Staple Singers - Best of (16 tracks) +Album Reviews

Ready for the City in the Sky

happydogpotatohead | New Orleans, LA USA | 05/11/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"My friends, if my mother's prayers are somehow heard by the Main Man Upstairs and by some unbelievable chance I make it to Heaven, I do not expect to hear the sounds of orchestras playing Mozart or choirs singing Bach. I know in my heart that the Staple Singers' music will infiltrate every micrometer of Heaven. This is powerful stuff. Every single word that Mavis sings, every thought expressed in these songs, is still absolutely relevant to our times, as relevant as they were in the 70's. People still can't get along. The races are still fighting with each other. There ain't enough love in the world. This world would be so much better if we would all work together for the good of each other. Those messages have not dated. And those are the messages that the Staple Singers give.A lot of people say those messages are corny in these days of Nine Inch Nails and the desperate empty mechanical clamor that is most of the music of our time. The Staple Singers' music puts the lie to all that, it makes post-modern cynicism and mean-spiritedness seem weak and irrelevant. But not only is this deeply spiritual music on a level that few artists ever reach; it is also a deeply funky music, with roots in the Delta fingerpicking bluesmen that Pops Staples learned his craft from and the burning gospel choirs of Mississippi churches where the Staples learned their art. Ray Charles took church music and made it funky; the Staples took funky music and put it back in the church. Christianity has lost so much by divorcing the mind from the body, the heart from the spirit, and insisting on a bland asceticism that profits no one. The Staples Singers come from a tradition where everyone is granted the same compassion, where the body of the worshiper and the urge to move and dance is accepted, where the whole human is God's and not just the socially acceptable, "nice" aspects. Mavis' voice is alluring and soulful, not "heavenly" as it is commonly percieved - which only means that our perception of heavenliness is all wrong. Every single song on here is a gem. The vocal arrangements, powerful multiple call and response statements between the band, the singers, and Pops' guitar, the bass and drums that vibrate you on an irresistible level where you have to move; there really isn't much like this music anywhere else on earth. I don't care if you're a Christian, a Pagan, a Buddhist, Jewish, or a flat-out stonewall atheist. This is some of the best music humans have ever made, and it contains a profoundly positive spiritual message that is completely free of exclusivity or schmaltz. This music is a vision of a better world and encouragement to make it happen. Or as Mavis Staples says, "Are you ready? Come go with me." Where to? "The city in the Sky." Listen to this and you'll be ready to head there too."

Excellent. Deserving of A Double 5-Star Rating.

yygsgsdrassil | Crossroads America | 12/01/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Not only does this have powerhouse top 10 singles "Respect Yourself" and (General Motors favorite) "I'll Take You There", also it has the feelgood tune "If You're Ready(Come Go With Me)" and that Sha-na-Boom song. In "Sitting At the Dock of the Bay", we find Mavis at her stirring best--her voice, in my opinion, always sounds as if she was either one step from either being hurt or one step from hurting somebody else--understand? In any case, Mavis is great. Check her out in the Prince produced CD "Time Waits For No One"...In the meantime, get and enjoy this great CD, and believe me when I tell you--you cannot go wrong by purchasing the Staple Singers' best."

Essential Music (6 stars) - Poor Quality( 4 stars)

LOUIS F IACUEO | Covina, Ca USA | 01/27/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Staple Singers, finally in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, are one of the most important acts of the Rock And Roll era. They not only come from Gospel routes, but they took those roots and used them in the lyrics, music and style of their great hits. The messages, though gritty at times (e.g. "Put your hand on your mouth when you cough, that'll help the solution" from "Respect Yourself") are always very positive. They made such uplifting music in the early 1970s, a time when our nation was in such turmoil over issues like Vietnam and Watergate. Indeed "Heavy Makes You Happy". The voices are magnificent. Compare the phrasing and range of Mavis, Cleo and Pops to some of the lightweight R&B singers of the 21st Century. There are only two disappointing things about this CD. The first is the absence of "Let's Do It Again", the Curtis Mayfield movie tune that got to #1 on the pop charts in 1975. I would guess that the reasons are contractual, as that music was on the Curtom label, rather than Stax. The second disappointment is the sound quality. The fidelity is relatively poor, as it is on similar Stax collections on Fantasy from Johnnie Taylor and the Emotions. It is not as bad as the early pressings on a well known Philadelphia reissue label. As I bought this CD when it first became available, I would hope that the problem has been corrected.In summary, enrich your spirits and buy this CD."

A must for any classic soul music fan

LOUIS F IACUEO | 03/01/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Anyone who loves classic soul will certainly find themselves remembering parties and family reunions from years ago when they listen to the Staple Singers' greatest hits. Everyone talks about Mavis Staples' fantastic voice. While that is completely not understated, we tend to forget about Pop Staples' awesome guitar playing and vocals. Get this CD and enjoy!!!!!"

It's A Blessing

El Lagarto | Sandown, NH | 06/20/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I don't listen to music to get lessons in life any more than I read literature to learn how to rebuild automatic transmissions. That said, there is something completely undeniable about the attitude driving every note and word of this music. Ironically, it never comes across as "preachy" - although it often is - it's just that the Staple family - Pops and daughters Mavis, Cleo, and Yvonne, have a philosophy, a point of view - and they talk it, walk it, sing about it, and exude it in everything they do. It's joyful, healthy, righteous, tough-minded, and most of all - loving. Plenty of music makes you feel good; this music makes you feel good about life - and being human.

The CD captures the Staple Singers in the glory days of their career. It has the obligatory hits you must have, Respect Yourself, Come Go With Me, I'll Take You There, and Be What You Are - (the latter sounds as current today as the latest, hippest, self-help seminar held in Aspen for $5,000 a seat). But when you dig a little deeper to the tracks that didn't make it onto jukeboxes across the nation and the world, the news is just as good. There really are no dogs on this CD at all; the closest I found were the remakes of standards - Dock Of The Bay and The Weight. While these covers played a role in keeping the Staples in business, they offer nothing new. Both songs were overexposed and covered by countless others, at this point they are dead horses with "Please Do Not Beat" signs on them.

What the Staple Singers achieved is nothing less than amazing. This music is funky enough to satisfy even the most hardcore James Brown devotee, and yet, there's a lightness and sweetness to it that makes you feel like you just opened a window. The Mississippi jubilee gospel roots are never far away, but they're never too thick either, the balance is always perfect. If you imagine The Original Five Blind Boys Of Mississippi as a hurricane of redemption, ecstasy, and testifying - The Staple Singers are a stroll in the park on a beautiful spring day. The message is the same - you are blessed, and you owe it to yourself and your creator to behave as if you're blessed. But the style is different. An extraordinary CD that puts it all together - and - you can dance to it. Pretty hard to top that."

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