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REISSUES: NEW THEN. NEW AGAIN
DOES THE BEATLES
VARIOUS ARTISTS
Stax Does The Beatles
Soulsville Sings Hitsville
Stax
Two new collections, entries in the ongoing
Stax archives campaign,.showcase represen
tatives of the Memphis soul mecca sending
shout-outs to peers up in Detroit and to pop
music's ever-covered cross-cultural ambassa
dors. The Beatles.
Stox Does The Beatles is the weaker of the
two collections, compiled from album tracks
spanning various phases of the label. It's an
abundance of near grocery store soundtrack
instrumentals. Sublimely funky elevator music
it may be, but only Steve Cropper's Dixie-fried
take on "With a Little Help from My Friends"
speaks louder than the lack of Lennon-
McCartney lyricism. Furthermore, the relevance
of Isaac Hayes' 12-minute "Something" will
depend on your appreciation of the one-time
Black Moses' disdain for brevity. Elsewhere,
George Harrison's slinky, introspective "My
Sweet Lord" is tailor-fitted tor gospel-infused
crooner John Gary Williams, while the rapid-
fire opening "Day Tripper," by Otis Redding,
could've added some needed body and elec
tricity to the album's middle half.
Soulsville Sings Hitsville, comprised of
Stax artists reinterpreting work done by the
Motown roster, is the more even-handed and
rewarding of the two collections. The geo
graphical dynamics of the compilation are
reason enough to explore further. Stax was
predominately defined by its sultry. Southern-
fed soul, while Motown's urbane flair for the
romantic inspired a million kisses.
O.B. McClinton's superb, unhurried ver
sion of The Temptations' "I Wish It Would
Rain," and Frederick Knight's testifying
"Someday We'll Be Together," made a hit by
The Supremes, are just two examples of how
well the Motown mold fits the Stax roster.
The comp digs deeper into the Stax files with
soul queen Margie Josephs, a more concise
venture ("Never Say Goodbye") from Hayes,
and a righteous "You've Got to Earn It" by the
Staple Singers that manages to out-boogie
The Temps' original. However, Billy Eckstine’s
lounge-ready "My Cherie Amour" sounds sus
piciously out of place and wouldn't have been
missed had it not made the cut.
In short, Stax Does The Beatles lends cre
dence to the questionable notion that nobody
"does" John, Paul, George and Ringo as
well as those four men did themselves. Still,
numerous high points make the disc worth
owning for fans of either camp. Soulsville
Sings Hitsville is better realized and fulfills
more of a purpose. Its connectivity isn't all
about the voices, either. The Stax session
crew (including Cropper, Donald "Duck" Dunn
and organist Booker T. Jones) was on par
with Detroit's, representing the Funk Brothers
almost any day, or last call, of the week.
DE I
BECK
Odelay: Deluxe Edition
Geffen/Ume
Beck's 1996 benchmark Odelay still kicks
it with a glue-sticked collage of hip-hop,
garage rock and slacker funk. Now, given
Odelay Deluxe, we're reminded how much fun
it was bumping hypothetical uglies to Mr.
Hansen's work before he wrote those sadder-
than-Fred Neil acoustic numbers and embraced
Scientology.
Much of the album has become so familiar
(as it spawned no less than five singles) that
it's tough to still be surprised by the slow-
mo organ riff of "Where It's At," or the newly
altered do-do-do-do-de-do intro to "New
Pollution." Still, it's those little tweaks that
help to make the record so righteously infused
with A.D.D.-assisted skills that Beck can't
seem to release an album (Guero, anyone?)
marked by upbeat tunes and spastic thrift
store beats that isn't anticipated as another
Odelay.
The bonus disc neatly arranges various
flotsam, including single b-sides and a couple
remixes. The tacked on double smackdown
of "Deadweight" and "Gold Chains" that
closes out disc one, though, is the real bonus
clincher, while Odelay. itself, remains the lone
truly essential entry in the Beck canon thus
far.
o rr if >; n
E - JT rJT
LYNYRD SKYNYRD
Street Survivors: Deluxe Edition
Ume
Street Survivors is often remembered for
coinciding with the 19/7 plane crash that
killed three members of Lynyrd Skynyrd,
including frontman Ronnie Van Zant. Over
30 years later, the recently expanded album
should be remembered more as a refocused
high point in the band's recording career. An
unplanned eulogy, yes; but it's also one hell of
a freewheeling, spot-on farewell.
For the original album, Skynyrd juiced up
the steamy juke-joint rock that had made
rock stars out of the hard-working hirsute
Floridians. The band never really abandoned
that swampy, infectious mix of R&B, barroom
rock and redneck blues. However, tracks like
"What's Your Name," and the Steve Gaines-
penned "Ain't No Good Life," reignite sparks
that had previously grown dim as the group's
hectic tour schedule increased. The album's
darkest inclusion, "That Smell," is often used
to define Street Survivors. Really, the majority
of the record shows Skynyrd sounding more
focused and glad tc be on the clock than
had been heard since 1974's Second Helping.
Street Survivors Deluxe adds a disc of cherry
extras, including live cuts and demos from the
original sessions, including the semi-autobio
graphical take on rock's late-'70s sea change
"Jacksonville Kid."
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CARROLL
PRAYING ttANTIS
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JIM CARROLL
Praying Mantis
Noble Rot
Indestructible public lice, snooty art snobs
and giant women are all topics covered by
New York-based author-singer Jim Carroll on
his 1991 spoken word release Praying Mantis.
The inspired set of readings and rants found
Carroll returning to his old stomping grounds
of St. Mark's Church-In-The-Bowery before an
enthusiastic hometown crowd.
Carroli's near Christopher Walken-like nar
ration can be tough to stick with, but the lis
tener's dedication is often rewarded with such
(un)savory morsels as the author remembering
battle done with a stubborn cockroach while
debuting as a "performance artist" ("Tiny
Tortures"). Chances are, hearing a four-minute
intimate removal of "butterflies of love" (read:
crabs) won't score second-base points on a
blind date, but, for raw, unvarnished DIY snap
shots delivered in the most authentic Brooklyn
cadence possible, Carroll is the man. Ever have
to come down from a "cough syrup and beer
hangover" while over-boiling a three-minute
egg? He apparently has!
Michael Andrews
Redux Nation is a monthly column focusing on album
reissues, repackagings and box sets.
Bleu
Restaurant
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■ 6-8pm
An evening of wine, food &
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Reservations 706-769-6480
2 South main Street
Downtown Wathinsville
www.maison-bleu.com
28 FLAGPOLE.COM • MARCH 12,2008
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