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!!

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

[img:$uid]http://theseconddisc.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/philly-international-logo.jpg[/img:$uid]

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.

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!

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.

Stevie Wonder ain't in Stax.

Who said so?

Stax artists

Rufus Thomas
Carla Thomas (Satellite, Atlantic, then Stax)
The Mar-Keys (Satellite, then Stax)
William Bell
The Astors
Booker T. & the M.G.'s (Volt, then Stax)
Eddie Floyd
Wendy Rene
Otis Redding (Volt)
The Mad Lads (Volt)
Ollie & the Nightingales
Wilson Pickett (signed to Atlantic, recorded at Stax)
Don Covay (signed to Atlantic, recorded at Stax)
Sam & Dave (signed to Atlantic, recorded at Stax, recordings issued by Stax by arrangement with Atlantic until 1968)
The Charmels
The Goodees (Hip)
Mable John
Albert King
Johnnie Taylor
The Bar-Kays (Volt)

Ruby Johnson (Volt)
Isaac Hayes (Enterprise)
Christian Harmonizers (Chalice)
Johnny Daye
Judy Clay
Arthur Conley (signed to Fame/Atco, recorded at Stax)
Gus Cannon

Isaac Hayes (Enterprise)
Albert King
O.B. McClinton
Johnnie Taylor
Eddie Floyd
William Bell
The Soul Children
Little Milton
The Emotions (Volt)
The MGs
The Bar-Kays (Volt)
David Porter
The Epsilons featuring Lloyd Parks -McFadden & Whitehead
Richard Pryor (Partee)
Bill Cosby (Partee)
The Staple Singers
The Ross Singers
The Rance Allen Group
Kim Weston
The Leaders (Volt)
The Dramatics (Volt)
The Temprees (We Produce)
Jean Knight
Rev. Jesse Jackson (Respect)
Mel and Tim
Moms Mabley (Partee)
Luther Ingram (Koko)
Terry Manning (Enterprise)
Tommy Tate (Koko)
The Nightingales
Frederick Knight
Shirley Brown
Lena Zavaroni
Inez Foxx
Linda Lyndell (Volt)
Stefan Anderson
Round Robin Monopoly (Truth)
Larry Raspberry & The High Steppers (Enterprise)
Eric Mercury (Enterprise)
The Sweet Inspirations
Roy Lee Johnson
Angie Stone
Lalah Hathaway
Leela James
Leon Ware
N'dambi
Nikka Costa
Soulive
Teena Marie

Motown artists

The Andantes
J. J. Barnes
Blinky
Dorsey Burnette
Choker Campbell & His 16-Piece Band
Chris Clark
The Contours
Caroline Crawford
Debbie Dean
Billy Eckstine
The Elgins
Four Tops
Marvin Gaye
Eddie Holland

Brenda Holloway
Patrice Holloway
The Isley Brothers
Chuck Jackson
Mable John
Marv Johnson
Gladys Knight & the Pips
Shorty Long
Martha and the Vandellas
The Marvelettes
Barbara McNair
The Miracles (a.k.a. Smokey Robinson & the Miracles)
The Monitors

The Originals

Otis Redding
Barbara Randolph
David Ruffin
Jimmy Ruffin
San Remo Golden Strings
Edwin Starr
Barrett Strong
The Supremes (a.k.a. Diana Ross & the Supremes)
Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers
R. Dean Taylor
The Temptations
Tammi Terrell
The Valadiers
Earl Van Dyke (and the Soul Brothers)
The Velvelettes
Jr. Walker & the All Stars
Mary Wells
Kim Weston
Stevie Wonder (a.k.a. Little Stevie Wonder)
Syreeta Wright (a.k.a. Rita Wright; Syreeta)
Gerald Alston
G. C. Cameron
The Cats
Tom Clay
Commodores
The Easybeats
Duane Eddy
Dennis Edwards
High Inergy
Thelma Houston
Jermaine Jackson
Michael Jackson
The Jackson 5
Keff James
Rick James

Matrix
The Messengers
Bonnie Pointer
The Pointer Sisters
Rare Earth
Repairs
Smokey Robinson
Diana Ross
The Supremes
Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons
Mary Wilson
Georgio Allentini
Another Bad Creation
Erykah Badu
The Boys
Boyz II Men
Angela Clemmons
DeBarge
Bunny DeBarge
Chico DeBarge
El DeBarge
Siedah Garrett
Valerie George
Johnny Gill
The Good Girls
Stacy Lattisaw
Bettye LaVette
Teena Marie
Mary Jane Girls
Carrie McDowell
Brian McKnight
MC Trouble
Debelah Morgan
Pal

Queen Latifah
Lionel Richie
Rockwell
Shanice
Tony! Toni! Toné!
Vanity
Jason Weaver
Bruce Willis
Val Young
Drake Bell
Dave Hollister
Remy Shand
Sparkle
Michael McDonald
Sharissa
Kem
Trina Broussard
Dina Rae
Donnie
India.Arie
Yummy Bingham
Be Your Own Pet
Forever the Sickest Kids
Vita Chambers
Avery
Damian Marley
Jada
Stephen Marley
Blue October
Shiny Toy Guns
Shontelle
London
Jimmy Robbins
Suai
SafetySuit
Waylon
Willem Bijkerk
T-Wayne

-------------------------

I personally know more names of Motown artists, so Motown for me.

[Edited 9/27/12 5:47am]

scriptgirl said:

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.

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]

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?

musicman said:

scriptgirl said:

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.

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]

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.

STAX's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

give me some gutbuck blues, soulful, funky music anyday of the week.

Harlepolis said:

Stevie Wonder ain't in Stax.

brooksie said:

musicman said:

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]

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.

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]

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.

Then again, these two important '60s labels are always compared, sometimes unfairly to one another.

Timmy84 said:

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.

Then again, these two important '60s labels are always compared, sometimes unfairly to one another.

Have you lost the sense GOD gave you? Have you? BLASPHEMY.

I do agree about being unfairly compared.

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.

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.

Tell 'em Ms Trina!! Take this thang to chuch!

TD3 said:

Timmy84 said:

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.

Then again, these two important '60s labels are always compared, sometimes unfairly to one another.

Have you lost the sense GOD gave you? Have you? BLASPHEMY.

I do agree about being unfairly compared.

brooksie said:

They avoided any and all politics that could be remotely viewed as militant until quite late in the game.

Not necessarily, Motown did have the Black Forum label which released records like these:

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.

Marrk, good point

BlackForum-how long were they around?

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]

I can't choose. Stevie was the crown Prince of Motown for me and

Otis was the crown Prince of Stax for me.

scriptgirl said:

BlackForum-how long were they around?

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]

The Jackson 5, Mike, The Commodores, Rick James, Teena Marie, DeBarge, Switch, Stevie: Motown for me.

My head says Motown but my heart says Stax so i guess i better leave it at that.