Artist: Various Artists
Album: Soul’d Out: The Complete Wattstax Collection
Genre: Soul
Release Date: 2023
Audio Format:: FLAC (tracks) 24 bit, 96 kHz
Duration: 12:07:48
Total Tracks: 127
Total Size: 16,57 GB

Tracklist:

1-01. Dale Warren – Salvation Symphony (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (19:20)
1-02. Kim Weston – The Star Spangled Banner (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (03:24)
1-03. Tommy Jacquette – Opening Announcements (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (11:16)
1-04. Kim Weston – Lift Every Voice And Sing (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (04:23)
1-05. Melvin Van Peebles – We’re Here To Consecrate, Not Desecrate (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (02:02)
1-06. The Staple Singers – Heavy Makes You Happy (Sha-Na-Boom-Boom) (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (03:37)
1-07. The Staple Singers – Are You Sure (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (04:03)
1-08. The Staple Singers – I Like the Things About Me (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (06:05)
1-09. The Staple Singers – Respect Yourself (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (04:36)
1-10. The Staple Singers – I’ll Take You There (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (05:46)
1-11. Tommy Jacquette – Wattstax Day Proclamation (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (07:48)
1-12. Jimmy Jones – Somebody Bigger Than You And I (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (04:54)
1-13. Louise McCord – Better Get A Move On (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (04:23)
1-14. Deborah Manning – Precious Lord Take My Hand (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (04:44)
1-15. Eric Mercury – I Shall Not Be Moved (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (04:39)
1-16. Freddie Robinson – At The Drive In (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (04:00)
1-17. Lee Sain – Them Hot Pants (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (04:25)
1-18. Ernie Hines – What Would I Do (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (03:34)
1-19. Little Sonny – Wade In The Water (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (04:33)
1-20. William Bell – I Forgot To Be Your Lover (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (02:49)
1-21. The Newcomers – Pin The Tail On The Donkey (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (02:57)
1-22. Eddie Floyd – Knock On Wood (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (04:39)
1-23. The Temprees – Explain It To Her Mama (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (03:10)
1-24. Frederick Knight – I’ve Been Lonely For So Long (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (03:59)
1-25. The Golden 13 – Old Time Religion (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (03:52)
1-26. William Bell – Al Bell Award Presentation (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (07:06)
1-27. The Rance Allen Group – Lying On The Truth (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (03:17)
1-28. The Rance Allen Group – Up Above My Head (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (03:54)
1-29. William Bell – David Porter Introduction (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (02:48)
1-30. The David Porter Show – Introduction (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (04:58)
1-31. David Porter – Ain’t That Loving You (For More Reasons Than One) (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (05:15)
1-32. David Porter – Can’t See You When I Want To (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (08:29)
1-33. David Porter – Reach Out And Touch (Somebody’s Hand) (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (03:03)
1-34. William Bell – The Bar-Kays Introduction (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (03:39)
1-35. The Bar-Kays – Son Of Shaft / Feel It (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (09:58)
1-36. The Bar-Kays – In The Hole (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (02:52)
1-37. The Bar-Kays – I Can’t Turn You Loose (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (03:47)
1-38. William Bell – Tommy Tate Introduction (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (01:38)
1-40. William Bell – Please Move Back Into The Stands (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (01:58)
1-43. William Bell – Carla Thomas Introduction (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (11:11)
1-44. Carla Thomas – Pick Up The Pieces (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (02:38)
1-45. Carla Thomas – I Like What You’re Doing (To Me) (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (03:36)
1-46. Carla Thomas – B-A-B-Y (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (03:06)
1-47. Carla Thomas – Gee Whiz (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (03:24)
1-48. Carla Thomas – I Have A God Who Loves (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (04:03)
1-49. John Kasandra – Albert King Introduction (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (03:00)
1-50. Albert King – Match Box Blues (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (04:39)
1-51. Albert King – Got To Be Some Changes Made (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (05:31)
1-52. Albert King – I’ll Play The Blues For You (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (05:38)
1-53. Albert King – Killing Floor (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (03:36)
1-54. Albert King – Angel Of Mercy (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (06:09)
1-55. John Kasandra – Rufus Thomas Introduction (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (01:27)
1-56. John Kasandra – Rufus Thomas Entrance (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (01:34)
1-57. Rufus Thomas – The Breakdown (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (03:53)
1-58. John Kasandra – Kindly Go Back To Your Seats (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (03:07)
1-59. Rufus Thomas – Do The Funky Chicken (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (11:26)
1-60. Rufus Thomas – Do The Funky Penguin (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (12:24)
1-61. Jesse Jackson – I Am, Somebody (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (06:27)
1-62. The Soul Children – I Don’t Know What This World Is Coming To (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (06:37)
1-63. The Soul Children – Hearsay (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (07:25)
1-64. John Kasandra – Let Us Stand And Raise Our Fists Together (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (07:00)
1-65. Billy Eckstine – If I Can Help Somebody (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (02:59)
1-66. Billy Eckstine – There Is A Curfew Here (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (20:20)
1-67. Jesse Jackson – Isaac Hayes Introduction (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (04:43)
1-68. Isaac Hayes – Theme From Shaft (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (04:34)
1-69. Isaac Hayes – Theme From Shaft (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (05:09)
1-70. Isaac Hayes – Soulsville (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (04:12)
1-71. Isaac Hayes – Never Can Say Goodbye (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (05:27)
1-72. Isaac Hayes – Part-Time Love (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (07:53)
1-73. Isaac Hayes – Your Love Is So Doggone Good (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (08:17)
1-74. Isaac Hayes – Ain’t No Sunshine / Lonely Avenue (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (18:07)
1-75. Isaac Hayes – I Stand Accused (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (05:36)
1-76. Jesse Jackson – Let Everybody Stand And Join Hands (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (04:55)
1-77. Jimmy Jones – If I Had A Hammer (Live At Wattstax / 1972) (06:24)
2-01. Rufus Thomas – Rufus Thomas Introduction (Live At The Summit Club / 1972) (05:24)
2-02. Rufus Thomas – Comedy Set (Live At The Summit Club / 1972) (12:34)
2-03. Rufus Thomas – Night Time Is The Right Time (Live At The Summit Club / 1972) (19:34)
3-01. Rufus Thomas – Johnnie Taylor Introduction (Live At The Summit Club / 1972 / Set 1) (00:39)
3-02. Johnnie Taylor – Take Care Of Your Homework (Live At The Summit Club / 1972 / Set 1) (04:54)
3-03. Johnnie Taylor – Little Bluebird (Live At The Summit Club / 1972 / Set 1) (07:12)
3-04. Johnnie Taylor – Steal Away (Live At The Summit Club / 1972 / Set 1) (06:18)
3-05. Johnnie Taylor – I Don’t Wanna Lose You (Live At The Summit Club / 1972 / Set 1) (06:43)
3-06. Johnnie Taylor – Jody’s Got Your Girl And Gone (Live At The Summit Club / 1972 / Set 1) (03:26)
3-07. Johnnie Taylor – Who’s Making Love (Live At The Summit Club / 1972) (05:06)
3-08. Johnnie Taylor – Hello Sundown (Live At The Summit Club / 1972 / Set 2) (09:35)
3-09. Johnnie Taylor – Steal Away (Live At The Summit Club / 1972 / Set 2) (07:46)
3-10. Johnnie Taylor – Stop Doggin’ Me (Live At The Summit Club / 1972 / Set 2) (06:15)
3-11. Johnnie Taylor – Jody’s Got Your Girl And Gone (Live At The Summit Club / 1972 / Set 2) (10:21)
4-01. Sons Of Slum – Think (About It) (Live At The Summit Club / 1972) (07:46)
4-02. Sons Of Slum – Respect (Live At The Summit Club / 1972) (02:28)
4-03. Sons Of Slum – The Man (Live At The Summit Club / 1972) (02:47)
4-04. Sons Of Slum – Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone / Dance To The Music / Music Lover / I Want To Take You Higher (Live At The Summit Club / 1972) (11:33)
4-05. The Emotions – So I Can Love You (Live At The Summit Club / 1972) (06:22)
4-06. The Emotions – Blind Alley (Live At The Summit Club / 1972) (02:38)
4-07. The Emotions – Introductions (Live At The Summit Club / 1972) (02:15)
4-08. The Emotions – Show Me How (Live At The Summit Club / 1972) (03:53)
4-09. The Emotions – When Tomorrow Comes (Live At The Summit Club / 1972) (08:46)
4-10. The Emotions – I Could Never Be Happy (Live At The Summit Club / 1972) (05:39)
5-01. Little Milton – Open The Door To Your Heart (Live At The Summit Club / 1972) (08:24)
5-02. Little Milton – Let Me Down Easy (Live At The Summit Club / 1972) (07:00)
5-03. Little Milton – Grits Ain’t Groceries (All Around The World) (Live At The Summit Club / 1972) (03:01)
5-04. Little Milton – Blind Man (Live At The Summit Club / 1972) (08:39)
5-05. Little Milton – I Can’t Quit You Baby (Live At The Summit Club / 1972) (07:44)
5-06. Little Milton – That’s What Love Will Make You Do (Live At The Summit Club / 1972) (05:00)
5-07. Little Milton – Walking The Back Streets And Crying (Live At The Summit Club / 1972) (07:45)
6-01. Mel & Tim – Introduction (Live At The Summit Club / 1972) (00:27)
6-02. Mel & Tim – Warm It Up (Live At The Summit Club / 1972) (05:40)
6-03. Mel & Tim – Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me) (Live At The Summit Club / 1972) (05:08)
6-04. Mel & Tim – Groovy Situation (Live At The Summit Club / 1972) (03:49)
6-05. Mel & Tim – Good Guys Only Win In The Movies / Ain’t No Sunshine (Live At The Summit Club / 1972) (09:20)
6-06. Mel & Tim – Backfield In Motion / Starting All Over Again (Live At The Summit Club / 1972) (14:19)
6-07. Mel & Tim – Friendship Train (Live At The Summit Club / 1972) (09:13)
7-01. The Emotions – Peace Be Still (Rehearsal) (07:59)
7-02. The Emotions – Peace Be Still (Take 1) (09:56)
7-03. The Emotions – Peace Be Still (Take 2) (08:56)
7-04. Isaac Hayes – Rolling Down A Mountainside (05:27)
7-05. Isaac Hayes – Rolling Down A Mountainside (Alternate Version) (04:59)
7-06. The Staple Singers – Oh La De Da (04:57)
7-07. Eddie Floyd – Lay Your Loving On Me (03:29)
7-08. The Dramatics – Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get (03:57)
7-09. Mel & Tim – I May Not Be What You Want (03:04)
7-10. Richard Pryor – Saturday Night / Blue Note / Backroom (03:41)
7-11. Richard Pryor – Arrest / Line-Up (04:00)
7-12. Richard Pryor – Niggers (00:31)
7-13. Richard Pryor – Negroes (01:42)
7-14. Richard Pryor – Handshake (00:29)
7-15. Richard Pryor – Wino Get A Job (01:11)

Download:

1968 was a tragic time for Memphis. Just before Christmas ’67, Otis Redding, the biggest star of local soul music label Stax Records, was killed in a plane crash. In April 1968, Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel. Also that spring, Stax lost control of its catalog of recordings to Warner. Undeterred and unwilling to fail, new label co-owner Al Bell decided to build a roster of acts that included The Staple Singers, Isaac Hayes, and Johnnie Taylor.Four years later, Bell and his Los Angeles-based colleague Forrest Hamilton conceived the idea of a benefit concert event in the predominantly Black neighborhood of Watts to commemorate the seventh anniversary of the riots that devastated the area. Bell knew that Wattstax would not only expose the label’s artists to a larger national audience but would also bring unity to the Black community and “… make them feel valued as human beings and to feel a sense of pride as Black people living through tumultuous times.”

The massive festival held August 20, 1972 (coincidentally, Hayes’ 30th birthday) in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum with a crowd of 112,000 was documented in an award-winning film and a pair of double albums most of whose material has been reissued several times since. (Performers who could not make the stadium show because of illness or scheduling conflicts played three shows later that fall at the Summit Club in Los Angeles that were also recorded.) Most artists, all of whom played for free, tapped into the spirit of the event and took their artistry to a higher level. Though fans had to be exhorted to stay off the field several times, the show ran relatively smoothly and the consistency is impressive.

Old guard Stax artists led the way. Carla Thomas, most famous for her duets with Redding, bops her way through “I Like What You’re Doing (To Me),” the kind of upbeat soul number that brought out her best. Her father Rufus Thomas follows a high energy take of his biggest hit “Do the Funky Chicken,” with another hilarious ornithological gyration, the even jumpier “Do the Funky Penguin.” Eddie Floyd revs up a version of his biggest hit from the pre-1967 Stax catalog, “Knock On Wood.” The Staple Singers, the stars of the new Stax, perform spirited versions of two of their biggest hits, “Respect Yourself” and “I’ll Take You There,” while fellow label newcomer, blues guitarist Albert King, rips through “Killing Floor” and “Angel of Mercy.” Some of the lesser-knowns also get their licks in as Rance Allen leads his hot electric guitar through a gospel/soul/funk rave up of Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s “Up Above My Head.” Although the Bar-Kays played their own wah-wah guitar anthem “Son Of Shaft / Feel It” earlier in the program, Isaac Hayes, in his iconic shades-and-chains outfit, closes Wattstax with a set that includes two versions of his biggest hit “Theme from Shaft.”

The additional Summit Club sets are superb, with each performer upping their game, all of it captured in better sound than the outdoor concert. The Sons of Slum (once known as the Supersonics), who back The Emotions, sustain comically fast tempos on a medley that begins with “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone,” a big hit for Stax competitor Motown, and closes with a cover of Sly Stone’s “Dance to The Music.” Little Milton opens his set with a ferocious “Open the Door to Your Heart” before finding another huge groove later in “Grits Ain’t Groceries (All Around The World).” Billed as containing everything recorded under the Wattstax banner, including all previously unreleased stadium and club tracks, this supersize reissue should be the final word on the celebration.