Stax Vs. Motown & The Beatles

Various Artists
Soulsville Sings Hitsville/Stax Does The Beatles
(Stax)

Stax always seemed an underdog American soul label despite its size and pivotal existence, and its modern-day revival under Concord Music Group’s tutelage is well deserved. But that doesn’t mean it recorded more gold than it knew what to do with.

These two compilations teasingly measure Stax against two titans of its day in Motown Records and The Beatles. The former was Stax’s main rival (the “Soulsville” nickname derives from Motown’s “Hitsville” reputation), and Stax was often seen as Motown’s scruffy, Southern little brother who countered Holland-Dozier-Holland with Hayes-Porter, Marvin Gaye with Otis Redding, and the production sensibilities of Berry Gordy and Norman Whitfield with Booker T & The MG’s and The Memphis Horns.

Soulsville Sings Hitsville, try as it might, doesn’t successfully argue for cross-pollination. Interesting juxtapositions abound (“Signed, Sealed, Delivered” meets doo-wop via The Soul Children; The Bar-Kays’ “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” nearly turns into “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida”) and David Porter goes after Levi Stubbs on “I Don’t Know Why I Love You,” but most of the tracks fail because the Stax musicians try to out-do Motown instead of plying their trade.

Likewise, Stax Does The Beatles offers more curiosities than gems. Skirting by on a bevy of Booker T & The MG’s instrumentals from the McLemore Avenue covers album, it does roll out Stax’s big guns (Otis Redding blows down “Day Tripper”; Carla Thomas coos a live “Yesterday”) but ends up celebrating the Fabs more than exploring them. The exception is Isaac Hayes’ 11-minute “Something,” a surreal, post-Hot Buttered Soul concoction when he was at the height of his arranging powers.

5

— Steve Forstneger

Category: Spins, Weekly