Nobody Wins - Stax Southern Soul 1968-1975 Various Artists (Stax)

£11.70

Genre:
Southern Soul
Label:
Kent
Format:
CD
Catalogue Id:
CDKEND 370

One of the projects that we feel proudest of is “Take Me To The River: A Southern Soul Story”. It was a labour of love and a lot of people were very appreciative of it, justifying our own confidence in the project. In the wake of its success we thought it would be good to do some single CD follow-up projects looking at specific areas of the Southern Soul world; unfortunately other things got in the way, including the rather wondrous opportunities we have had with the chaps at Fame, so we put the idea on the back burner until we could do it properly. With “Nobody Wins” I hope we have been able to do so.

Focussing on the output of Stax Records may seem like shooting fish in a barrel, but by 1968 a lot had changed at the label that had effectively codified Southern Soul music with William Bell’s ‘You Don’t Miss Your Water’, and then took it to the world via Otis Redding. Otis had died in a plane crash in 1967 and then, at the termination of the label’s distribution deal with Atlantic, Stax had been left without its back catalogue. To combat these problems label head Al Bell had formulated a plan to make it a full-service record label, recording, manufacturing, distributing and marketing the recordings. To make this viable Stax had to compete with the biggest R&B label Motown and release far more material. With this is mind producer Don Davis was brought in to add some Detroit know-how, and music and ideas were imported from all over the USA.

Stax may not have been exclusively releasing Southern music any more but it was still a Southern label. Most of the acts were came from the local area, and as the biggest label outside R&B’s traditional Northern strongholds, it was a magnet for anyone from the region who hoped to get a record deal. On top of that the Southern sound was so successful that even records that were recorded in other parts of the country tried to emulate the sound (noticeable on Calvin Scott’s Stax album for example). “Nobody Wins” gives an overview of the prevailing developments within Southern Soul, which show a move from a Stax-dominated landscape with our earliest productions, to something that ends up looking towards the styles being championed by Hi Records on the other side of Memphis.

The music is uniformly excellent and sometimes, as on Johnny Daye’s ‘Stay Baby Stay’, William Bell’s ‘Loving On Borrowed Time’ or ‘Shouldn’t I Love Him’ by Mable John, transcendent. It is a great treat to be able to spotlight neglected cuts from Willie Singleton, Mack Rice or Freddie Waters, which have been hidden away as B-sides or on expensive box-sets. We’ve also discovered some previously unreleased gems from the previously unknown Sylvia and the Blue Jays, and from Bettye Crutcher and Chuck Brooks. It is also great to be able to focus on some better-known tracks by the Soul Children and Ollie & The Nightingales and bring them together with the other tracks featured here. From start to finish this is great, great soul music.

By Dean Rudland

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Track listing

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Side 1

  • 01 Preview Stay Baby Stay - Johnny Daye

  • 02 Preview I've Done It Again - The Charmels

  • 03 Preview Love Changes - Charlene & The Soul Serenaders

  • 04 Preview Move Over - The Soul Children

  • 05 Preview Hold On This Time - Chuck Brooks

  • 06 Preview Where Was He? - Jimmy Lewis

  • 07 Preview Nobody Wins Til The Game Is Over - Sir Mack Rice

  • 08 Preview Groovin' On My Baby's Love - Freddie Waters

  • 09 Preview Stealing Love - Eddie Floyd

  • 10 Preview Crossing Over The Bridge - Inez Foxx

  • 11 Preview Make A Joyful Noise - Bettye Crutcher

  • 12 Preview Lovin' On Borrowed Time - William Bell

  • 13 Preview Two Fools - Willie Singleton

  • 14 Preview You're Leaving Me - Ollie & The Nightingales

  • 15 Preview The Fault Is Not In Me - Sylvia & The Blue Jays

  • 16 Preview Shouldn't I Love Him - Mable John

  • 17 Preview Will You Love Me Forever - Johnnie Taylor

  • 18 Preview I've Never Found A Girl To Love Me Like You Do - Calvin Scott

  • 19 Preview Let 'Em Down Baby - Jimmy Hughes

  • 20 Preview A Love Affair That Bears No Pain - Shack

  • 21 Preview Woman Across The River - Little Milton

Delivery & Returns

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We offer free P&P to UK addresses. For all other territories packaging is free and postage is charged on a weight basis.

We use Royal Mail First Class for UK deliveries and standard Air Mail for all other territories, very large orders will usually be sent via parcelforce. You may cancel your order at any time prior to your order being dispatched by emailing us at orders@acerecords.com ensuring that you quote your name, address and order reference number or by telephoning +44 (0) 208 453 1311 between 9am and 5pm GMT/BST, Monday to Friday. Please note: As music downloads are dispatched immediately after purchase, there is no possibility of cancelling these orders.

In the event that any products supplied to you by us are damaged or defective, we agree to replace or repair the damaged or defective products or refund the amount you paid for such goods (including postage & packaging) providing you notify us (either via post at or e-mail: orders@acerecords.com ) and return the goods within 28 days of purchase. Physical goods should be sent back to us in the same condition you received them to: “Returns” Ace Records, Such Close, Letchworth Garden City SG6 1JF, United Kingdom. Music downloads should be returned to us via the e-mail address above including a copy of your notification.

You have the right to cancel your order within seven days of purchase, or seven days of receipt of the goods (whichever is the longer). If you choose to cancel your order, full payment will be returned to you. Returned items should be sent to: “Returns” c/o Ace Records, Such Close, Letchworth Garden City SG6 1JF, United Kingdom. Music downloads should be returned to us via the email address: orders@acerecords.com including a copy of your notice of cancellation and order number.

Press quotes

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Love cheats and abandoned sweethearts aplenty on a set of strong Stax soul. ★★★★

Mojo

All smouldering stuff. ★★★★

Record Collector

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