Damn, I feel terrible about the earlier post's title, now.
You could start feeling about the non-canonical nature of this one, then.
Any chance we can get an appreciation of his work, Labs. I know nothing about music, and less about Hayes's work. He's one of those guys who always gets cited as important an influential, but I cannot quite make out why he's important and influential. Particularly because the style in which he worked seems to have largely died. (But maybe that's the ignorance talking.)
(The above is, sadly, entirely sincere.)
This is a great picture of Hayes. Which one really could masturbate to, if it weren't too late.
Speaking of canonical, buy the soundtrack for Shaft, Tim. It'll make you cooler. Yes, even you.
I am the soundtrack for Shaft made flesh. Er...motherfucker.
Call him drunken Isaac Hayes, he won't answer anymore
5:AMG review of the seminal album Hot Buttered Soul ...says what needs be said.
I listened to it at the time. Umm, Sly did some extended pieces on Stand but he was closer to psychedelic at that point than soulful.
War and Earth, Wind, & Fire followed Hayes lead;then Donna Summer & disco. Also the Poets? Barry White stole everything from Isaac.
But Pharoah Sanders & Miles were also crossovers in the late 60s. Herbie Mann was on everybody's turntable.
Hayes persona was important; he was urban tough but sophisticated.
And yes, they were great album covers. I like HBS better.
I would kind of advise some other stuff first, since it's hard to get away from the "Shaft" theme. I'll make you a CD, Tim.
Tim, see if you can find "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" from HBS.
Hayes was to soul what "Light My Fire", "In-a-Gadda-da-Vida", "Hey Jude" etc were for rock. Changing the art from singles for top-40 to art albums. A little later in soul because the commercial interests had more control. Berry Gordy etc were tyrants.
I think Hayes also went independent with his own label very early.
Songs in the Key of Life could only come after HBS.
I guess we should mention Ray Charles, who did stretch (5+) out on his last few Stax singles.
But I know nothin about soul.
Signed, Sealed, and Delivered ...Stevie Wonder, 1970. (HBS was 1969)
Stevie Wonder was beginning to rebel against the Motown hit factory mentality in the early '70s. While he certainly hadn't lost his commercial touch, Wonder was anxious to address social concerns, experiment with electronics, and not be restricted by radio and marketplace considerations.
Whats Going On ...1971
These feelings had been bubbling up between 1967 and 1970, during which he felt increasingly caged by Motown's behind-the-times hit machine and restrained from expressing himself seriously through his music. Finally, late in 1970, Gaye decided to record a song that the Four Tops' Obie Benson had brought him, "What's Going On." When Berry Gordy decided not to issue the single, deeming it uncommercial, Gaye refused to record any more material until he relented.
RIP Isaac Hayes
I confess, I've never been a fan of Isaac Hayes, but then I've never been a fan of slow soul grooves in general.
Reading the AMG review makes it sound like Hayes was a more important figure for people who discovered him after Motown, which I never listened to.
11: Would it be much trouble to make two?
Too much trouble? These are artisanal hand-carved CDs, parsimon. I'll put it on my to-do list.
I expect hand-carving, of course. Wood-stylee. With curlicues. I already have the picture of black moses to go with.
Parsi, can I email you a track? "The Look of Love". Hayes does Bacharach. So good. 3.1 MB.
Will these CDs include Labs covering Hayes? I want one.
Hot Buttered Colonoscopy photos, Michael. Don't turn that down.
They'll go right in my "colonoscopy trading cards" shoebox.
As long as you're putting the CD together, I would be interested as well. At least, it would be nice if you posted the track list online.
||
I should mention that yesterday, I just listened to a jaw-dropping Ella Fitzgerald track.
|>
May Isaac's body thetans continue to inhabit vessels capable of creating beautiful music, until their eventual expulsion!
He should probably be remembered as the composer/producer of Sam & Dave's slew of inimitable recordings, and as a character actor of currency circa 1976-1985 (including Escape From New York). His own recordings pale beside contemporary efforts by Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder. If you are a fan of Barry White and Luther Vandross, you might like Hayes a little better for having started the genre. If not, then probably not so much.
If you are a fan of Barry White
Which is to say, if you are alive.
Indeed. As Samuel Johnson once said, he who is tired of Barry White is tired of life.
Last night as he was going to bed, a suspicion creeped in on Isaac Hayes, a nagging feeling that he was really tired of Barry White.
Holy smokes, everybody, Nick's link in 24 is amazing. Go listen, if you haven't already!
20: Parsi, can I email you a track? "The Look of Love". Hayes does Bacharach. So good. 3.1 MB.
I just saw this. You can, but remember the embarrassing fact that I'm on dial-up. How long does it take to download 3.1 MB on about a 45kbps connection? I am sorry about this, of course. I can do it, yes, of course.
10 minutes or so, right? Maybe 15. If you don't have anyone to talk to on the phone, shouldn't be a problem, and since you use gmail I imagine you will do it at your convenience.
I think the best days of my life for music listening were when I had Napster on dial-up. I'd scour the internet for interesting recommendations, search them on Napster, and go to bed, checking the traps in the morning for good tunes.
God damn. Rest in peace, Isaac.
Someone asked about a general appreciation of Hayes. I tried to say something brief here, if it helps.
With all these offers of CDs thrown around, perhaps it is time for a Isaac Hayes themed mixtape thread? My music folder is bereft of the great man's work.
Cookie Monster's homage.
Sorry ari.
37: I was thinking that might be a good idea. Hayes and those he influenced? Hayes and those who influenced him? Hayes and lots of stupid south park samples? The possibilities are endless!
In some ways I wish I never heard of s/c/ient/ology and the bad things it does. I have a tough time separating an artist and his/her endorsement of a cult. I use that term carefully. I suppose I am especially sensitive because s/c/ientology generally traps people at a vulnerable time.
Here's a nice post to get started with.
A statement by Isaac's last interviewer:
Isaac was a one-man messianic movement who spoke the gospel of groove and spread the sermon of soul throughout American culture. He served to liberate and advocate American funk and human sexuality the way Timothy Leary articulated acid, the way Hunter S. Thompson obliterated objectivism.
43: uh, I think they mean "objectivity", unless HST did some big takedown of Atlas Shrugs that I don't know about (oh, sweet jesus, let that be the case).
From "Fear and Loathing at the Federal Reserve"
Greenspan has six peyote buttons on his tongue. "Take 'em all, man, let God sort you out," I tell him. There's a skirt with him who hasn't said much but keeps glaring at me. Little do I know that in the next twenty-eight hours, she will drink and drug me way, way under the table.
Undercover Black Man--a blog you should be reading--is streaming Hayes' cover of Never Can Say Goodbye--classic Hot Buttered Soul-style--and a few clips of Hayes performing "Shaft" at various times in his career.
The possibilities are endless!
People around the world all singing "The Theme From Shaft" badly!
I don't need (or want, really) a CD, but I'd love to download an Isaac Hayes mix too.
For the blown-away, that Ella track at #24 can be found on a rather wonderful CD, Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday at Newport.
49: For the record, that information is available at the link in 24, but it's probably worth repeating here.