As part of the year-long campaign celebrating the 60th anniversary of iconic soul label, Stax Records (as well as the 50th anniversary of the Stax/Volt Revue’s first tour of theUK), Craft Recordings has announced the release of The Stax 7s Box.
The Stax 7s Box is a special, limited-edition vinyl boxset offering 14 rare tracks from the Stax vaults. Artists featured range from some of the bigger names on the label, likeCarla Thomas, and Johnnie Taylor, to one-hit-wonders, like Roz Ryan and Joni Wilson. The collection unearths rare gems from Stax’s archives – many of which never became popular in the US, but had a much bigger following amongst the UK’s Northern Soul scene of the 60s and 70s.
Each track was hand-selected by BBC DJ Richard Searling, and presented on seven 7” records. Searling, who was a driving force in the UK’s Northern Soul scene in the1970s, explains his curation process in the box set’s detailed liner notes: “I’ve selected the content based on my experience of featuring these songs in clubs, on the radio or from just being amazed by how hard to locate many of them are. Although several have been previously made available on sevens, it’s great to see them finally legally released on the authentic Stax imprint. ‘Rare Stamps’ indeed, on seven 45s and in a limited-edition box set – I hope you will enjoy the selections.”
Tracklist for The Stax 7s Box:
Record One
Side A: I’m The One Who Loves You – Darrell Banks
Side B: Sweet Sherry – J.J. Barnes
Record Two
Side A: I’ll Never Stop Loving You – Carla Thomas
Side B: One More Chance – Margie Joseph
Record Three
Side A: The Whole Damn World Is Going Crazy – John Gary Williams
Side B: Why Must Our Eyes Always Be Turned Backwards – Lou Bond
Record Four
Side A: Hey You! Don’t Fight It! – The Montclairs
Side B: The Stars – Barbara Lewis
Record Five
Side A: Friday Night – Johnnie Taylor
Side B: Happy – William Bell
Record Six
Side A: Special Kind Of Woman – Paul Thompson
Side B: You’re My Only Temptation – Roz Ryan
Record Seven
Side A: Can You Win – Charlene &The Soul Serenaders
Side B: (Let Hurt Put You in the) Loser’s Seat – Joni Wilson