Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story (2007) Review

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(More customer reviews)This documentary on the Stax soul powerhouse is very well done. Fine mix of rare performance clips and interviews that puts the story in full perspective. Those who have seen the documentary on PBS may be disappointed in the small number of extra features (just a rehearsal cut of the surviving MGs, William Bell, and Isaac Hayes done earlier this year), but that's okay, as the documenary itself does such a brilliant job.
The scenes where Stax was temporarily ruined by gangsters is an eerie foretelling of the Suge Knight/Death Row saga involving rap music in recent times. At least Stax and Motown never had shootouts with each other in spite of their rivalry (the Motown musician's snobbish comments about Stax and Otis Redding in particular will shock and anger many fans today).
Miraculously, the documentary ends on a high note in spite of the thuggery, mismanagement, and failure to read the fine print that doomed the label for a number of years. The scene of Booker T. and the MG's perfoming "Time is Tight" (trust me, you'll know this if you hear it) as the label's fortunes crumble is a masterpiece of editing.
On the whole, this documentary is as entertaining and inspiring as it is informative. However, their rivals in Detroit (Berry Gordy and co.) need to get with it and put some of their stuff on DVD as Stax is doing such an excellent job with this, the Otis Redding documentary, and the 1967 Live Stax-Volt Tour DVD.
Support these so that more classic soul can at long last be available on non-bootleg DVD in America.

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Funky. Emotional. Raw. Powerful. That was soul music in theCivil Rights era; and Stax Records did it like no other.Stax quicklybecame a hit-making machine, producing a massive catalog of Top 100 recordsthat defined the "Memphis Sound;" such as "Soul Man," "(Sittin On) TheDock Of The Bay," "Green Onions," "Midnight Hour," "I'll Take You There,""Respect Yourself," "Theme from Shaft" and many more.Stax alsolaunched the careers of a who's-who of soul music greats: Otis Redding,Sam & Dave, The Staple Singers, Isaac Hayes, Eddie Floyd, Carla and RufusThomas, Albert King and Booker T. and the MGs, to name just a few. Now, with the release of this exciting new DVD, Grammy-nominated filmakersRobert Gordon and Morgan Neville ("Muddy Waters Can't Be Satisfied")present the first comprehensive look at Stax, the greatest soul label ofall time.

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