UPDATED DECEMBER 2020: Earlier this year, Craft Recordings released The Staple Singers' Come Go with Me: The Stax Collection in vinyl and digital editions. The set compiled all of the famed gospel group's 1968-1974 albums for the Stax label plus a volume of rarities, non-LP single sides, and live recordings. Now, that box has come to CD as beautifully remastered from the original analog tapes by Jeff Powell at Take Out Vinyl.

Come Go with Me: The Stax Collection features the following original studio albums which broadened the Staples' sound from gospel to pure R&B and soul:

• Soul Folk in Action (1968)
• We'll Get Over (1970)
• The Staple Swingers (1971)
• Be Altitude: Respect Yourself (1972)
• Be What You Are (1973)
• City in the Sky (1974)

plus an eleven-song disc of Singles, Live and More.

Stax signed The Staple Singers - Roebuck "Pops" Staples, his daughters Mavis and Cleotha, and son Pervis (later to be replaced in the line-up by his sister Yvonne) - during a tumultuous time when the gospel greats were regularly appearing with folk and countercultural rock artists including Grateful Dead and Big Brother and the Holding Company. Though the Staples had moved into the realm of secular music, there was still a deep spirituality and social conscience to their music which had crystallized and taken on new resonance in the civil rights era.

The group's Stax debut Soul Folk in Action featured the striking "protest songs" with which the Staples had been associated as well as powerful interpretations of rock and soul hits such as The Band's "The Weight" and Otis Redding's "(Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay."  With titles like "We've Got to Get Ourselves Together," "Got to Be Some Changes Made," "The Ghetto," and "Long Walk to D.C.," the Staples made their voices heard loud and clear in the name of justice and equality.  Producer-guitarist Steve Cropper brought along Donald "Duck" Dunn and Al Jackson, Jr,. his bandmates in Booker T. and The MG's, on bass and drums, respectively.  Pops added his own guitar, Marvell Thomas handled keyboards, and The Memphis Horns brought their usual boost of action to the soul-folk proceedings.

Cropper and the moonlighting MG's returned for 1970's We'll Get Over, which followed a similar template of relevant originals ("When Will We Be Paid," "Tend to Your Own Business") as well as poignant and eclectic covers (Sly and the Family Stone's "Everyday People," Spanky and Our Gang's "Give a Damn," Gladys Knight and the Pips' "The End of Our Road," Joe South's "Games People Play," The Guess Who's "A Wednesday in Your Garden").

For all their artistic merits, however, both albums failed to trouble the charts. Stax co-president Al Bell, who had originally signed the Staples, took an even more personal interest in their success. He would produce their third Stax LP at both Muscle Shoals in Alabama and Memphis' own Ardent Studios (with Terry Manning in the engineer's chair). Despite the punning title of The Staple Swingers, the album was no joke. They upped the funk quotient as they reinvented a variety of pop and soul tunes from The Bee Gees ("Give a Hand - Take a Hand"), Smokey Robinson ("You've Got to Earn It"), and Jeff Barry and Bobby Bloom ("Heavy Makes You Happy (Sha-Na-Boom Boom))." Bell also spared no expense in enlisting the horns and strings of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra as well as a guest spot from Stax's Bar-Kays.  His strategy was a success, and the album reached No. 9 on the Billboard R&B survey. It was their first charting LP, and "Heavy Makes You Happy" was their highest-charting single, making No. 6 on the Soul survey and crossing over to the top 30 of the Pop chart.

Naturally, the Staples and Bell returned to Muscle Shoals for 1972's Be Altitude: Respect Yourself. It became their breakthrough to mainstream stardom, reaching the top 20 of the Billboard 200 and spinning off a No. 1 pop hit on the Hot 100 with "I'll Take You There." Almost as successful was "Respect Yourself," another quintessential Staples Singers recording with a potent message that needed to be heard.  The tight, funky accompaniment of the Muscle Shoals swampers - including Barry Beckett on keyboards, Roger Hawkins on drums, David Hood on bass, and Eddie Hinton and Jimmy Johnson on guitar - lent the album a deep yet accessible southern soul flavor, as did Mavis' impassioned, powerhouse vocals.

While their final two Stax albums - 1973's Be What You Are and the following year's City in the Sky - didn't meet with pop success, the loyal R&B audience didn't abandon the group. Both LPs produced by Al Bell reached the top 15 on the R&B chart and featured consistently stellar work from the Swampers on strong material such as Terry Manning's "Heaven" and a touching cover of Bill Withers' "Grandma's Hands." City in the Sky even nodded more explicitly to the Staples' gospel roots than their previous Stax LPs, featuring numerous songs from the pens of Bettye Crutcher and Mack Rice (both of whom were prominently featured on Be What You Are.)

The final disc in the box set presents five tracks from the Staple Singers' towering set at the 1972 Wattstax benefit concert plus non-LP single sides (including "Brand New Day," Al Kooper's theme to the film The Landlord), and rarities released after their Stax tenure had ended.  (Collectors should hold onto their expanded edition of Be Altitude: Respect Yourself with its alternate take of "Heavy Makes You Happy" which isn't reprised on the rarities disc here.)  The Staple Singers followed their time at Stax with recordings for the Curtom and Warner Bros. labels, all of which have recently been reissued by Omnivore Recordings.

Come Go with Me: The Stax Collection is housed in a simple yet elegant black slipcase.  It includes a squarebound 44-page booklet with rare photos and liner notes from historian Levon Williams (formerly of the Stax Museum and the National Museum of African American Music) and folklorist, ethnomusicologist and author Dr. Langston Wilkins.  Their essay traces the group's Stax journey album-by-album; credits and discography are also provided for each title.  The individual albums are housed in mini-sleeves, with Be Altitude: Respect Yourself replicating the original gatefold.  Be What You Are has a textured cover, and City in the Sky a glossy, reflective one.  Each CD is adorned with the yellow Stax finger-snapping label.

While The Staple Singers were at Stax breaking new ground away from their gospel roots, the label was embracing the gospel community with the launch of a new imprint: The Gospel Truth.  Throughout 2020, Craft Recordings has been releasing Gospel Truth albums to digital platforms.  That campaign has culminated in the release of a 2-CD or 3-LP anthology, The Gospel Truth: The Complete Singles Collection.

Al Bell launched Gospel Truth in 1972, working in close coordination with Stax's radio promotions guru/producer/songwriter Dave Clark and Stax staffer Mary Peak Paterson. Early press materials for the imprint indicated that it sought to "carry the message of today's gospel to the people on the street." Clark, working as de facto A&R director, emphasized accessibility by pairing traditional gospel talents with young artists well-versed in rock, funk, blues, and soul. Stax creative director Larry Shaw afforded the imprint's releases the same hallmark of quality as the company's front-line products.

Over the course of over two dozen albums and singles, Gospel Truth cast its net further than the classic black American gospel tradition, taking in Indian meditative teachings (Blue Aquarius), white roots music (The Commanders), contemporary choral music (Rev. Jesse Jackson's People's Choir of Operation PUSH), and more - a true melting pot of spiritual sounds.  Gospel Truth releases often differed from the music on the parent label as many tracks were sourced from various production houses rather than produced at Stax, and then given the gritty yet radio-friendly Stax treatment in the mix stage by the label's engineers.  Stax didn't intend these recordings to be "underground;" they promoted and marketed them as if they would a so-called mainstream soul/R&B release.

The Complete Singles Collection features all 17 singles issued by Gospel Truth between 1972 and 1974 - 34 sides on 2 CDs or 3 LPs - including both non-LP singles and samplings of the imprint's album catalogue.  Among the highlights are numerous tracks from Gospel Truth's first signing, Michigan's The Rance Allen Group. The trio of brothers took their influences from Motown, Philly soul, and contemporary pop and R&B, reworking hit tunes in the process. The Temptations' "Just My Imagination" became "Just My Salvation." Archie Bell and The Drells' "There's Gonna Be a Showdown" acquired a spiritual theme.  The St. James Gospel Choir took a similar approach, turning Wilson Pickett's "Don't Let the Green Grass Fool You" into "Don't Let the Devil Fool You."

Fans of Broadway musicals will be happy to see a belated CD debut for Joshie Jo Armstead's "Ride Out the Storm."  The funky anthem was penned by Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields for their musical Seesaw.  Armstead departed the cast on the show's tumultuous road to Broadway but preserved her performance on Gospel Truth in a version arranged by Motown vet Paul Riser.  A bravura singer as well as an accomplished songwriter, Armstead appears on four sides in all including both sides of her second, completely self-penned single.  The Rev. Marvin Yancy (whose production and songwriting credits include Ronnie Dyson, The Dells, and his wife Natalie Cole) leads The People's Choir of Operation PUSH on two tracks.

The CD is housed in a six-panel digipak with a 16-page booklet.  New liner notes have been penned for the collection by Memphis-based journalist and NPR host Jared Boyd, incorporating fresh interviews with Al Bell, Rance Allen, and Mary Peak Paterson.  While both editions are handsomely packaged, the LP is lavishly housed in a triple gatefold, with the vinyl pressed at Memphis Record Pressing.  Joe Tarantino has tastefully remastered these rare tracks.  All of the discs boast the bold, green Gospel Truth label.  The recordings released on Gospel Truth were universal in scope and impact, stirringly sung by a host of distinctive voices that should be better known.  Any fan of classic R&B will find plenty here to nourish the soul.

Both collections are available now.  Please visit our full Holiday Gift Guide here!

Come Go With Me: The Stax Collection (Stax/Craft Recordings, 2020)

CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

Disc 1: Soul Folk in Action (Stax STS-2004, 1968)

1. We've Got to Get Ourselves Together
2. (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay
3. Top of the Mountain
4. Slow Train
5. The Weight
6. Long Walk to D.C.
7. Got to Be Some Changes Made
8. The Ghetto
9. People, My People
10. I See It
11. This Year

Disc 2: We'll Get Over (Stax STS-2016, 1969)

1. We'll Get Over
2. Give a Damn
3. Everyday People
4. The End of Our Road
5. Tend to Your Own Business
6. Solon Bushi (Japanese Folk Song)
7. The Challenge
8. God Bless the Children
9. Games People Play
10. A Wednesday in Your Garden
11. The Gardener
12. When Will We Be Paid

Disc 3: The Staple Swingers (Stax STS-2034, 1971)

1. This Is a Perfect World
2. What's Your Thing
3. You've Got to Earn It
4. You're Gonna Make Me Cry
5. Little Boy
6. How Do You Move a Mountain
7. Almost
8. I'm a Lover
9. Love Is Plentiful
10. Heavy Makes You Happy (Sha-Na-Boom-Boom)
11. I Like the Things About You
12. Give a Hand - Take a Hand

Disc 4: Be Altitude: Respect Yourself (Stax STS-3002, 1972)

1. This World
2. Respect Yourself
3. Name the Missing Word
4. I'll Take You There
5. This Old Town (People in This Town)
6. We the People
7. Are You Sure
8. Who Do You Think You Are? (Jesus Christ the Super Star)
9. I'm Just Another Soldier
10. Who

Disc 5: Be What You Are (Stax STS-3015, 1973)

1. Be What You Are
2. If You're Ready (Come Go with Me)
3. Medley: Love Comes in All Colors/Tellin' Lies
4. Touch a Hand, Make a Friend
5. Drown Yourself
6. I Ain't Raisin' No Sand
7. Grandma's Hands
8. Bridges Instead of Walls
9. I'm on Your Side
10. That's What Friends Are For
11. Heaven

Disc 6: City in the Sky (Stax STS-5515, 1974)

1. Back Road Into Town
2. City in the Sky
3. Washington We're Watching You
4. Something Ain't Right
5. Today Was Tomorrow Yesterday
6. My Main Man
7. There Is a God
8. Blood Pressure
9. If It Ain't One Thing It's Another
10. Who Made the Man
11. Getting Too Big for Your Britches

Disc 7: Singles, Live & More

1. Stay With Us
2. Brand New Day (Theme from The Landlord)
3. Walking in Water Over Our Head
4. Oh La De Da
5. I Got to Be Myself
6. Trippin' on Your Love
7. Heavy Makes You Happy (Sha-Na-Boom-Boom) (Live at Wattstax, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum - 8/20/1972)
8. Are You Sure (Live at Wattstax, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum - 8/20/1972)
9. I Like the Things About You (Live at Wattstax, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum - 8/20/1972)
10. Respect Yourself (Live at Wattstax, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum - 8/20/1972)
11. I'll Take You There (Live at Wattstax, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum - 8/20/1972)

Track 1 from "Long Walk to D.C." single - Stax STA-0007, 1968
Track 2 from The Landlord: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - United Artists UAS-5209, 1971/Stax single STA-0074, 1970
Track 3 from expanded edition of Be Altitude: Respect Yourself - Stax STX-32876, 2011
Track 4 from Stax single STA-0156, 1973
Tracks 5-6 from This Time Around - Stax MPS-8511, 1981
Tracks 7-8 from Wattstax: Music from the Festival & Film - Stax STX3-30315, 2007
Tracks 9-11 from Wattstax: The Living Word - Stax STS-2-3010, 1972​

1. The Rance Allen Group - Just My Imagination (Just My Salvation)
2. The Rance Allen Group - Up Above My Head
3. Terry Lynn Community Choir - His Love Will Always Be
4. Terry Lynn Community Choir - Consider Me
5. Reverend W. Bernard Avant Jr. and The St. James Gospel Choir - Don't Let The Green Grass Fool You (Don't Let The Devil Fool You)
6. Reverend W. Bernard Avant Jr. and The St. James Gospel Choir - God Is What You Let Him Be

1. The Rance Allen Group - There's Gonna Be A Showdown
2. The Rance Allen Group - That Will Be Good Enough For Me
3. Reverend Maceo Woods and The Christian Tabernacle Concert Choir - The Magnificent Sanctuary Band (Marching For The Man)
4. Reverend Maceo Woods and The Christian Tabernacle Concert Choir - Jesus Is Waiting
5. Charles May & Annette May Thomas - Keep My Baby Warm
6. Charles May & Annette May Thomas - Satisfied

1. Joshie Jo Armstead - Ride Out The Storm
2. Joshie Jo Armstead - I Got The Vibes
3. The Rance Allen Group - I Got To Be Myself
4. The Rance Allen Group - Gonna Make It Alright
5. The 21^st Century - Who's Supposed To Be Raising Who
6. The 21^st Century - If The Shoe Fits, Wear It

1. The People's Choir Of Operation Push, Reverend Marvin Yancy - I'm A Child Of The King
2. The People's Choir Of Operation Push, Reverend Marvin Yancy - He Included Me
3. Jacqui Verdell - He's Mine
4. Jacqui Verdell - We're Gonna Have A Good Time
5. The Rance Allen Group - I Know A Man Who
6. The Rance Allen Group - Hot Line To Jesus

1. Blue Aquarius - At The Feet Of The Master
2. Blue Aquarius - Know Him While You Can
3. Joshie Jo Armstead - Stumblin' Blocks, Steppin' Stones (What Took Me So Long)
4. Joshie Jo Armstead - Give A Little Loving

1. Jimmy Jones - Do It Yourself
2. Jimmy Jones - If I Had A Hammer
3. The Rance Allen Group - Be True
4. The Rance Allen Group - We're The Salt Of The Earth
5. Louise McCord - Reflections
6. Louise McCord - There's No Need To Cry

1. The Rance Allen Group - Just My Imagination (Just My Salvation)
2. The Rance Allen Group - Up Above My Head
3. Terry Lynn Community Choir - His Love Will Always Be
4. Terry Lynn Community Choir - Consider Me
5. Reverend W. Bernard Avant Jr. and The St. James Gospel Choir - Don't Let The Green Grass Fool You (Don't Let The Devil Fool You)
6. Reverend W. Bernard Avant Jr. and The St. James Gospel Choir - God Is What You Let Him Be
7. The Rance Allen Group - There's Gonna Be A Showdown
8. The Rance Allen Group - That Will Be Good Enough For Me
9. Reverend Maceo Woods and The Christian Tabernacle Concert Choir - The Magnificent Sanctuary Band (Marching For The Man)
10. Reverend Maceo Woods and The Christian Tabernacle Concert Choir - Jesus Is Waiting
11. Charles May & Annette May Thomas - Keep My Baby Warm
12. Charles May & Annette May Thomas - Satisfied
13. Joshie Jo Armstead - Ride Out The Storm
14. Joshie Jo Armstead - I Got The Vibes
15. The Rance Allen Group - I Got To Be Myself
16. The Rance Allen Group - Gonna Make It Alright
17. The 21^st Century - Who's Supposed To Be Raising Who
18. The 21^st Century - If The Shoe Fits, Wear It

1. The People's Choir Of Operation Push, Reverend Marvin Yancy - I'm A Child Of The King
2. The People's Choir Of Operation Push, Reverend Marvin Yancy - He Included Me
3. Jacqui Verdell - He's Mine
4. Jacqui Verdell - We're Gonna Have A Good Time
5. The Rance Allen Group - I Know A Man Who
6. The Rance Allen Group - Hot Line To Jesus
7. Blue Aquarius - At The Feet Of The Master
8. Blue Aquarius - Know Him While You Can
9. Joshie Jo Armstead - Stumblin' Blocks, Steppin' Stones (What Took Me So Long)
10. Joshie Jo Armstead - Give A Little Loving
11. Jimmy Jones - Do It Yourself
12. Jimmy Jones - If I Had A Hammer
13. The Rance Allen Group - Be True
14. The Rance Allen Group - We're The Salt Of The Earth
15. Louise McCord - Reflections
16. Louise McCord - There's No Need To Cry