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Shaft

 
Album Review: Shaft
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Shaft

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  • Artist: Isaac Hayes
  • Rating: StarStarStarStarHalf Star
  • Release Date: 1971
  • Total Time: 69:29
  • Type: Soundtrack
  • Genre: Rhythm & Blues

Review

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, having helped elevate Stax to its esteemed status; therefore, his being chosen to score such a high-profile major-studio film shouldn't seem like a surprise. And with "Theme from Shaft," he 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. Besides this song, though, there aren't too many more radio-targeted moments here. "Soulsville" operates effectively as the sort of downtempo ballad Hayes was most known for, just as the almost 20-minute "Do Your Thing" showcased just how impressive the Bar-Kays had become, stretching the song to unseen limits with their inventive, funky jamming. For the most part, though, this double-LP features nothing but cinematic moments of instrumentation, composed and produced by Hayes while being performed by the Bar-Kays -- some downtempo, others quite jazzy, nothing too funky, though. Even if it's not quite as enjoyable as Curtis Mayfield's Superfly due to its emphasis on instrumentals, Shaft still remains a powerful record; one of Hayes' pinnacle moments for sure. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
Theme from Shaft [Vocal Version] Isaac Hayes Isaac Hayes (4:39)
Bumpy's Lament Isaac Hayes Isaac Hayes (1:51)
Walk from Regio's Isaac Hayes Isaac Hayes (2:24)
Ellie's Love Theme Isaac Hayes Isaac Hayes (3:18)
Shaft's Cab Ride Isaac Hayes Isaac Hayes (1:10)
Cafe Regio's Isaac Hayes Isaac Hayes (6:10)
Early Sunday Morning Isaac Hayes Isaac Hayes (3:49)
Be Yourself Isaac Hayes Isaac Hayes (4:30)
A Friend's Place Isaac Hayes Isaac Hayes (3:24)
Soulsville [Vocal Version] Isaac Hayes Isaac Hayes (3:48)
No Name Bar Isaac Hayes Isaac Hayes (6:11)
Bumpy's Blues Isaac Hayes Isaac Hayes (4:04)
Shaft Strikes Again Isaac Hayes Isaac Hayes (3:04)
Do Your Thing [Vocal Version] Isaac Hayes Isaac Hayes (19:30)
The End Theme Isaac Hayes Isaac Hayes (1:56)

Credits

Henry Bush (Engineer), Isaac Hayes (Producer), Michael Toles (Guitar (Rhythm)), Isaac Hayes (Piano (Electric)), Willie Hall (Drums), Dave Purple (Remixing), Daryl Williams (Editing), The Bar-Kays (Rhythm Section), Sidney Kirk (Piano), Onzie Horne (Copyist), Johnny Allen (Horn Arrangements), J. Alan Johnson (String Arrangements), James Alexander (Guitar (Bass)), Ronald Hudson (Bass), Michael Toles (Guitar), Willie Hall (Tambourine), Lester Snell (Synthesizer), Isaac Hayes (String Arrangements), Dave Purple (Engineer), Gary Jones (Conga), James Alexander (Bass), William "Billy" Brown (Engineer), J. Alan Johnson (Horn Arrangements), Isaac Hayes (Vibraphone), Isaac Hayes (Keyboards), Charles Pitts (Guitar (Rhythm)), Isaac Hayes (Vocals), Gary Jones (Bongos), Bobby Manuel (Engineer), Isaac Hayes (Horn Arrangements), George Horn (Mastering), Charles Pitts (Guitar), Ron Capone (Remixing), Mickey Gregory (Copyist), Lester Snell (Piano (Electric)), Isaac Hayes (Organ), Ronald Hudson (Guitar (Bass)), Johnny Allen (String Arrangements), Isaac Hayes (Piano)
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Wikipedia: Shaft (album)
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Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia
Shaft
Soundtrack by Isaac Hayes
Released July 1971
Recorded 1971
Stax Recording Studios
(Memphis, Tennessee)
Genre Soul
Length 69:29
Label Enterprise
ENS-2-5002
Producer Isaac Hayes
Professional reviews
Isaac Hayes chronology
...To Be Continued
(1971)		 Shaft
(1971)		 Black Moses
(1971)

Shaft is a double album by Isaac Hayes, recorded for Stax Records' Enterprise label as the soundtrack LP for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's 1971 blaxploitation film Shaft. The album is comprised mostly of instrumentals composed by Hayes as score for the film. Three vocal selections are included: "Soulsville", "Do Your Thing", and "Theme from Shaft". A commercial and critical success, Shaft is Hayes' best-known work and the best-selling LP ever released on a Stax label. [1]

Contents

Conception

Hayes initially became involved with Shaft in hopes of having director Gordon Parks cast him in the title role, but was not aware that Richard Roundtree had already been cast as John Shaft.[1] Hayes did appear in the film in a cameo role, but, more significantly, composed the film's score. While the film was still in production, Parks sent Hayes raw footage of some of the film's scenes, and Hayes wrote three pieces for the scenes: "Theme from Shaft" for the opening title sequence, "Soulsville" for a scene in which Shaft walks through Harlem, and "Ellie's Love Theme" for a love scene.[1]

Pleased with the results, MGM hired Hayes to compose the rest of the score, and the musician spent two months working between tour dates on the score at the MGM studio.[1] Once the score was composed and arranged, Hayes recorded the rhythm tracks with Stax band The Bar-Kays in one day.[1] The orchestral tracks were recorded the next day, and the vocals the day after that.[1] The songs were later re-recorded for the album at Stax Studios and slightly rearranged from their film versions: MGM's recording facility was based upon a three-track system, and Hayes wanted a richer sound for the album).[1]

Reception

Upon its release in the summer of 1971, Shaft became the first double album of original studio material released by an R&B artist. [1] The album peaked at number one on The Billboard 200 chart, and spent sixty weeks on the chart. Both "Theme from Shaft" and "Do Your Thing" became Top 40 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, with the former peaking at number one.

At the 1972 Grammy Awards, "Theme from Shaft" won the awards for Best Engineered Recording, Non-Classical and Best Instrumental Arrangement. The film score as a whole won for Best Instrumental Composition Written Specifically For A Motion Picture or for Television. The National Association of Television and Radio Announcers gave Shaft its Album of the Year award. [1] At the Academy Awards that year, Hayes became the first African-American to win an Oscar for a non-acting category when "Theme from Shaft" won the award for Best Original Song.[1]

Track listing

All songs written and produced by Isaac Hayes.

Side one

  1. "Theme from Shaft" (Vocal Version) – 4:39
  2. "Bumpy's Lament" – 1:51
  3. "Walk from Regio's" – 2:24
  4. "Ellie's Love Theme" – 3:18
  5. "Shaft's Cab Ride" – 1:10

Side two

  1. "Cafe Regio's" – 6:10
  2. "Early Sunday Morning" – 3:49
  3. "Be Yourself" – 4:30
  4. "A Friend's Place" – 3:24

Side three

  1. "Soulsville" (Vocal Version) – 3:48
  2. "No Name Bar" – 6:11
  3. "Bumpy's Blues" – 4:04
  4. "Shaft Strikes Again" – 3:04

Side four

  1. "Do Your Thing" (Vocal Version) – 19:30
  2. "The End Theme" – 1:56

Credits

Awards and charts

Billboard charts

Album

Chart Position
Billboard 200 1
Black Albums
Jazz Albums

Singles

Single Chart Position
"Theme from Shaft" Billboard Hot 100 1
Black Singles 2
Adult Contemporary Singles 6

Grammy Awards

Later Samples

  • "Walk from Regio's"
    • "On the Double" by Grooverider from the album Mysteries of Funk

Footnotes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Bowman, Rob (1997). Soulsville U.S.A.: The Story of Stax Records. New York: Schirmer Trade. p.229-233 ISBN 0825672848
Preceded by
Imagine by John Lennon		 Billboard 200 number-one album
November 6 - November 12, 1971		 Succeeded by
Santana by Santana
v • d • e
Shaft
Films
Characters
Related articles
Shaft television series · "Theme from Shaft" · 1971 soundtrack

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