V/A - Stax Gold: Hits 1968 - 1974

Know to record collectors as the "Yellow" Stax period because of the colour of the record labels, the second main phase of Stax / Volt recordings spanned the period from mid-1968 until the beginning of 1975. It was even more successful than the earlier "Blue" period, and resulted in chart entries on both sides of the Atlantic for a number of artists and in distinctive, constrasting styles. This compilation covers the best from that period, the time when Stax / Volt had terminated it's relationship with Atlantic Records, it's discs were being distributed through the Paramount film company and the famous finger-clicking logo adorned the Stax output of the Memphis-based label. Several of the tracks here topped the US R & B chart including Johnnie Taylor's million-seller 'Who's Making Love', Rufus Thomas's 'Do The Push And Pull', Jean Knight's 'Mr Big Stuff', The Staple Singers' 'If You're Ready (Come Go With Me)' (also a million-seller) and Shirley Brown's 'Woman To Woman'. Among numbers that have been very popular in the UK are the deeply soulful duet from Judy Clay & William Bell - 'Private Number' and a couple of tracks from Booker T & The MGs, 'Soul Limbo', familiar to all criket fans, and 'Time Is Tight' which featured in the movie "Uptight". Artists from the Stax stable featured on the sound-tracks of a number of the black movies of the late 60s/early 70s, and Isaac Hayes' half-spoken, half-sung title track from 'Shaft' was probably the most notable of all. Also featured in this collection are some of the top hits from Stax / Volt's major artists such as Eddie Floyd, William Bell, Carla Thomas and the Bar-Kays as well as tracks from acts which tasted success for the first time during the finger-clicking period - the Dramatics, Frederick Knight and the Soul Children. Ace Records. 1991.