Track Listing

1. Hold On! I'm Comin' - Sam & Dave
2. Knock on Wood - Eddie Floyd
3. Respect Yourself - The Staple Singers
4. I'll Take You There - The Staple Singers
5. B-A-B-Y - Carla Thomas
6. Woman to Woman - Shirley Brown
7. I'll Be the Other Woman - The Soul Children
8. Cheaper to Keep Her - Johnnie Taylor
9. I Forgot to Be Your Lover - Johnnie Taylor
10. Who's Making Love? - Johnnie Taylor
11. That's What Love Will Make You Do - Little Milton
12. Mr. Big Stuff - Jean Knight
13. (Do the) Push and Pull, Pt. 1 - Rufus Thomas
14. Green Onions - Booker T. & the MG's
15. Starting All over Again - Mel & Tim
16. In the Rain - The Dramatics
17. So I Can Love You - The Emotions
18. (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay - Otis Redding
19. I've Been Lonely for So Long - Frederick Knight
20. Theme from Shaft - Isaac Hayes

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #29439 in Music
• Released on: 1990-06-12
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds

Customer Reviews

Love (of Soul) Keeps Them Together
The Stax/Volt story has two acts: the first, when the label was run by Atlantic Records and featured the royalty of Southern soul (Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, Carla Thomas, Booker T. & The MGs) and act two, when Atlantic took its share of the label's masters and, after a short period of continued success, the label faded away.

The reunion of one of popular music's richest libraries occurred some years later. "Top Of The Stax" becomes a one-disc, 20-year joyride of classic R&B from the label's first #1 (Booker T & The MG's groovin' "Green Onions") to its last (Issac Hayes' sweeping signature song, "Theme From Shaft.") Along the way, you hear from father Rufus Thomas (the salacious "Push and Pull") and daughter Carla (the sweet "B-A-B-Y"). Johnny Taylor shows up with two ceritified gold hits, the hard-hitting "Who's Making Love" and the bouncy "Cheaper To Keep Her." The Dramatics and the Soul Children chime in with two Quiet Storm ballads, and Little Milton slaps the blues with the R&B Top 10 "That's What Love Will Make You Do." You'll know these songs; they've been covered by every rock n' roll bad boy from Mick Jagger to Billy Idol to the Blues Brothers. But nothing beats the originals heard here. Highly recommended.

This is a KILLER collection
When you listen to this, you cannot help but say to yourself "how incredible the talent roster was for this record label". Not only did you have this very special array of vocalists but, for the most part, it was the same house band playing on all of these memorable songs.

Stax will always have their nemesis, Motown, but they should not be considered competitors. Both labels were great yet they were apples and oranges, completely different. Motown was pretty and melodic while Stax was funky and dirty. Stax also had a much more muscular sound, musically, so their house musicians got a lot more accolades. I enjoy Motown but I love Stax!

There is no need to talk about song highlights since these are all classic hits. The nice thing here is that Stax gave you variety. You have funk, you have duets, you have love gone bad, you have man hating female vocalists, you have bluesman, you have thumping bass and greasy guitar, you have killer horn sections, you got Jean Knight singing "Mr Big Shot"...this has everything...pretty, hard, loud, soft etc.

For the Stax fanatic, you will know all the songs but most people are not fanatics they are simply just loooking for a great compilation. If that is you, you will say to yourself "I did not know all of these great artists and songs came from the same label".

This cd works on many levels. It is a great compilation of classic soul songs, it satisfies the hard core collector who wants all of these tunes, it operates as a GREAT party cd/driving cd and lastly, it is a piece of history that showcases how the South interpreted soul.

If you like this then there is a part II with slightly more obscure tunes, a lot funkier and bluesier, yet just as satisfying.

DO NOT BE FOOLISH, BUY THIS!

Simply The Best!
Dear Listeners,

This is one of the hottest, funkiest, most thoroughly enjoyable collections I have ever heard. In contrast to the over-produced soul of Motown, this Stax music is grittier and much more emotionally authentic. It's as if you wandered into a very cool down-home club on a Saturday night and, sitting there in the dark, you are amazed as one great artist after another takes the stage and simply blows you away. GET THIS CD !