented. The songs do not grab me as being musical enough. Why not try a real soul classic such as Inspiration Information by Shuggie Otis or There's a Riot Going on?

The "Theme from Shaft" is now so ingrained in popular consciousness as the blaxploitation-movie track that it's hard to listen to it without a faint smirk. ("Who's the black private dick that's a sex machine to all the chicks?"!!) But if you can get past the inadvertent humour, it's still a devilishly exciting piece of music--all hi-hat 16ths, wah-wah guitar, strings and woodwind, like a Norman Whitfield Motown production taken to a baroque extreme. The rest of the album consists mainly of incidental mood music of no great worth: "Walk from Regio's", "Ellie's Love Theme"--you know the sort of thing. Only two other tracks feature the Black Moses pipes, while the endless "Do Your Thing" takes its place in the catalogue of Hayes epics that began with Hot Buttered Soul. --Barney Hoskyns

Have I gone & staxed my soul.,, 25 Sep 2008
Clambering out of my bat cave I stumbled into,no not robin,but this box set.It's a blinder.Hay 'mr.big stuff''Time is tight'can I do the'soul limbo."A what am I going on about back there",here's the big stuff it's a great box set from stax.Iv not got that much soul,so most of it was new to me,what a treat. P.S. sorry I have nothing to add as from where Stax came from,but I am a smart arse!

If You Like Music, Soul Music, 25 Jul 2008
If you are a serious Soul fan you will have most of these tracks already.
If you are a Music fan you will be familiar with most of the twenty or so Stax artist featured on this fifty track CD.
This is no Greatest Hits Collection (plenty of them here on Amazon)but a wonderful insight into one of the greatest Record Labels of the sixties and early seventies.
If you like Music, Soul Music, then this is a worthy addition to any CD Collection

In a music store near you, 15 Apr 2008
Not fot the first time we get a Stax retrospective but here it comes with the half century marker.
Like the other famous Memphis label-Sun-the label concentrated on black music after its beginnings as a country music label called Satellite.
The first hit single was by Carla Thomas daugter of Rufus who'd once been on Sun and who made the first Stax single as a duet with Carla.
Gee Whiz strraddled the boundaries between high school pop and R & B and has been much covered.
Sun was actually ready to set as Stax set the pace for what was to follow in the 60s which was even blacker music and the label would eventually be sold out to the corporates in the 70s
The reissue programs would come shortly and it never ends


The Premier Soul label, 09 Jun 2007
Stax was responsible for the sound we have come to call Soul. Curiously for a Black Music institution, it's success was a result of a multi racial mix (Booker T and the MGs were 2 Black, 2 White for example), and there's plenty of evidence of the link between R & B and Country music in Stax output - those being the dominant musical genres in the South and especially Memphis.

If you are a Soul music fan, then you may have many of these tracks in your collection and be familiar with most, but put together like this, these 50 tracks leave no-one in any doubt that here was a musical phenemenon.

This is music from an era where the radio was king and getting a song played was the key to getting a hit record. In the early days, Stax perfected the art of producing songs that not only matched the 3 minute song format, but also had something to say - that was usually about love and loss, although you'll also find instrumentals and dance tunes.

The death of Otis Redding is often cited as a watershed for Stax. There were however, other factors which also forced the label to change. The licensing deal that had existed with Atlantic was discovered to have given the rights to all the Stax songs to Atlantic, which meant effectively, the label had no back catalogue. Add to that the increase in racial tension following the death of Martin Luther King and you had a set of circumstances which pushed Stax into a different direction, albeit one that would take a couple of years to become fully apparent.

So, this compilation journeys from "Gee Whiz" and it's innocence, through the emotion of Otis and his peers and on to the orchestral Soul of Isaac Hayes and the Civil Rights anthems of The Staple Singers, before something of a return to the roots with The Soul Children and Shirley Brown. It is journey you will find worth taking

Stax of timeless brilliance., 28 Apr 2007
Would you believe that Stax started as a country label but through gospel almost inadvertently gained an interest in soul music. Not bad for a label that along with the more commercially popular Motown is the most influential in black music( Though you could throw in reggae labels like Trojan if you were feeling picky )It's initial success rooted from the deep South with it's heavy gospel influence ushered in one revolution in black music but after the death of Otis Redding in 1967 and the disbanding of Sam & Dave, the label marshalled a new brand of soul all over again led by Isaac Hayes. It ,s this ability to adapt and innovate that makes this such an important label , as well as the brilliant music of course.
Jim Stewart along with Estelle Axton founded the label in Memphis as "Satellite " records but it wasn't till 1961 that the label achieved it's first top ten hit with the gospel harmonies of "Gee Whiz( Look At His Eyes)" by Carla Thomas. It was the formation of it's in house rhythm section Booker T & the MG,s that really nailed the Stax sound . The horn section , which later became The Memphis horns , provided brassy backing, funked up and slinky, and their three tracks-"Green Onions " , Soul Limbo" (Or the cricket music as it was known in my formative years) and "Time Is Tight"- on this fifty track compilation are instantly recognisable classics .
The emergence of Otis Redding , a singer of truly outstanding emotive talent , gave the label further credence , not to mention some of the songs he wrote -"Respect" and the ever superb "(Sittin On) The Dock Of The Bay"- a song that still gives me goose bumps bigger than maltesers. Add to that the emollient tones of Sam & Dave , the bluesy Albert King , and the graceful ballads of William Bell and the label had a formidable array of talent .
Even after Booker T & the MG,s influence waned, at least on the playing side( the band did more administrative work than session playing as the sixties merged into the seventies) the label under the guidance of Al Bell continued to prosper and not just that either. Former songwriter, producer and session player Isaac Hayes became an artist in his own right mixing up funk , jazz , soul and mellifluous easy listening to startling and groundbreaking effect . The albums "Shaft" ( Which kick started the blaxploitation movement and meant Stax became central to black America's disenchantment with society and those in power ) and "Hot Buttered Soul" ( A work of genius which should be in any albums to hear before you die list) sold millions of copies . Then there were The Staples Singers commercial gospel sound , the close knit harmonies of Mel & Tim, the more classic Stax Soul Children and oddities like the swinging irreducible "Mr Big Stuff".
Something went badly wrong somewhere however , as the label was declared bankrupt in 1975 amid allegations of financial corruption and mis-management. In 1977 all Stax,s assets , including all contracts and masters were purchased by a group who then licensed "Fantasy" records to handle all Stax product (as they put it) It may be product to some but to most , it's timeless evocative brilliance and it's good to know that their artists and legacy is still being appreciated today and that's why this release is the least this defining label deserves.


So so, 06 Oct 2008
Late night background music of only moderate quality. Some of the tracks seem to consist entirely of into.

it's the truth!, 05 Sep 2008
Self Portrait is Lalah's 4th album and she just keeps on getting better and better. The cover sticker calls it contemporary urban soul, whatever that is. Genre defying it certainly is. Rhythm n Bass it is not, neither is it neo soul - more a deep soul. If you must have a comparison......think along the lines of Anthony Hamilton.

Whatever. It's an excellent example of the art of songwriting, simple but sympathetic arrangements, wonderfully effective backing vocals, great musicianship and production. On top of all that is the voice. THE voice. Full, warm, earthy, full of soul. In fact, close your eyes and from time to time - particularly in the ad libs - you will swear that you are listening to Donny. I can give no higher compliment than that.

Every time I play this album I get taken back to the time when soul albums were events, got into your heart and mind and were played and played......and played. Not like the disposable output of much of today's sales-targeted product. It seems to have been made with no mind to whether or not it would sell - and it's much the better for it. There's the rub - it should sell in bucketloads. Lalah should be a household name, and not because of her father but because of her own true talent.

If you like your music honest, classy, great songs, great arrangements and musicianship, then this is for you. Buy with confidence.

Before Barry White........, 25 Sep 2007
......came Isaac Hayes. A four track album ? In 1969 ? You've got to be kidding, right ? No Sir. Isaac Hayes took the orchestration and elongation of soul music to the nth degree with this ground-breaking release. Whether or not you find the four abnormally-extended workouts to your own personal taste or not, you simply have to admire the artist's willingness to push back the boundaries of contemporary popular music and the sheer chutzpah of it all.

The opener, "Walk On By" is a magnificent interpretation of the track made famous by Dionne Warwick in anyone's book. Lushly and lasciviously orchestrated it has so many peaks it leaves you breathless, despite its essential laid back groove. The contender for the longest track name ever is next, and a wonderful earthy funker it is too, with Hayes' band right on the money. Top dollar soul/funk. "One Woman" seems like a throwaway cut in comparison to its mighty counterparts, but it has a great chorus rise to it with peerless gospelly female backing vocals. The album's closer, the monumental pot boiler of "By The Time I Get To Phoenix" out-Barry Whites Barry White three years or so before he made the drawn-out soulful spoken introduction his own in many people's eyes. This track is a mighty eighteen-minute opus, rising to a classic, comparatively frenetic ending that just leaves one in awe of this album's achievement. Remember once again. It was 1969.

Throughout this album the sound and standard of musicianship (from the Bar-Kays) is top notch, save for one strange crackly bit two thirds of the way through "One Woman". Overall, though, highly recommended if you are interested in the progression of soul music.


There's nothing like this !!, 23 Sep 2006
I can remember well the first time I heard this album. Used to a diet of Soul from the more commercial end of the spectrum, this was the album that sent me on a journey to discover Soul and Funk in all its forms - and what an album!!

I cannot hear Ike's version of "Walk on By" without marvelling at the sheer audacity of the man - but I love it, the strings, the guitars, the slow build up (will he ever sing?) and then the gravelly vocal - epic stuff.

There' more - "...Phoenix" is the same but more so, and while "One Woman" is almost standard fare, Hyper..." was the forerunner of the funk workouts Ike would become famous for on "Shaft".

No. this is not for everyone, and there are better albums but Soul music would not be the same without it and I love it.

I,m souled on this album(Sorry), 07 May 2004
It starts with a crisp peal of percussion and then the strings flow dreamily in. They seethe with honeyed intensity but then glistening steely bursts of guitar crackle like lightning on the horizon. Then they sound suddenly wonky, slightly out of key before that incredible rumble of a voice joins the fray with admirable restraint. Over the next ten minutes Isaac Hayes takes us through a rendition of “Walk on by” that is both graceful and majestic ending with a string twanging fevered intensity and along the way incorporates girly backing vocals, a clarinet and fermented key boards.
Isaac Hayes recorded “Hot Buttered Soul” in 1969, his first album for Stax records he was shoved into a studio at short notice along with three producers and the Bar -Kay’s rhythm section under the instructions to produce anything as long as he did it with alacrity. Which is why Hayes got away with producing an album that contained just four songs, only one of them an original, and saw him produce not so much cover versions as stretch -limo versions as he distend the originals way beyond their intended lengths through audacious instrumentation arrangements and slow-mo raps that if done by any one else would be so corny they could be sponsored by Green Giant.
His opening take on Bacharach/Davids “Walk on by” leads into the one original song on the album the tongue dislocating “Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic” which is a fantastic funk work out with hip swivelling bass and swanky licks of wah wah which ends with demented piano. His version of Chalmers/Rhodes “One Woman” is relatively restrained coming in under six minutes with more female backing and those trademark strings which leads into his truly extraordinary version of Jimmy Webbs “By the time I get to Phoenix”. Here Hayes over lachrymose organ and swishes of hi-hat actually introduces the song he’s going to sing before embarking on an epic tale of betrayal and love gone bad. Then those strings quiver in, the horns break out like a rash, the clarinet and piano motifs weep sympathetically in the background and Hayes sings the song with increasing crooning vehemence while the instruments rise in fervour until it reaches a point of such glorious epiphany it’s almost masochistic. “You had a good heart and you abused it” he sings. Listening to this it’s hard to disagree.
This is a brilliant album One of the truly great soul releases up there with anything by Green, Gaye or Mayfield. In fact in terms of its fervent emotional catharsis it’s up their with anything in the entire musical canon.

Forget the rest cos this is the best, 24 Feb 2004
At Glastonbury 2003, (i think), Hayes did a set which consisted of 15 minutes of 'SHAFT!' he's a complicated man etc.' Why didn't he play something from an album that sets him above other soul folk? The rendition of 'walk on by' is not just another attempt at remaking the original but a successful delivery of a classic song with a touch of conseptual improv. The best track by far, is 'Hyperbolersylabic'. This isn't soul, but hardcore funk. This literally has never failed to get me wailing along to Isacc's dulsit tones and bouncing along to a fantasticaly simple, pounding bass line. This gets closer to a Funkadelic live jam at points, (all be it with just the one guitar and piano), than a soul revolution. The final track is extremely long (18:00), most of which is story telling, but this needn't be skipped if the album is listened to the way it should be. Just sit back, with unnecessary sunglasses and a free 45 minutes.

Bloated, Tedious, Over Rated, 29 Jan 2004
It is difficult for me to quite understand how this has become such a classic. Perhaps it is the wonderful production of 'Walk on By'. Besides that sound, which is admittedly way ahead of it's time, I can hear little to recommend on this album. All 4 tracks are sprawling, unfocused messes - getting to the end of the disc in one sitting is a real chore, and I have an unusually large attention span for music.
Issac comes across as insincere and untalented. The songs do not grab me as being musical enough. Why not try a real soul classic such as Inspiration Information by Shuggie Otis or There's a Riot Going on?

A truly great soundtrack, 16 Jun 2008
My dad was a big fan of Isaac Hayes and indeed a lot of the other Stax artists, as a result, I grew up listening to a lot of music from the Stax label.

So far as Isaac Hayes is concerned and film soundtracks, this really is worth buying. Isaac Hayes shows the depth of his creativity by producing an original soundtrack that has everything in it...vocals, instrumentals, lots of strings, horns, excellant rhythym section etc.etc.

Most people will be aware of the 1st track 'The Theme from Shaft' but all the others are great as well. My particular faves include 'Soulsville', 'No Name Bar' and 'Bumpy's Lament' which specifically has been sampled/copied by numerous other rnb and rap artists.

Overall, it's a masterpiece and thoroughly deserving of its Oscar. As for the film........well the less said about that the better!

Wasted on the movie, 12 Dec 2006
One of my most listened to albums and still absolutely ace after all these years. It's miles better than the dull, dated and cliché-riddled movie for which it was written and was, apparently, the first album to be more successful than the movie. The definitive wucka wucka guitar on the title track with a fab recording too, down in Memphis, and all written when he was only 28. Tracks such as Soulsville are just absolutely dripping with cool (man), whilst Cafe Regio's is an utter classic of its genre.

Side 4's 19'38" Do Your Thing wasn't in the movie at all, but somehow it's still an essential element of the album, criminally cut to a quarter of its original length for the otherwise excellent 24 bit DR edition, almost certainly to accommodate the multi-media photos, artist info and video track stuck on at the end ~ which are okay, but not worth what had to be sacrificed to make way for them.

Funny, but to this day I've never managed to hear more than the odd track from any other of his albums except for Hot Buttered Soul which didn't inspire me at all. Somehow, none could ever measure up to this one. A true and enduring classic.

Not many soundtracks come hotter than this!, 27 Jan 2000
Isaac Hayes once again works his musical genious to produce a soundtrack that is second to none. The best known track is the "theme from shaft", but the others are all equally enjoyable. Definitly money well spent.

Have I gone & staxed my soul.,, 25 Sep 2008
Clambering out of my bat cave I stumbled into,no not robin,but this box set.It's a blinder.Hay 'mr.big stuff''Time is tight'can I do the'soul limbo."A what am I going on about back there",here's the big stuff it's a great box set from stax.Iv not got that much soul,so most of it was new to me,what a treat. P.S. sorry I have nothing to add as from where Stax came from,but I am a smart arse!

If You Like Music, Soul Music, 25 Jul 2008
If you are a serious Soul fan you will have most of these tracks already.
If you are a Music fan you will be familiar with most of the twenty or so Stax artist featured on this fifty track CD.
This is no Greatest Hits Collection (plenty of them here on Amazon)but a wonderful insight into one of the greatest Record Labels of the sixties and early seventies.
If you like Music, Soul Music, then this is a worthy addition to any CD Collection

In a music store near you, 15 Apr 2008
Not fot the first time we get a Stax retrospective but here it comes with the half century marker.
Like the other famous Memphis label-Sun-the label concentrated on black music after its beginnings as a country music label called Satellite.
The first hit single was by Carla Thomas daugter of Rufus who'd once been on Sun and who made the first Stax single as a duet with Carla.
Gee Whiz strraddled the boundaries between high school pop and R & B and has been much covered.
Sun was actually ready to set as Stax set the pace for what was to follow in the 60s which was even blacker music and the label would eventually be sold out to the corporates in the 70s
The reissue programs would come shortly and it never ends


The Premier Soul label, 09 Jun 2007
Stax was responsible for the sound we have come to call Soul. Curiously for a Black Music institution, it's success was a result of a multi racial mix (Booker T and the MGs were 2 Black, 2 White for example), and there's plenty of evidence of the link between R & B and Country music in Stax output - those being the dominant musical genres in the South and especially Memphis.

If you are a Soul music fan, then you may have many of these tracks in your collection and be familiar with most, but put together like this, these 50 tracks leave no-one in any doubt that here was a musical phenemenon.

This is music from an era where the radio was king and getting a song played was the key to getting a hit record. In the early days, Stax perfected the art of producing songs that not only matched the 3 minute song format, but also had something to say - that was usually about love and loss, although you'll also find instrumentals and dance tunes.

The death of Otis Redding is often cited as a watershed for Stax. There were however, other factors which also forced the label to change. The licensing deal that had existed with Atlantic was discovered to have given the rights to all the Stax songs to Atlantic, which meant effectively, the label had no back catalogue. Add to that the increase in racial tension following the death of Martin Luther King and you had a set of circumstances which pushed Stax into a different direction, albeit one that would take a couple of years to become fully apparent.

So, this compilation journeys from "Gee Whiz" and it's innocence, through the emotion of Otis and his peers and on to the orchestral Soul of Isaac Hayes and the Civil Rights anthems of The Staple Singers, before something of a return to the roots with The Soul Children and Shirley Brown. It is journey you will find worth taking

Stax of timeless brilliance., 28 Apr 2007
Would you believe that Stax started as a country label but through gospel almost inadvertently gained an interest in soul music. Not bad for a label that along with the more commercially popular Motown is the most influential in black music( Though you could throw in reggae labels like Trojan if you were feeling picky )It's initial success rooted from the deep South with it's heavy gospel influence ushered in one revolution in black music but after the death of Otis Redding in 1967 and the disbanding of Sam & Dave, the label marshalled a new brand of soul all over again led by Isaac Hayes. It ,s this ability to adapt and innovate that makes this such an important label , as well as the brilliant music of course.
Jim Stewart along with Estelle Axton founded the label in Memphis as "Satellite " records but it wasn't till 1961 that the label achieved it's first top ten hit with the gospel harmonies of "Gee Whiz( Look At His Eyes)" by Carla Thomas. It was the formation of it's in house rhythm section Booker T & the MG,s that really nailed the Stax sound . The horn section , which later became The Memphis horns , provided brassy backing, funked up and slinky, and their three tracks-"Green Onions " , Soul Limbo" (Or the cricket music as it was known in my formative years) and "Time Is Tight"- on this fifty track compilation are instantly recognisable classics .
The emergence of Otis Redding , a singer of truly outstanding emotive talent , gave the label further credence , not to mention some of the songs he wrote -"Respect" and the ever superb "(Sittin On) The Dock Of The Bay"- a song that still gives me goose bumps bigger than maltesers. Add to that the emollient tones of Sam & Dave , the bluesy Albert King , and the graceful ballads of William Bell and the label had a formidable array of talent .
Even after Booker T & the MG,s influence waned, at least on the playing side( the band did more administrative work than session playing as the sixties merged into the seventies) the label under the guidance of Al Bell continued to prosper and not just that either. Former songwriter, producer and session player Isaac Hayes became an artist in his own right mixing up funk , jazz , soul and mellifluous easy listening to startling and groundbreaking effect . The albums "Shaft" ( Which kick started the blaxploitation movement and meant Stax became central to black America's disenchantment with society and those in power ) and "Hot Buttered Soul" ( A work of genius which should be in any albums to hear before you die list) sold millions of copies . Then there were The Staples Singers commercial gospel sound , the close knit harmonies of Mel & Tim, the more classic Stax Soul Children and oddities like the swinging irreducible "Mr Big Stuff".
Something went badly wrong somewhere however , as the label was declared bankrupt in 1975 amid allegations of financial corruption and mis-management. In 1977 all Stax,s assets , including all contracts and masters were purchased by a group who then licensed "Fantasy" records to handle all Stax product (as they put it) It may be product to some but to most , it's timeless evocative brilliance and it's good to know that their artists and legacy is still being appreciated today and that's why this release is the least this defining label deserves.


So so, 06 Oct 2008
Late night background music of only moderate quality. Some of the tracks seem to consist entirely of into.

it's the truth!, 05 Sep 2008
Self Portrait is Lalah's 4th album and she just keeps on getting better and better. The cover sticker calls it contemporary urban soul, whatever that is. Genre defying it certainly is. Rhythm n Bass it is not, neither is it neo soul - more a deep soul. If you must have a comparison......think along the lines of Anthony Hamilton.

Whatever. It's an excellent example of the art of songwriting, simple but sympathetic arrangements, wonderfully effective backing vocals, great musicianship and production. On top of all that is the voice. THE voice. Full, warm, earthy, full of soul. In fact, close your eyes and from time to time - particularly in the ad libs - you will swear that you are listening to Donny. I can give no higher compliment than that.

Every time I play this album I get taken back to the time when soul albums were events, got into your heart and mind and were played and played......and played. Not like the disposable output of much of today's sales-targeted product. It seems to have been made with no mind to whether or not it would sell - and it's much the better for it. There's the rub - it should sell in bucketloads. Lalah should be a household name, and not because of her father but because of her own true talent.

If you like your music honest, classy, great songs, great arrangements and musicianship, then this is for you. Buy with confidence.

Before Barry White........, 25 Sep 2007
......came Isaac Hayes. A four track album ? In 1969 ? You've got to be kidding, right ? No Sir. Isaac Hayes took the orchestration and elongation of soul music to the nth degree with this ground-breaking release. Whether or not you find the four abnormally-extended workouts to your own personal taste or not, you simply have to admire the artist's willingness to push back the boundaries of contemporary popular music and the sheer chutzpah of it all.

The opener, "Walk On By" is a magnificent interpretation of the track made famous by Dionne Warwick in anyone's book. Lushly and lasciviously orchestrated it has so many peaks it leaves you breathless, despite its essential laid back groove. The contender for the longest track name ever is next, and a wonderful earthy funker it is too, with Hayes' band right on the money. Top dollar soul/funk. "One Woman" seems like a throwaway cut in comparison to its mighty counterparts, but it has a great chorus rise to it with peerless gospelly female backing vocals. The album's closer, the monumental pot boiler of "By The Time I Get To Phoenix" out-Barry Whites Barry White three years or so before he made the drawn-out soulful spoken introduction his own in many people's eyes. This track is a mighty eighteen-minute opus, rising to a classic, comparatively frenetic ending that just leaves one in awe of this album's achievement. Remember once again. It was 1969.

Throughout this album the sound and standard of musicianship (from the Bar-Kays) is top notch, save for one strange crackly bit two thirds of the way through "One Woman". Overall, though, highly recommended if you are interested in the progression of soul music.


There's nothing like this !!, 23 Sep 2006
I can remember well the first time I heard this album. Used to a diet of Soul from the more commercial end of the spectrum, this was the album that sent me on a journey to discover Soul and Funk in all its forms - and what an album!!

I cannot hear Ike's version of "Walk on By" without marvelling at the sheer audacity of the man - but I love it, the strings, the guitars, the slow build up (will he ever sing?) and then the gravelly vocal - epic stuff.

There' more - "...Phoenix" is the same but more so, and while "One Woman" is almost standard fare, Hyper..." was the forerunner of the funk workouts Ike would become famous for on "Shaft".

No. this is not for everyone, and there are better albums but Soul music would not be the same without it and I love it.

I,m souled on this album(Sorry), 07 May 2004
It starts with a crisp peal of percussion and then the strings flow dreamily in. They seethe with honeyed intensity but then glistening steely bursts of guitar crackle like lightning on the horizon. Then they sound suddenly wonky, slightly out of key before that incredible rumble of a voice joins the fray with admirable restraint. Over the next ten minutes Isaac Hayes takes us through a rendition of “Walk on by” that is both graceful and majestic ending with a string twanging fevered intensity and along the way incorporates girly backing vocals, a clarinet and fermented key boards.
Isaac Hayes recorded “Hot Buttered Soul” in 1969, his first album for Stax records he was shoved into a studio at short notice along with three producers and the Bar -Kay’s rhythm section under the instructions to produce anything as long as he did it with alacrity. Which is why Hayes got away with producing an album that contained just four songs, only one of them an original, and saw him produce not so much cover versions as stretch -limo versions as he distend the originals way beyond their intended lengths through audacious instrumentation arrangements and slow-mo raps that if done by any one else would be so corny they could be sponsored by Green Giant.
His opening take on Bacharach/Davids “Walk on by” leads into the one original song on the album the tongue dislocating “Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic” which is a fantastic funk work out with hip swivelling bass and swanky licks of wah wah which ends with demented piano. His version of Chalmers/Rhodes “One Woman” is relatively restrained coming in under six minutes with more female backing and those trademark strings which leads into his truly extraordinary version of Jimmy Webbs “By the time I get to Phoenix”. Here Hayes over lachrymose organ and swishes of hi-hat actually introduces the song he’s going to sing before embarking on an epic tale of betrayal and love gone bad. Then those strings quiver in, the horns break out like a rash, the clarinet and piano motifs weep sympathetically in the background and Hayes sings the song with increasing crooning vehemence while the instruments rise in fervour until it reaches a point of such glorious epiphany it’s almost masochistic. “You had a good heart and you abused it” he sings. Listening to this it’s hard to disagree.
This is a brilliant album One of the truly great soul releases up there with anything by Green, Gaye or Mayfield. In fact in terms of its fervent emotional catharsis it’s up their with anything in the entire musical canon.

Forget the rest cos this is the best, 24 Feb 2004
At Glastonbury 2003, (i think), Hayes did a set which consisted of 15 minutes of 'SHAFT!' he's a complicated man etc.' Why didn't he play something from an album that sets him above other soul folk? The rendition of 'walk on by' is not just another attempt at remaking the original but a successful delivery of a classic song with a touch of conseptual improv. The best track by far, is 'Hyperbolersylabic'. This isn't soul, but hardcore funk. This literally has never failed to get me wailing along to Isacc's dulsit tones and bouncing along to a fantasticaly simple, pounding bass line. This gets closer to a Funkadelic live jam at points, (all be it with just the one guitar and piano), than a soul revolution. The final track is extremely long (18:00), most of which is story telling, but this needn't be skipped if the album is listened to the way it should be. Just sit back, with unnecessary sunglasses and a free 45 minutes.

Bloated, Tedious, Over Rated, 29 Jan 2004
It is difficult for me to quite understand how this has become such a classic. Perhaps it is the wonderful production of 'Walk on By'. Besides that sound, which is admittedly way ahead of it's time, I can hear little to recommend on this album. All 4 tracks are sprawling, unfocused messes - getting to the end of the disc in one sitting is a real chore, and I have an unusually large attention span for music.
Issac comes across as insincere and untalented. The songs do not grab me as being musical enough. Why not try a real soul classic such as Inspiration Information by Shuggie Otis or There's a Riot Going on?

A truly great soundtrack, 16 Jun 2008
My dad was a big fan of Isaac Hayes and indeed a lot of the other Stax artists, as a result, I grew up listening to a lot of music from the Stax label.

So far as Isaac Hayes is concerned and film soundtracks, this really is worth buying. Isaac Hayes shows the depth of his creativity by producing an original soundtrack that has everything in it...vocals, instrumentals, lots of strings, horns, excellant rhythym section etc.etc.

Most people will be aware of the 1st track 'The Theme from Shaft' but all the others are great as well. My particular faves include 'Soulsville', 'No Name Bar' and 'Bumpy's Lament' which specifically has been sampled/copied by numerous other rnb and rap artists.

Overall, it's a masterpiece and thoroughly deserving of its Oscar. As for the film........well the less said about that the better!

Wasted on the movie, 12 Dec 2006
One of my most listened to albums and still absolutely ace after all these years. It's miles better than the dull, dated and cliché-riddled movie for which it was written and was, apparently, the first album to be more successful than the movie. The definitive wucka wucka guitar on the title track with a fab recording too, down in Memphis, and all written when he was only 28. Tracks such as Soulsville are just absolutely dripping with cool (man), whilst Cafe Regio's is an utter classic of its genre.

Side 4's 19'38" Do Your Thing wasn't in the movie at all, but somehow it's still an essential element of the album, criminally cut to a quarter of its original length for the otherwise excellent 24 bit DR edition, almost certainly to accommodate the multi-media photos, artist info and video track stuck on at the end ~ which are okay, but not worth what had to be sacrificed to make way for them.

Funny, but to this day I've never managed to hear more than the odd track from any other of his albums except for Hot Buttered Soul which didn't inspire me at all. Somehow, none could ever measure up to this one. A true and enduring classic.

Not many soundtracks come hotter than this!, 27 Jan 2000
Isaac Hayes once again works his musical genious to produce a soundtrack that is second to none. The best known track is the "theme from shaft", but the others are all equally enjoyable. Definitly money well spent.

the sound of stax lives on !!, 03 Sep 2008
Like your yellow stax sound of the 70's ? Booker T & MG's etc ? Just buy it !!!

Have I gone & staxed my soul.,, 25 Sep 2008
Clambering out of my bat cave I stumbled into,no not robin,but this box set.It's a blinder.Hay 'mr.big stuff''Time is tight'can I do the'soul limbo."A what am I going on about back there",here's the big stuff it's a great box set from stax.Iv not got that much soul,so most of it was new to me,what a treat. P.S. sorry I have nothing to add as from where Stax came from,but I am a smart arse!

If You Like Music, Soul Music, 25 Jul 2008
If you are a serious Soul fan you will have most of these tracks already.
If you are a Music fan you will be familiar with most of the twenty or so Stax artist featured on this fifty track CD.
This is no Greatest Hits Collection (plenty of them here on Amazon)but a wonderful insight into one of the greatest Record Labels of the sixties and early seventies.
If you like Music, Soul Music, then this is a worthy addition to any CD Collection

In a music store near you, 15 Apr 2008
Not fot the first time we get a Stax retrospective but here it comes with the half century marker.
Like the other famous Memphis label-Sun-the label concentrated on black music after its beginnings as a country music label called Satellite.
The first hit single was by Carla Thomas daugter of Rufus who'd once been on Sun and who made the first Stax single as a duet with Carla.
Gee Whiz strraddled the boundaries between high school pop and R & B and has been much covered.
Sun was actually ready to set as Stax set the pace for what was to follow in the 60s which was even blacker music and the label would eventually be sold out to the corporates in the 70s
The reissue programs would come shortly and it never ends


The Premier Soul label, 09 Jun 2007
Stax was responsible for the sound we have come to call Soul. Curiously for a Black Music institution, it's success was a result of a multi racial mix (Booker T and the MGs were 2 Black, 2 White for example), and there's plenty of evidence of the link between R & B and Country music in Stax output - those being the dominant musical genres in the South and especially Memphis.

If you are a Soul music fan, then you may have many of these tracks in your collection and be familiar with most, but put together like this, these 50 tracks leave no-one in any doubt that here was a musical phenemenon.

This is music from an era where the radio was king and getting a song played was the key to getting a hit record. In the early days, Stax perfected the art of producing songs that not only matched the 3 minute song format, but also had something to say - that was usually about love and loss, although you'll also find instrumentals and dance tunes.

The death of Otis Redding is often cited as a watershed for Stax. There were however, other factors which also forced the label to change. The licensing deal that had existed with Atlantic was discovered to have given the rights to all the Stax songs to Atlantic, which meant effectively, the label had no back catalogue. Add to that the increase in racial tension following the death of Martin Luther King and you had a set of circumstances which pushed Stax into a different direction, albeit one that would take a couple of years to become fully apparent.

So, this compilation journeys from "Gee Whiz" and it's innocence, through the emotion of Otis and his peers and on to the orchestral Soul of Isaac Hayes and the Civil Rights anthems of The Staple Singers, before something of a return to the roots with The Soul Children and Shirley Brown. It is journey you will find worth taking

Stax of timeless brilliance., 28 Apr 2007
Would you believe that Stax started as a country label but through gospel almost inadvertently gained an interest in soul music. Not bad for a label that along with the more commercially popular Motown is the most influential in black music( Though you could throw in reggae labels like Trojan if you were feeling picky )It's initial success rooted from the deep South with it's heavy gospel influence ushered in one revolution in black music but after the death of Otis Redding in 1967 and the disbanding of Sam & Dave, the label marshalled a new brand of soul all over again led by Isaac Hayes. It ,s this ability to adapt and innovate that makes this such an important label , as well as the brilliant music of course.
Jim Stewart along with Estelle Axton founded the label in Memphis as "Satellite " records but it wasn't till 1961 that the label achieved it's first top ten hit with the gospel harmonies of "Gee Whiz( Look At His Eyes)" by Carla Thomas. It was the formation of it's in house rhythm section Booker T & the MG,s that really nailed the Stax sound . The horn section , which later became The Memphis horns , provided brassy backing, funked up and slinky, and their three tracks-"Green Onions " , Soul Limbo" (Or the cricket music as it was known in my formative years) and "Time Is Tight"- on this fifty track compilation are instantly recognisable classics .
The emergence of Otis Redding , a singer of truly outstanding emotive talent , gave the label further credence , not to mention some of the songs he wrote -"Respect" and the ever superb "(Sittin On) The Dock Of The Bay"- a song that still gives me goose bumps bigger than maltesers. Add to that the emollient tones of Sam & Dave , the bluesy Albert King , and the graceful ballads of William Bell and the label had a formidable array of talent .
Even after Booker T & the MG,s influence waned, at least on the playing side( the band did more administrative work than session playing as the sixties merged into the seventies) the label under the guidance of Al Bell continued to prosper and not just that either. Former songwriter, producer and session player Isaac Hayes became an artist in his own right mixing up funk , jazz , soul and mellifluous easy listening to startling and groundbreaking effect . The albums "Shaft" ( Which kick started the blaxploitation movement and meant Stax became central to black America's disenchantment with society and those in power ) and "Hot Buttered Soul" ( A work of genius which should be in any albums to hear before you die list) sold millions of copies . Then there were The Staples Singers commercial gospel sound , the close knit harmonies of Mel & Tim, the more classic Stax Soul Children and oddities like the swinging irreducible "Mr Big Stuff".
Something went badly wrong somewhere however , as the label was declared bankrupt in 1975 amid allegations of financial corruption and mis-management. In 1977 all Stax,s assets , including all contracts and masters were purchased by a group who then licensed "Fantasy" records to handle all Stax product (as they put it) It may be product to some but to most , it's timeless evocative brilliance and it's good to know that their artists and legacy is still being appreciated today and that's why this release is the least this defining label deserves.


So so, 06 Oct 2008
Late night background music of only moderate quality. Some of the tracks seem to consist entirely of into.

it's the truth!, 05 Sep 2008
Self Portrait is Lalah's 4th album and she just keeps on getting better and better. The cover sticker calls it contemporary urban soul, whatever that is. Genre defying it certainly is. Rhythm n Bass it is not, neither is it neo soul - more a deep soul. If you must have a comparison......think along the lines of Anthony Hamilton.

Whatever. It's an excellent example of the art of songwriting, simple but sympathetic arrangements, wonderfully effective backing vocals, great musicianship and production. On top of all that is the voice. THE voice. Full, warm, earthy, full of soul. In fact, close your eyes and from time to time - particularly in the ad libs - you will swear that you are listening to Donny. I can give no higher compliment than that.

Every time I play this album I get taken back to the time when soul albums were events, got into your heart and mind and were played and played......and played. Not like the disposable output of much of today's sales-targeted product. It seems to have been made with no mind to whether or not it would sell - and it's much the better for it. There's the rub - it should sell in bucketloads. Lalah should be a household name, and not because of her father but because of her own true talent.

If you like your music honest, classy, great songs, great arrangements and musicianship, then this is for you. Buy with confidence.

Before Barry White........, 25 Sep 2007
......came Isaac Hayes. A four track album ? In 1969 ? You've got to be kidding, right ? No Sir. Isaac Hayes took the orchestration and elongation of soul music to the nth degree with this ground-breaking release. Whether or not you find the four abnormally-extended workouts to your own personal taste or not, you simply have to admire the artist's willingness to push back the boundaries of contemporary popular music and the sheer chutzpah of it all.

The opener, "Walk On By" is a magnificent interpretation of the track made famous by Dionne Warwick in anyone's book. Lushly and lasciviously orchestrated it has so many peaks it leaves you breathless, despite its essential laid back groove. The contender for the longest track name ever is next, and a wonderful earthy funker it is too, with Hayes' band right on the money. Top dollar soul/funk. "One Woman" seems like a throwaway cut in comparison to its mighty counterparts, but it has a great chorus rise to it with peerless gospelly female backing vocals. The album's closer, the monumental pot boiler of "By The Time I Get To Phoenix" out-Barry Whites Barry White three years or so before he made the drawn-out soulful spoken introduction his own in many people's eyes. This track is a mighty eighteen-minute opus, rising to a classic, comparatively frenetic ending that just leaves one in awe of this album's achievement. Remember once again. It was 1969.

Throughout this album the sound and standard of musicianship (from the Bar-Kays) is top notch, save for one strange crackly bit two thirds of the way through "One Woman". Overall, though, highly recommended if you are interested in the progression of soul music.


There's nothing like this !!, 23 Sep 2006
I can remember well the first time I heard this album. Used to a diet of Soul from the more commercial end of the spectrum, this was the album that sent me on a journey to discover Soul and Funk in all its forms - and what an album!!

I cannot hear Ike's version of "Walk on By" without marvelling at the sheer audacity of the man - but I love it, the strings, the guitars, the slow build up (will he ever sing?) and then the gravelly vocal - epic stuff.

There' more - "...Phoenix" is the same but more so, and while "One Woman" is almost standard fare, Hyper..." was the forerunner of the funk workouts Ike would become famous for on "Shaft".

No. this is not for everyone, and there are better albums but Soul music would not be the same without it and I love it.

I,m souled on this album(Sorry), 07 May 2004
It starts with a crisp peal of percussion and then the strings flow dreamily in. They seethe with honeyed intensity but then glistening steely bursts of guitar crackle like lightning on the horizon. Then they sound suddenly wonky, slightly out of key before that incredible rumble of a voice joins the fray with admirable restraint. Over the next ten minutes Isaac Hayes takes us through a rendition of “Walk on by” that is both graceful and majestic ending with a string twanging fevered intensity and along the way incorporates girly backing vocals, a clarinet and fermented key boards.
Isaac Hayes recorded “Hot Buttered Soul” in 1969, his first album for Stax records he was shoved into a studio at short notice along with three producers and the Bar -Kay’s rhythm section under the instructions to produce anything as long as he did it with alacrity. Which is why Hayes got away with producing an album that contained just four songs, only one of them an original, and saw him produce not so much cover versions as stretch -limo versions as he distend the originals way beyond their intended lengths through audacious instrumentation arrangements and slow-mo raps that if done by any one else would be so corny they could be sponsored by Green Giant.
His opening take on Bacharach/Davids “Walk on by” leads into the one original song on the album the tongue dislocating “Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic” which is a fantastic funk work out with hip swivelling bass and swanky licks of wah wah which ends with demented piano. His version of Chalmers/Rhodes “One Woman” is relatively restrained coming in under six minutes with more female backing and those trademark strings which leads into his truly extraordinary version of Jimmy Webbs “By the time I get to Phoenix”. Here Hayes over lachrymose organ and swishes of hi-hat actually introduces the song he’s going to sing before embarking on an epic tale of betrayal and love gone bad. Then those strings quiver in, the horns break out like a rash, the clarinet and piano motifs weep sympathetically in the background and Hayes sings the song with increasing crooning vehemence while the instruments rise in fervour until it reaches a point of such glorious epiphany it’s almost masochistic. “You had a good heart and you abused it” he sings. Listening to this it’s hard to disagree.
This is a brilliant album One of the truly great soul releases up there with anything by Green, Gaye or Mayfield. In fact in terms of its fervent emotional catharsis it’s up their with anything in the entire musical canon.

Forget the rest cos this is the best, 24 Feb 2004
At Glastonbury 2003, (i think), Hayes did a set which consisted of 15 minutes of 'SHAFT!' he's a complicated man etc.' Why didn't he play something from an album that sets him above other soul folk? The rendition of 'walk on by' is not just another attempt at remaking the original but a successful delivery of a classic song with a touch of conseptual improv. The best track by far, is 'Hyperbolersylabic'. This isn't soul, but hardcore funk. This literally has never failed to get me wailing along to Isacc's dulsit tones and bouncing along to a fantasticaly simple, pounding bass line. This gets closer to a Funkadelic live jam at points, (all be it with just the one guitar and piano), than a soul revolution. The final track is extremely long (18:00), most of which is story telling, but this needn't be skipped if the album is listened to the way it should be. Just sit back, with unnecessary sunglasses and a free 45 minutes.

Bloated, Tedious, Over Rated, 29 Jan 2004
It is difficult for me to quite understand how this has become such a classic. Perhaps it is the wonderful production of 'Walk on By'. Besides that sound, which is admittedly way ahead of it's time, I can hear little to recommend on this album. All 4 tracks are sprawling, unfocused messes - getting to the end of the disc in one sitting is a real chore, and I have an unusually large attention span for music.
Issac comes across as insincere and untalented. The songs do not grab me as being musical enough. Why not try a real soul classic such as Inspiration Information by Shuggie Otis or There's a Riot Going on?

A truly great soundtrack, 16 Jun 2008
My dad was a big fan of Isaac Hayes and indeed a lot of the other Stax artists, as a result, I grew up listening to a lot of music from the Stax label.

So far as Isaac Hayes is concerned and film soundtracks, this really is worth buying. Isaac Hayes shows the depth of his creativity by producing an original soundtrack that has everything in it...vocals, instrumentals, lots of strings, horns, excellant rhythym section etc.etc.

Most people will be aware of the 1st track 'The Theme from Shaft' but all the others are great as well. My particular faves include 'Soulsville', 'No Name Bar' and 'Bumpy's Lament' which specifically has been sampled/copied by numerous other rnb and rap artists.

Overall, it's a masterpiece and thoroughly deserving of its Oscar. As for the film........well the less said about that the better!

Wasted on the movie, 12 Dec 2006
One of my most listened to albums and still absolutely ace after all these years. It's miles better than the dull, dated and cliché-riddled movie for which it was written and was, apparently, the first album to be more successful than the movie. The definitive wucka wucka guitar on the title track with a fab recording too, down in Memphis, and all written when he was only 28. Tracks such as Soulsville are just absolutely dripping with cool (man), whilst Cafe Regio's is an utter classic of its genre.

Side 4's 19'38" Do Your Thing wasn't in the movie at all, but somehow it's still an essential element of the album, criminally cut to a quarter of its original length for the otherwise excellent 24 bit DR edition, almost certainly to accommodate the multi-media photos, artist info and video track stuck on at the end ~ which are okay, but not worth what had to be sacrificed to make way for them.

Funny, but to this day I've never managed to hear more than the odd track from any other of his albums except for Hot Buttered Soul which didn't inspire me at all. Somehow, none could ever measure up to this one. A true and enduring classic.

Not many soundtracks come hotter than this!, 27 Jan 2000
Isaac Hayes once again works his musical genious to produce a soundtrack that is second to none. The best known track is the "theme from shaft", but the others are all equally enjoyable. Definitly money well spent.

the sound of stax lives on !!, 03 Sep 2008
Like your yellow stax sound of the 70's ? Booker T & MG's etc ? Just buy it !!!

An absolutely towering double album., 05 Jul 2008
Undoubtedly one of the truly great Isaac Hayes albums, on which his capacity as an arranger reached its full flowering. Comprised almost exclusively of cover versions, "Black Moses" is a quite majestic achievement.

Not a single duff track in sight, in spite of the original double LP's generous playing time. Every track is a highlight, but my personal favourites would be his sumptuous nine-minute reading of "Close To You" -(yes, the song rendered famous by The Carpenters)- and the sensual "Your Love Is So Doggone Good". The original side four of the LP ("Part-Time Love" through "Going In Circles") is also quite breathtaking.

The one shame with the two-cd edition is that the album was not restored to its "correct" vinyl sequence. Disc one comprises the original sides one and four of the double LP, as the product was presented. Disc two is the original sides two and three of the LP. Purchasers may, therefore, wish to stop disc one after "Man's Temptation", and switch to disc two. In that way, they would be able to enjoy "Black Moses" in its proper running sequence.

A Bona Fide Classic, 27 Apr 2005
This album is a classic of 70s soul and shows that Isaac Hayes really deserves to be up their with the other greats of the decade.

Highlights include Never Gonna Give You Up and the mesmerising Ike's Rap III. The arrangement is incredible and Ike's voice is on top form throughout.

Even though some of the songs stretch to over 9 minutes they definitely don't outstay their welcome and this album is certainly a must for any soul fan.

Two Discs Full of Soul - Awesome!, 14 Feb 2002
I can't recommend this album highly enough. Two CD's and not a minute of it filler. From the opening "Never can say goodbye" to the closing "I'll never fall in love again", every song is a classic, with Ike's unmistakable voice and superb arrangements. Totally awesome. Total quality.

Have I gone & staxed my soul.,, 25 Sep 2008
Clambering out of my bat cave I stumbled into,no not robin,but this box set.It's a blinder.Hay 'mr.big stuff''Time is tight'can I do the'soul limbo."A what am I going on about back there",here's the big stuff it's a great box set from stax.Iv not got that much soul,so most of it was new to me,what a treat. P.S. sorry I have nothing to add as from where Stax came from,but I am a smart arse!

If You Like Music, Soul Music, 25 Jul 2008
If you are a serious Soul fan you will have most of these tracks already.
If you are a Music fan you will be familiar with most of the twenty or so Stax artist featured on this fifty track CD.
This is no Greatest Hits Collection (plenty of them here on Amazon)but a wonderful insight into one of the greatest Record Labels of the sixties and early seventies.
If you like Music, Soul Music, then this is a worthy addition to any CD Collection

In a music store near you, 15 Apr 2008
Not fot the first time we get a Stax retrospective but here it comes with the half century marker.
Like the other famous Memphis label-Sun-the label concentrated on black music after its beginnings as a country music label called Satellite.
The first hit single was by Carla Thomas daugter of Rufus who'd once been on Sun and who made the first Stax single as a duet with Carla.
Gee Whiz strraddled the boundaries between high school pop and R & B and has been much covered.
Sun was actually ready to set as Stax set the pace for what was to follow in the 60s which was even blacker music and the label would eventually be sold out to the corporates in the 70s
The reissue programs would come shortly and it never ends


The Premier Soul label, 09 Jun 2007
Stax was responsible for the sound we have come to call Soul. Curiously for a Black Music institution, it's success was a result of a multi racial mix (Booker T and the MGs were 2 Black, 2 White for example), and there's plenty of evidence of the link between R & B and Country music in Stax output - those being the dominant musical genres in the South and especially Memphis.

If you are a Soul music fan, then you may have many of these tracks in your collection and be familiar with most, but put together like this, these 50 tracks leave no-one in any doubt that here was a musical phenemenon.

This is music from an era where the radio was king and getting a song played was the key to getting a hit record. In the early days, Stax perfected the art of producing songs that not only matched the 3 minute song format, but also had something to say - that was usually about love and loss, although you'll also find instrumentals and dance tunes.

The death of Otis Redding is often cited as a watershed for Stax. There were however, other factors which also forced the label to change. The licensing deal that had existed with Atlantic was discovered to have given the rights to all the Stax songs to Atlantic, which meant effectively, the label had no back catalogue. Add to that the increase in racial tension following the death of Martin Luther King and you had a set of circumstances which pushed Stax into a different direction, albeit one that would take a couple of years to become fully apparent.

So, this compilation journeys from "Gee Whiz" and it's innocence, through the emotion of Otis and his peers and on to the orchestral Soul of Isaac Hayes and the Civil Rights anthems of The Staple Singers, before something of a return to the roots with The Soul Children and Shirley Brown. It is journey you will find worth taking

Stax of timeless brilliance., 28 Apr 2007
Would you believe that Stax started as a country label but through gospel almost inadvertently gained an interest in soul music. Not bad for a label that along with the more commercially popular Motown is the most infl