Recorded at clubs in Memphis and Los Angeles during summer 1965, this essential document – an expanded edition of the previously released Funky Broadway: Stax Revue Live at the 5/4 Ballroom – spotlights a vital soul label emerging as a mighty cultural force. The grittier Memphis counterpart to Detroit’s slicker Motown Records, Stax Records would produce classic hits by the likes of Otis Redding and Sam and Dave. Though neither of those immortal acts is featured on Stax Revue: Live in ’65!, there’s no shortage of righteous, sweaty energy.
Performers include the sublime instrumental quartet Booker T. & the MG’s (“Green Onions”), crooner William Bell (“You Don’t Miss Your Water”), David Porter, testing his mettle as a singer before he teamed up with songwriting partner Isaac Hayes, Rufus Thomas (“Walking the Dog”), Carla Thomas, and the criminally overlooked Wendy Rene. As a bonus, non-Stax shouter Wilson Pickett delivers a wicked version of his hit “In the Midnight Hour,” which he co-wrote with MG’s guitarist Steve Cropper. All in all, an electrifying experience and an indispensable slice of history.
