Sam & Dave – The Best of Sam & Dave (1969):  Likely the best male R&B duo of all time, Sam & Dave had a somewhat lower profile than some of the other Atlantic/Stax artists, certainly Aretha Franklin and Otis Redding, and probably Wilson Pickett as well.  But their hit songs include more than a few of the definitive soul music classics, such as “Soul Man”, “Hold On! I’m Comin’ ”, “You Don’t Know Like I Know”, “When Something Is Wrong with My Baby”, and “I Thank You”.  Backed by the Stax Records house band Booker T and the MG’s – famous for their #3 instrumental hit “Green Onions”, with several of their white bandmembers later joining the Blues Brothers Band – and featuring numerous songs written by Isaac Hayes and David Porter, The Best of Sam & Dave is an essential album in any record collection.