Spins: Various Artists • Stax Revue: Live in ’65

Stax Revue: Live in ’65 expands the content 1991 CD Live at the 5/4 Ballroom, documenting the potent music and influential presence of Memphis soul & R&B label Stax Records in the mid-1960s. The eight artists on the original release were not only dynamite entertainers but also important figures at a time when popular culture reflected against the backdrop of the Civil Rights movement.

Recorded on August 7 and 8, 1965, the two-nightstand on this set’s second disc occurred in Los Angeles among simmering racial tensions in the region and only days prior to the Watts riots. With Booker T. & the M.G.’s as an integrated act and music that crossed barriers of class and race, Stax’s output was both a source of pride for the African-American population and an example of the potential for interracial harmony.

The original Live at the 5/4 Ballroom album collected performances by The Mar-Keys, the Mad Lads, the Astors, William Bell, Carla Thomas, Booker T. & the M.G.’s, and Rufus Thomas. These were recorded on Stax’s first cross-country package jaunt from Tennessee to California, where the acts played across two nights at the 5-4 Ballroom hosted by charismatic KGFJ DJ The Magnificent Montague. “Burn, baby burn!” he exclaims following Bell’s exciting performance.

The expanded set finally adds Wilson Pickett’s bristling performance of “In the Midnight Hour” backed by the M.G.’s with the Mar-Keys’ horn section. Although the 60-year-old source material for this track is somewhat degraded compared to the previously released tracks, the thrills are genuine as Pickett delivers his soulful scream and connects with the crowd. It’s interesting to think that this American standard of classic pop and soul was brand new at the time and had not yet crossed over from a predominantly Black audience into the mainstream.

The audience sings along boisterously to Rufus Thomas’ 1963 hit “Walking the Dog.” Also restored to the set list is the 19-minute audience participation session for Thomas’ “The Dog.” Thomas gets the crowd howling while offering instructions and demonstrations for the song’s various dances, along with comical quips. He talks about a recent show when a woman up front was disappointed to see that Thomas was middle-aged. “Just ’cause there’s snow on the roof, that don’t mean there ain’t no fire in this furnace,” Thomas wisecracks.

Every track from Live in ’65 is a standout in its own right, but frequently highlighted songs include Bell’s rich vocal delivery during the heart-tugging expression of lost love “You Don’t Miss Your Water,” performed under the duress of being rushed from a Hollywood-a-Go-Go appearance across town and arriving at the 5-4 Ballroom as his chase music was being played onstage. Bell testifies during the middle of the song, exhorting the young men in attendance to hang onto a good woman and treat her right. The Astors’ young-love confection “Candy,’ written by key Stax writer Isaac Hayes with Steve Cropper of the M.G.’s, is a blissful gem riding a propulsive groove that is perfect for dancing the boogaloo. “Every Ounce of Strength” is Carla Thomas’ swinging affirmation of devotion.

This set’s first CD returns the set by Booker T. & the M.G.’s to its proper context, restoring songs including the indelible “Green Onions” and feel-good “Soul Twist” to a set of material recorded earlier during the summer at Club Paradise in Memphis. The Los Angeles performance of “Boot-Leg” replaces the one erroneously included on Live at the 5/4 Ballroom, with the Club Paradise version now nestled among the five tracks from Memphis. The Club Paradise recording also offers four songs from Stax house writer David Porter, including his interpretation of Curtis Mayfield’s crooner “Just Be True.” Porter introduces his portrait of forbidden love “Can’t See You When I Want To” as a true story. The Astors deliver starlit vocal interplay on doo-wop single “What Can it Be.” Wendy Rene sings rowdy stomper “Bar-B-Q.”

Noted musicologist Lynell George provides thoughtful liner notes that place the show in historical context upon its 60th anniversary. Nine of the CD set’s 21 songs on Live in ’65 are previously unreleased. A vinyl LP version features 18 songs on two platters.

Live in ’65 serves additional purposes as a testament to the understated perfection of Steve Cropper’s economical and rhythmically precise guitar playing. Most acutely, it’s a tribute to the beloved musician upon his recent passing on December 3, 2025. The M.G.’s as a whole possessed power at all stations, with Donald “Duck” Dunn on bass, Al Jackson Jr. on drums, and Booker T. Jones on spine-tingling Hammond M3 organ. The set also honors recently departed Phil Upchurch, whose “You Can’t Sit Down” receives a rollicking performance by the M.G.’s.

– Jeff Elbel

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