The Soul Of A Bell

Essential soul release for any fan of Stax-Volt. It's easy to hear why Gram Parsons was so taken by by Bell. He had a very easy going 'croon' vs a 'growl' that so many other soul singers relied on. His style was earnest, easy going & very soulful. Parson's & the Byrds waxed "You Don't Miss Your Water" for the Sweetheart LP & along with Bell, truly immortalized this song. The Burrito's & Parsons also recorded "Do Right Man" in their country rock version. But, that's enough about cover versions. Bell was truly one of Stax's 1st super stars & he was at home with ballads as well as soul movers like "Eloise". The 1st 1/2 of the LP is legendary ballads including "Nothing Takes The Place of You" which in my opinion is one of the all time soul ballads ever & this comes in just under Tousaint McCall's version or maybe even ties it. Bell is still out there playing & recording & I hope to get the chance to see him.

This is one fine album. It is first rate old skool soul at its finest. I have it on steady - rock steady - rotation at home and the kids are lovin' it.

William Bell must have felt like the best light heavyweight on a label of heavyweights. Stax in the mid to late sixties was like a GTO firing on all cylinders and William Bell who helped build the machine was left standing in the driveway. Heres a great way for southern soul fans to hear the underappreciated talent of William Bell. "You Don't Miss Your Water" is a country soul standard having been covered by The Byrds, Taj Mahal, and Gram Parsons. This was one of the earliest releases on Stax and hearing Booker T. play country tinged piano is worth the price of the CD alone. Bell is a smooth soulful singer for the most part although he can pull off a rougher Otis Redding sound when it's called for. Somehow, back in the sixties, I missed out on hearing "Everybody Loves A Winner", the standout cut here. Churchy and soulful, heartfelt and moving, Van Morrison might well have used it as a blueprint for the Moondance album. It's that powerful. This music is, alternately, gritty and ethereal, deeply sad and joyful, filled with the exuberance of youth and the dignity of adulthood. All that is my way of saying that the man has soul. He does'nt mind sharing it either.

Jim Stewart and Estelle Axton founded Stax Records in the early 1960s and established their recording studio in Memphis. Thanks to them, and their roster of excellent studio musicians (Cropper, Dunn, Hayes et al), the Memphis soul sound pleased many. Not all of their artists attained major star status. Among such artists was William Bell, a talented soul singer. I recall that a few of these songs received moderate local radio play, among them: You Don't Miss Your Water, Eloise, It's Happening All Over and Never Like This Before. These songs, all of which are on this CD, are a good representation of 1960s Memphis soul music that is often forgotten or overlooked. These songs don't get played on oldies radio stations. So, if you are a fan of 1960s soul, you might consider going beyond the highly-played artists such as Aretha Franklin and giving this a listen. No 60s soul collection would be complete without it. Highly recommended.

William Bell never really hit the big time; his biggest hit was "You Don't Miss Your Water" in 1961. I can't be sure the one on this package is even the original of that one but it matters not. These sparse lean recordings come from a very special place in time. They deserve a listen; in fact, anything with the name "Stax" on it should not be ignored.

I really like this CD.. I never thought I would Locate it and at such a good price, too.

LAS REEDICIONES JAPONESAS, DE GRAN CALIDAD, HAN RECOGIDO BUENAS OBRAS DE LA MÚSICA NEGRA DE LOS SESENTA Y SETENTA. ESTE CD ES UNA DE ELLAS, SIN SER UNA OBRA MAESTRA. PERO ES FUNDAMENTAL PARA LOS ENAMORADOS DE LA BUENA MÚSICA SOUL...

Puntuale e preciso. Fantastica iniziativa della warner japan di ri pubblicare classici perduti della musica soul rnb fine anni 60 inizio 70 a prezzo stracciato

great album from an often overlooked soul legend

スタックスの特に大成功した方でもなく、なんとなくで購入。１曲目からどハマり。A面がバラード、B面が少しアップテンポ、という構成かな？特に奇をてらったものでもなく、「極上」というものでもないです。「良質の普通」２曲目がヒット曲でもないがよくカヴァされる曲らしく、手持ちでザ・バーズやオーティスのヴァージョンがありました。バーズは完全にカントリーにアレンジしていて、それも面白い。名盤、人気盤では無いかも知れませんが、日常かけるのにいいですよ。

一声聞いた瞬間、これ！これ！聞きたかったのは。。。と思いました！最高のソウルミュージックです。ちなみに一番好きな歌手はオーティス　レデイングです。本当に買って良かったです。