Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #369065 in Books
• Published on: 2004-02-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 416 pages

Synopsis
The first history of the groundbreaking label along with compelling biographies of the promoters, producers and performers who made and sold the music and the famous studio that produced hits for Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, Sam & Dave and Booker T. Grammy award winning historian Rob Bowman discloses the behind the scenes deals and business transactions that contributed to the rise and fall of Stax Records - the greatest R&B label ever. He spent 12 years researching and carried out numerous interviews for this book.

Customer Reviews

A well researched, well written book for all music fans.
Do you like good music?
Sweet soul music?
Then this book is for you.
This book is soul fan's delight!
Rob Bowman had previously written the sleeve notes for all three Stax singles cd box sets and this book is the accumulation of these sleeve notes (each being a book in themselves) and a whole lot more!
Anecdote after anecdote, interview after interview, the book charts the meteoric rise and dramatic decline and eventual bankruptcy of one of the greatest labels of sixties.
Stories on Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, Booker T and the MG's, Issac Hayes, Rufus and Carla Thomas are all in here and an absolute must for any soul fan.
I hasten add, however, that this book is in-depth in places and some may find it one for the anoraks among us (I'll get my pac-a-mac).
But nevertheless, if soul music is your thing, then this book is a great read.

Stax Blues
I hate to criticise someone who has spent twelve years on a project, but this book ultimately disappoints. The early years of Stax (recording techniques, musicians etc.) are vividly described but the problems start with the author's attempt to unravel the company's financial decline. The interminable litany of loans, financial restructuring,court cases and general chaos of a company heading for bankruptcy is reported in all its minutiae and eventually one has to give up,exhausted.His continual use of square brackets throughout the prose irritates also and there is no discography. As I've said, it seems churlish to criticise an obvious labour of love, but this could have been so much better.

An indispensable guide for any Stax aficionado.
The birth, life and death of the magnificent Stax Organization in one painstakingly researched volume. Heavy on facts but maybe too light on emotions. Places Stax and its ultimate fall in an economic and political context. An indispensable guide for any Stax aficionado.

The book might have benefited from a discography appendix to take the chart listings out of the main body of text.