Album annotator Richie Unterberger writes, �While Stax was destined to be primarily remembered for the wealth of original soul classics it generated, Stax Does The Beatles reminds us that its artists were also able interpreters of music first performed outside the Southern soul genre.�
Liverpool wasn�t the only outside source of Stax hits. The Memphis label found equal reserves within the repertoire of its Detroit rival label, Motown, proven by the 15 tracks of Stax Sings Songs of Motown� Records. Joel Selvin, pop music critic for the San Francisco Chronicle, who wrote the notes for the Motown covers album, noted: �In Detroit, Motown followed an automated approach to making records, influenced no doubt by founder Berry Gordy�s early work at the Ford plant, while in Memphis, the Stax musicians took a more organic tack.�
Yet when the shimmering teen pop of Detroit made it down to Stax�s Memphis studios, songs found a whole new life. Take, for instance, Margie Joseph�s soulful reading of the Supremes� �Stop in the Name of Love.� The Staple Singers� version of the Temptations� minor hit, �You�ve Got To Earn It,� penned by Smokey Robinson, narrowly missed the R&B Top 10 in 1971. And blind soul singer Calvin Scott gave a gospel-tinged Southern workout to �Can I Get a Witness� for his album I�m Not Blind, I Just Can�t See.
As he did with the Beatles, Isaac Hayes re-imagined Motown with his deconstructed cover of the Jackson 5�s �Never Can Say Goodbye.� The song was a highlight of Hayes� classic Black Moses album from 1971. Hayes also contributed production finesse to his frequent songwriting partner David Porter�s cover of the Stevie Wonder song �I Don�t Know Why I Love You,� featured on Porter�s 1970 Enterprise solo debut album.
Other Stax artists to cover Motown included Mavis Staples, Barbara Lewis, Billy Eckstine, the Mar-Keys, Fredrick Knight, O.B. McClinton, the Bar-Kays and the Soul Children.
Preview and Purchase Beatles CDs
Travel News, Trips and Tips: Road Trip Essentials
Hot In The City: Carin Leon Will Open For The Rolling Stones in Arizona
Caught In The Act: Ministry Rocks Chicago
Motley Crue Add Fourth Show For 2024
Twenty One Pilots Announce The Clancy World Tour and Share New Video
Slayer's Kerry King Leads Additions To Download Festival
Creed Going Vinyl With Greatest Hits
Gary Clark Jr. Expands North American Tour
Godsmack's AWAKE Remastered For Double Vinyl Release
Willie Nelson's 4th Of July Picnic To Rock Philadelphia For The First Time
Peter Gabriel's Back to Front - Live in London Getting 4K Release