Atlantic, Stax/Volt, Motown... Those are three (four?) of my favorite record labels -- and two of 'em are in the news now. Of course, Bill Condon's film of the 1981 musical "Dreamgirls" is loosely based on a slice of Motown history involving Diana Ross and the Supremes. (The slick diva lead singer is named Deena. Subtle.) "Dreamgirls" is playing roadshow engagements in LA, NY and SF -- and opens around the rest of the country on Christmas.
But on a far more significantly note: Last week, music mogul Ahmet Ertegun, founder of the great soul/jazz/pop/rock label Atlantic, died at age 83. Ertegun, along with several others whose names on LP jackets I came to associate with great music (his brother Neshui, Jerry Wexler, Tom Dowd, Arif Mardin...), made Atlantic into one of the greatest recording imprimaturs in American history. (In no small part thanks to its partnership with Memphis-based Stax and Volt.)
Today, the Atlantic/Stax/Volt legacy is in the hands of the brilliant archival label, Rhino, which recently released a terrific box set: "What It Is! Funky Soul and Rare Grooves (1967-77)" from the vaults of Atlantic, Atco and Warner Bros. Records (which includes stuff from Curtom, Cotillion, Reprise... -- labels are as fascinating to me as movie studios, and some have equally distinctive house styles). An earlier indispensable Rhino collection -- "Beg, Scream & Shout! The Big Ol' Box of '60s Soul" -- has a lot of the Stax/Volt material, and comes in a replica carrying case for 7" 45 rpm singles. And I'm thrilled and relieved to see that the 203-track, 8-disc "Atlantic Rhythm and Blues 1947-1974" (which I originally had on LP, then repurchased on CD in the 1980s) is still in print -- along with many of the original albums.
The best appreciation of Ertegun and Atlantic that I've read is from That Little Round-Headed Boy, who even includes a convenient 45 adapter for use on 33 1/3 rpm long-playing turntables! (Bur remember: For best results observe the R.I.A.A. high frequency roll-off characteristic with a 500 cycle crossover.) Not only that, TLRHB adds his own list of favorite Atlantic sides. (And, yes, I've always had a soft spot for Clarence Carter's "Patches," too... and I fervently believe that Aretha Frankin's "Until You Come Back to Me" is to Atlantic what the Temptations' "My Girl" and Stevie Wonder's "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" are to Motown/Tamla -- single-slices of heaven on Earth.)
This is a mono posting and may be played on stereo equipment.
IIRC, only those Stax/Volt releases that came out during the 60s Atlantic deal - Atlantic distributing Stax - are now with Rhino, everything else is with Fnatasy Records.
Under the Atlantic deal falls Stax material from 1959-1968, when Stax thought they were better off on their own. Unfortunately they lost some key artists around that time, partly due to them originally being signed to Atlantic [Sam & Dave], partly due to death [i.e. Otis Redding], partly because they wanted to pursue new avenues [Steve Cropper, crucial to the Stax sound].
Still available are the three big box sets containing Stax material:
http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Stax-Volt-Singles-1959-1968/dp/B000002IQU/sr=8-1/qid=1166515667/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-8385200-8201532?ie=UTF8&s=music
http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Stax-Volt-Soul-Singles-Vol/dp/B000000ZHS/sr=8-2/qid=1166515667/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2/104-8385200-8201532?ie=UTF8&s=music
http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Stax-Volt-Soul-Singles-Vol/dp/B000000ZHT/sr=8-5/qid=1166515667/ref=pd_bbs_sr_5/104-8385200-8201532?ie=UTF8&s=music
The first is dominated by Steve Cropper as guitarist and sound engineer, the second by Isaac Hayes and Dave Porter, the third takes up the remains.
I remember seeing him once, sitting on an Eames chair in front of his Bodrum home. With the sound of Coltrane's velvet-like sax in the background, he was having a drink, admiring the view. "İyi Akşamlar, Ahmet Bey," I said in Turkish, "Good Night, Mr Ahmet." "Sana da iyi akşamlar canım, iyi eğlenceler," he said: "Good Night to you, too, dear; and have fun tonight." It might very well be the best, and most apt, advice I've ever had.
This is also an interesting interview with the great man: http://www.slate.com/id/2155601 .
Those who are interested might appreciate the documentary Tom Down & The Language of Music. It's a highly enjoyable, well-done portrait of a guy whose life work should be known to anyone who has listened to recorded music in the last 50 years.
Jim, you're right about That Little Round-headed Boy's piece-- the guy has an amazing knowledge of popular music and, as one commenter on his site suggested, very good taste. One of the things I was surprised to learn by reading TLRHB's thoughts was on how many records Ertegun sang! He really was hands-on, and a dying breed of businessman for whom the music actually meant something. On my very first trip to New York, a friend and I, desperate to soak up as much hipness as possible, paid a visit to see The Posies and U2-wannabes An Emotional Fish (who were on Atlantic, I believe) at CBGB. About a half hour into our visit, I spotted Ahmet Ertegun hanging out on a wall near the bar, and he stayed for the whole show, enjoying both being occasionally recognized and approached, but also going unnoticed and soaking up the music and the atmosphere like a fan.
(And I'll back you on "Until You Come Back To Me" too-- the plaintive, powerful way she wraps herself around "I'm gonna rap on your door/Tap on your window pane" is the definition of sublime, and I'm sure my ears physically snap to attention every time I hear it.)