Written In Their Soul: Th...iter Demos

Craft Recordings has announced the June 23 release of the brand new collection Written in Their Soul: The Stax Songwriter Demos. The seven-disc box set, now available to pre-order on CD and digital, is a celebration of the often unsung heroes who wrote the classic songs of Stax’s major artists such as Otis Redding, Carla Thomas, Sam & Dave, and the Staple Singers.

The set features 146 demos, all but six of which are previously unreleased, from the label’s revered roster of songwriters, including Bettye Crutcher, Homer Banks, William Bell, Mack Rice, Veda Brown, and Henderson Thigpen. It’s a fascinating glimpse under the bonnet of the historic label, with early sketches of vintage tracks from the 1960s and ’70s as well as never-before-heard songs with full-blown arrangements.

Written in Their Soul has been compiled by multiple Grammy-winning producer Cheryl Pawelski, and its contents divide into three categories: demos that were released by artists at Stax or its subsidiary imprints, including Volt, We Produce, and Enterprise (CDs 1–3); demos by Stax songwriters that were released by artists on other labels, such as Atlantic and Decca (CD 4); and a treasure trove of hit-worthy recordings that were never released (CDs 5–7).

Pawelski adds contextual notes to the collection, alongside a new essay by Emmy and Grammy-winning writer/producer Robert Gordon (Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story) and Stax’s original director of publicity, Deanie Parker, later the founding president and CEO of the Soulsville Foundation, which encompasses the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, as well as other educational organizations. Ms. Parker, who joined the Stax fold in 1962, is also featured in the set as a songwriter.

The first preview of this desirable collection has arrived in the form of a demo by Eddie Floyd of “634-5789 (Soulsville, USA),” written by Floyd and Steve Cropper and inspired by the Marvelettes’ 1962 Motown hit “Beechwood 4-5789.” Wilson Pickett’s recording of the Floyd/Cropper song on Atlantic was a No.1 R&B hit and Top 20 pop single in 1966.

Writes Pawelski: “Demo recordings are often tossed off without inhibition, just writer and tape recorder sharing an intimate space. I love all these songs as they tumbled out for the first time. They’re filled with the joy and magic of discovering something that wasn’t there moments before. Suddenly, there it is, a song filled with the hope of finding an audience, of saying something, of moving someone.”

Some of Stax’s biggest singles will be heard on Written In Their Soul in their earliest incarnations, such as Mack Rice’s acoustic demo of the Staple Singers’ “Respect Yourself,” written with Luther Ingram. The liner notes include Gordon and Parker’s anecdote from Rice and Ingram’s conversation. “One of us said, ‘A guy got to respect himself out here to get anyplace, you know?’,” recalled Rice. “So it hit us both at the same time – that’s a good title, ‘Respect Yourself’ is a good title.

“I have my old guitar upstairs,” Rice continued, “I’m messing with that…and I started writing the song. The words just hit me, like God just give me the words. About 30 minutes, I had the whole song.” Fellow songwriter Bettye Crutcher suggested giving it to the Staple Singers, and an R&B classic took shape.

But Gordon and Parker also emphasize how demos such as this can differ vastly from the final version. “Some demos become the exact map followed and some, like ‘Respect Yourself,’ spark a new interpretation…when Mack created it on an almost-tuned guitar, it sounds a lot more like Talking Heads or some other driving punk rock song than it does the epitome of the Staple Singers’ message music.”

Henderson Thigpen’s “Woman to Woman,” also featured here in demo form, became a signature hit for Shirley Brown in 1974. “When two men get serious,” Thigpen recalls in the notes, “they say, ‘Let’s talk man to man,’ so I thought of these ladies saying, ‘Woman to woman, let’s hash this out.’”

Some tracks will be instantly recognizable from their demos, such as Homer Banks’ “(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don’t Want to Be Right,” written with Carl Hampton. The song was originally intended for the Emotions and then shelved, only to be discovered two years later by Luther Ingram, who scored one of 1972’s biggest US hits with it.

Hitmakers David Porter and Isaac Hayes are also represented in this collection, via a demo of “You Make a Small Girl Weak” written for and performed by one of Stax’s few girl groups, Jeanne & the Darlings. There are multiple demos by the prolific Carla Thomas, who wrote her debut hit “Gee Whiz (Look at His Eyes)” when she was just 15. Also celebrated is the late Bettye Crutcher, whose songs here include solo compositions and collaborations with her hitmaking team We Three (featuring Homer Banks and Raymond Jackson).

Also key to the collection are songs that never reached the public, many of them fully-realized studio recordings that were sent to publishers, such as two tracks featuring Otis Redding soundalike Willie Singleton, and hitmakers such as Frederick Knight (“I Like the Way You Groove Me”), Eddie Floyd (“Don’t You Know I’m All Alone” and “‘Till You’ve Been Loved By Me,” both collaborations with Steve Cropper), and William Bell (“It’s No Secret,” written with Booker T. Jones).

Says Parker: “This music has lasted over 50 years, and it’s still being studied, emulated, enjoyed. It has earned the right to become a tool used to teach a new generation: Culture. Music. Arts. Man’s humanity to man. There’s so many lessons to be learned from these demos, from the Stax vault, from the songwriters at Stax…but every great song starts with something that hits you.”

Written In Their Soul: TH... - YouTube

Eddie Floyd - 634-5789 (S... - YouTube

DISC: 1

1. Comfort Me – Carla Thomas
2. You Make A Strong Girl Weak – Jeanne & The Darlings
3. What Did I Do Wrong – William Bell
4. Another Night Without My Man – Carla Thomas
5. I Got Everything I Need – Eddie Floyd
6. Mister Fix It – Eddie Floyd
7. I’ll Always Have Faith In You – Eddie Floyd
8. Got To Make A Comeback – Eddie Floyd
9. I’ve Seen What Loneliness Can Do – Homer Banks
10. Slow Train – William Bell
11. Hear My Call, Here – The Staple Singers
12. Top Of The Mountain – The Staple Singers
13. I See It – The Staple Singers
14. The Ghetto – The Staple Singers
15. You Can’t Win With A Losing Hand – Eddie Floyd
16. Sweet Sensation – Carla Thomas
17. Spare Me The Hurt Of Losing You – The Newcomers
18. Third Child – Bettye Crutcher
19. Respect Yourself – Mack Rice & Luther Ingram
20. People Come Out Of Your Shell – Bettye Crutcher
21. I’ll Be Your Shelter (In Time Of Storm) – Homer Banks

DISC: 2

1. Get Up About Yourself – Homer Banks
2. All Day Preachin’ – Bettye Crutcher
3. (If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don’t Want To Be Right – Homer Banks
4. We The People – Carl Smith
5. Do The Sweetback – March Wind
6. What Would I Do – Leon Moore
7. Heaven Knows – Homer Banks
8. I May Not Be All You Want (But I’m All You Got) – Homer Banks
9. True Love Don’t Grow On Trees – Veda Brown
10. (I Didn’t Know What Losing Was)‘Til I Lost You – Eddie Floyd
11. Until I Lost You – March Wind
12. Drown Yourself – Bettye Crutcher
13. If You’re Ready (Come Go With Me) – Homer Banks
14. I Got To Be Myself – Carl Smith
15. You’re Spreading Yourself A Little Too Thin – Bettye Crutcher
16. Take A Walk Down My Street – Bettye Crutcher
17. Before The Honeymoon – Homer Banks
18. Nobody But You – Mack Rice
19. Hot line To Jesus – Mack Rice
20. I Hear Footsteps (Coming Closer) – William Brown

DISC: 3

1. I’ll Be The Other Woman – Shelbra Bennett
2. We’ve Got Love On Our Side – Bettye Crutcher
3. It’s So Wonderful – Frederick Knight
4. That’s What Friends Are For – Mack Rice
5. Sugar Daddy – Bettye Crutcher
6. Woman To Woman – Henderson Thigpen
7. So Glad To Have You – Bettye Crutcher
8. Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin’ – Mack Rice
9. Dy-No-Mite (Did You Saw My Love) – Mack Rice
10. Your Love Is Amazin’ – Eddie Floyd
11. Walk On To your New Love – Bettye Crutcher
12. Something Ain’t Right – Mack Rice
13. There Is A God – Bettye Crutcher
14. Packed Up And Took My Mind – Denise LaSalle
15. Don’t You Know That It’s All Right – Joe Shamwell & Eddie Floyd
16. Who Made The Man – Mack Rice
17. It Don’t Pay To Get Up In The Morning – Mack Rice

DISC: 4

1. Don’t Let The Love Light Leave – Carla Thomas
2. I’ve Got No Time To Lose – Deanie Parker
3. A Woman’s Love – Carla Thomas
4. 634-5789 (Soulsville, USA) – Eddie Floyd
5. Linda Sue Dixon – Mack Rice
6. Told You For The Last Time – Delaney Bramlett
7. Let Me Know – Mack Rice
8. Let Me Be Yours – Joe Shamwell
9. We Can Love – Eddie Floyd
10. Without You – Mack Rice
11. Shouting Out Love – Veda Brown
12. Take My Body – Bettye Crutcher
13. I’ve Got A Feeling (We’ll Be Seeing Each Other Again) – Homer Banks
14. I Could Never Be Satisfied – Mack Rice
15. Everybody’s Hustling – Mack Rice
16. Either You Love Me Or Leave Me – Homer Banks
17. I’ve Never Been This Close To Jesus – Mack Rice
18. PussyFooting Around – Mack Rice
19. This Time Yesterday – Mack Rice
20. Are We Slipping Away – Mack Rice
21. I Wanna Slow Dance Wit’cha – Frederick Knight
22. What You Did To Me Last Night – Bettye Crutcher

DISC: 5

1. Got To Make You Mine – Eddie Floyd
2. Come On Dance With Me – Rufus Thomas
3. I Got To Go For That – Rufus Thomas
4. Spin It – Deanie Parker
5. Nobody Wants To Get Old – Deanie Parker & Mack Rice
6. Such A Feeling – Eddie Floyd
7. Never Say No To THe One You Love – Eddie Floyd
8. Looks Like Another Hot Summer – Steve Cropper & Eddie Floyd
9. Give You All The Love I Got – Eddie Floyd
10. It’s Up To You – Carla Thomas
11. Let’s Be Sure – Carla Thomas
12. Oo-we Baby What You Do To Me – Booker T. Jones
13. Coming Together – Homer Banks
14. It’s Over – Homer Banks
15. Break Out (aka Bust Out) - Wendy Rene
16. Walk On Back – Unknown
17. Come On Down – Mack Rice
18. Can’t Make Enough – William Bell
19. Love Is You – Eddie Floyd
20. Let’s Get Down To Business – Bettye Crutcher
21. Stone For Stone – Henderson Thigpen
22. I Won’t Do You No Dirt – William Bell
23. Just too right To Be Wrong – Mack Rice
24. Song #2 – The MG’s

DISC: 6

1. Too Much Sugar For A Dime – Homer Banks
2. Too Much Sugar For A Dime – Bettye Crutcher
3. You Knock Me Out – Homer Banks
4. I Should Have Changed My Ways – Jimmy Hughes
5. Til You Been Loved By Me – Eddie Floyd
6. Deaf And Dumb – Mack Rice
7. It’s No Secret – William Bell
8. Somebody’s Got You Baby – Marshall Jones
9. Something Keeps Holding Me Back – Mack Rice
10. Take It All Off – Bettye Crutcher
11. Don’t You Know I’m All Alone – Eddie Floyd
12. Sweet Dreams (I Had Of You) – Eddie Floyd
13. Ain’t No Love Like My Baby’s Love – Bettye Crutcher
14. Just The Way You Loved Me – Bettye Crutcher
15. Glory Glory I Love Him – Eddie Floyd
16. Stay With Me – Eddie Floyd
17. Three Meals A Day – Mack Rice
18. Everybody Is Talking Love – Bettye Crutcher
19. Didn’t Love Straighten It Out – Homer Banks
20. We Don’t Need Stone Walls – John KaSandra
21. You’re Funny Boy – Carl Smith

DISC: 7

1. Shadows On The Wall – Eddie Floyd
2. Grandpa’s Will – Homer Banks
3. Whatcha Gonna Do (When You Find The One) – Bettye Crutcher
4. I Got To Keep On Taking Chances – Jimmy Hughes
5. Thank You For Loving Me – William Bell
6. Do Me Wrong – Eddie Floyd
7. Put It To A Vote – Carl Smith & Marshall Jones
8. Dammit – Eddie Floyd & Mack Rice
9. The Yard Man – Bettye Crutcher
10. Don’t Stay Gone Too Long – Bettye Crutcher
11. How Can I Win Your Love – Eddie Floyd
12. Every Now And Then – Mack Rice
13. Somewhere In Somebody’s Heart – Willie Singleton
14. Love Treaty – Willie Singleton
15. Staying With My Man – Eddie Floyd
16. Bread Winner – Mack Rice
17. Got To Be Somebody For Me – Eddie Floyd
18. Hometown Lover – Eddie Floyd
19. Do You Want Me To Lie To You – Bettye Crutcher
20. I Don’t Care Anymore – Shirley Brown
21. I Like The Way You Groove Me – Frederick Knight

How do you follow up an essential document like this year's comprehensive Wattstax box set? If you're Craft Recordings, you plan a trip deep into the unheard history of the legendary Memphis label, through dozens of demos released for the first time anywhere.

Written in Their Soul: The Stax Songwriter Demos is an impressive 7CD anthology including 146 demo versions of enduring Stax hits and fan favorites, songs written by label songwriters that ended up elsewhere as well as a number of songs unveiled here for the first time. Only six of these tracks have ever been released!

The material here runs the gamut of Stax's style and influence throughout the '60s and '70s. The box features raw, early song sketches and fleshed-out full-band ideas; rough versions of hits for The Staple Singers ("Respect Yourself"), Luther Ingram ("If Loving You is Wrong (I Don't Want to Be Right)"), and even non-Stax artist Wilson Pickett (whose "634-5789 (Soulsville, USA)" can be heard above, in co-writer Eddie Floyd's original pass); and works by some of the greatest names to pen for Stax, including Isaac Hayes & David Porter, Carla Thomas and the team known as We Three (Homer Banks, Bettye Crutcher and Raymond Jackson).

https://theseconddisc.com...EOyQJJ2a2J

Thx for the heads up!

Bettye Crutcher - Too Muc... - YouTube

Bettye Crutcher - Just Th... - YouTube

That is awesome.

At least some Estates understand the game.

SoulAlive said:

Bettye Crutcher - Too Muc... - YouTube

Hell Yeah!