Various Artists

Stax Does The Beatles & Soulsville Sings Hitsville

Stax

originally published March 12, 2008

Two new collections, entries in the ongoing Stax archives campaign, showcase representatives of the Memphis soul mecca sending shout-outs to peers up in Detroit and to pop music’s ever-covered cross-cultural ambassadors, The Beatles.

Stax Does The Beatles is the weaker of the two collections, compiled from album tracks spanning various phases of the label. It’s an abundance of near grocery store soundtrack instrumentals. Sublimely funky elevator music it may be, but only Steve Cropper’s Dixie-fried take on "With a Little Help from My Friends” speaks louder than the lack of Lennon-McCartney lyricism. Furthermore, the relevance of Isaac Hayes’ 12-minute “Something” will depend on your appreciation of the one-time Black Moses’ disdain for brevity. Elsewhere, George Harrison’s slinky, introspective “My Sweet Lord” is tailor-fitted for gospel-infused crooner John Gary Williams, while the rapid-fire opening “Day Tripper,” by Otis Redding, could’ve added some needed body and electricity to the album’s middle half.

Soulsville Sings Hitsville, comprised of Stax artists reinterpreting work done by the Motown roster, is the more even-handed and rewarding of the two collections. The geographical dynamics of the compilation are reason enough to explore further. Stax was predominately defined by its sultry, Southern-fed soul, while Motown’s urbane flair for the romantic inspired a million kisses.

O.B. McClinton’s superb, unhurried version of The Temptations’ “I Wish It Would Rain,” and Frederick Knight’s testifying “Someday We’ll Be Together,” made a hit by The Supremes, are just two examples of how well the Motown mold fits the Stax roster. The comp digs deeper into the Stax files with soul queen Margie Josephs, a more concise venture (“Never Say Goodbye”) from Hayes, and a righteous "You’ve Got to Earn It” by the Staple Singers that manages to out-boogie The Temps’ original. However, Billy Eckstine’s lounge-ready “My Cherie Amour” sounds suspiciously out of place and wouldn’t have been missed had it not made the cut.

In short, Stax Does The Beatles lends credence to the questionable notion that nobody “does” John, Paul, George and Ringo as well as those four men did themselves. Still, numerous high points make the disc worth owning for fans of either camp. Soulsville Sings Hitsville is better realized and fulfills more of a purpose. Its connectivity isn’t all about the voices, either. The Stax session crew (including Cropper, Donald "Duck” Dunn and organist Booker T. Jones) was on par with Detroit’s, representing the Funk Brothers almost any day, or last call, of the week.

Michael Andrews

Beck

Odelay: Deluxe Edition

Geffen/Ume

originally published March 12, 2008

Beck’s 1996 benchmark Odelay still kicks it with a glue-sticked collage of hip-hop, garage rock and slacker funk. Now, given Odelay Deluxe, we’re reminded how much fun it was bumping hypothetical uglies to Mr. Hansen’s work before he wrote those sadder-than-Fred Neil acoustic numbers and embraced Scientology.

Much of the album has become so familiar (as it spawned no less than five singles) that it’s tough to still be surprised by the slow-mo organ riff of "Where It’s At,” or the newly altered do-do-do-do-de-do intro to “New Pollution.” Still, it’s those little tweaks that help to make the record so righteously infused with A.D.D.-assisted skills that Beck can’t seem to release an album (Guero, anyone?) marked by upbeat tunes and spastic thrift store beats that isn’t anticipated as another Odelay.

The bonus disc neatly arranges various flotsam, including single b-sides and a couple remixes. The tacked on double smackdown of “Deadweight” and “Gold Chains” that closes out disc one, though, is the real bonus clincher, while Odelay, itself, remains the lone truly essential entry in the Beck canon thus far.

Michael Andrews

Lynyrd Skynyrd

Street Survivors: Deluxe Edition

Ume

originally published March 12, 2008

Street Survivors is often remembered for coinciding with the 1977 plane crash that killed three members of Lynyrd Skynyrd, including frontman Ronnie Van Zant. Over 30 years later, the recently expanded album should be remembered more as a refocused high point in the band’s recording career. An unplanned eulogy, yes; but it’s also one hell of a freewheeling, spot-on farewell.

For the original album, Skynyrd juiced up the steamy juke-joint rock that had made rock stars out of the hard-working hirsute Floridians. The band never really abandoned that swampy, infectious mix of R&B, barroom rock and redneck blues. However, tracks like “What’s Your Name,” and the Steve Gaines-penned “Ain’t No Good Life,” reignite sparks that had previously grown dim as the group’s hectic tour schedule increased. The album’s darkest inclusion, “That Smell,” is often used to define Street Survivors. Really, the majority of the record shows Skynyrd sounding more focused and glad to be on the clock than had been heard since 1974’s Second Helping. Street Survivors Deluxe adds a disc of cherry extras, including live cuts and demos from the original sessions, including the semi-autobiographical take on rock’s late-'70s sea change “Jacksonville Kid.”

Michael Andrews

Jim Carroll

Praying Mantis

Noble Rot

originally published March 12, 2008

Indestructible public lice, snooty art snobs and giant women are all topics covered by New York-based author-singer Jim Carroll on his 1991 spoken word release Praying Mantis. The inspired set of readings and rants found Carroll returning to his old stomping grounds of St. Mark’s Church-In-The-Bowery before an enthusiastic hometown crowd.

Carroll’s near Christopher Walken-like narration can be tough to stick with, but the listener’s dedication is often rewarded with such (un)savory morsels as the author remembering battle done with a stubborn cockroach while debuting as a “performance artist” (“Tiny Tortures”). Chances are, hearing a four-minute intimate removal of “butterflies of love” (read: crabs) won’t score second-base points on a blind date, but, for raw, unvarnished DIY snapshots delivered in the most authentic Brooklyn cadence possible, Carroll is the man. Ever have to come down from a “cough syrup and beer hangover” while over-boiling a three-minute egg? He apparently has!

Michael Andrews