Isaac Hayes is now best known as the voice of Chef (of Chocolate Salty Balls fame) on South Park, but in the world of soul music he's one bad mother—shut your mouth! As a musician in the Stax Records house band, and as a composer with writing partner David Porter, Hayes was crucial to the development of the Memphis soul sound—a rawer and less-produced cousin of the music coming out of Mowtown in the mid-1960s.
Hayes and Porter wrote over 200 songs together for artists like Carla Thomas, Johnnie Taylor, and, most memorably, for Sam & Dave. Songs like "Soul Man," "When Something Is Wrong With My Baby" and "Hold On, I'm Comin'" stand as some of the enduring classics of soul music.
Isaac Hayes was an important solo artist in his own right as well, and Ultimate Isaac Hayes—Can You Dig It? is a 2-disc compilation that covers the first several years—and by far the best years—of his career as a solo musician recording for Stax. Beginning in 1967, Hayes recorded a series of classic soul albums that bridge the gap between the trademark horns of the Memphis sound and a mellower, more laid-back '70s vibe that led to, among other things, disco and smooth R&B.
The compilation starts off with one of Isaac Hayes' most memorable songs, "Theme From Shaft." Instantly recognizable thanks to the iconic wah-wah guitar riff, the song was the blueprint for many a blaxploitation film theme to come. Hayes holds the singular honor of being the first African-American composer to win an Academy Award for Best Film Score.
"Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic," as the song title might suggest, is a very long song. One of Hayes' trademarks was the extended soul jam, and nowhere is that more apparent than on his second album, Hot Buttered Soul. That record featured only four songs, three of which the compilers wisely included on this collection. At the center of "Hyper.." is a killer bass line with a little crybaby guitar riff filling in the gaps, expertly played by his backing band, the Bar-Kays (an earlier incarnation of which backed up Otis Redding and, sadly, lost several members to the same plane crash that killed the southern soul master).
Another classic from Hot Buttered Soul is Hayes' singular rendition of the standard tune "By the Time I Get to Phoenix." The album cut tops 19 minutes, but Can You Dig It sports a slimmed-down seven-minute version. This song is notable for the extended spoken intro (a technique that would work its way into a number of Hayes' songs) that provides a back-story for the lyrics of the song. It might be a bit of a stretch, but some people pinpoint the genesis of rap music in Hayes' mournful monologue.
Article comments