Still Bill, Part 3

Bill Withers died almost two weeks ago now. Here's a final installment (for now, anyway) in my little tribute to him and one of the most perfect songs ever written.

Isaac Hayes ‎– At Wattstax
Stax ‎– SCD-88042-2
CD, Album, US, 2003

The 1972 Wattstax concert took place in LA, organized by Memphis based Stax Records on the seventh anniversary of the Watts Riots. Promoted as "the Black Woodstock," The Staple Singers, The Bar-Kays and Richard Pryor performed, Jesse Jackson MC'ed, and the concert was filmed and recorded for a movie and album released in '73.

Not one for subtlety, a gold plated Cadillac drove Isaac Hayes up to the stage in the middle of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum where he took the stage wearing a vest of golden chains. The whole set was recorded, but only one Hayes track was included on the original Wattstax album. But what a track it was... A 17 minute live version of Ain't No Sunshine is something special. The full set wasn't released until 2003 on this CD.

Growing up in the Midwest, Stax Records didn't have the same kind of presence in the music of my youth as, say, Motown or even Chess. Isaac Hayes was probably the first artist that really opened the door (and my ears) to the Southern soul label. My father was never known for impeccable musical taste or his vast record collection (4 words: Olivia Newton John, Xanadu), but somehow a few Isaac Hayes LPs found their way into his stack and from there into my regular rotation. In fact, I'm pretty sure my copies of Black Moses and the Shaft soundtrack were stolen from the living room in my teenage years.

1  Theme From Shaft
2  Soulsville
3  Never Can Say Goodbye
4  Part Time Love
5  Your Love Is So Doggone Good
6  Ain't No Sunshine / Lonely Avenue
7  I Stand Accused
8  Finale: Rev. Jesse Jackson / Jimmy Jones - If I Had A Hammer