Many Soul Legends on Wattstax Soundtrack Reissue
Too damn many to cram into a headline, that's for sure

In the early 70s, Stax Records boasted a roster that comprised a heaping portion of the important funk, soul, and R&B artists of the pre-disco era. And so, with all that talent under a single roof, they held a huge concert in the summer of 1972 right in the center of the then riot-torn Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, an event that history often fondly remembers as "the black Woodstock."

Isaac Hayes, the Staple Singers, Carla Thomas, the Bar-Kays, Rufus Thomas, and oh-so-many others threw down on the stage of the Los Angeles Coliseum to a crowd numbering in the six digits. The concert became a film, and the film became a soundtrack, both entitled Wattstax. Now Wattstax is back, flipping the original two LPs into a jam-packed 3CD set featuring 47 tracks culled from the concert itself and select performances that took place in the week running up to the event.

A pair of tracks by late comedian Richard Pryor, recorded at L.A.'s Summit Club and used as connective thematic elements in the film, are also included on the soundtrack, as is an introduction by then-Stax signee the Reverend Jesse Jackson. The new set-- complete with rare photographs and new liner notes by soul historian Rob Bowman-- will be released August 28 on (you guessed it!) Stax Records.

Wattstax:

Disc one:

01 Dale Warren & the Wattstax '72 Orchestra: "Salvation Symphony"
02 Rev. Jesse Jackson: "Introduction"
03 Kim Weston: "Lift Every Voice and Sing"
04 The Staple Singers: "Heavy Makes You Happy (Sha-Na-Boom-Boom)"
05 The Staple Singers: "Are You Sure?"
06 The Staple Singers: "I Like the Things About Me"
07 The Staple Singers: "Respect Yourself"
08 The Staple Singers: "I'll Take You There"
09 Deborah Manning: "Precious Lord, Take My Hand"
10 Louise McCord: "Better Get a Move On"
11 Lee Sain: "Them Hot Pants"
12 Little Sonny: "Wade in the Water"
13 William Bell: "I Forgot to Be Your Lover"
14 The Temprees: "Explain it to Her Mama"
15 Frederick Knight: "I've Been Lonely (For So Long)"
16 The Newcombers; "Pin the Tail on the Donkey"
17 Eddie Floyd: "Knock on Wood"

Disc two:

01 The Emotions: "Peace Be Still"
02 The Golden 13: "Old Time Religion"
03 The Rance Allen Group: "Lying on the Truth"
04 The Rance Allen Group: "Up Above My Head"
05 The Bar-Kays: "Son of Shaft/Feel It"
06 The Bar-Kays: "In the Hole"
07 The Bar-Kays: "I Can't Turn You Loose"
08 The David Porter Show: "Introduction"
09 David Porter: "Ain't That Loving You (For More Reasons Than One)"
10 David Porter: "Can't See You When I Want To"
11 David Porter: "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)"
12 Richard Pryor: "Niggas"
13 Richard Pryor: "Arrest/Lineup"
14 The Emotions: "So I Can Love You"
15 The Emotions: "Group Introduction / Show Me How"

Disc three:

01 Little Milton: "Open the Door to Your Heart"
02 Mel & Tim: "Backfield in Motion"
03 Jonnie Taylor: "Steal Away"
04 Albert King: "Killing Floor"
05 Carla Thomas: "Pick Up the Pieces"
06 Carla Thomas: "I Like What You're Doing (To Me)"
07 Carla Thomas: "B-A-B-Y"
08 Carla Thomas: "Gee Whiz (Look at His Eyes)
09 Carla Thomas: "I Have a God Who Loves"
10 Rufus Thomas: "The Breakdown"
11 Rufus Thomas: "Do the Funky Chicken"
12 Rufus Thomas: "Do the Funky Penguin"
13 The Soul Children: "I Don't Know What This World Is Coming To"
14 The Soul Children: "Hearsay"
15 Isaac Hayes: "Theme From Shaft"