STAX: Soulsville USA Review: Music Label

STAX: Soulsville USA

Stax: Soulsville U.S.A

“STAX: Soulsville USA” offers a compelling look at the legendary Stax Records’ rise, fall, and cultural impact through extensive archival footage and insightful interviews. Despite its promotional nature, it poignantly reveals the music industry’s harsh realities for Black artists.

Movie Name: STAX: Soulsville USA
IMDb RATING: 8.7/10
Google users: 98% liked this TV show
First episode date: May 20, 2024 (USA)
Stars: Al Bell Jim Stewart David Porter

Intro

“STAX: Soulsville USA” is a four-part, four-hour series that delves into the rise and fall of the legendary Memphis soul music label, Stax Records, and its impact on American culture and history. This thrilling and often moving production illuminates the material in a sorrowful yet sensitive manner, pushing the boundaries of what is typically expected from a documentary series about pre-existing music.

The Origins of Stax Records

Stax was founded in 1957 by siblings Jim Stewart and Estelle Axton, who bonded over their love of music. While Stewart was a country fiddle player, and Axton took out a second mortgage on her house to finance the construction of a music store and a recording studio, their initial focus was solely on recording country music.

However, their trajectory changed when the father-daughter duo of Rufus and Carla Thomas entered the picture and recorded soul songs for the company. Their second effort, “Gee Whiz: Look at His Eyes,” became Stax’s first hit in both the rhythm & blues and pop charts. This success also started their association with Atlantic Records, which provided the smaller company with financial support, promotion, and distribution muscle in exchange for a five-year option on all future recordings.

The Rise of Stax and Its Iconic Artists

Over the next eight years, Stax built up the careers of multiple all-time greats, including Booker T. & the MGs and Otis Redding, becoming a force to rival Motown. While Motown was known for its slicker and more palatable sound, Stax was defined by raw, passionate lead vocals and funky Southern-fried soul elements, courtesy of their house band and regular composer-arrangers like Isaac Hayes.

Hayes’ success with the original songs and score for “Shaft” propelled Stax into the next decade, peaking with the legendary Wattstax event in Los Angeles. However, by 1975, Stax was functionally nonexistent, falling victim not only to Atlantic and Warner’s corporate treachery and an unfavorable distribution deal with CBS Records but also to the tendency of artists to start their own entertainment companies without the necessary business acumen.

The Archival Treasure Trove

“STAX” is a trove of well-known and rarely- or never-seen footage, including kinescopes of live TV concerts, home movies by Stax intimates, and TV news images of the wreckage of Redding’s plane crash. The series also features film clips and still photos that bring the 1960s Memphis recording studio scene to life, along with archival imagery of life beyond the studio, such as 16mm film of street life in ’60s Memphis and hauntingly framed shots of rain on streets and buildings in the hours leading to the Rev. Martin Luther King’s assassination.

Thoughtful Insights and Perspectives

While the series may not delve deeply into the creative and financial conflicts between artists or the seamy underbelly of the record industry, it offers thoughtful insights and perspectives from key figures like former DJ turned marketing executive Al Bell and Booker T. Jones. Their statements act as cement holding the sprawling narrative together, providing a human touch and emotional resonance to the historical events depicted.

Revealing the Harsh Realities

As the series progresses, the seeming benevolence and “color-blindness” hinted at in the early sections is peeled away, revealing the fundamental selfishness and passive-aggressive obliviousness that permeated the music industry and American society at large. The realization that runs beneath “STAX” is that the Black artists who revolutionized pop music rarely got to share in the financial success because, with a handful of exceptions, they didn’t own anything.

This harsh reality is encapsulated in a quote from James Baldwin: “I don’t want to be given anything by you. I just want to be left alone so that I can do it myself.” The series poignantly illustrates how any help the white establishment might have given was often more self-serving or conciliatory than genuinely empowering, regardless of individual intentions.

A Compelling and Emotional Journey

While “STAX” is ultimately a four-hour promotional video for intellectual property, commissioned and controlled by the rights holders, it pushes the boundaries of what such a production can achieve. The series takes viewers on a compelling and emotional journey, offering a sorrowful yet sensitive portrayal of the music industry’s darker aspects while celebrating the enduring legacy of Stax Records and its iconic artists.

Conclusion

“STAX: Soulsville, USA” is a must-watch for music enthusiasts and anyone interested in exploring the rich history and cultural impact of soul music. With its extensive archival footage, thoughtful insights, and powerful storytelling, the series shines a light on the triumphs and struggles of Stax Records, leaving a lasting impression on viewers. Whether you’re a longtime fan or a newcomer to the world of soul, this documentary series is sure to captivate and inspire.