The Chess label more than held its own against the likes of Motown and Stax – as this run-down of the 10 best Chess soul records of all time shows.
Unafraid to live up to their name, Soul Children placed emotion at the top of their agenda with a Stax Records debut album helmed by Isaac Hayes.
A generous offering for the holidays, the ‘A Motown Christmas’ album includes seasonal classics from Stevie, Smokey, The Supremes, and Jackson 5.
Revealing just how she feels about the holidays, ‘A Very Special Season’ is a heartfelt Christmas album from Motown legend Diana Ross.
With the release of their soundtrack for ‘Saturday Night Fever’, in 1977, Bee Gees were at the birth of disco, pointing the way for others to follow.
From over-easy grooves to gritty, energised instrumental funk, ‘Soul Limbo’ found Booker T And The MGs working at their peak.
Stax house band Booker T & The MGs were the rulers of instrumental soul, and they cooked up a soul food storm on ‘Green Onions,’ their debut album.
Stax’s motto for 1969 was 'getting it all together' – and they did, on ‘Soul Explosion,’ one of the great soul music compilations of all time.
As political unrest swept the world in 1968, Stax Records faced a tumultuous year saved only by the legendary label’s own soul power.
With some of its icons still making hits, and a new breed of R&B star rising through the ranks, Motown continued to dominate the charts in the 80s and 90s.
Brilliant and inventive, George Clinton’s debut solo album, ‘Computer Games’, was a funky return to form from the P-Funk mastermind.
Both baffling and astounding, ‘Journey Through The Secret Life Of Plants’ found Stevie Wonder branching out into soundtrack work for the first time.
Uneasy listening on a mission, ‘Death Certificate’ shocked many at the time, with Ice Cube kicking ass musically, verbally, and politically.
Benefitting from a luminous, nostalgic sheen, ‘Pronounced Jah-Nay’ is a reminder that R&B duo Zhané were a unique voice in early 90s R&B.
‘Who’s Making Love’ practically defined the 'can’t trust a lover' strain of soul and made Johnnie Taylor a Stax star during the label’s pivotal year.
