One of the more fascinating releases of the year has to be this 7 cd set that includes 146 recordings, 140 of which have never previously seen the light of day. What STAX has done is culled a collection of demos from the plethora of house songwriters (like Eddie Floyd, Mack Rice, Bettye Crutcher, Homer Banks) and released them in the manner that they were presented to the studio heads for determining if, when, by whom and how they were to be recorded.
So, yes, there are some early and Spartan versions of songs like “Respect Yourself” and “634-5789” that are fascinating in their own right. Yet it is the surfeit of high level’d songs that you have never heard of before that are going to make you play this collection over and over again.
The first 3 discs include demos that were recorded by STAX artists or labels associated with them, such as Volt, etc. One disc has demos for other labels such as Atlantic or Decca, etc, and the last three discs are tunes that have never been released by anyone, and you are the beneficiary.
If you thought STAX on its own was more “earthy” than its competitor Motown, just wait until you hear these demos! You’ll feel like you’re in some Sunday night service with the versions of “If You’re Ready (Come Go With ME” or “ Hot Line To Jesus”. Then, there are the songs that sound like something like a night on the Chitlin’ Circuit, with Carla Thomas searing through “Loves’ Sweet Sensation” or Eddie Floyd romping through a take of “I Got Everything I Need”. Then, there’s the casual and relaxed rawness of Leon More on the piano for “What Would I Do”. Most fun are the after hours jams as on “Song #2” by Booker T and the MGs.
But the real sweet spot here is the cache of tunes written by and delivered by the foundation of the label, Mack Rice and Bettye Crutcher. There are anti war pieces like “Three Meals A Day”, and a Memphis Stew of love or “undone love” songs like “Just The Way You Loved Me”, “Something Keeps Holding Me Back” and “Don’t Stay Gone Too Long”. There’s also William Bell and Homer Banks holding up the anchor legs with tunes like “”It’s No Secret” and “You Knock Me Out”, with songs like “ It’s Over” a riveting romantic aria.
There are lots of casual moments caught on tape as well, such as Eddie Floyd adding one more chorus on “Got To Make You Mine” when the engineer thought the tune was complete, or some hip guitar work by Steve Cropper on “Til You’ve Been Loved By Me”.
STAX was always known as the “family”” label, as opposed to the more “machine” of Motown. This boxed set is like looking through photos you never knew were taken, because no one was posing.