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Everything Broad Ripple HomearrowRandom Ripplings Homearrow2007 04 20arrowColumn

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Converted from paper version of the Broad Ripple Gazette (v04n08)
Rick On The Records - by Rick Zeigler
posted: Apr. 20, 2007

Rick on the Records header

VARIOUS ARTISTS - Stax 50th Anniversary Celebration Box
"Green Onions," "Walking The Dog," "Respect," "Hold On, I'm Coming," "Knock On Wood," "B-A-B-Y," "Born Under A Bad Sign," "Soul Man," "(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay," "Who's Making Love," "Walk On By," "Mr. Big Stuff," "Respect Yourself," "Theme From Shaft," "I'll Take You There," "Soul Finger," "Time Is Tight," "Do The Funky Chicken," "Watcha See Is Watcha Get," Cheaper To Keep Her". These are just a few of the monumental songs that comprise the 50 tracks on the newly released Stax Box. Reissues and compilations are not a staple of this column, but this set is too good, too important, to ignore. Stax Records, started as Satellite Records in 1957, was located in Memphis, TN and helped define what soul music was (and is) during its nearly twenty-year run. Recording in an abandoned theatre, and, uniquely, featuring an integrated house band named Booker T. & The M.G.'s and a killer horn section in the Memphis Horns, the sound of Stax became, along with Motown, the sound of what we think of when we think sixties and seventies soul. Compared to Motown, though, Stax's output was earthier, grittier, and more rooted in funk than pop. But this did not stop the Stax roster from scoring an incredible run of hits on the pop charts, as the song list above demonstrates. From Rufus Thomas' strut to Sam and Dave's call-and-response to Otis Redding's vocal landmarks to Albert King's scorching, horn-drenched blues to Booker T. and the M.G.'s instrumental prowess to Isaac Hayes deep-throated ballads to the Staples Singers' modern gospel, (and, of course, all the one-hit wonders in-between), Stax covered all the bases with consistent greatness. The "Stax sound" was based on heavy use of the bass, lots of horn charts, which usually replaced passages that would normally be filled by guitars and background vocals, sparse, punchy arrangements, and prominent gospel influences. Most important, however, was the emphasis on capturing the sound "live," regardless of flubs, and with few overdubs. This approach captured the excitement of the music on wax, something rarely achieved with such distinction by its competitor labels. But even when the live approach was abandoned at the start of the seventies, the innovations of singers like Isaac Hayes and the Staples Singers kept the Stax magic alive. While the true aficionado can always turn to the 9-disc Stax-Volt box (Volt records was a smaller subsidiary of Stax) released some time ago, this 50th anniversary 2-disc set really captures all the high points and essentials, and in luscious remastered sound. Beautiful packaging and a greatly informative booklet round out the achievement. And at 50 tracks for 20 bucks, not even iTunes can compete. Purchase, listen, enjoy.

BRIGHT EYES - Cassadaga
Playing in bands since he was 13, and putting out records since he was 17, 27-year old Conor Oberst (under the moniker Bright Eyes) is a true veteran of the indie-rock scene.
Some time ago, he also developed into indie-rock's finest lyricist. Comparisons to Dylan are obviously always unwise, and Oberst certainly does not deal in the fantastical poetic imagery characteristic of such classics as "All Along The Watchtower". But there is certainly something deserving in such a comparison when you encounter the brilliant wordplay in lines like, "Squatters made a mural of a Mexican girl/With 15 cans of spray paint and a chemical swirl/She's standing in the ashes at the end of the world/Four winds blowing through her hair," (from Cassadaga's "Four Winds"). Or take, "All this automatic writing, I have tried to understand/From a psychedelic angel who was tugging on my hand/It's an infinite coincidence but it doesn't form a plan" from ""If The Brakeman Turns My Way". And scan the lines, "Her bed beneath the crucifix and guests performing miracles/With the son of God just hanging like a common criminal/"When I do wrong, I am with God," she thought/When I feel lost, I am not, at all," from "Hot Knives". In all cases (and throughout all his albums), such lyrical facility becomes almost commonplace. Like Dylan, however, it is obviously NOT commonplace. That said, how does Cassadaga fit into the Bright Eyes' canon? (NOTE: how many artists today even have a canon?) . It is certainly mellower, with mid-tempo songs abounding, and is much more suffused with country sounds and orchestral passages than earlier works. More noticeably, there is also much less personal angst on full display. It feels almost like a transitional album, as Oberst moves from the "boy wonder" of previous years into life as a full-fledged adult, and is struggling with all the reflective nuances, both musically and lyrically, that such a move entails for any artist. A very high compliment for Cassadaga is that it makes his next album eagerly anticipated, in order to see just where his musical muse is headed.



Rick Zeigler, along with his wife, Jeanne, owns Indy CD and Vinyl at 806 Broad Ripple Avenue. Back in his musician days, his band opened for the likes of U2, XTC, Gang Of Four, The Pretenders, Los Lobos, and, um, Flock Of Seagulls, among others. You can read all of Rick's reviews at www.indycdandvinyl.com. Email your music questions and comments to rick@BroadRippleGazette.com




rick@broadripplegazette.com
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