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Screen13 · 06-02-2013, 08:30 AM

Cool stuff!

Some cool trivia info about Stax, Post Atlantic.

Besides the usual amount of great music, there were a few good stories through their time with Paramount (Gulf and Western) including the massive Soul Explosion promotion which included the double album collection of Stax legends as well as Dot/Paramount artist Mitch Ryder being allowed to do an album with Booker T's band with no problem (no contract disputes that usually surround such happenings), although sadly the album was under-promoted (Dot was more comfortable with soundtracks, I guess). With the Ryder story, I think he was given a choice between working with Andy Kim or working with Stax legends, and of course we all know that with the singer there was no second choice when Stax was mentioned.

Despite having plenty of major hits here and there, the saddest chapter of Stax's history with CBS through The 70's was the final years when there were some well-intended albums that were aimed for the K-Mart/Woolwroths marketplace which were a very ill fit with the rest of the music that was going on including albums by noted TV personalities Morton Downey Jr. (As Sean Morton Downey Jr. - I Believe America was the album) and Mike Douglas (Today, 1975) as well as child singer Lina Zavoroni (who sadly passed away after her battles with anorexia...as a kid, she could sing very well despite the cheesy nature of her album that was released through Stax in The US). Times were very rough, especially with a huge amount of under performing music released through it and it's gallery of sub labels including Volt, Enterprise, and Gospel Truth (the later being connected with The Rev. Jessie Jackson), and it was thought that more mainstream music would solve some of their problems which it did not. Although there were some major successes, including Wattstax, there were some ill fated projects including plans for a film division which planned four films, but I think only three only were completed, Darktown Strutters being a film that's noted in Urban Action history especially with it's appearance by The Dynamics and Distribution through Roger Corman's New World. Having to deal with bills from pressing plants and other business related problems soured any attempt to return to their former glory. Oddly enough, it was a hit single on one of the sub labels, Truth (aka Gospel Truth I think), Shirley Brown's "Woman to Woman", that softened the ride to their first end.

College Rockers should also take note that Ardent, another Stax Sub, housed Big Star for their first two albums.

The final Stax album release of the 1970's I think was the two album set The Congressional Record of the Living Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by Congressman Walter E. Fauntroy in 1975.

After Stax's announcement of going Chapter 11, Fantasy Records (home to Creedence Clearwater Revival) later picked up on the post-Atlantic years even going as far as releasing more compilation albums.

They returned in the Late 2Ks and are doing well after teaming with the Concord Music Group.

06-02-2013, 08:30 AM	#8 (permalink)
Screen13 Music Addict Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 1,388	Cool stuff! Some cool trivia info about Stax, Post Atlantic. Besides the usual amount of great music, there were a few good stories through their time with Paramount (Gulf and Western) including the massive Soul Explosion promotion which included the double album collection of Stax legends as well as Dot/Paramount artist Mitch Ryder being allowed to do an album with Booker T's band with no problem (no contract disputes that usually surround such happenings), although sadly the album was under-promoted (Dot was more comfortable with soundtracks, I guess). With the Ryder story, I think he was given a choice between working with Andy Kim or working with Stax legends, and of course we all know that with the singer there was no second choice when Stax was mentioned. Despite having plenty of major hits here and there, the saddest chapter of Stax's history with CBS through The 70's was the final years when there were some well-intended albums that were aimed for the K-Mart/Woolwroths marketplace which were a very ill fit with the rest of the music that was going on including albums by noted TV personalities Morton Downey Jr. (As Sean Morton Downey Jr. - I Believe America was the album) and Mike Douglas (Today, 1975) as well as child singer Lina Zavoroni (who sadly passed away after her battles with anorexia...as a kid, she could sing very well despite the cheesy nature of her album that was released through Stax in The US). Times were very rough, especially with a huge amount of under performing music released through it and it's gallery of sub labels including Volt, Enterprise, and Gospel Truth (the later being connected with The Rev. Jessie Jackson), and it was thought that more mainstream music would solve some of their problems which it did not. Although there were some major successes, including Wattstax, there were some ill fated projects including plans for a film division which planned four films, but I think only three only were completed, Darktown Strutters being a film that's noted in Urban Action history especially with it's appearance by The Dynamics and Distribution through Roger Corman's New World. Having to deal with bills from pressing plants and other business related problems soured any attempt to return to their former glory. Oddly enough, it was a hit single on one of the sub labels, Truth (aka Gospel Truth I think), Shirley Brown's "Woman to Woman", that softened the ride to their first end. College Rockers should also take note that Ardent, another Stax Sub, housed Big Star for their first two albums. The final Stax album release of the 1970's I think was the two album set The Congressional Record of the Living Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by Congressman Walter E. Fauntroy in 1975. After Stax's announcement of going Chapter 11, Fantasy Records (home to Creedence Clearwater Revival) later picked up on the post-Atlantic years even going as far as releasing more compilation albums. They returned in the Late 2Ks and are doing well after teaming with the Concord Music Group.