Soul legend Sam Cooke left our planet all too soon – but during his short time in the business, and during the height of his fame, he managed to start his own record company too – a really groundbreaking imprint that issued some great singles of his own, and helped to showcase a small group of well-chosen artists that Cooke really got behind! The date range here is a bit longer than the actual recording history of SAR – as Sam died in 1964, and was overseeing most of the artistic and creative direction of the label – along with help from partner JW Alexander – and the material here showcases both sides of Cooke's legacy, both secular and spiritual – with a focus on some great soul singers and groups, and a bit of gospel music too. The collection is nicely tight – not as wide-ranging as bigger label compilations, in part because of the elite group of artists who recorded for SAR – which makes for a sharp lineup of tracks, from artists who include Johnnie Taylor, The Valentinos, The Womack Brothers, Soul Stirrers, The Simms Twins, Billy Preston, Johnnie Morisette, RH Harris & His Gospel Paraders, and Sam Cooke himself! LP, Vinyl record album

A second set of material issued in celebration of the legendary Wattstax concert by Stax Records in LA in 1972 – and a set that mostly features material from the famous show at the Los Angeles Coliseum, but also includes some sly studio material that was pumped up with applause to fit nicely into the mix! Richard Pryor acts as the MC – although his tracks weren't recorded at the actual concert – and as with the original album, there's a mixture of some self-contained "show" passages here, plus individual songs by other artists too! David Porter delivers a mighty batch of tracks that include "Reach Out & Touch", "Ain't That Loving You", and "Can't See You When I Want To" – followed by a Johnnie Taylor show that includes "Steal Away", "Stop Doggin Me", and "Jody's Got Your Girl & Gone". Other live material includes work by Rance Allen Group, Kim Weston, Jimmy Jones, and The Golden 13 – augmented by additional cuts from The Emotions, Mel & Tim, and Little Milton too! LP, Vinyl record album