Isaac Hayes Hot Buttered Soul

The sheer tenacity - albeit undeniably fitting - of this double-disc set has made Black Moses (1971) one of Isaac Hayes' most revered and best-known works. The multi-instrumental singer/songwriter and producer had been a central figure in the Memphis soul music revolution of the mid-'60s. Along with Booker T. & the MG's, Hayes wrote and performed on more Stax sides than any other single artist. By the time of this release - his fifth overall, and first two-record set - Hayes had firmly established himself as a progressive soul artist. His stretched-out and well-developed R&B jams, as well as his husky-voiced sexy spoken "raps," became key components in his signature sound. Black Moses not only incorporates those leitmotifs, but also reaffirms Hayes abilities as an unmistakably original arranger…

Isaac Hayes - The Isaac Hayes Movement (1970) {2004 Stax DSD Remaster}
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© 2004 Fantasy / Stax | SXSA-31238-1010-6
Soul / Southern Soul / Funk

If some cynics chimed that Hot Buttered Soul had been a fluke, Isaac Hayes easily repeated the success of that 1969 breakthrough for symphonic soul with this 1970 masterpiece. Like its predecessor, it contains four long songs and became a massive seller, peaking at No. 8 on Billboard's pop album chart. Highlights include Hayes's soulfully simmering renditions of Jerry Butler's "I Stand Accused" and the Beatles' "Something," the latter featuring the serpentine jazz violin work of John Blair. Stax Records historian Rob Bowman has called Hayes's vocal on "I Stand Accused" "his finest moment as a singer" and that song's interplay between Pat Lewis's background vocal line and Michael Toles's circular guitar figure "pure alchemical magic."

Isaac Hayes - Double Feature: Three Tough Guys & Truck Turner (1974) {2CD Set, Stax 2SCD-88014-2 rel 1993}
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© 1974, 1993 Stax Records / Fantasy | 2SCD-88014-2
Funk / R&B / Soul / Soundtracks / Blaxploitation

Isaac Hayes not only was an innovative composer, songwriter, producer, and performer in the '60s and '70s, he was also an actor and appeared in several "blaxploitation" films during the early '70s. Hayes did double duty on these projects, writing and conducting the soundtracks for several, including the two featured on this twin-CD reissue.

Isaac Hayes - Shaft (1971) {1993 Stax Remaster}
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© 1993 Stax / Fantasy | CDSXE 021
Jazz / Funk / Soul / Blaxploitation / Soundtrack

Of the many wonderful blaxpoitation soundtracks to emerge during the early '70s, Shaft certainly deserves mention as not only one of the most lasting but also one of the most successful. Isaac Hayes was undoubtedly one of the era's most accomplished soul artists. With the Theme From Shaft, Hayes delivered an anthem just as ambitious and revered as the film itself, a song that has only grown more treasured over the years, after having been an enormously popular hit at the time of its release.

The new Stax Classics series celebrates the iconic label's greatest stars, offering new liner notes, label discographies and 12 choice cuts from the artists' Stax catalog. This collection highlights the music of GRAMMY® and Academy Award-winning singer, songwriter, producer and actor Isaac Hayes. Hayes, who began his career as a songwriter and producer at Stax, co-writing such iconic hits as Sam & Dave's 'Soul Man' and 'Hold On! I'm Comin',' became a star in his own right with 1969's Hot Buttered Soul. The title, which featured Hayes' deep baritone vocals and signature sonic explorations, opened the door for a slew of groundbreaking titles, including Hayes' iconic, award-winning 1971 score for film Shaft, and his critically-acclaimed double album, Black Moses. This album spans Hayes' solo career, and includes such tracks as the Jimmy Webb cover 'By the Time I Get to Phoenix', 'Hyperbolicsyllabicsequedalymistic' and, of course, the 'Theme From Shaft.'

Isaac Hayes - Branded (1995) {Point Blank / Virgin}
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© 1995 Point Blank / Virgin Records | 7243 8 40335 2 1
Funk / Soul

The last album of new material Isaac Hayes released in his lifetime, 1995's BRANDED moves forward and casts a fond look back at the same time. On one hand, there are remakes of two songs from Hayes's `70s glory days, SHAFT's "Soulsville," and "Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquadalymistic" from HOT BUTTERED SOUL. At the same time, Hayes works his patented slow-jam deconstruction methods on something more contemporary by giving Sting's "Fragile" the kind of treatment he once employed to transform `60s pop hits into soul rhapsodies. Even on the album's new compositions, Hayes harks back to his heyday just a bit, teaming up with old cohort David Porter for "Thanks to the Fool," though the production throughout BRANDED is far from retro-sounding.

One of the key links between the old-school soul of the R&B revue shows of the '60s and today's rap movement, Isaac Hayes gave to soul music not only a very sophisticated kind of rapping but also some style pointers in the shaved head, gold chains and wrap around shades. His biggest successes were with the movie soundtrack to Shaft and with Hot Buttered Soul (available through Ace as CDSXD 021 and CDSXE 005, respectively). While 1978s Hotbed may not be in the same major league, it still finds Ike working out, in his own unique way, on such vehicles as Bill Withers Use Me and the Ten Commandments Of Love.