William Bell - This Is Where I Live

"William Bell aces his return to the legendary Stax label with "This Is Where I Live," an excellent album built on the foundations of his songwriting and vocal skills.

In the '60s, Bell performed or wrote a handful of blues and soul classics like "Everyday Will Be A Holiday" and "Born Under A Bad Sign," and he continues to uphold those high standards even on the cusp of age 77.

His clear, smooth tenor lends authority and honesty to the 12 songs produced by John Leventhal, best known for his work with wife Rosanne Cash, Marc Cohn and Shawn Colvin. Leventhal plays most of the instruments and co-wrote nearly every song with Bell, proving a sympathetic and inspiring partner. His "no frills, no clichés" approach hits the bullseye.

Bell, who founded his own record label and left Stax in the mid-'70s, sings about his Memphis roots and musical journey on the title track, while "More Rooms" cautions that for a marriage to last, remember that "there's more rooms in a house ... than the bedroom."

Bell's take on "Born Under a Bad Sign," which he wrote with Booker T. Jones, alters the classic guitar riff and is more a weary lament than a complaint. "Poison in the Well" is sung by a victim of love over a Robert Cray-style groove, and the second line from the refrain of "All the Things You Can't Remember" is "I'm still trying to forget."

After a fallow decade, "This Is Where I Live" proves that in the right company Bell is still an enduring source of brilliance." By Pablo Gorondi, Associated Press

William Bell - Soul Of A Bell / Bound To Happen

 Another Stax guy who was both behind the scenes and out front on stage was William Bell. Bell was born William Yarborough in Memphis, TN in 1939; he took the stage name Bell as a tribute to his grandmother. He began his career as a backup singer for Rufus Thomas in 1957, had some minor success with a group The Del Rio's, followed Rufus to Stax in 1961 as a staff writer and soon as an artist as well.

Most of what was said about Eddie Floyd's role at Stax applies equally well to William Bell. He wrote, sang, produced and help to craft the Stax Sound. Bell's own "You Don't Miss Your Water" was an early hit for Stax in 1961 but just as he was getting rolling a two year hitch in the military set back a promising solo career. He returned to Stax after getting out but not until 1966-67 did he finally regain some traction with "Share What You Got (But Keep What You Need)" and "Everybody Loves a Winner", resulting in the fine LP 'Soul Of A Bell'. 1967 also saw his song (co-written with Booker T Jones) "Born Under A Bad Sign" scoring a big hit for Albert King.
 
 In 1968 Bell scored again with his "Tribute To A King" for the late Otis Redding. An album of duets yielded "Private Number" with Judy Clay but not much else that was memorable. Before the year was out Bell recorded "I Forgot To Be Your Lover", a Top 10 R&B hit for him and, 20 years later, a Top 10 Pop hit for Billy Idol. The album "Bound To Happen" followed in 1969.

 Bell stayed with Stax to the end, recording 3 or 4 more "nice" but not particularly successful albums. In 1976, the year after Stax folded, he had his biggest hit "Trying to Love Two," which topped the R&B charts for Mercury.

William Bell relocated to Atlanta and continued in the business in various capacities (including founding two labels) and recorded a number of locally successful albums. He still performs on occasion in R&B Legends shows. He has received honors as an R&B Pioneer and a W.C. Handy award.

The Complete Stax/Volt Singles 1959 - 1968

Honestly... what can I say here?!?  This collection is all you could ever want if you are a fan of the Stax sound.  This is in 320 mp3 with no booklet.  You will have to buy it if you want the real deal.  Everything has been tagged fully and correctly.  Chances are this post will be temporary, so grab it while you can!!!

At nine discs and 244 tracks, The Complete Stax-Volt Singles: 1959-1968 is far too exhaustive for casual fans, but that's not who the set is designed for -- it's made for the collector. Featuring every A-side the label released during those nine years, as well as several B-sides, the set is a definitive portrait of gritty, deep Southern soul. Many of the genre's major names -- Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Carla Thomas, Booker T. & the MG's, William Bell, Rufus Thomas, the Bar-Kays, Albert King -- plus many terrific one-shot wonders are showcased in terrific sound and augmented with an in-depth booklet. For any serious soul or rock collector, it's an essential set, since Stax-Volt was not only a musically revolutionary label, its roster was deep with talent, which means much of the music on this collection is first-rate. But if you only want the hits, you'll be better off with a smaller collection, since too much of this set will sound too similar, and sorting through the nine discs will be a monumental task if you only want to hear Otis, Rufus, Carla, and Sam & Dave.  - by Stephen Thomas Erlewhine