VA - Never to Be Forgotten, The Flip Side of Stax 1968-1974 [2012]

SOUL

VA - Never to Be Forgotten, The Flip Side of Stax 1968-1974 [2012]

If you think you know Stax Records, think again. Never to Be Forgotten, The Flip Side of Stax 1968 - 1974 isn’t about the hits. It’s about what was happening just out of frame, the B-sides, the deep cuts, the strange and soulful experiments that never made it onto the greatest hits comps. Released by Light in the Attic for Record Store Day 2012, this box set is like stepping into the attic of Southern soul and finding out it was even funkier than you thought.

Each of the 10 replicated 7-inch singles in this collection tells its own story, Mable John’s “Running Out” aches with gospel desperation, while Melvin Van Peebles’ “Sweetback’s Theme” throws down psychedelic fire before blaxploitation even had a name. The Emotions, Rufus and Carla, Johnnie Taylor… sure, some familiar faces show up, but they’re flanked by hidden gems like Lee Sain and Roy Lee Johnson, artists who left behind grooves that somehow still sound fresh.

It’s not a nostalgia trip; it’s a crate-digger’s dream with a soul that sticks to your ribs. This is Stax on the edge, and it’s glorious. (B)

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Track list

01 Mable John - Running Out 2:09

02 Mable John - Shouldn't I Love Him 2:30

03 Bernie Hayes - Cool Strut Pt. 1 2:53

04 Bernie Hayes - Cool Strut Pt. 2 2:45

05 Lee Sain - Them Hot Pants Pt. 1 3:06

06 Lee Sain - Them Hot Pants Pt. 2 3:24

07 Johnnie Taylor - Hijackin' Love 3:19

08 Johnnie Taylor - Love in the Streets 2:47

09 Melvin Van Peebles - Sweetback's Theme 3:24

10 Melvin Van Peebles - Hoppin' John 3:32

11 Mad Lads - Gone! The Promises of Yesterday 3:42

12 Mad Lads - I'm So Glad I Fell in Love with You 2:09

13 Emotions - My Honey and Me 3:38

14 Emotions - Blind Alley 3:04

15 Rufus Thomas - Itch and Scratch Pt. 1 3:10

16 Rufus Thomas - Itch and Scratch Pt. 2 3:01

17 Roy Lee Johnson & the Villagers - The Dryer Pt. 1 2:17

18 Roy Lee Johnson & the Villagers - The Dryer Pt. 2 2:22

19 John Gary Williams - The Whole Damn World is Going Crazy 3:12

20 John Gary Williams - Ask the Lonely 3:30

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Music weaves itself into the fabric of our emotions, dances through the corridors of memory, and whispers to the soul of who we are. Sharing these stories deepens the connection, turning the experience into something timeless and profound.

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