Various Artist – Stone Crush Memphis Modern Soul 1977-1987
Format: CD – LP – Digital
Label: Light in the Attic Records
Releasedatum: 3 april 2020
Light in the Attic Records adds another entry to its acclaimed catalog with Stone Crush: Memphis Modern Soul 1977-1987, the definitive overview of the modern soul scene of Bluff City’s post-Stax years. Over a decade in the making and compiled by renowned Memphis collectors and DJs Daniel Mathis and Chad Weekley, Stone Crush is an expertly curated anthology of these home-grown slices of Memphis stylings, from the “Singing Dentist” O.T. Sykes’ private press soul to the visionary bedroom funk of Captain Fantastic & Starfleet—rare sides whose original copies are considered holy grails by DJs and collectors all over. The accompanying full-color booklet includes unseen archival photos and extensive liner notes by Memphis curator/writer Andria Lisle and Grammy Award-winning writer Robert Gordon.
Memphis has always been a studio town, where making hit records looked easy. An unknown Elvis could walk into Sun Studios and cut a side, while Willie Mitchell worked his magic around the corner at the Hi Records studio. This vast studio ecosystem meant that even when Stax Records folded in 1975, everybody still knew somebody who could get them into a real recording facility. The city’s largest player in the business was gone, but the possibilities that it introduced were not.
Stone Crush is the definitive overview of Memphis’ modern soul scene of the post-Stax years. It’s a collection of funky tracks of hope—from dentist O.T. Sykes, who traded dental work for studio time, to the ad-man who moonlighted as the visionary mastermind behind Captain Fantastic & Starfleet, few of them ever had anything to do with a hit, but across the board, each believed. Like Cato Walker, whose father’s gig as B.B. King’s driver got him an in, and The Bar-Kays’ former costume maker Libra, some had tangential connections to the city’s deep-rooted music scene that gave them a head start on their hopeful path to fame. Over a decade in the making, Stone Crush is an expertly curated compilation of these home-grown slices of Memphis stylings, from roller skate boogie to private press soul to bedroom funk—rare sides whose original copies are considered holy grails by DJs and collectors all over. This collection does more than transport us to a time gone by. It helps us hear what couldn’t be heard then.
Tracks:
01. O.T. Sykes – Stone Crush On You
02. L.A. – The Doctor
03. Tom Sanders – I’ll Get To That
04. Frankie Alexander – No Seat Dancin’
05. Captain Fantastic & Starr Fleet – Keep It To Yourself
06. Captain Fantastic & Starr Fleet – Under Cover Lover
07. Magic Morris – (I’m) Choosing You
08. Sir Henry Ivy – He Left You Standing There
09. Sweet Pearl – You Mean Everything To Me
10. Morris – Can We Melt The Ice
11. J- Phakta – Is It Love
12. Cato – Slice Of Heaven
13. Frankie Alexander – Take Time Out For Love
14. Greg Mason – What Does It Take To Know (A Woman Like You)
15. Silk Satin & Lace – Always
16. Kick – Lollie Pop
17. Kick – Right Thing
18. Libra – Convict Me
19. Mark Anthony & Lyte Speed – I’m A Boogie Roller *
* Bonus track (Digital-only / 45 rpm Vinyl Single)
Website: Light in the Attic Records
