The Living Word - Wattstax 2 (2LP)
50th Anniversary edition
2 LPs, Gatefold jacket
Original analog Master tape : YES
Heavy Press : 180g
Record color : Black
Speed : 33 RPM
Size : 12'’
Stereo
Live
Record Press : unspecified
Label : Craft Recordings
Original Label : Stax
Recorded live at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on August 20, 1972
Engineered by Dave Purple, Pete Bishop, Ray Thompson, William Brown
Mixed by Terry Manning, Tom Nixon
Produced by Al Bell
Mastered by Chris Muth
Photography by Howard Bingham, Roland Charles, Waldo Nilo
Reissued in 2023
Tracks :
Side A:
- Jessie Jackson - Introduction
- Kim Weston - Lift Every Voice & Sing
- The Rance Allen Group - Lying On The Truth
- Jimmy Jones - Someone Greater Than You & I
- The Golden 13 - Old Time Religion
- The Emotions - Peace Be Still
Side B:
- Richard Pryor - Saturday Night
- Richard Pryor - Blue Note
- Richard Pryor - Back Room
- David Porter Show - Introduction
- David Porter Show - Ain't That Loving You (For More Reasons Than One)
- David Porter Show - Can't See You When I Want To
- David Porter Show - Reach Out & Touch
- David Porter Show - Finale
- Richard Pryor - Arrest
- Richard Pryor - Line Up
Side C:
- Johnnie Taylor Show - Introduction
- Johnnie Taylor Show - Steal Away
- Johnnie Taylor Show - Stop Doggin' Me
- Johnnie Taylor Show - Jody's Got Your Girl And Gone
- Little Milton - Walking The Back Streets & Crying
Side D:
- Richard Pryor - Niggers
- The Emotions - Group Introduction
- The Emotions - So I Can Love You
- The Emotions - Show Me How
- Richard Pryor - Negroes
Reviews :
“Wattstax redux -- this fat double album is a second slice of the Stax label experience. Recorded at the Los Angeles Coliseum in the summer of 1972 during the label's day-long festival, Wattstax 2 completes a comprehensive highlight of the whole experience. Because, although it's drawn from the same source as its predecessor, the album has an entirely different tone. What sets Wattstax 2 aside from 1 is the inclusion of the day's spoken word performances. From Jesse Jackson's rousing introduction/call to brotherhood to Richard Pryor's comedic interludes, Wattstax becomes, for the armchair listener, a happening, not just a concert. But the music is important as well. Kim Weston shines with a powerful "Lift Every Voice and Sing, while the legendary Johnnie Taylor weighs in with some of the decade's best R&B, including "Stop Doggin' Me." The Emotions weigh in with "So I Can Love You," and Isaac Hayes contributes "Rolling Down a Mountainside." Released one year after Wattstax, this compilation falls considerably flat in the wake of what was one of the most brilliant funk albums of the age, but that doesn't mean it's not equally as vital -- it is. It's just that the vitality approaches you from a completely different direction.” AllMusic Review by Amy Hanson
“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... Kim Weston's concert-opening take on the NAACP-acknowledged Black National Anthem 'Lift Every Voice and Sing' is a jaw-dropper. There are some powerful gospel moments from The Golden 13 on 'Old Time Religion,' and it is essential to hear Rev. Jesse Jackson's album-opening comments here as well. This is where we also get to hear The Dramatics doing their smash breakthrough hit 'Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get,' in addition to an extended set by the great David Porter.” Mark Smotroff, Analog Planet