VA - Stax 50

Stax 50: A 50th Anniversary Celebration

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Producer(s): Cheryl Pawelski, Rob Bowman
Genre: VITAL REISSUES
Label: Stax/Concord Music Group

Created in 1957 as Satellite Records, Stax was nicknamed "the little label that could." And it did. Between 1960 and 1975, Stax became synonymous with raw, unadulterated Southern soul. In contrast to chief rival Motown, the Stax sound (as co-producer Rob Bowman points out in the liner notes) was more "performance and process-oriented" as opposed to Motown's "more composition and product-oriented aesthetic."

What shaped this important chapter in music history can be heard on this 50-track, 50th-anniversary collection, which showcases the pioneering progenitors of the label's sound. Backed by an integrated rhythm-and-horn section, Stax's roster grew into a who's who that included Sam & Dave, Otis Redding, Carla and Rufus Thomas, Johnnie Taylor, the Emotions, Isaac Hayes and Booker T & the MG's. These and other acts rolled out unforgettable R&B and pop hits as well as emotion-packed tracks that later laid the creative foundation for such artists as Will Smith, Jaheim and Janet Jackson.