Memphis Soul Beat

Liner Note Author: Bob Fisher.The Mar-Keys were the first house band for Jim Stewart and Estelle Axton's legendary Stax Records label, and the band, which included guitarist Steve Cropper and bassist Donald "Duck" Dunn, began the Memphis template that would lead to the golden age of soul. Cropper and Dunn moved over to Stax's other, later house band, Booker T. & the MG's, in 1962, and the road to soul was pretty much sealed. This two-disc set combines three albums, the Mar-Keys' Last Night from 1961 and Do the Pop-Eye with the Mar-Keys from 1962 and Booker T. & the MG's' iconic Green Onions from 1962, and adds in era singles from both bands (plus one by the Triumphs), resulting in a neat survey of how the Stax instrumental sound evolved. ~ Steve Leggett