It's hard to believe that I've been doing this blog for this long and have yet to really talk about how Stax Records fits in my fandom. I was raised listening to Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, and the Staple Singers. I played "Theme From 'Shaft'" at the midway point of every episode of my radio shows. I just bought a second copy of David Porter's "Victim Of The Joke?" at an estate sale because my first copy is buried and boxed in my storage unit. I'm not a completist, but I'll happily buy the same Stax or Enterprise release in multiple formats. I may have problems...not bad ones, but ones I might need to work on.
"Written In Their Soul: The Stax Songwriter Demos" came out in 2023 and unleashed a wealth of never-before-heard recordings on the world. Seven discs, 146 songs, 140 of which had never been released commercially. I've yet to buy a physical copy; too rich for my blood, but the day may yet come. Instead, I've enjoyed this Mojo sampler at great length. There are a pair of Eddie Floyd-penned classics: "634-5789 (Soulsville U.S.A.)" and "Stay With Me", which never got released. Mack Rice's solo version of "Respect Yourself" is one of my all-time Staple Singers favs. The box set shares two versions of the unreleased Banks/Jackson composition "Too Much Sugar For a Dime"; I really dig the Bettye Crutcher version that appears here for the first time.
Memphis soul is the one that speaks most to me, and this sampler is a fine, economical way to dig into what remains one of my favorite catalogs. Enjoy yourself!
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