DOUBLE DYNAMITE. AS ADVERTISED.

One of the first soul LPs I ever bought was The Best of Sam and Dave. It was a great one to start with. It had hits and a lot of songs that I didn't recognize. Even though I bought the LP long after the material was recorded, if the rest of the songs were hits, they weren't big enough to make it to the oldies stations a decade or two after being released. It was a great LP. They recorded most of the songs, if not all, at Stax backed by Booker T and the MGs. Their voices are perfect together and the unscripted "ad-libs" between lines makes it feel like you're there.

I'm sure many of you have heard "Soul Man" their biggest hit, probably a million times. Even if you have, listen to it again without distractions. Really listen. It's an excellent song. There's one part, at 1:14, where one of them says "Play it Steve" right before a guitar lick. I remember how proud I was once I put together pieces of liner notes from different LPs and deducted that "Steve" was Steve Cropper of the MGs. This was years before the internet so without the aid of liner notes it would have taken a trip to the library or contacting a music egghead. Liner notes, folks, liner notes.

I still listen to that Best of LP pretty often...oh, that reminds me. If you really like a song, or multiple songs, by a particular artist, do yourself a favor. Don't just download a song or two. Shell out for a compilation of the artist, Greatest Hits or other. You really can't judge any artist by one song. And, if you're like me, it might open up a rabbit hole leading to other artists on the same wavelength, or recorded at the same recording studio or with the same producer or just give you a tip for a record label with similar fare. Though the Sam and Dave LP was on Atlantic, because they recorded at Stax that opened up a plethora of other artists to check out.

Here's just a few from Sam & Dave. You really need check the video. It's a Stax Volt tour in Norway in 1967 with Otis Redding, Booker T and the MGs and Sam and Dave. (Otis Redding opens it, with Booker T and the MGs at 2:58, Sam and Dave at 7:18 and more Otis Redding at 17:38.) This is the good shit with a lot of sweat.

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~ 

Listen:
Sam and Dave - Soul Man mp3 at Internet Archive
Sam and Dave - Hold On, I'm Comin' mp3 at Internet Archive
Sam and Dave - You Don't Know Like I Know mp3 at Internet Archive
Sam and Dave - You Don't Know What You Mean to Me (streaming) at YouTube
Sam and Dave - It's a Wonder mp3 at Mr. Suave

LOCK DOWN THEATER NIGHT 8

This should kill more than a few hours. These were first posted here five years ago, but it's worth a bookmark, especially not knowing how long the stay at home orders last. Without just repeating what was said when I first posted these, I'm just slapping a new title on the post. Here's what I said back then:

Dude looks pretty square doesn't he? Assuming you don't know who Hoss Allen is, if someone were to tell you that he hosted a syndicated TV show you'd probably think it would be fairly tepid, right? Wrong. He hosted The !!!! Beat, a 1966 music series with insanely solid line-ups of soul, R & B and blues artists all performing in the studio, most in front of a live band. The list of performers includes (prepare to drool here) Etta James, the Bar Kays, Louis Jordan, Otis Redding, Carla Thomas, Freddie King, Willie Mitchell, Barbara Lynn, Sam and Dave, the Mighty Hannibal, Joe Tex, and on and on. Yeah, budget a night or two, get a six pack, and for fuck sake, turn off that phone.

Seriously you guys, this is insanity. For just a couple teasers of what can be found in random samplings, click here for Barbara Lynn doing "What I'd Say", with Clarence Gatemouth Brown on guitar. (Oh yeah, that's another thing. Brown was part of the house band! Holy shit and what not!) And one more quick one before you leave, click here for a goosebump inducing clip of Etta James doing "Only Time Will Tell". Those two are just completely random. Here's some links to entire shows, but there's lots more at Youtube.

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~

Listen:
The !!!! Beat, Vol 4 Show #15 at YouTube Louis Jordan and the Tympani Five (five songs) and Freddy King (two songs, one with Clarence Gatemouth Brown)
The !!!! Beat, Vol 6 # Show 26 at YouTube Otis Redding (guest host!), Percy Sledge, the Bar Kays, Sam and Dave, Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles, and more.
The !!!! Beat, Vol 1 # Show 2 at YouTube Joe Tex, Etta James, Little Milton, Gatemouth Brown, and more.
The !!!! Beat - More episodes (over fifteen) at YouTube

FULL ON STAX SWEAT

It might have been because Sam and Dave were the first Stax act that I latched onto. It might have been because I was seeing a choice video clip unexpectedly, without actually looking for it. Whatever the reason, last night, while working on the Packy Axton post, I ran into the clip below, of Sam and Dave and, literally, got goosebumps. Not the kind that go away in a few seconds. Folks, I looked at my arms halfway through the clip and it looked like I was breaking out in hives. As if I needed a reminder what good music is capable of.

It's not just Sam and Dave's performance that got to me. It was the sight of Booker T and the MG's backing them, with the Mar-Keys on horns. Take a look at it. This is what a groove driven, exceptionally tight band looks like. Check out Duck Dunn, the bassist; he knows. On the first song, "You Don't Know Like I Know," he's got it bad. And drummer Al Jackson is just as into it. You out to watch all the videos below. They're all from a Stax Volt revue, in Norway in 1967. Besides Sam and Dave, there are performances by Booker T and The MGs, Arthur Conley, Eddie Floyd, the Mar-Keys and Otis Redding. Phew!

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~

Listen:
Sam and Dave - Soul Sister, Brown Sugar mp3 at Beware of the Blog
Sam and Dave - You Don't Know Like I Know mp3 at Lumberjack Thief
Sam and Dave - You Got Me Hummin' mp3 at Beware of the Blog
Sam and Dave - Wrap It Up mp3 at The Soul Girl
Sam and Dave - It's a Wonder mp3 at Mr. Suave
Sam and Dave - When Something Is Wrong With My Baby mp3 at Eddie Watkins Jr.
Video:
Stax Volt Tour of Norway, 1967: Booker T and The MGs, Arthur Conley, Sam and Dave, Eddie Floyd, the Mar-Keys and Otis Redding.
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6
Visit:
"You Know I've Got Soul": The Legendary 1967 Stax European Tour at The Selvedge Yard