Wattstax: The Living Word (Live Concert Music from the Original Movie Soundtrack) 2LP

Analog Planet Rated 10/10 Music, 8/10 Sonics!

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the iconic Wattstax event that took place at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum on 20th August 1972, Stax Records reissues original soundtrack album Wattstax: The Living Word. These two LPs are cut from the original tapes by Chris Muth and feature performances by Isaac Hayes, The Staple Singers, The Bar-Kays, Rufus Thomas, Carla Thomas, Albert King and more.

I think both Wattstax: The Living Word and The Living Word: Wattstax 2 sound pretty fantastic for 8-track recordings captured on the fly at a massive, one-time concert event like this — similar to Woodstock, which, for what it is, sounds pretty remarkable at times. So, don't be thrown by this numerical ranking, as these Wattstax LPs do sound really quite great, all things considered... The Bar-Kays pay homage to Redding and their lost bandmates by whipping out a searing cover of Redding's iconic 'I Can't Turn You Loose.' If there was a roof on the L.A. Memorial Stadium that day, they would have torn it off. Talk about burnin' down the house — Rufus Thomas caused the crowd to jump the fences and run onto the field to turn it into a massive, joyous dancefloor during the outstanding extended version of 'Do the Funky Chicken.' The Rance Allen Group delivers on 'Lying on the Truth,' and blues legend Albert King's set smokes too!