WIWS Banner

The Second Disc

Expanded and Remastered Music News

  • Home
  • News
    • Classic Rock
    • Rock
    • Pop
    • Jazz
    • Popular Standards/Vocal
    • R&B/Soul
    • Country
    • Folk
    • Cast Recordings
    • Soundtracks
    • Everything Else
      • Classical/Opera
      • Disco/Dance
      • Funk
      • Gospel
      • Rap/Hip-Hop
  • Features
    • Release Round-Up
    • Giveaways!
    • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Classic Rock
    • Rock
    • Pop
    • Jazz
    • Popular Standards/Vocal
    • R&B/Soul
    • Country
    • Folk
    • Cast Recordings
    • Soundtracks
    • Everything Else
      • Classical/Opera
      • Disco/Dance
      • Funk
      • Gospel
      • Rap/Hip-Hop
  • Release Calendar
    • Coming Soon
    • Now Available
  • About
  • Second Disc Records
    • Full Catalog
  • Contact

/ News

Let's Have Some Fun: Cherry Red, Robinsongs Celebrate Bar-Kays with "The Definitive Collection"

May 10, 2019 By Joe Marchese 1 Comment

BUY NOW FROM AMAZON.COM

Now in their sixth decade, The Bar-Kays' place in the R&B pantheon is assured.  From the Memphis soul stew of their first single "Soul Finger" in 1967 through the funk-drenched workouts of the 1970s, the common factors have been the band's authenticity, grit, and musicianship.  Now, the full story of the band has been told on Cherry Red and Robinsongs' recent release The Definitive Collection, a 3-CD, 46-song anthology spanning their 1967-1989 recordings on the Stax/Volt and Mercury labels.

Unimaginable tragedy struck the band early in their career.  The Bar-Kays got their start at Stax Records and had just scored a hit single on the label (the brash, brassy dancer "Soul Finger," a Billboard No. 3 R&B/No. 17 Pop hit) when tragedy struck on December 10, 1967.  Four members of the band - Jimmy King, Ronnie Caldwell, Phalon Jones, and Carl Cunningham - perished in the same plane crash that took the life of Stax superstar Otis Redding.  Trumpeter Ben Cauley was the lone survivor of the crash.  He and bassist James Alexander - who had been on a different plane - determined to carry on in honor of their fallen comrades.  In addition to backing Isaac Hayes at Stax, the reconstituted group recorded for the label through 1974; the first eight tracks on CD 1 of The Definitive Collection draw upon their Stax years including the David Porter-produced "Sang and Dance," the socially conscious "Six O'Clock News Report," and Hayes-inspired "Son of Shaft," a No. 10 R&B hit.  At Stax, the band brought in rock elements and in doing so, stood out from their Stax family members.  "We didn't want to be Johnnie Taylor.  We didn't want to be Rufus Thomas," commented singer Larry Dodson in Christian John Wikane's comprehensive liner notes for this release.

When Stax shuttered amidst grave financial troubles, The Bar-Kays (now sans Ben Cauley, who departed the ranks in 1971) moved onto Mercury Records and re-established themselves in an urban funk-disco mold with an eight-member line-up.  The stylistic and label shifts worked.  "Shake Your Rump to the Funk" from their Mercury debut Too Hot to Stop earned the band its biggest hit since "Soul Finger" when it went to No. 23 on the Hot 100 and No. 5 on the R&B survey.  While the Bar-Kays' bread and butter were its irresistible funk grooves, they also made room for ballads, too, which won over their listeners' hearts as well.

Their albums sampled on The Definitive Collection featured talented behind-the-scenes personnel including Motown veteran arranger Paul Riser and Stax producer Allen A. Jones.  Inspired by Rick James, they branched out into concept albums with 1981's Nightcruising as they continued to rack up successful chart albums and major R&B hits like "Hit and Run," "Do It," and "Freakshow on the Dance Floor."  The '80s' new technology wasn't lost on the ever-adaptable band, either.  They had begun incorporating electronic sounds with Nightcruising, and techno-funk soon became the order of the day.  Always able to take inspiration from their colleagues and turn into something new, the band's Michael Jackson-influenced "Dirty Dancer" and Prince-inspired "Sexomatic" both charted within the top 20 R&B.

1987's Contagious marked major changes within the group.  Bassist James Alexander departed after two decades for what would turn out to be a five-year hiatus.  Allen E. Jones sadly passed away that year, but not before bringing his magic touch to a number of the album's tracks.  The album's "Certified True," produced by R.J. "The Wiz," gave The Bar-Kays another top 10 R&B hit.  A slimmed-down quartet line-up recorded their final Mercury album, 1989's Animal.  Two tracks from the LP close out this collection.

Since leaving Mercury, the band has recorded five more albums and continued to perform, including at President Barack Obama's second inauguration.  In 2017, Larry Dodson (now retired from the group) released an autobiography, and he's generously shared his thoughts for Wikane's exemplary essay.  The Definitive Collection's 24-page booklet also includes album and single artwork as well as credits for each track, but sadly, discographical annotation is missing.  Alan Wilson, who has remastered Robinsongs' previous Bar-Kays album reissues, is credited with remastering here, as well.

The Definitive Collection, housed in a four-panel digipak, is an absorbing survey of a legendary band's transformation from Memphis soul to funk, disco, dance, and beyond.   It's available now from Cherry Red and Robinsongs at the links below!

Bar-Kays, The Definitive Collection (Robinsongs/Cherry Red ROBIN37CDT, 2019) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1`

  1. Soul Finger
  2. Bar-Kays Boogaloo
  3. Don't Stop Dancing (To The Music)
  4. Sang and Dance
  5. Son of Shaft
  6. Six O'Clock News Report
  7. Money Talks
  8. Holy Ghost
  9. Too Hot to Stop
  10. Shake Your Rump to the Funk
  11. Cozy
  12. Spellbound
  13. Whitehouseorgy
  14. Standing on the Outside
  15. Attitudes
  16. Shut the Funk Up
  17. Let's Have Some Fun

CD 2

  1. Give It Up
  2. Get Up 'n Do It
  3. I Lean on You/You Lean on Me
  4. Shine
  5. I'll Dance
  6. Move Your Boogie Body
  7. Up in Here
  8. Today Is the Day
  9. Running In and Out of My Life
  10. Boogie Body Land
  11. Body Fever
  12. Freaky Behavior
  13. Traffic Jammer
  14. Hit and Run
  15. Nightcruising
  16. Busted

CD 3

  1. She Talks to Me with Her Body
  2. Do It (Let Me See You Shake)
  3. Anticipation
  4. Sexomatic
  5. Dirty Dancer
  6. Freakshow on the Dance Floor
  7. Your Place or Mine
  8. Banging the Walls
  9. Contagious
  10. Certified True
  11. Don't Hang Up
  12. Animal
  13. Struck by You

Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Disco/Dance, Funk, R&B/Soul Tags: The Bar-Kays

Avatar photo

Joe Marchese

JOE MARCHESE (Editor) joined The Second Disc shortly after its launch in early 2010, and has since penned daily news and reviews about classic music of all genres. In 2015, Joe formed the Second Disc Records label. Celebrating the great songwriters, producers and artists who created the sound of American popular song, Second Disc Records, in conjunction with Real Gone Music, has released newly-curated collections produced by Joe from iconic artists such as Johnny Mathis, Bobby Darin, Laura Nyro, Melissa Manchester, Chet Atkins, and many others. He has contributed liner notes to reissues from a diverse array of artists, among them Nat "King" Cole, Paul Williams, Lesley Gore, Dusty Springfield, B.J. Thomas, The 5th Dimension, Burt Bacharach, The Mamas and the Papas, Carpenters, Perry Como, Rod McKuen, Doris Day, Jackie DeShannon, and Andy Williams, and has compiled releases for talents including Robert Goulet and Keith Allison of Paul Revere and the Raiders. Over the past two decades, Joe has also worked in a variety of capacities on and off Broadway as well as at some of the premier theatres in the U.S., including Lincoln Center Theater, George Street Playhouse, Paper Mill Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, and the York Theatre Company. He has felt privileged to work on productions alongside artists such as the late Jack Klugman, Eli Wallach, Arthur Laurents, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. In 2009, Joe began contributing theatre and music reviews to the print publication The Sondheim Review, and in 2012, he joined the staff of The Digital Bits as a regular contributor writing about film and television on DVD and Blu-ray. Joe currently resides in the suburbs of New York City.

Connect With Joe: FacebookTwitter

You Might Also Like

  • WattstaxThe Living Word: New Box Sets Chronicle Wattstax in Full, 50 Years On
  • VMP newlogo SquareHoliday Gift Guide: Vinyl Me, Please - A Year in Review
  • VA VMPAnthology StoryofStaxI've Been Loving You: Vinyl Me, Please Spotlights Stax Classics in New VMP Anthology Box
  • Craft SoulExplosionPt2Gotta Groove: Craft's "Soul Explosion" Stax Celebration Continues With 5 New Reissues

Comments

  1. Jari Salo says

    May 10, 2019 at 11:34 am

    No Cold blooded ?

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Upcoming Releases

  • Carole King Home Again
    Home Again: Live in Central Park
    Carole King
    February 10, 2023
  • Rolling Stones Grrr Live
    GRRR! Live
    The Rolling Stones
    February 10, 2023
  • Robert Palmer Island Years
    The Island Records Years
    Robert Palmer
    February 17, 2023
See Full Calendar

Connect

  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 4,546 other subscribers

Popular

  • Honky Chateau
    Get Back to the Woods: Elton John's 'Honky Château' Gets New Deluxe Edition in March posted on February 1, 2023 | under News
  • Stream Vox
    The Weekend Stream: January 28, 2023 posted on January 28, 2023 | under The Weekend Stream
  • Philip Bailey State of the Heart
    Walking on the Chinese Wall: SoulMusic Records Collects Philip Bailey's First Three Solo Pop Albums posted on January 30, 2023 | under News

Comments

  • small faces here come the nice2
    Return To Itchycoo Park: Small Faces' "Here Come The Nice" Deluxe Box Set Arrives In January [UPDATED 12/3] 84 comments | by Joe Marchese | posted on December 3, 2013 | under News
  • the beatles u s albums box2
    British Invasion! The Beatles Unveil "The U.S. Albums" Box Set in January 69 comments | by Joe Marchese | posted on December 12, 2013 | under News
  • Rolling Stones in Mono
    Out of Their Heads: Stones Plan Mono Box Set 47 comments | by Mike Duquette | posted on August 10, 2016 | under News

Music Resources

  • Addicted to Vinyl
  • Crap from the Past
  • Discogs
  • Film Score Monthly
  • IMWAN Forum – From the Vaults
  • MusicTAP
  • Musoscribe
  • Pause & Play
  • Popblerd
  • Popdose
  • Record Racks
  • Slicing Up Eyeballs
  • Steve Hoffman Music Forums
  • Ultimate Classic Rock
  • Vintage Vinyl News
  • Viva La Mainstream
  • Wolfgang's Vault

Labels of Note

  • Ace Records
  • Analog Spark
  • Bear Family
  • BGO Records
  • Big Break Records
  • Blixa Sounds
  • Cherry Red Label Group
  • Craft Recordings
  • Demon Music Group
  • Friday Music
  • Funky Town Grooves
  • Iconoclassic Records
  • Intervention Records
  • Intrada
  • Kritzerland
  • La La Land Records
  • Legacy Recordings
  • Light in the Attic
  • Masterworks Broadway
  • Now Sounds
  • Omnivore Recordings
  • Real Gone Music
  • Resonance Records
  • Rhino Entertainment
  • Rock Candy Records
  • SoulMusic Records
  • Sunset Blvd. Records
  • Supermegabot
  • Varese Sarabande
  • Vinyl Me, Please
  • Wounded Bird
Copyright © 2023 The Second Disc. All rights reserved. · Site by Metaglyphics

The Second Disc is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, amazon.ca and amazon.co.uk.

Terms and Conditions - Privacy Policy