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MOTOWN or STAX!!!! These were two of the greatest record labels in American music period. Not only in soul music, but both companies crossed over to maintstream success. Just pondering to know what sound do you all prefer,MOTOWN-Detroit or STAX-Memphis..Motown had more pop and crossover appeal and their artists were groomed and polished: Diana Ross and The Supremes, The Jackson 5, The Temptations, Four Tops, Martha and The Vandellas, Mary Wells, Marvin Gaye, smokey Robinson and The Miracles, Stevie Wonder, and The Marvelettes were on the charts constantly..while down in Memphis,TN, you had the hard raw gutting soul of Sam and Dave, Rufus and Carla Thomas, The Bar-Kays, Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, Booker T. and The MG's, Eddie Floyd, The Staple Singers, and many more...what label is the best? I love both, but gotta go MOTOWN 1st then STAX!! | |
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I love STAX but it's Motown. Only one name from STAX is unanimous with American Pop Culture, and that is Otis Redding. Motown has a gang of them.
Smokey Stevie Marvin Supremes Temptations Jackson 5 Michael Jackson
PRINCE: Always and Forever
MICHAEL JACKSON: Always and Forever ----- Live Your Life How U Wanna Live It | |
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Stax. I hate the motown sound and I hate that squeaky clean image they tried to have for their artists. Stax to me is more honest in the music and everything else. "Lack of home training crosses all boundaries." | |
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Between the two companies, I choose Stax for their rollickin' sound and and lack of pretenion. That said, both labels had fantastic studio msuicians and a great stable of singers.
Most of the Black indie labels were 1st rate wrt talent. They rarely dealt w/ weak links!
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I love Motown, but I think I'll have to go with Stax on this one. They had the artists who reached down and touched your soul with their music. When I hear Otis sing "Just One More Day"...lawd...the man would preach on his songs. Then you had Sam & Dave, Johnny Taylor, Isaac Hayes, etc. I will forever love and miss you...my sweet Prince. | |
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Stevie Wonder ain't in Stax. | |
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Who said so? | |
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Stax artists Rufus Thomas Ruby Johnson (Volt) Isaac Hayes (Enterprise)
Motown artists The Andantes Brenda Holloway The Originals Otis Redding Matrix Queen Latifah ------------------------- I personally know more names of Motown artists, so Motown for me. [Edited 9/27/12 5:47am] | |
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That's what I say too! Motown is too clean. I like the grit of Stax. Even though I like individual Motown artists who broke the Motown sound mold i.e Stevie, Marvin and the Temptations- in the 70s. [Edited 9/27/12 6:01am] | |
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The funny thing about Stax is that many people have heard much more than they recognize because Stax has been incredibly sampled over the years. Lawd where would Salt-N-Peppa be w/o Otis and Carla, for example? | |
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Just shootin' the breeze here, but your post got me to thinking about the whys of the matter. Motown and Stax had two very different underlying philosophies. Motown sought crossover and middle-of-the-road. They avoided any and all politics that could be remotely viewed as militant until quite late in the game.
Stax never sought general accepatance nor did it try to decouple from its Southern roots. Given that they were a precursor to funk and were smack in the middle of the soul movement, I find the contrast between them and Motown quite interesting. It's amazing that the times allowed for such diversity that these two companies represent. I don't think we'll see the likes of these companies again sadly.
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STAX's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
give me some gutbuck blues, soulful, funky music anyday of the week. | |
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Oh yeah, I appreciate Motown and Barry for what he did. I when I try to go go back to listen to most of the 60s sound- it just doesn't really do anything for me. I like some early Supremes, some early Miracles, but I really don't have much early Motown in my collection. I have a lot of Jackson 5 albums, because Michael sold those songs, even as a kid!
Stax just kinda gut punches me
I like Motown for the movement, but Stax for the gritty soul.
[Edited 9/27/12 6:33am] | |
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Motown for these reasons:
*All of those legends (known on an international level) in one label *The Funk Brothers and Detroit Symphony's backing *Their method of success was considered revolutionary due to them not presenting their music as "black music" but "music for everybody" and having enough people to finally get them to go their way unlike many other R&B labels
Stax did have a lot of soul and "chicken grease" but Otis, Isaac and Sam & Dave were their only real worldwide ambassadors.
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Have you lost the sense GOD gave you? Have you? BLASPHEMY.
I do agree about being unfairly compared. | |
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When I was little, I lived with my grandparents, and I saw records on Excello, Checker, Nashboro & Backbeat more than Motown or Stax. I guess those labels are little known outside of the juke joint audience though. You can take a black guy to Nashville from right out of the cotton fields with bib overalls, and they will call him R&B. You can take a white guy in a pin-stripe suit who’s never seen a cotton field, and they will call him country. ~ O. B. McClinton | |
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Damn you puttin the hard questions on!
On the real, if this was a fight to the death, Motown gotta win, although I LOOOOVE them both.
If you had to list a top 5 soul/R&B albums of all time, it'd be hard to argue with Innervisions, What's Going On and Songs In The Key Of Life being in there. I just can't think of a single Stax album as a body of work that would be in the top 5. Music, sweet music, I wish I could caress and...kiss, kiss... | |
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Tell 'em Ms Trina!! Take this thang to chuch! "Lack of home training crosses all boundaries." | |
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Not necessarily, Motown did have the Black Forum label which released records like these:
You can take a black guy to Nashville from right out of the cotton fields with bib overalls, and they will call him R&B. You can take a white guy in a pin-stripe suit who’s never seen a cotton field, and they will call him country. ~ O. B. McClinton | |
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All i know is if you were alive back then and listening to the radio, you were some lucky fuckers compared to the shit tweens get now. Poor bastards.
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Marrk, good point BlackForum-how long were they around? "Lack of home training crosses all boundaries." | |
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Oh gosh this is really hard. I love the Stax sound because it's so more raw and pure, but I love Motown and it's "innercity" sound as well. I think Motown had better musicians and just overall changed the sound of music (people Like Stevie & Marvin came from Motown), but I love Stax for their contributions too. I'll go with Motown but they shouldnt be compared. Just gotta say that Sam & Dave are kinda underrated imo, they were phenomenal on stage. [Edited 9/27/12 14:31pm] When the power of love overcomes the love of power,the world will know peace -Jimi Hendrix | |
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I can't choose. Stevie was the crown Prince of Motown for me and Otis was the crown Prince of Stax for me. Don't laugh at my funk
This funk is a serious joint | |
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I have to say MOTOWN. The simple fact that the best album, imo, WHAT GOING ON came out of Motown makes it the winner. | |
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A few years, not that long. Since most of the releases were speeches and dialogue, the records didn't sell much, so Motown shut it down. Motown also had a country music label (Melodyland) in the 1970's with releases by T.G. Sheppard, Pat Boone, and others. Stax started out a a country label, originally called Satellite. [Edited 9/27/12 19:06pm] You can take a black guy to Nashville from right out of the cotton fields with bib overalls, and they will call him R&B. You can take a white guy in a pin-stripe suit who’s never seen a cotton field, and they will call him country. ~ O. B. McClinton | |
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The Jackson 5, Mike, The Commodores, Rick James, Teena Marie, DeBarge, Switch, Stevie: Motown for me.
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My head says Motown but my heart says Stax so i guess i better leave it at that. Rest in Peace Bettie Boo. See u soon. | |
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