VARIOUS - Wattstax: The Complete Concert - 6CD - Deluxe Box Set [FEB 24]

6CD - Limited Edition CD Box Set (Full tracklist below).

• Celebrating 50 Years since Wattstax
• The Complete Wattstax Concert
• 10 previously unreleased tracks
• Features full-color book with introduction by Wattstax creator Al Bell, and new essays by Rob Bowman and A. Scott Galloway
• Note: Essays also included in separate “Soul’d Out: The Complete Wattstax Collection” release

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the iconic WATTSTAX concert that took place at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in 1972, Stax Records presents “Wattstax: The Complete Concert”. Featuring the full Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum show with speeches and other talk from the stage across 6-CDs. The set also features a full-colour book with introduction by Wattstax creator Al Bell, plus new essays by Rob Bowman and A. Scott Galloway. Featured artists include Isaac Haves, Eddie Floyd, The Staple Singers and more.

Wattstax was a benefit concert organized by Stax Records in conjunction with the Watt Summer Festival to commemorate the seventh anniversary of the 1965 Watts riots in Los Angeles. Attended by more than 100,000 people and lasting 7 hours, the concert took place at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on August 20, 1972, and featured a mix of Soul, Funk and Gospel.

It featured performances by Stax’s biggest artists with a line-up that included Isaac Hayes, the Staple Singers, Rufus Thomas, Johnnie Taylor, the Bar-Kays and many more. Rev. Jesse Jackson was featured at the event, acting as MC for the day and opening the event with his often referenced ‘I Am Somebody’ speech. A 2-LP soundtrack of the concert’s highlights was releases several month later selling more than 500,000 copies just weeks after its release. This was followed in 1973 by the Mel Stuart directed concert film ‘Wattstax’ which features Richard Pryor as the host of the film and went on to be nominated for a Golden Globe award for Best Documentary in 1974. In 2020, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”. (Note: The film at the US National Film Registry by the Library of Congress also includes an essay by Al Bell, the President/owner of Stax at the time of the concert).

Tracklist:

DISC 1
1. Dale Warren & The Wattstax ’72 Orchestra – Salvation Symphony
2. Kim Weston – The Star Spangled Banner*
3. Tommy Jacquette & Jesse Jackson – Opening announcements
4. Kim Weston – Lift Every Voice and Sing
5. Melvin Van Peebles – We’re here to consecrate, not desecrate
6. The Staple Singers – Heavy Makes You Happy (Sha-Na-Boom-Boom)
7. The Staple Singers – Are You Sure
8. The Staple Singers – I Like the Things About Me
9. The Staple Singers – Respect Yourself
10. The Staple Singers – I’ll Take You There

DISC 2
1. Tommy Jacquette & Richard Roundtree – Wattstax Day proclamation
2. Jimmy Jones – Somebody Bigger Than You and I
3. Louise McCord – Better Get a Move On
4. Deborah Manning – Precious Lord Take My Hand
5. Eric Mercury – I Shall Not Be Moved*
6. Freddie Robinson – At the Drive-In*
7. Lee Sain – Them Hot Pants
8. Ernie Hines – What Would I Do*
9. Little Sonny – Wade in the Water
10. William Bell – I Forgot to Be Your Lover
11. The Newcomers – Pin the Tail on the Donkey
12. Eddie Floyd – Knock on Wood
13. The Temprees – Explain It to Her Mama
14. Frederick Knight – I’ve Been Lonely for So Long
15. The Golden 13 – Old Time Religion
16. William Bell – Al Bell Award presentation
17. The Rance Allen Group – Lying on the Truth
18. The Rance Allen Group – Up Above My Head

DISC 3
1. William Bell – David Porter introduction
2. The David Porter Show – Introduction
3. David Porter – Ain’t That Loving You (For More Reasons Than One)
4. David Porter – Can’t See You When I Want To
5. David Porter – Reach Out and Touch (Somebody’s Hand)
6. William Bell – The Bar-Kays introduction
7. The Bar-Kays – Son of Shaft/Feel It
8. The Bar-Kays – In the Hole
9. The Bar-Kays – I Can’t Turn You Loose
10. William Bell – Tommy Tate introduction
11. Tommy Tate – I Remember*
12. William Bell – Please move back to the stands
13. Tommy Tate – Help Me Love*
14. Tommy Tate – School of Life*

DISC 4
1. William Bell & John Kasandra – Carla Thomas introduction
2. Carla Thomas – Pick Up the Pieces
3. Carla Thomas – I Like What You’re Doing (To Me)
4. Carla Thomas – B-A-B-Y
5. Carla Thomas – Gee Whiz
6. Carla Thomas – I Have a God Who Loves
7. John KaSandra – Albert King introduction
8. Albert King – Match Box Blues
9. Albert King – Got to Be Some Changes Made
10. Albert King – I’ll Play the Blues for You
11. Albert King – Killing Floor
12. Albert King – Angel of Mercy
13. John KaSandra – Rufus Thomas introduction
14. John KaSandra & Rufus Thomas – Rufus Thomas entrance
15. Rufus Thomas – The Breakdown
16. John KaSandra & Rufus Thomas – Kindly go back to your seats

DISC 5
1. Rufus Thomas – Do the Funky Chicken
2. Rufus Thomas – Do the Funky Penguin
3. Jesse Jackson – I am, somebody
4. The Soul Children – I Don’t Know What This World Is Coming To
5. The Soul Children – Hearsay
6. John KaSandra, Fred Williamson & Jesse Jackson – Let us stand and raise our fists together
7. Billy Eckstine – If I Can Help Somebody*
8. Billy Eckstine – There is a curfew here

DISC 6
1. Jesse Jackson – Isaac Hayes introduction
2. Isaac Hayes – Theme From Shaft (Version 1)*
3. Isaac Hayes – Theme From Shaft (Version 2)
4. Isaac Hayes – Soulsville
5. Isaac Hayes – Never Can Say Goodbye
6. Isaac Hayes – Part-Time Love
7. Isaac Hayes – Your Love Is So Doggone Good
8. Isaac Hayes – Ain’t No Sunshine/Lonely Avenue
9. Isaac Hayes – I Stand Accused
10. Jesse Jackson – Let everybody stand and join hands
11. Jimmy Jones – If I Had a Hammer
* = Previously Unreleased