Name: Nobody Wins: Stax Southern Soul 1968-1975
Brand: Ace (Label)
SKU: 23602180
Price: 13.22 USD
Availability: InStock

Nobody Wins

Rating

Album: Nobody Wins: Stax Southern Soul 1968-1975
#	Song Title		Time
1)	STAY BABY STAY - Johnny Daye	More Info...
2)	I'VE DONE IT AGAIN - The Charmels	More Info...
3)	LOVE CHANGES - Charlene & The Soul Serenaders	More Info...
4)	MOVE OVER - The Soul Children	More Info...
5)	HOLD ON THIS TIME - Chuck Brooks	More Info...
6)	WHERE WAS HE? - Jimmy Lewis	More Info...
7)	NOBODY WINS TIL THE GAME IS OVER - Mack Rice	More Info...
8)	GROOVIN' ON MY BABY'S LOVE - Freddie Waters	More Info...
9)	STEALING LOVE - Eddie Floyd	More Info...
10)	CROSSING OVER THE BRIDGE - Inez Foxx	More Info...
11)	MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE - Bettye Crutcher	More Info...
12)	LOVIN' ON BORROWED TIME - William Bell	More Info...
13)	TWO FOOLS - Willie Singleton	More Info...
14)	YOU'RE LEAVING ME - Ollie & The Nightingales	More Info...
15)	THE FAULT IS NOT IN ME - Sylvia and The Blue Jays	More Info...
16)	SHOULDN'T I LOVE HIM - Mable John	More Info...
17)	WILL YOU LOVE ME FOREVER - Johnnie Taylor	More Info...
18)	I'VE NEVER FOUND A GIRL TO LOVE ME LIKE YOU DO - Calvin Scott	More Info...
19)	LET 'EM DOWN BABY - Jimmy Hughes	More Info...
20)	WOMAN ACROSS THE RIVER - Little Milton	More Info...
21)	A LOVE AFFAIR THAT BEARS NO PAIN - Shack	More Info...
22)	LONELY LIFE - John Edwards	More Info...

Album: Nobody Wins: Stax Southern Soul 1968-1975
#	Song Title		Time
1)	STAY BABY STAY - Johnny Daye	More Info...
2)	I'VE DONE IT AGAIN - The Charmels	More Info...
3)	LOVE CHANGES - Charlene & The Soul Serenaders	More Info...
4)	MOVE OVER - The Soul Children	More Info...
5)	HOLD ON THIS TIME - Chuck Brooks	More Info...
6)	WHERE WAS HE? - Jimmy Lewis	More Info...
7)	NOBODY WINS TIL THE GAME IS OVER - Mack Rice	More Info...
8)	GROOVIN' ON MY BABY'S LOVE - Freddie Waters	More Info...
9)	STEALING LOVE - Eddie Floyd	More Info...
10)	CROSSING OVER THE BRIDGE - Inez Foxx	More Info...
11)	MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE - Bettye Crutcher	More Info...
12)	LOVIN' ON BORROWED TIME - William Bell	More Info...
13)	TWO FOOLS - Willie Singleton	More Info...
14)	YOU'RE LEAVING ME - Ollie & The Nightingales	More Info...
15)	THE FAULT IS NOT IN ME - Sylvia and The Blue Jays	More Info...
16)	SHOULDN'T I LOVE HIM - Mable John	More Info...
17)	WILL YOU LOVE ME FOREVER - Johnnie Taylor	More Info...
18)	I'VE NEVER FOUND A GIRL TO LOVE ME LIKE YOU DO - Calvin Scott	More Info...
19)	LET 'EM DOWN BABY - Jimmy Hughes	More Info...
20)	WOMAN ACROSS THE RIVER - Little Milton	More Info...
21)	A LOVE AFFAIR THAT BEARS NO PAIN - Shack	More Info...
22)	LONELY LIFE - John Edwards	More Info...

Performer Notes

Liner Note Author: Dean Rudland.
The Ace Records family has reissued numerous collector-oriented compilations from the Stax vaults over the years, and this 2012 anthology was intended as the first of a planned series on its Kent subsidiary focusing on Stax tracks from the late '60s and early '70s. The 21 tracks all focus on Stax recordings that fall into the Southern deep soul category -- not a problem as such soul abounded on the label, though these might be more deep soul-oriented than the typical Stax reissue. It's also oriented toward songs that aren't too familiar -- none of them were hits, and three of them were previously unreleased, though most of them did come out as singles between 1968 and 1975. And while some of the artists (Johnnie Taylor, Jimmy Hughes, William Bell, Inez Foxx, Eddie Floyd, Mable John, Little Milton) at various points had substantial hits (though not always for Stax), they're outweighed by acts that will largely be recognized only by those that study the fine print of Stax discographies.
None of these songs were hooky or innovative enough to be as memorable as the many hits the label had during these half-dozen or so years. Hits aren't everything, though, unless you're as rabid a capitalist as you are a collector. If some of these songs are on the average or generic side, more often they're pretty fair efforts that usually boast excellent singing and fine (if occasionally slick) production, as well as subtly testifying to the versatility of tracks released under the Stax umbrella. Particularly pleasing are some cuts that use more group harmonies than the norm for Stax productions from this era, as well as some that exhibit a bluesier bent than soul as a whole did during this period, like Little Milton's fine "Woman Across the River," Jimmy Hughes' "Let 'Em Down Baby," and Mable John's "Shouldn't I Love Him." The menu's varied enough that favorites will vary according to individual tastes, but other tracks worthy of citation include Johnny Daye's opening pleader "Stay Baby Stay" and Bettye Crutcher's previously unissued sweet soul outing "Make a Joyful Noise" (which unlike many outtakes really should have been released at the time). Sometimes it's apparent that Stax was keeping an ear open to the sounds of Hi elsewhere in Memphis -- Freddie Waters' "Groovin' on My Baby's Love" has an Al Green feel, for instance -- though no doubt some of that influence was traveling in the other direction as well. Stax obsessives will already have much of this, particularly on volumes two and three of the box sets of Stax singles. But this is a good pickup for those who don't want to make such a huge investment, yet are still interested in seeking out some of the label's deep catalog. ~ Richie Unterberger

Professional Reviews

Mojo (Publisher) (p.103) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "Love cheats and abandoned sweethearts aplenty on a set of strong Stax soul..."