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Atlantic/Stax:

Atlantic/Stax:. Soulsville, U. S. A. Southern Soul. Heavily influenced by blues and gospel Retains elements of R&B Horn section Tendency toward shuffle rhythms Emotional, “attitude” songs Rougher, blues/gospel singing style of most performers. Stax Records.

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Atlantic/Stax:

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  1. Atlantic/Stax: Soulsville, U. S. A.

  2. Southern Soul • Heavily influenced by blues and gospel • Retains elements of R&B • Horn section • Tendency toward shuffle rhythms • Emotional, “attitude” songs • Rougher, blues/gospel singing style of most performers

  3. Stax Records • Studio at center of soul - Stax Records in Memphis • Named for founders Jim STewart and Estelle AXton • Recorded for Atlantic Records from 1960 • Memphis • Muscle Shoals, Alabama

  4. Booker T. and the MGs • Integrated band • Booker T. Jones (piano), Al Jackson (drums) African-American • Donald “Duck” Dunn (bass), Steve Cropper (guitar) white • Memphis Horns - all white • Stressed electric guitar, active bass lines, horn lines • Often worked out arrangements on spot, based on head arrangements or lead sheets • Essential part of Stax sound

  5. MOTOWN “Hitsville” Black owned All black performers Aimed at white audience Top-down decisions Songs by professional songwriters STAX “Soulsville” White owned (at first) Integrated Aimed at R&B audience Collaborative Songs by performers, arranged in sessions Comparison Between Motown and Stax

  6. MOTOWN Producer/composer most important Smooth, refined pop sound Complex textures Wall of Sound 8 beat style beat, moving to 16-beat Clean, crisp rhythms STAX Performer most important Rawer, blues-gospel sound Simpler textures Horn/rhythm sections 8 beat style beat, moving to 16-beat Pulsating “funky” rhythms Motown and Stax

  7. Aretha Franklin (1942- ) • Began as gospel singer • Signed by Columbia in 1960 to be black pop singer - fails • Jerry Wexler at Atlantic records buys contract in 1966 • Sends to Stax studio at Muscle Shoals, AL to record own material

  8. Respect • Cover version of Otis Redding hit • Minimal instrumental accompaniment • Focus on lead, backing vocals • 4 bar intro: bass (beat), horns (harmonic rhythms), guitar riff (style beat)

  9. Respect • Form: A A A sax solo A B (R-E-S-P-E-C-T), vamp on A section as outro • Improvised elaboration of previously heard material • Backing vocals play active role • Call and response, style beat • Many details worked out in session

  10. Otis Redding (1941-1967) • Started career as backup singer for Little Richard • Commanded wide variety of styles • Soulful ballads like Percy Sledge • Blues/gospel fusion • Gritty tone • Impassioned style • Breakout performance at Monterey Pop • Killed in plane crash later that year

  11. I Can’t Turn You Loose • Opens with memorable, syncopated riff • Another riff layered on top • Vocals also based on riff • Strong beat AND strong backbeat • Gospel influence evident

  12. Other Major Stax Artists • Isaac Hayes • Songwriter/producer for Stax • Theme from Shaft won Grammy, Oscar for best song • Wilson Pickett - In The Midnight Hour • Percy Sledge - When A Man Loves a Woman • Sam and Dave (Sam Moore and Dave Prater)

  13. Sam and Dave - Soul Man Certain similarities to Motown sound • Riff-based, verse and refrain, end-weighted • Differences • More gospel-influenced vocal • Not a “story song” - about attitude • Groove • eight beat rock rhythm in bass line • back beat in tambourine (refrain) or drums (verse) • horn riffs • double time guitar riff

  14. James Brown Neither Motown nor Stax: Just Soul

  15. James Brown (1933- ) • Age 5: starts dancing on streets for tips • Age 20: Joins gospel quartet • Brown emerges as leader • Change name to the Famous Flames • First hit Please, please, please (1956) gospel-inspired doo-wop • Style changes in mid 1960s

  16. James Brown Style • Fuses tight, riff-based jump blues and R&B horn sections • Fervid, gospel performing style • Up-tempo dance numbers • Emphasize rhythm over melody • Polyrhythmic • Each part maintains own repetitive pattern

  17. I Got You • Harsh, declamatory vocals and falsetto shrieks • Solid rock beat in drums • Well-defined sections, set off by tone colors and vocals • Arrangement of these blocks of sound gives form to song

  18. Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag • Same organizing principle as I Got You • Riff-based horn parts • Double-time guitar riff at end of chorus: sixteen-beat style beat for one measure • Choked rhythm guitar

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