VA - The Last Soul Company: Malaco, A Thirty Year Retrospective [6CD Box Set] (1999)

When Malaco Records started out in the late 1960s, the label that small Southern R&B companies looked up to was Stax. The Jackson, MS-based Malaco, like the Memphis-based Stax, focused mainly on deep-fried Southern soul in the beginning – only in 1968 and 1969, Malaco was a struggling young operation that was fighting to stay afloat. But ironically, Malaco would still be in business long after Stax's 1975 demise, and it would continue to favor classic soul long after most labels had moved away from it. When other black-oriented independents were putting out urban contemporary, rap and house music in the 1980s and 1990s, Malaco was the place you went to hear soulsters like Johnnie Taylor, Denise LaSalle and Latimore and soul-minded bluesmen like Little Milton and Bobby "Blue" Bland. In 1999, Malaco celebrated its 30 years in business with The Last Soul Company, a six-CD box set that spans 1968-1998 and ranges from the decent to the superb. It's miraculous that the company survived long enough to have a 30th anniversary – small R&B labels have come and gone over the years, and Malaco itself almost went under at various times. This collection contains all of the hits that defined Malaco, including King Floyd's "Groove Me" in 1970, Jean Knight's "Mr. Big Stuff" in 1971, Dorothy Moore's "Misty Blue" in 1976 and Z.Z. Hill's "Down Home Blues" in 1982. Over the years, Malaco Records and the Malaco studio dabbled in disco (one of this collection's most famous tunes is Anita Ward's 1979 disco smash "Ring My Bell"), funk and urban contemporary, but essentially, Malaco has remained a soul label with an interest in blues and gospel. Half the fun of hearing a collection like this one is discovering some obscure gems – on The Last Soul Company, such gems include Jewell Bass' seductive "Let Your Love Rain Down on Me," Power's remake of the Rascals' "Groovin'," and male singer Ona Watson's soul makeover of Johnny Paycheck's "Take This Job and Shove It." Obviously, a six-CD set is too much for the casual listener, but for the seasoned R&B fanatic, The Last Soul Company is a fascinating listen.

Tracklist:
Disc: 1
1. Looking For My Pig - Haran Griffin
2. Warm Loving Man - Cozy Corley
3. I Can't Go Wrong - Eddie Houston
4. Sweetheart Baby - Jackie Dorsey
5. You Can't Find Love - Betty & Charles
6. Red Cross Store - Fred McDowell
7. Mississippi River - Paul Davis
8. I Feel Better Now - Stefan Anderson
9. Talking 'Bout Love - George Soule
10. Funky Thing - The Unemployed
11. Groove Me - King Floyd
12. What Our Love Needs - King Floyd
13. I Miss You - Bonnie & Sheila
14. When A Man Cries - Joe Wilson
15. Baby Let Me Kiss You - King Floyd
16. Mr. Big Stuff - Jean Knight
17. I Found All These Things - C.P. Love
18. Mr. & Mrs. Untrue - Mighty Sam
19. Gypsy Read Your Cards For Me - The Barons
20. Gospel Train - Golden Nuggets
21. Woman Don't Go Astray - King Floyd
22. Can't Be In Two Places At The Same Time - Chuck Brooks
23. Superman - Richard Caiton
24. Dog In The Night - Carson Whitsett
25. Don't Let Go - Dorothy Moore

Disc: 2
1. We Can Love - King Floyd and Dorothy Moore
2. Misty Blue - Dorothy Moore
3. Travel On - Jackson Southernaires
4. E Ni Me Ni Mi Ni Mo - Elliott Small
5. Somebody Touched Me - Eddie Floyd
6. Funny How Time Slips Away - Dorothy Moore
7. We Should Really Be In Love - Dorothy Moore/Eddie Floyd
8. Dark Skin Woman - Billy Cee
9. Flying Too High - Natural High
10. Trouble Blues - McKinley Mitchell
11. I Believe You - Dorothy Moore
12. You Don't Love Me No More - Willie Cobbs
13. I Wanna Be Your C.B. - Joe Shamwell
14. With Pen In Hand - Dorothy Moore
15. The End Of The Rainbow - McKinley Mitchell
16. Fallin' In Love With You - Nolan Struck
17. I'm Gonna Hate Myself - The Fiestas
18. Take This Job And Shove It - Ona Watson
19. The Whole World Is Dancin' - Natural High
20. Let Your Love Rain Down On Me - Jewell Bass
21. Ring My Bell - Anita Ward

Disc: 3
1. Dance, Sing Along - Freedom
2. Groove Me - Fern Kinney
3. Get Up And Dance - Freedom
4. Together We Are Beautiful - Fern Kinney
5. Sweet Life - Fern Kinney/Frederick Knight
6. Please Don't Make Me Do Something Bad To You - Z.Z. Hill
7. Seeing You Again - Ruby Wilson
8. Down Home Blues - Z.Z. Hill
9. Cheating In The Next Room - Z.Z. Hill
10. Groovin' - Power
11. Don't Be Lonely - Sho-Nuff
12. Bad Risk - Latimore
13. A Lady In The Street - Denise LaSalle
14. Let's Share - G.C. Cameron
15. Someone Else Is Steppin' In - Z.Z. Hill
16. Get A Little, Give A Little - Z.Z. Hill
17. Right Place, Right Time - Denise LaSalle/Latimore
18. Shade Tree Mechanic - Z.Z. Hill
19. Your Husband Is Cheating On Us - Denise LaSalle

Disc: 4
1. The Blues Is Alright - Little Milton
2. Lady, My Whole World Is You - Johnnie Taylor
3. This Is Your Night - Johnnie Taylor
4. My Tu Tu - Denise LaSalle
5. Part Time Lover - Formula V
6. I Get Off On You - The Rose Bros.
7. Members Only - Bobby Blue Bland
8. Rock Me - Mosley & Johnson
9. Wall To Wall - Johnnie Taylor
10. Sunshine Lady - Latimore
11. Annie Mae's Cafe - Little Milton
12. Cheatin' Is A Risky Business - Little Milton
13. Get Your Money Where You Spend Your Time - Bobby Blue Bland
14. Room 244 - Little Milton
15. Everything's Out In The Open - Johnnie Taylor
16. All You'll Ever Need - Latimore
17. I Found A Love - Johnnie Taylor

Disc: 5
1. You Gotta Hurt Before You Heal - Bobby Blue Bland
2. Ain't Nothin' Like The Lovin' We Got - Shirley Brown/Bobby Womack
3. Still Crazy - Johnnie Taylor
4. Midnight Run - Bobby Blue Bland
5. Wet Match - Denise LaSalle
6. Take Off Your Shoes - Bobby Blue Bland
7. If You'll Give Me Your Heart - Dorothy Moore
8. I Need A Good Woman Bad - Latimore
9. Working Is The Curse Of The Drinking Classes - Mike Griffin
10. I'll Always Love You - The Beat Daddys
11. Stay Close To Home - Dorothy Moore
12. There's A Stranger In My House - Bobby Blue Bland
13. Poonanny Be Still - Poonanny
14. Please Don't Let Our Good Thing End - Dorothy Moore/Z.Z. Hill

Disc: 6
1. Here's Your Mop Mr. Johnson - Keri Leigh
2. Don't Let The Devil Ride - James Peterson
3. Cold This Winter - Ernie Johnson
4. You Ain't Woman Enough To Take My Man - Shirley Brown
5. One Monkey Don't Stop No Show - Bobby Rush
6. Good Love - Johnnie Taylor
7. Your Man Is Home Tonight - Artie White
8. Last Two Dollars - Johnnie Taylor
9. Got My Whiskey - Mel Walters
10. I Been Having An Affair - Tonya
11. Let Me Please You - Tyrone Davis
12. Who Is Betty? - Shirley Brown
13. Don't Make Me Creep - Stan Mosley
14. Tenderness - Kristine
15. Two Lumps Of Sugar - Carl Sims
16. Big Boned Woman - Little Milton

Thanks to the original ripper