It’s not everyday that you hear a story of a recording studio and label producing soul music, owned by two white people, located in a predominantly black neighborhood during the civil rights era in Memphis, Tennessee, with musicians who are judged on the merit of their talent rather than the color of their skin. Stax Records, founded by the brother and sister duo of Jim Stewart and Estelle Axton (Stewart + Axton = STAX), who originally opened up shop to record country music, would become the incubator for the Southern and Memphis soul styles of music. With a label roster including Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, The Staple Singers, Isaac Hayes, Eddie Floyd, Carla and Rufus Thomas, Albert King and Booker T. and the MGs, the label was bound for greatness but also downfall. Respect Yourself-The Stax Records Story, narrated by Samuel Jackson, and directed by Robert Gordon and Morgan Neville tells of the highs and lows, the eventual collapse and recent revival of the Stax label, which put out some of the rawest funk and soul in the history of the genre.
The documentary does a fantastic job of engaging its viewers as it dives head first into this legendary label that put out some of the greatest hits of that era. If you remember taking long rides with your parents and listening to AM radio hits like "Soul Man," "(Sittin On) The Dock Of The Bay," "Midnight Hour," "I'll Take You There," "Respect Yourself," "Theme from Shaft," then not only were your parents kinda cool, but you are already familiar with just a small portion of the hits from Stax. While there were plenty of ups, like producing a huge amount of Top 100 hits and putting on the 1972 WattStax concert, there were also the downs, like when Otis Redding died and the whole company was forced into bankruptcy, making many of the poor neighborhood artists who made a lot of money, poor again. Directors Robert Gordon and Morgan Neville captured all of this in their film and show that the Stax label, which put out so much great music like Isaac Hayes "Shaft" and "Hot Buttered Soul," two of my favorite albums, made music that had so much heart and raw guttural feeling. After seeing this documentary, you’ll know why. |