If all the music you ever had was destroyed in a fire, this 9 cd set could singlehandedly lay down a foundation for a better life. Stax Records of Memphis, Tennessee integrated the sounds of the South fusing country, gospel, and blues into both familiar soul favorites that will never grow old, and numerous "lost" classics rarely heard since their original release. This set includes performers such as Otis Redding, Rufus Thomas (sometimes with daughter Carla), Sam and Dave, Johnnie Taylor, and Eddie Floyd as well as writers like Isaac Hayes-David Porter, Chips Moman and Steve Cropper. Needless to say when remastered, with a 64 page photo and story laden book and put into a durable box, this is one necessary collection: raw, honest, and full of passion.

The early years feature Booker T. & The M.G.'s and the Markeys developing hip shaking instrumentals and grooves. Their styles and flavor are exemplified in such tunes as "Last Night" (Markeys) and "Mo Onions" (Booker T. & The M.G.'s). On later volumes of this collection they evolve into strong and identifiable backing bands for the likes of Otis Redding ("Try a Little Tenderness") and Sam and Dave ("Hold On I'm Coming").

The tiny Stax studio, begun in an abandoned movie theater in the late 1950's, developed uncluttered brass arrangements, thumping swung rhythms, thick organ licks and even incadescent girl group ballads such as Wendy Rene's "After Laughter (Comes Tears)" . Countless imitations range from Atlantic Records contemporaries Aretha Franklin and Wilson Pickett to the later stylings of Bob Dylan, The Eurythmics, The Fabulous Thunderbirds and Peter Gabriel. The Stax sound was hot, from-the-gut, in the groove soul which was not primped for public consumption. Stax stood apart from the racial polemics of the South with an integrated house band The M.G.'s (or Memphis Group) who cut killer instrumentals such as "Bootleg," "Hip-Hug-Her," and "Green Onions" which provide an alternative soundtrack to the cutesified Motown Sixties.

What is evident on all cd's is that the Stax team had a chemistry well beyond the sum of its numerous talented parts witness Isaac Hayes and David Porter writing music to the words by Mabel John on "Able Mable" and the Eddie Floyd-Booker T. Jones penned riffs of "Big Bird". The latter shot of hard soul told of the plane wreck which took the life of Stax legend Otis Redding with squealing guitar licks.

The box set provides a wonderful perspective on how soul music changed at Stax over ten years, from a chugging rhythm and blues based groove (Rufus Thomas, "Walking The Dog") to a funkier rock beat (Bar-Kays, "Soulfinger"), yet the music always maintained its gospel roots. One listen to the breathtaking Hayes-Porter composition "I'll Gladly Take You Back", by the Charmels, with the vocals hitting notes that weren't typical of soul music or Sam and Dave's "I Thank You" for the economical soulful rhythm/lead guitar of Steve Cropper to understand what a joy it is to have Stax of tracks.

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• Aretha Franklin- Queen of Soul

• Wilson Pickett- Greatest Hits
  Brought down to Stax to record to pick up on the Otis Redding thing, then scurried off to Muscle Shoals, with Jerry Wexler bring Memphis Horns in. Pickett was a master of soul from the gut.

• Isaac Hayes-- Shaft
  Damn Right.

• Isaac Hayes-- Hot Buttered Soul
  Stax veteran Isaac Hayes busts his own move on classic tracks like hyperbollicsyllabisesquidalimystic. Dig the groove make your move.

• Otis! The Definitive Otis Redding
  There is so much good Otis that there is no point in not owning it all. He captured the dynamic of showmanship, the power of the church and the spirit of the times. He's more alive on his records than most people that you meet these days.

• James Brown-- Star Time
  This is funk. A must have for anyone trying to understand how music since 1955 is different than music before. The godfather of Soul who laid down a sound which picked up from Stax and gave Stax a point of reference.

• James Brown-- Soul Pride The Instrumentals 1960-69

• Parliament-- Tear The Roof Off (1974-1980)
  Funk and grooves from outer space, with occasional collect calls back to Memphis.

• Sly and The Family Stone-- Anthology
  An excellent starting point on Sly Stone one of the greatest incorporators of funk, soul, R&B and Rock. Sly applied the funk intensity of the Stax sound to more elaborate arrangements.

• Sam Cooke-- The Man and His Music
  Cooke served as a role model in the transition from gospel to soul in the early sixties, lessons which were not lost on Stax artists.

• Bob Dylan-- Slow Train Coming
  Gospel Bob with legendary Jerry Wexler producing.

• Bob Dylan's Thirtieth Anniversary Concert
  Dylan with Booker T. and Steve Cropper backing Neil Young, Roger McGuin and others.

• The Jam-- Dig The New Breed
  Paul Weller mixing soul with hard edged British R&B culled from live shows 1977-82 featuring a high intensity cover of Eddie Floyd's Big Bird.