Classic Stax

This budget compilation features some of the finest and most popular soul songs ever recorded alongside plenty of lesser known gems and its difficult to find fault with it. The line-up is incredible - Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, The Staple Singers, Sam & Dave, Booker T. & the M.G.'s to name but a few - and a lot of these songs need little or no introduction. Southern Soul, Northern Soul and everything in-between, there's something for everyone.Of the lesser known songs, it’s hard to believe that vocal trio Hot Sauce’s gorgeous mid-tempo 'Bring it Home (And Give it to Me)' was only a B-side and Wendy Rene's 'After Laughter (Comes Tears)' is astonishingly sorrowful (and was sampled to devastating effect by Wu-Tang Clan on 'Tearz'). The Astors provide three minutes of sweet Northern Soul on 'Candy' and William Bell’s heartfelt salute to Otis Redding on 'A Tribute to A King' is a fitting closing track.59 tracks (see below!) spread over three discs housed in a double gatefold digipak, there are no liner notes but I suppose the music more than speaks for itself. With a playing time of 3 hours, this is a superb compilation. However, having said all that there is one glaring error on the third disc. Credited as Carla Thomas' 'Gee Whiz (Look at His Eyes)', track seven is actually a repeat of 'Tramp' by Otis Redding, track number seven on the first disc. It’s the same with the digital download too. It's a sloppy mistake but given the price, I’ll happily settle for just the 59 tracks!

With 20 tracks per CD you'd expect a few fillers or poor quality recordings, but this compilation is genuinely top quality. The songs tend to fall into one of three categories (for me at least): absolute classics that we all know and love (Soul Man, Knock on Wood), songs that I didn't know I knew till I heard it, then went 'Oh, THAT'S what that tune is!', and a few that were new to me but I enjoyed enough to not be skipping on future listens.One tiny complaint is that there is one track 'missing in action' - on CD3 the track labelled as 'Gee Whiz' by Carla Thomas is actually 'Tramp' by Otis Redding (which I think also features Ms Thomas). Tramp appears on CD 1 in its own right also. Not sure how the two tracks got confused as Gee Whiz is a slightly soppy teen ballad, while Tramp, well, we all know how that one goes!So in truth 59 fabulous tracks for barely over a fiver - what are you waiting for?

All the greats are here, some well know, others not so. If you are looking to get a broad brush overview of the Stax sound, interspersed with classic hits by the likes of Otis Redding, Booker T & The MG's (there's a different, faster version of "Time Is Tight" here rather than the familiar one), Eddie Floyd, The Staple Singers et al, then look no further.

Didn’t have a Stax compilation, and so took a chance. There are some interesting tracks. Some well known, some less well known, but nevertheless worth a listen, and the quality of the recordings appears good throughout. Recommended!

All the classics you remember from the past, a great way to own all the wonderful stax sounds of days gone by. Not been out of the player in my car since I bought it. To anybody new to this music a great introduction.

Great compilation - There are some Supa Stax classics on these CDs and fantastic value for money. As much as I'd like to, it's not practical to get out the original vinyl anymore, not to mention all those cracks and pops - They don't make music like this anymore...

A bit disappointed with this one. I bought it on the strength of a few tracks, hoping to discover some gems. It wasn't to my taste.

Some unheard classics and some that brought back great memories of happier times