By David Meikle (62.252.128.6 - 62.252.128.6) on Friday, August 23, 2002 - 06:31 pm:

Thought this make the world wake up.

This is a surprise for my mate Harry Dhesi who will see it when he clicks in on Monday at work.

He was as surprised as me when we discovwered this gold disc hanging in United Sound Studios last year.

Don Davis ....please reclaim it before it's too late!

The GREAT Johnnie Taylor R.I.P.

By David Meikle (62.252.128.6 - 62.252.128.6) on Friday, August 23, 2002 - 06:37 pm:

By David Meikle (62.252.128.6 - 62.252.128.6) on Friday, August 23, 2002 - 06:39 pm:

tempy probs with tempy forum!

By Dennis Coffey (64.12.96.230 - 64.12.96.230) on Friday, August 23, 2002 - 08:34 pm:

Hi everyone. I overdubbed my guitar for Don Davis on this funky track cut in Memphis by the Stax band. I would think this gold record would be important to someone. I would be glad to add it to my gold records. It is important to me and part of my musical history.

Dennis Coffey

By mhc (172.171.49.87 - 172.171.49.87) on Saturday, August 24, 2002 - 12:04 am:

What an insane situation, that place just sitting there gatering dust.. I can't believe that photo of the control room on the other thread. I could use that Ampex, y'know..

By ed.wolfrum (165.247.230.15 - 165.247.230.15) on Saturday, August 24, 2002 - 10:28 am:

Hello Gang:

That photo must have been taken a while ago. The gear has been removed.

Regarding, the Who's making love project. Many of the Detroit Gang were "instrumental" (pardon the pun), in the making of many of the Memphis projects. Take a look at "Hot Buttered Soul" and the Stax Billy Eckstein projects. They were produced and mixed in Detroit.

Danny Dallas and I OVDed Dennis, Jack Ashford, Johhny, and Babbitt on many of those "Memphis" tracks. The Memphis Rhythm sections was a force to be addressed, but the Detroit Gang and Don Davis's slick production sure helped make those records work.

Ed

By David Meikle (62.252.128.6 - 62.252.128.6) on Saturday, August 24, 2002 - 10:38 am:

The photo was taken in April 2001.

By ErikT.O. (64.228.108.132 - 64.228.108.132) on Saturday, August 24, 2002 - 05:06 pm:

I didn't know there was such a presence of Detroit musicians on Stax projects; I think the long version of "Walk On By" on "Hot Buttered Soul" is phenomenal! Any relationship between this arrangement and the similar but prematurely cut J5 live version on that "Going Back To Indianna" lp..? By the way I recently saw a cd of Motown instrumental versions of hits, half by the Funk Bros & half by the/a big band. It had no info at all, the front cover was taken from the Funk Bros lp & was a 1-sided pic, I'm sure it was a bootleg, but I listened & the songs like "I Can't Help Myself" & "Nowhere To Run" sounded like different takes altogether rather than like the vocal version sans vocals... what's the deal? Despite the cd's being a boot, is this the only way I'm likely to get this music into my house?
Erik/ Fave Johnny Taylor number-"Steal Away"

By fRANKm (212.250.156.11 - 212.250.156.11) on Wednesday, August 28, 2002 - 01:27 pm:

Marginal records of Belgium released a whole number of Motown and other soul material supposedly using Belgium's lax copyright laws but they were boots. The label is now defunct and the owner dead in mysterious circumstances but the albums and bootlegs made from them can still be found. The Funk Bros / EARL VAN DYKE SET IS A PRETTY GOOD COLLECTION.

By ErikT.O. (64.228.114.150 - 64.228.114.150) on Thursday, August 29, 2002 - 09:41 pm:

Yeah, it is! I bought it about 2 hours ago... were all these cuts officially released? Most 60's Motown lp's (& others) had 6 songs per side & 12 songs are listed with "and many more" added in different script- 19 Funk Bros cuts & a dozen Choker Campbell/Orchestra cuts. Sound quality's decent, I'll listen to it again later (compelling doc on teevee right now). The top is printed but the play side is greenish, like some cdr's.

By Paulie 3 shoes (64.12.96.230 - 64.12.96.230) on Saturday, August 31, 2002 - 11:26 am:

BTW..... the Detroit Stax stuff was recorded at Tera Shirma!!! Don't you forget it pal!! Capice???
I lived in East Detroit at the time and had connections with the right people who gave me the dope!!

Paulie 3 shoes

By Bob Olhsson (68.32.101.228 - 68.32.101.228) on Saturday, August 31, 2002 - 02:34 pm:

Stax originally operated in an interesting fashion, according to a guy I met recently. They formed production bands who wrote, played the backing tracks, produced and engineered the songs in exchange for shared writers' and producers' royalties.

From what I understand, this system eventually came apart like a messy divorce and the top band, Booker-T and the MGs left. Don Davis got the task of turning Stax into a more conventional production operation. Unfortunately this job cast him into the role of hatchet-man in the minds of many in Memphis and he wound up having to call in various Funk Brothers and eventually recorded many Stax projects in Detroit.

(I'm guessing about some of this and would love to hear more about it from somebody who was directly involved.)

By the end of 1971, the Funks were traveling around the country playing on most of Atlantic's and Stax's singles in addition to Motown's. This, of course, made them a lot less available to Motown and I suspect this development played a pretty large role in the closing of Motown's Detroit operation.

By Ralph (209.240.198.62 - 209.240.198.62) on Saturday, August 31, 2002 - 03:35 pm:

Bob,
Interesting theory but I doubt the Funks were doing outside dates in 1971. Things were still humming at the Detroit operation at this time. Things didn't start to really fall apart until 1974. By that time it was getting to be " every man for himself " because the writing on the wall had become quite clear at this time.

By MEL&THENSOME (195.219.7.82 - 195.219.7.82) on Sunday, September 01, 2002 - 08:56 am:

Staying with the Stax theme,can anybody possibly give me any information on these following tracks/or artists please.Memphis Nomads-Dont pass your judgement.Also the excellent Whatll I Do For Satisfaction by Johnny Daye,and Loves creepin up on me by United Image.Cheers,MEL.(P.S.)I am just playing Slim Gaillards hysterically amusing Who put the Benzedrine in Mrs Murphys Ovaltine on Dial,is this known,Im sure it is.All tracks courtesy of Frankj.

By Dennis Coffey (64.12.96.230 - 64.12.96.230) on Sunday, September 01, 2002 - 10:42 am:

Hi Ralph and Bob. Some of the funk brothers especially Earl and Jamerson were starting to ask where all the money from all of those hits they were making was going. How come the producers, artists and others were making way more than the funks? They wanted their fair share. I think it was a matter of time before all of the funks figured this out. This may have had something to do with the move to LA.

Dennis

By Steve Litos (209.100.86.4 - 209.100.86.4) on Sunday, September 01, 2002 - 07:39 pm:

Is United Sound Recording still standing? Who owns the equipment located in it's bowels?
-Steve

By ed wolfrum (165.121.215.205 - 165.121.215.205) on Sunday, September 01, 2002 - 07:49 pm:

The STAX-Detroit stuff was done at United and Tera-Shirma and some at Artie Fields as well. Russ, Danny and I did the majority of it and I think that Danny may have done some OVD's at Pioneer as well on some of the stuff. Dennis, do you remember going over there too?

The credits are reasonably accurate on the original black vinal releases of the stuff but the re-releases seem to have a lot of errors.

Wil, Don's brother, may be able to give us some insite on the business side of Don's STAX relationship.

I know that Don brought David Porter in first and they did some rhythm session with the FUNKS and Dennis was involved in those. This led to more string and horn OVD sessions with the Memphis recorded rhythm tracks. Eli Fontaine contracted those. The business side I was not privy to however. Next time I talk to Wil I will see how much he is willing to reveal.

Pax,
Ed

Pax,
Ed

By MEL&THEN SOME (195.219.7.13 - 195.219.7.13) on Sunday, September 01, 2002 - 08:29 pm:

Hi Ed and Dennis,can you tell me anything about the artists Ive mentioned above,or were these guys always at memphis/muscle shoals without visiting Detroit at any time.Cheers,MEL.

By ed wolfrum (165.121.214.77 - 165.121.214.77) on Monday, September 02, 2002 - 05:07 pm:

Hello Mel:

Ike Hays, David Porter, Johnny Taylor and Mavis Staples were up at times and Steve Cropper was up on one occasion that I remember. Most of the time however we just saw the tracks for overdubbing.

If you look at the Terra-Shirma thread there are some stories about Russ and I ferrying the masters back and forth on those session from United to Terra-Shirma.

Pax,
Ed

By MEL&THEN SOME (195.219.7.119 - 195.219.7.119) on Tuesday, September 03, 2002 - 08:31 am:

Hi Ed,Many thanks for the reply sir.MEL.