js “The Isaac Hayes Movement” is Isaac’s third studio album and is also the immediate predecessor to his highly acclaimed soundtrack masterpiece, “Shaft”. A lot of the diverse elements that would make “Shaft” such a powerful statement are all here, just not as fully developed yet. There are four songs on “Movement”, and each one has its own distinctive flavor. Album opener “I Stand Accused” is one of those long confessional soul ballads that opens with a detailed spoken soliloquy, a technique used by Hayes before, and also favored by artists like Barry White, James Brown and Betty Wright. In this very convincing spoken word segment, Isaac confesses to his best friend’s girlfriend that he is madly in love with her. Its all here; passion, complication, human frailty and no doubt an inevitable heartache and broken friendships. Side one ends with more modern psychological drama in the form of “One Big Unhappy Family”, a story of a ‘good’ family by all appearances who do their best to hide their emotionally bankrupt lives. This one carries its message with sublime chord progressions and subtle orchestrations, all Hayes trademarks.

Side two opens with more heartache in the form of Burt Bacharach’s “I Just don’t Know what to do with Myself”, like most Bacharach creations, this one is top notch both musically and lyrically. All three of these opening songs are great, but the real masterpiece comes with Isaac’s sprawling arrangement of George Harrison’s “Something”. Its on this track that Hayes’ shows the diversity that will go on to make “Shaft” such a success. During the 12 minute multi-movement “Something” opus, Isaac combines, psychedelic pop, classical orchestral arrangements, soul balladry, big band rave ups, progressive rock, free form jazz rock freak outs and more. It’s a very early 70s sort of creative creation as it slowly builds and finally culminates in a raging electric violin solo by John Blair. If you are looking for Isaac Hayes at his most creative, “Something” has got it.

Warthur Infamously, Hot Buttered Soul was a rush job put together in the mad scramble to get some new product for Stax in 1969, after the split from Atlantic meant Stax lost the rights to its entire back catalogue and was left with no product. Promised the creative freedom he was denied on his debut album (Presenting...), Isaac Hayes stepped up to the challenge admirably. There's only four songs on here and there's clear attempts to pad out the running time with, for example, Isaac's epic spoken word introduction to By The Time I Get to Phoenix, but somehow the whole shambolic mess ends up working a treat.

1967/ 1976 There are albums that can not be classified in one single movement/ music genre. Albums that are a symbol of an era, born to artists who were unaware of what they were creating. In the recent history of music, sorry to say, is sold as a novelty that novelty is not (Elivis Presley and Nirvana... Two examples, trivializing maximum). And, if you let me vent, you forget that there were artists out of at least 10 or 20 years that have not been successful. Isaac Hays was an innovator and has been successful. Why? Why? Why? Mysterious Mystery! Ok, but that does not mean, then, a band like Grave Digger Heavy Metal could not copy the Rolling Stones (in their own way) and be innovative and inventor of a new sub genre. In the case of Isaac Hayes have to emphasize everything is sacrosanct. I do not have to say. Is the story. Bastard, but true.

Basically, "Hot Buttered Soul" is a new twist on the album Funky Funky and turns it into what today we call Hip Hop! However this is significance of extreme trivialization. And a little knowledge of music, primarily. Since "Walk On By" was a hit for Dionne Warwick, wilt thou that the version of Isaac Hays was a trivial thing? Hmmm, no! And, indeed, here it is transformed into a sensual Psychedelic Power Soul. But it is not distorted. "Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquendalmistic" presents one of the most beautiful moments in the history of black music, with its mix of Funky Jazz and Hip Hop becomes a prototype without being one. Psychedelic, Rock... Think of it as you want but... That is. Simply it is a song. Innovative without being innovative. "One Woman" is another cover, which is described as a traditional Memphis soul ballad. Of course, it is. But it has a power and magic that we rarely find in other compositions. The album is closed by the extraordinary "By The Time I Get To Phoenix" (a 1967 hit for Glen Campbell), famous for the long intro and hypnotic organ, vocals (one of the first example of Rap music) and drums, true and last attempt at jam sessions. And the song, then starts without noticing, as if the version of Isaac Hayes was so natural and innovative (and the magic it contains ... can not be described).

In short, "Hot Buttered Soul" is not a Soul album. Or rather, it is a Soul album. But like many similar albums can not be inserted into a specific genre. In a sense, "Hot Buttered Soul" made ​​innovation in music, randomly. Even now it is innovative and fresh sounds and powerful, magical and bastard. And few albums can be innovative and to pierce the time clapping mode. And all this by accident.

js “Shaft” was Isaac Hayes’ first film score and in his effort to impress, dug dip and created one of the finest soundtracks of the 70s. Before being asked to compose this score, Hayes’ career had been on a roll with albums that kept getting more and more artistic while he continued to expand the world of RnB with lush orchestrations and long songs with complex arrangements. With “Shaft”, all of his innovations came together into a sort of “Sgt Peppers” apex in his career. Hayes is not quite as smooth a composer as Mancini and Quincey Jones, and not as adventurous as Herbie Hancock, but you will hear traces of those well known crime jazz composers in Hayes’ soundtrack as well as other diverse influences from Lalo Schifrin, to the jazzy lounge pop of Burt Bacharach and the urban psychedelic rock of early Funkadelic. What Hayes does do on here that the others couldn’t is take the tough RnB funk of Memphis’ Stax label and seamlessly mix it with orchestrations and progressive arrangements that lift the music up without destroying its gritty integrity. The number of different musical styles on here is impressive and much credit should also go to Hayes’ ultra talented back-up band and longtime Stax label mate, The Bar-Kays. During the course of this soundtrack the Bar-Kays take on cool lounge vibes, up-tempo soul jazz, heavy and experimental psychedelic rock and lengthy orchestrated grooves and play every style with burning enthusiasm and instrumental virtuosity.

There are many great tracks on here, but one standout is the extra long version of “Do Your Thing”. This one opens with a delicious laid back psychedelic groove that pre-dates the trip-hop movement by twenty plus years. As the song progresses the band lays into an extended guitar solo and things get more experimental in a dark Funkadelic way. This is psychedelic rock for the urban crowd, totally devoid of any overly sweet pixie dust. As the song rambles on the band breaks into an intense chaotic double time that echoes Miles’ “Dark Magus” album. Finally the band meanders into something that sounds like a cross between free jazz and early Pink Floyd. There is no telling how long the original jam went on because the track finally abruptly ends with the sound of someone ripping a record needle off of the vinyl. Another great track is the high energy horn driven soul jazz of “Be Yourself” which may remind some of the equally infectious “Put it where You want it” by the Crusaders. Closing out the special recommendations, “Soulsville” is one of the most beautiful and moving ballads about life in the big city ever recorded.