The Soul of Stax - ACE286.6

Photograph of Stewart circa 1968; commentary says that when Stax broke with Atlantic he discovered that Atlantic owned the rights to all his master tapes; the company was sold to Gulf & Western. Al Bell talks about realising that he needed to produce a catalogue. Hayes talks about his album Hot Buttered Soul (1969); photograph of him receiving a gold disc; Bell describes it as the first gold and platinum album recorded by a black artist. Hayes performs Never Can Say Goodbye. Bell talks about changes at the new Stax, including the fact that the increased volume meant that they started recording in many different locations. Photograph of Don Davis. Cropper lamenting the "slipping away" of what they had built up because over-expansion meant that albums were "farmed out"; he left. Photograph of Jim Stewart; commentary says he and Al Bell re-acquired the company as equal co-owners. Photograph of Jesse Jackson with Hayes and Bell. Jesse Jackson on his "Operation Bread Basket" campaign against chain stores that would not stock black goods, employ black managers, or allow black advertising, etc. Original footage of Jackson leading a church congregation in reciting his poem, I Am Somebody. Johnnie Taylor’s song I Am Somebody (1969) over photographs of Stax artists including Taylor, Hayes, Carla Thomas, King, the Emotions, the Dramatics, etc., along with Jesse Jackson and Stokely Carmichael at political events. Al Bell says that Jackson once reprimanded him for not spending enough time with the Staples Singers. Mavis Staples explains how they would open proceedings at Operation Bread Basket events. Jackson on the Staples family; photographs. Staples talks about "moving out of ‘protest’ songs and into … ‘message’ songs". The Staples Singers singing at an open-air meeting with Beatitude: Respect Yourself (1972) playing over.