Various Artists - Stax of Funk The Funky Truth (2000) BGP - Rare Soul/Funk (FLAC 437MB)

Memphis never really recovered from losing Stax. If you want to make music in the southern states of America these days you go to Atlanta. But maybe it wasn't all bad, there's a fair chance that Rick Dees' awful Disco Duck would have ended up on the legendary label, it is after all a Rufus Thomas groove badly executed (YUK!). But the hangover continues and no major independent operation now runs from the city that created so much of America's popular music history. For many years Stax was considered to be a label of parts, great in its Atlantic distributed blue period, less so in the finger clicking era. Ace has unearthed album after album of amazing soul, and four albums of rather tasty funk. BGP got in on the act, digging out the most appropriate cuts for today's rare funk scene and giving them a suitable stylish home together on Stax Of Funk. So here we have a host of the heaviest funk available. Why for instance was Rufus Thomas' Funky Hot Grits unreleased for the best part of 2 decades ? And why was his infectious "Turn Your Damper Down" hidden on a flip side ? ... The essential cuts from Roy Lee Johnson's rare album are included as is Kim Weston's explosive "Brother's And Sisters (Get Together)" and also how Little Sonny made the harmonica funky...Sexy Funk comes in the form of The Sweet Inspirations as they ooze through the fantastic "Slipped and Tripped", Mable John gets down and dirty, whilst Inez Foxx gives some warning about bad lovers. Hot Sauce's "I'll Kill A Brick About My Man" isn't so much sensual as paranoid, which gives it exactly the sort of edge that makes for inspired listening. On the rare side Bobby Holley's obscure 1970  groove "Movin' Dancer", Lee Sain's fantastic"She's My Old Lady Too" and a full length version of Harvey Scales' rare Stax distributed release "Broadway Freeze" are included. The Bar Kays make an actual appearance with the long time unreleased "Sock Soul" which was recorded for their debut album. But for me the best is little Sonny & the Soul Children's take on Bill Withers "Who Is She And What Is She To You" which originally appeared on the 5000 Volts Of Stax compilation of unreleased Stax cuts. Those with a funky edge may have missed this. So go and enjoy this STAX POWERHOUSE!...or whatever..lol!...Vol 2 follows on tomorrow..Spot the rare Northern tracks!!!

AMM 

                                                                                                        The Tasters!