Hot Buttered Soul

Now this is my jam. Smooth funky beats make you feel warm in your chest and move on your feet. Just like drinking a cup of... well... Hot Buttered Soul

Soooooouuuuul

Agradable.

Enjoyed this one. The long version of "Phoenix" was a little much, but overall liked the groove of the album. 3.5/5 Would listen again

This is not the sort of Soul music that I remember, this is Progressive Soul, Psychedelic Soul, possibly even Soul Jazz. There's no doubt in my mind that Isaac Hayes was a genius, but I'm not sure if this album is for me.

It’s good. Listenable, 4/5

Crazy Album! It’s really a lot but a lot of good things. I’m having a hard time to rate the album, it’s not my favourite, I don’t know if I’ll listen to it again but I feel that this album is something extraordinary. So 4/5 nevertheless

Good Motown funk

Not my favorite, it doesn’t really connect.

It’s fine. 4 songs, nothing really blew me away, but had a couple fun tracks.

This is a very classic R&B album that has aged very well. Although it’s a very short album, it has longer songs that are very soulful while crisp beats play in the background. I can hear hints of where modern day artists like Michael Kiwanuka got their inspiration from.

Smooth

This was funky and smooth. I can tell a lot of artist have used these beats as samples.

Really nice instrumental sections. A couple long periods of talking that I was less enthused about.

Walk On By- Awesome, you can really hear the influence on so much music in this one song. Hyperbolicsyllablecsesquedalymistic- Says it all. One Woman- Great emotion. By The Time I Get to Phoenix- You have all this musical talent and then spend 8 minutes ignoring it?? Walk On By (Single)- Looses the groove of course but overall good single. By The Time I Get to Phoenix (Single)- STILL TALKING?? IN THE SINGLE??

Interesting... The first song was enjoyable and intriguing. It still isn't a go-to genre nor did I enjoy the majority of the album.

Psychedelic soul The highs were really high, some great bits. Pretty strings and flutes with soulful emotional singing. Cool jam bits too. But most of the songs did overstay their welcome for me. I do love many songs with long instrumental sections, but those first 2 tracks just went on a bit too long for comfort for me; they were very jammy but not as interesting over a long period of time as I might prefer. And on that last track there was 9 minutes of talking before the song picked up. The short track was very pretty and soulful, definitely one to remember

Liked it. I missed some soul in my life.

Yessss!

Ethereal and poinignant

Good but basic, more evolved versions exist for this type of genre.

This was my first soul album. Considered a classic of the genre. It was alright. Good listening for a summer day.

Underwhelming, pleasant, rambling. I liked song 3 (one woman?) Best

Groovy

Isaac Hayes' 1969 album, "Hot Buttered Soul," is a genre-defining soul masterpiece. With just four songs spanning 45 minutes, it's a soulful journey that leaves a lasting impression. The album opens with the powerful "Walk On By," setting the tone with Hayes' emotive vocals and smooth production. "Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic" introduces a female backing vocal, adding depth to the sound. As the album progresses, "One Woman" hints at a more complex narrative. The epic "By The Time I Get To Phoenix" is an 18-minute soul odyssey, showcasing Hayes' storytelling prowess. The album's sensual artwork complements the music perfectly, and its cohesion makes it a pleasure to listen to in one sitting. "Hot Buttered Soul" is a timeless classic that defines the soul genre.

Orchestral Sex music. Track 4 has a 9 minute spoken word introduction. Half a point for the cover and the first track, which was also a cover. Hard avoid. 1.0

pleasant listen to genre I dont usually listen to

A soul album with brilliant production, and/but mega-experimental songs. Long, drawn-out, instrumental heavy. Unlike any soul album I’ve heard.

I was not excited about a 4-song album with one 18 minute long track. I was pleasantly surprised. Hayes and the band are fantastic. The grooves were tasty, and it was not at all boring. The 18 minute "By the time I get to Phoenix" cover was fantastic. Hayes dragged out all the emotion by telling the backstory before he dove into the Jimmy Webb composition. Great album.

Wanted so badly to give it a 4. Love the music, don’t need the 8 min spoken word intro before Phoenix. Glen Campbell’s version is a perfect rendition and this is good too. Walk on By was a good cover and I liked the rest. This is good music to have on in a chill, background music type of way.

Definitely miss the BIG sound of the 70’s

Wow

First two tracks are really good. Much funkier than I expected, and had a great mood to them. Then we get to some slow live song that deflates everything and end with a 19 minute long absolute slog of wimpy baby-did-me-wrong bs. What a ridiculous choice. It's 4 songs and two are laughably bad and ridiculously long.

I wasn't overawed by this album. Not the genre I tend to listen a lot to but nonetheless, I enjoyed it

This is a real weird album, real hit and miss. The tracks are way too long and over-indulgent, and they start to get repetitive and grate after a while, especially when so much is instrumental. The 18 minute track is 9 minutes of completely uninteresting talking, 9 minutes of great track that slowly builds into something with real energy. One Woman was reeeeal nice - why couldn't they all be 5 minute tracks? I love all the instrumentation on here: keys, sweeping violins, wind instruments, chimes, backing chorus - and of course the big man's incredible voice. It's very dramatic and big and I love it. On that note, I should say I'm reviewing this album without the single edits (so the original album). The single of Walk On By works SO much better. If they'd have trimmed the rest it would have improved this immensely.

Well hello children! I had higher hopes tbh. It’s alright but I’d probably never listen again

Tame groovy soul. Random storytelling in the middle. Just not really my thing.

Would be 4 stars if not for the long spoken-word stuff on the last track

I enjoyed it! Something I would not normally go for, but glad I discovered it! CHILDREN! lol

Very chill, Isaac has a killer voice. I think 60s soul manages to do the super long song better than anything else, and this album is no exception. He really builds these songs up, manages to make an 18 minute song fresh the whole way through. I really enjoyed this one.

There is a beautiful place in this world for long-form Funk. Of course long epics like these tracks will start to drag a little at times but overall this is a great listen!

Hello Children!

Yes

The spoken word part lowers the grade.

3 fois que je l'écoute, et je suis incapable de le décrire... 2/5 ?

Some of the best of thebgenre

Not my style of music but a great sounding album.

Really good soul/funk, especially considering that it was made in 1969. 3/5

No soul fan and definitely not a fan of songs longer than usual. Feels repetitive and unsatisfactory. Can appreciate the technical work though.

Thought I like Isaac and I know I am supposed to love this album, but found it pretty lame.

Agradable.

Smooth tunes, not my favourite genre but very listenable

Insanely smooth.

Decent, but the songs are overly long.

Classic soul album. Some nice tunes but for some reason I could not get into it. I’ll need to try again another day

This album is everything it was going for and more. Isaac exceeded his own expectations on this one and it’s as good today as it was back when it came out. The proof is just how many samples there are of this album in modern music. It’s so good and I don’t care how long it is, it’s the pinnacle of soul and groove and all things vibing. His voice is so soothing, I just wished there was more of him singing. Everything else is phenomenal. 4/5

And now for the music of Mr Burt Baccarach! This is funky, sensual and just a tiny bit repetitive in places. Damn good though.

Chef doet enorm z'n best maar dit soort pornomuziek ligt al niet helemaal in m'n straatje en daarbij is het nogal langdradig. Niet zozeer de totale speelduur, maar wel de lengte per nummer. Track 1 is te lang, te meh. Track 2 (met de onmogelijke titel) is z'n speelduur wel waard, dankzij een lekkere jamsessie aan het einde. Track 3 is wat korter, maakt verder niet al teveel indruk. Beetje cliché. Track 4 is met 18 minuten, waarvan de helft bestaat uit een monoloog van Chef terwijl iemand op de achtergrond dolken zit te smeden, totale waanzin. Na een minuut of 14 wordt het wel een leuk nummer, maar kom op man. Tussen de 2 en 3 sterren voor mij. Die track 4 zorgt ervoor dat ik op 2 wil klikken.

This album lasts 45 mins and only contains 4 songs, two of which are really long cover versions. But at the same time, it's kind of great. The voice is good but the instrumentation is great, particularly the bass and the guitar. I'm gonna say High 3, but I was close to a 4 3/5

2.5

As a millennial, he’ll always be Chef to me. Fond memories of asking my mom to get Chef Aid: The South Park Album when it first came out. It was my first personally-owned CD. I also like the Shaft theme, but never checked out his other stuff. Digging this! Love that little fuzz lead on the opening track! Dirty fuzz tone. The ending of that track has some very obvious fader riding which I kind of love. All the tracks have something good going on. I like his vocals and the band is jamming on. I like the backup vocals a lot. At first I felt like the tracks were missing something. But after listening more, the vibe is growing. Also, considering this was one of the first albums of its kind, gotta go 4/5 on it.

Somebody get Chef out of the kitchen! He's cooking too hard!

This is my first ever soul album, so I went in with an open mind. Isaac Hayes has a beautiful voice, it works well off of the instrumentation of the album. Speaking of instrumentation, it’s great! Everybody has a part and it fits together perfectly. However, I think some parts while having some merit, are a bit monotonous and some parts go on for a bit too long and are a bit unnecessary.

Decent quality, though not particularly compelling on a personal level.

I really loved this more than I thought I would. I think I saw Isaac Hayes before as more of a caricature, as Chef from South Park or the guy that did the Shaft theme song. This album was really great though, just catchy soul and some light funk. My only criticism would be the monologue at the end. Really glad I listened to it overall.

Oh hell yeah. I’ve been playing this a lot this summer, specifically Walk On By, my favorite being on my way to the beach. Sunny windows down driving with those fantastic orchestral stings sheeeeesh. And damn Isaac’s voice is amazing

Um, was not the best album for me at this time... Really couldn't get into it. 2/5

This album is insane holy shit His vocals are wild and these instrumentals are doin something to me

Not my kind of soul.

Decent listen. I'm not a fan of Walk on By so an extra long version of it wasn't ideal. Straight listen to Dungarvan. One Woman is my favorite song.

# 52 : IDK. Why the long long long….. 2 VERY BORING STARS

2.5, more meh than I expected

Better than I expected. Very funky stuff. Not sure how many times I'd want to sit through the entire story of "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" many more times, but on the first listen, it was pretty gripping. The Hyperbolic song was probably my favorite track.

Really good, I need to listen to more soul music

Progressive soul as a genre was new to me, but it really caught my interest

Nice, very Mellow

Nearly a 5 but monologue fest at the end ruined it

Smooth shit which spawned a million hip-hop samples. Would get top marks if not for the boring 9-minute spoken word segment on the last track.

Why does he talk for so long on the last track? Apart from that it's good.

I would describe this as a work in progress. The elements that would come together with Shaft and subsequent albums are evident here and there, especially on Hyperetc. You can also see how Isaac influenced other genres e.g., his cover of Walk on By has echoes of trip hop and ambience. But it can be overlong and a bit aimless at times

Strange! Nothing wrong with the actual music, Isaac does a good job of the covers but only 4 tracks? and 10 mins of pointless waffle before "By the time..." Why would anyone want to listen to that?

It’s alright, nice production choices and voice, but I don’t see myself coming back to it.

Cracking soul

I liked this a great deal more than I expected to. I think the album name describes this perfectly. It's outrageously soulful, warm and smooth as butter. So enjoyable on this week that's finally seeing a bit of sun, it just makes me wish I was lounging by a pool instead of sitting at a desk. Hayes' vocals are great and the production is absolutely amazing. I will say that the length of these tracks are excessive in my opinion - They couldn't hold my focus throughout, but I don't mind as these are perfect songs to sit somewhat in the background. A wonderful record. Favourite: Walk On By

Shaft is a better album.

This album is growing immensely in my all time favourite albums, it is that good! With only 4 songs Isaac Hayes, can’t afford any missteps, and frankly, there’s none. Deep, buttery smooth voice backed by an incredible band. And lyrically great too, sometimes on the nose, but mostly very creative wordplay and a nice flow to the singing. 9 out of 10

By the time I get through this 18 minute long song I can expect to listen to the single version of it 5 minutes later. Don't get me wrong, I like a lot of this album but it sure is heavy on a trip to Phoenix.

Isaac Hayes is so badass! So funky with amazing orchestration. He has some lame tracks where he talks too much on here but this is still great.

Not my preference but can understand the appeal

BEST SONGS: -Walk on By -One Woman

am not a english music listener by any stretch - I found songs long (12 mins, 18mins with a story intro etc.) but music/lyrics were good

very soulful but large sections (especially the end) just kinda meander for a while

Some of the songs just went on for too long, but some of them are great. This album is a bit of a mixed bag in my opinion, not a classic in my book.

I like the psychedelic soul vibe but i’m not a big fan of soul, but its still good album. Its look like a soul version of a Pink Floyd album its very interesting

Wanted to like this more but its always a risk with these big tracks, I think you have to listen a few more times to really love it.

For me this is an album with two sides, both figuratively and literally. Side A is 'Walk On By' and 'Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic.' This is the absolute top of soulful and grooving music ever made. Isaac's baritone voice is the extra layer on top of it. 'Walk On By' is the best version of this Burt Bacharach song I've ever heard and even though 12 minutes, it doesn't bore for a second. 'Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic' brings the funk to the album, and together with the pressing piano is a musical masterpiece that can't continue long enough for me. That bass combined with the the impelling drums that bring the song to orgasmic heights. Side B, even though really good on its own, really can't stand in the shadow of Side A. 'One Woman' is Isaac Hayes on the romantic tour. It's a good song, but not outstanding. 'By the Time I get to Phoenix' suffers from a much too long uninteresting intro of Hayes talking over the music. But he's no Gil Scott-Heron and it takes a full 8 minutes for the song to finally go. When it does it's marvellous though. Those heavenly horns and strings. So, a full 5* for Side A and a 3,5* for Side B will make this a 4*

This album is comprised of 4 long and great soul songs that sprawl in their splendor.

Nice

A classic. Amazing arrangements, and performance. You'd think the tracks would be too long, judging by the timings, but you would be wrong. They are the perfect length for Hayes to present his version of these stories. And great to hear an album with proper dynamics, building and swooping majestically.

Not really an album, more like a jam session. It's not exactly radio friendly. I wanted to really like this. But it dragged with no real direction. One Woman works well - and that's the shortest track. Nineteen minute of By the Time I get to Phoenix is about fifteen minutes more than you need.

Heavy heavy soul! Banger after banger after banger!! Clearly the best version of Walk on By, that hype PE sample, sweet soulful One Woman and the absolute banger ending track, five isn't enough!

Fantastic start, I liked it but the rambling monologue didn’t add much, I was driving so maybe couldn’t give it my full attention, I plan on re-listening when I’m sat to give it my full attention

A nice, smooth and passionate record with a little bite at certain points. I think the long format tracks worked well, and while the last track took me out of it a little bit, I still felt like this is one of the easier records to get into so far.

Never heard any of these songs before and they were terrific. Too long for radio. So glad I listened.

Isaac hates kicks ass. Heard what buggie sampled

Hot Buttered Soul was perhaps the most perfect explanation for whatever agenda Isaac Hayes was conjuring up towards the beginning of the 1970s. A journeyman throughout the 60s, Hayes saw the opportunity to reconfigure and reinvent not only the songs that comprised Hot Buttered Soul (only a scant four songs elongated to epic status) but the R&B/Soul sound as he saw fit. There is a reason why is renditions of Walk on By and By the Time I Get to Phoenix remain cornerstones of his discography and blueprints on how to conjure up feeling in compositions outside the typical range. And that's not to say nothing of One Woman and Hyperbolicsyllabic..., two tracks that prove that filler doesn't exist in such a quality album. It is a tad bit hard to imagine what soul would be like without the hot butter but I can only guess that we'd be a whole lot poorer. P.S., the album cover alone is a signifier that baldness looks best on Black men.

It wasn't what I anticipated. I didn't like it as much as I expected.

Eka biisi raastava..Jahas irstaus aiheuttana... vika biisi incredible sounds emotion.. MAHTIPONTINEN MEGALOMANIAC..

A great slice of funky soul. As much as I love ‘Walk On By’ and ‘Hyperbolicsyllabicesquedalymistic’, I do feel they are both a couple of minutes too long. Hayes’s version of ‘One Woman’ is great and at a more reasonable length. The long speaking intro to ‘By The Time I Get To Phoenix’ does stop me from revisiting this album.

Finally a soul album! Isaac Hayes' production is incredible and really elevates these 4 songs through gorgeous strings and piano keys backing the classic soul vocals. Walk On By is one of the best soul songs ever made and the longer version actually made me appreciate it more. Also 10/10 album cover.

Watching my son trying to read the title of the music song was well enjoyable. Not as Isaac Hayes as I thought it would be.

Great renditions although a tad too long perhaps.

Long songs, golden pipes, organ, strings. Bring on the soul. This is good casual listening, but not a regular rotation. If I owned a record store this is what I would work in.

meh

Not for me

Åpningssporet er verdt 3 stjerner alene. Åherreee. 1 stjerne for resten

Excellent pun, massive respect but not really a soul fan so the title immediately put me off. In actual fact it was way funkier than expected, maybe I just don't like more modern soul? Isaac has a fantastic voice and I really enjoyed the first couple of songs but it lost its way a bit towards the end. A real shame he is (or at least was) a mad scientologist and got himself kicked off south park.

Bit of a strange album, lots going on and not all of it I enjoyed. His version of Walk on By is great, if a little long and meandering.

At first seeing a 4 track 45min Soul album I was dreading listening to this. However I was pleasantly surprised by how lovely the album is, it doesn't sound like an album from 1969. The voice of South Park's Chef does not disappoint! Walk On By has beautiful instrumentation throughout, great song. Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic has more of a funky sound which is a nice change. One Woman is slower than the others and the most "Soul" sounding track. By The Time I Get To Phoenix wastes the first 8 minutes telling a meandering story. When the music actually starts it becomes a fantastic track with sweeping music. It's a shame the remastered single edit of the track also doesn't cut out the fluff. Overall really enjoyed the album, will listen again.

He's got a smooth voice. Guess this is in the category of Marvin Gaye. Unfortunately it didn't really do much for me. An interview on the album I listened to too, strange choice! Also really long monologues in songs aren't for me Won't be going back and didn't particularly enjoy it. Sorry chef

Big funky lonnnng songs

This album just oozes sexiness from every pore; this type of jam-funk is just so tasty. The songs are all extended grooves, but all 4 pull their weight and are a treat to listen to. Just such an essential R&B album.

A high 3

A lot of long babbling

Love this. He was so cool. 4 songs. Crushed it.

3.5

This is transcendental. I had no idea what I was missing. The longer songs earn every second of their length, with free-flowing structures that take you on a psychadelic soul journey. The grooves are tight, the melodies are gorgeous, and the arrangements are expertly executed. Love the slow builds to powerful climaxes on here, and the way Hayes pours out his heart is always worth sticking around for. Seriously, even on the cover song (By The Time I Get To Phoenix,) he's sings with so much conviction that I wholeheartedly feel like he's telling his own heartbreaking story. This one's an easy five.

Soulful (shockingly enough). Something to vibe to and feel. Great strings. Sometimes overlong and self-indulgent, but consistently passionate and self-assured. Best song: Walk On By

Не моё прям, скучновато. Голос грубоватый

3/5 Best: Walk On By Worst: One Woman

Light 8

An album title that perfectly describes the album.

....mai sentito. Il suo nome non mi dice nulla.

4/5

Its not bad, but also not something I would want to try more often. Its only 4 numbers, quite some mumbling, which isnt ideal for working/reading. When they play music, it is nice.

Absolutely fantastic. Sexy, smooth and cool as can be. Does not sound like it was recorded in the 60s. Did not know soul can sound so progressive as this.

Not bad at all, I got hooked for most of the time, but it would definitely drone on at times.

I feel sexier for having just listened to this. Hard to believe this came out in 1969. Coulda been released tomorrow and it'd be no less perfect.

pretty cool album. Walk On By is so epic, it's that sound that's escaped out from its 2-minute, tight pop constraints in to this loud experience, this really high octane jam. By The Time I get to Phoenix doesn't grab me in the same way, maybe because the burn is so slow, but I like what he's doing here. As an album, it's a little confusing, but I get why this was mega influential. 3/5

incredible soul record. walk on by wins the title for possibly most sampleable track ever Favorite Tracks: Walk On By, Hyperbolicsyllabicesquedalymistic 4-4.5/5

I have never been familiar with Isaac Hayes outside of Shaft and South Park, and didn't have any real expectations at all for this. Initially I was pretty lukewarm to it, but the album builds and gets stronger and stronger, the last track was a surprisingly great 18 minute journey. Very cool stuff.

This one blew me away right out of the gate. Thought IH was going to be like a Barry white mixed with Chef but this was pretty big and epic and daring. Listened a couple times to it

Mä kyllä tykkään Isaac Hayesin kamasta, oli se sitten takaa-ajo funkkia tai sitten enemmän täät kutumusaa. Hieno levy, jota ei oo turhaan pilattu liian lyhyillä biiseillä. Tunnelmallista. 4/5

Hyvää on, vaikkei tämä 60-luvun souli vielä lähde samalla tavalla kuin pari vuotta myöhemmin.

Genrensä klassikko, eikä syyttä. 4/5, voisen pehmeää.

I had mixed feelings about this album. It wasn't bad but all the talking made it feel quite pretentious. All in all wasn't really my thing.

This starts out pretty good but peters out. I somewhat enjoyed it, though.

It's OK

I like Isaac Hayes but let's be real, this should have been a single.

Average

I'd never heard this album before and was looking forward to it. Turns out the whole thing is just pretty stupid. Only 4 songs? Stupid. 9 minute spoken word intro? Stupid. To an 18 minute song? Stupid. One nonsense word song title? Stupid. One song where he justifies (or at least excuses) his infidelity, followed immediately by a song where he complains bitterly about his partner's infidelity with seemingly no recognition of the irony? Stupid. The musicianship is impressive but that's the only thing keeping this from being a 1 star album.

Started strong then got long and winding

Great funky soul album! Listen again: yes Purchase for my collection: probably Favourite Song:

Smooth

sweet sweet album. immaculate vibes

Short mini album, with some lovely Bacharach and David songs

We are eased into the album almost like Hayes is seducing the listener. The string arrangement, the guitar and then the voice and he’s got you. Walk On By, builds and builds across the opening twelve minutes. The band lock in the groove and jam to a close, awesome. Hyperbolic picks up the pace and it’s one of the funkiest jams ever recorded . Onto side two, yep there are only four tracks in total. One woman is a soulful ballad, Hayes vocal is smooth. The backing singers bring this track to life with some brilliant performances. And then we move onto the final track, all eighteen minutes of it. By The Time I Get To Phoenix, starts with a spoken word intro……eight minutes is a little long for an intro. But once it kicks on it’s a gorgeous string drenched soul classic. The horns chime in, piano tinkles deep in the mix and the layer of instruments builds and builds. Bass next and the groove is set. Hayes is lost in the vocal and there’s the Hammond organ to take us a little closer to a climax. What a ride we’ve been on.

Psychedelic and rich soul/R&B. Not an everyday listen by a stretch, but damn good for sure, I'll be coming back to this one.

Great musicians, soulful singing, but tracks are too long! Spotify would not play the last track interview.

Très cool le soul orchestral, j’aime beaucoup EDIT DU FUTUR: C’EST JUSTE TROP BON, J’PEUX PAS LE LAISSER DANS LE CLUB DES 4

Strong and smooth sound, definitely wanted more. Felt like it was very short, but that could be due to some of the very long tracks. But enjoyed the general vibe. Would have given 3.5 if I could.

It’s good. Very good soul. The only issue is the length of the songs. They are just a tad too long without justifying that length.

This album is slow, but the arrangements are insane. I think this will grow on me even more with more listening. Walk On By and Phoenix are so good!

23rd May 2023 Listened a day later on the drive to London. Worked from home yesterday recovering from Ireland A soulful opera which was very uplifting in parts

very comfortable but requires a certain mood

Veryspecialalbum. Canberasily5butlasttrackisverystrangeformytaste.

Not his best but still

Actually really enjoyed it. Phoenix was a good song but had a little bit too much spoken word for me to put this album on any kind of rotation, side A could be. Well produced and great sound. music/instruments were relatively simple but they were used well and if makes you wonder what blues greats (or any old greats) could do with modern equipment

Very fitting title. Silky soul. Intro to ‘Phoenix’ is a bit long, but still enjoyed the concept of it

Lovely voice, lovely sound, but there is something about 15 minute long songs that don't surprise at any point that is ultimately a bit aimless.

Börjar och slutar briljant, med något mindre briljant emellan.

Not very lengthy album which makes it perfect for about 45 minutes of soul/funk music. Meaty tracks that make you remember Isaac more for his music than his beliefs. “By The Time I Get To Phoenix” is a story that hurts the heart.

Loved it

Sumptuous, interesting, classic. So much love for this one. Never thought I was a Hayes fan but I was wrong.

interesting

Not my kind of music

Hadn't listened to this before at all, so it was a nice surprise! I didn't care much for "One Woman", but apart from that, it was great. Voice smooth like butter.

Great stuff. Always starts out as a four and ends as a three, but on balance I'm going with the four.

на удивление, очень приятный альбом было пару слабеньких мест, но в остальном отлично

очень жирный приятный соул. Довольно медленно, но верно погружает тебя в эту приятную атмосферу

Меня прям пробило... Вот тут Фрэнк Оушен недавно был - вот такое он написал бы 50+ лет назад, кажется. Очень размеренный соул с классными гитарными импровизациями. Томный голос окунает тебя с головой в это море звука. Короче прям кайф, это можно ставить на почиллить на диванчике с чашкой чая.

The opening track, "Walk on By": Great beat and rhythm start it out, then Isaac's dreamy, soulful, voice appears. I think this will be a party-type, background record to listen to in the future. Decent stuff.

Great listen, and an incredible atmosphere. One of the best albums by a Scientologist.

Noice

let me start out by saying that under most circumstances, i am not usually a fan of songs over eight minutes in length. in my opinion, if it takes longer than that to get your message across, you’re probably being long winded. i state all of this because there are three songs on this album over eight minutes long. there’s only FOUR songs on the entire album. so, i kind of knew going in that i probably wouldn’t like this album. isaac hayes has a great voice. it fits in with this music. effortlessly cool with a natural confidence. having said that, if the songs were on average half as long and there were instead twice as many songs on the album, it would probably be pretty good. however, the songs start to become redundant after a while. i really enjoyed the second song for a while, until i felt like it just kept going and going. if it was about three minutes shorter, it would have been great. the last song “by the time i get to phoenix” is a perfect example of this. he starts out the song with an intro of him telling some sort of backstory about the protagonist in the song. that’s cool. that intro lasted for over EIGHT AND A HALF EFFIN’ MINUTES. bottom line: while i find isaac hayes to be immensely talented, i find this album to be self-indulgent garbage.

Four songs and 45 minutes. This isn't Mozart so I'm probably not going to like this. Made it 6 minutes into walk on by. Made it 3 minutes into ld;fasjuioruean;cvfkld;auiea One Woman was pretty good. This is what's frustrating. He knows how to make a song go somewhere, this one had movements and changes and was only 5 minutes long. Walk on by went literally nowhere for 12 minutes (I spot checked the second half of the song). Can't wait to see what this 19 min guy has in store. 9 minutes of talking. Awesome. At least it decided to go somewhere after that. Okay, it has a couple of movements in it. This wouldn't be terrible ifit didn't start with 9 minutes of talking. Frustrating album because the actual music is good. The knowing when to stop is non-existant. This album feels self important.

Lotta good stuff here. Lot more rambling, though. If these songs could be edited down, this would be a great EP. But it’s too jazzy for me where it goes all over the place. Didn’t know they had soul R&B jam records, though. Almost like some of this should be the background music of some tense movie like Dead Presidents or something. But damn, get to the point of the Jimmy Webb song for crying out loud. As a whole? Not my thing. Also, why does it have to be 45 minutes long? I feel attacked.

Amazing soul album. Isaac Hayes had an outstanding voice which made the title even more fitting to the whole album experience.

Yo this is dope. First track def the highlight. I'd heard things sampled from it but not the og. Wish it had stayed smooth all the way through without the noisy guitar bits.

Some nice soul songs on this one, not sure I jive with 12+ min long songs.

Moved a bit slowly for me, but that’s his style. No matter how long it takes, Isaac Hayes will get you into his bed. Doing a bit of research it appears he had a lot of children. I guess that’s what happens when you sing love-making music.

My favourite parts were the extended jams. Other standouts: Longest song title I’ve ever seen. And most unnecessary 19-minute song I’ve ever heard.

Besides the first 9 minutes of the last song, I really liked this one. Go chef! Shaft!

This wasn’t bad! Listened to it a couple of times over the weekend. Some of it is pretty epic, like a sweeping score to Shaft. Some other parts, he rambles for a long long time. Musically it’s pretty awesome though. Serves as good background or driving music!! Chocolate salty balls!

Chef can sing.

This album is excellent. Honestly probably would've been 5 stars except for the Phoenix track having way too much spoken word before track gets going. Guy's an immense talent. Though this album really could've used his classic "chocolate salty balls" track.

Wow, a four tracker. This album is great for using butter as shaving cream. I enjoyed it less than I thought actually. Im not sure what I was expecting, but I could have easily just walked on by this one. It was cool to hear some soul and blues rhythms mixed with a 60s rock vibe on some songs. The one with the long ass name. But I mostly loved the very dramatic, inspirational song about philandering though. Good for him. Not so great for his wife. The instruments and the Isaac’s voice were fine, but I just I just wanted Chef from South Park.

Solid music. He's a great singer and these songs are fun to listen to. No major highlights as this is a pretty consistent album. The lowlight is the last track, I get a little tired of the story he's speaking to us because it is insanely long. Overall I think some of these tracks could stand to be shorter, if only to for the sake of making room for an additional couple tracks for us. On their own though, despite their lengths, I found that other than the final track these songs did not overstay their welcome, they're just nice to have on.

I really liked this album. Sounds more modern than the release date would suggest. Perhaps ahead of its time?

Absolutely delicious

This album is great. It’s expansive, takes its time in everything it does, and when the big moments hit, they hit you like a truck. It really feels like you’re transported to a different world for its entire runtime. Outside of the cinema of it, it just is excellent musicianship all around. The grooves are brilliant, the guitars hit you in the soul, and Hayes’ voice is perfect on top of this production. His rendition of Walk on By is one of the greatest songs ever created, full stop. I can’t give it 5 stars due to it getting a tad overindulgent at parts, stretching out songs well beyond what the musical ideas have to offer, but in the grand scheme of things that’s really a minor nitpick. Listen to this album, it will hook you on soul if you aren’t already, and hook you onto longer form song structures.

Always a fan of some good soul music. With this album only having 4 songs and 3 of them extended, I can’t really peg a particular favorite/liked song. Overall liked the groove. Some of the songs went on too long though.

I’m of the generation where I knew Isaac Hayes primarily as Chef on South Park. It was a long time after this that I actually realised he was also a very successful musician (I may have been watching South Park at a younger age than I should). So let’s listen to his music! Songs I already knew: Walk On By (although not this version) Favourites: Walk On By Often with the few albums I’ve heard that only have a few songs, I find myself growing bored. Hot Buttered Soul has only 4 tracks, and it was only during the last track that I started losing attention. Walk On By is a very interesting take on the Dione Warwick song and I did enjoy it. I will admit that in my mind’s eye it was still Chef singing each of these tracks, although it did kinda add to the fun of it. Overall, a fun album, though likely not one I’ll be returning to.

I went back and forth on this one as I thought it was a bit meandering at times and it wasn't solely original content. Still, when the cool, funk of Hayes' vocals and own compositions was allowed to feature, it was ok.

Great voice, obviously, and I like the chill vibe. I'm fine with the length of the songs since really the album is more about generating a mood. That said the lengthy spoken word story feels out of place and I think limits the re-listenability of the album, not to mention making it distracting of you have it on in the background trying to set the mood for, you know, whatever. Otherwise very solid album, I enjoyed it. 3.5

Great voice, except I can’t unhear the chef from South Park 🙁 Also, some of the content hasn’t aged well.

Issac Hayes jamming on 4 tracks that lasts 45 mins. How could you not like this. Long jam sessions on awesome soulful grooves. Super listen able

I didn’t think I’d like 10 minute long soul songs but it turns out I do. I draw the line at 10 minute long spoken word intros though.

I love the funky music, how the classics Walk on By and Phoenix are slowly buils up into something epical. Nice discovery thanks to 1001 albums

Enjoyed

I didn’t think I’d like this. But I kinda did. Arrangements strong

3,7

Good god, what a great album. So many samples I didn't know. Another "how did this slip between the cracks" album.

Rating: 7/10 Best songs: One woman

Spectacular opening with Walking on By. The rest of the album, while not bad at all, didn't quite live to the expectations set by the first track.

2.5/5 This is just not my genre of music. It wasn't that bad musically but anyone that talks like he's God's gift to women, loses points for me. Also, if a song goes past 9 minutes, 5 too many people have solos. 18 min songs? Are you kidding me? There is no need! This album would be given a better rating if the songs were broken up and there wasnt one that went on for 5 mins about cheating on a good woman, or one that talked for 9 of the 18 mins. It was just a very ego stroking album and I'm not here for it.

4 songs. Lots of talking. 45 minutes of my life I'll never get back. How people enjoy this I'll never know. His voice was okay. The songs were okay. I still hated it.

I was surprised to see issac Hayes again because I thought he was just the shaft guy but it makes much more sense why that soundtrack was so good after hearing this. The album really lives up to its title and is just some really really great soul music. The third track is definitely the weakest but this still gets a 5 due to the sheer power of walk on by.

A+ soul music, just wish it was longer

The most perfect name for this album because my soul is buttered. I really avoided it due to the length of the tracks but I loved it. Saved to my favourites.

Remarkably accurate album title

Couple interesting songs but it needed more snap

Creative but not repetitive.

top

Normally not into Soul, but this got me!

Fantastic, great arrangements and songwriting.

A really great record. It was perfect for the sunny afternoon.

Soul rítmico para una buena voz. Canciones tranquilas y con un toque de sensualidad

Smooth grooves. Love the long jams but I think I need to be in the right mood for it.

2023/03/21

pretty enjoyable

Smooth, nice background music. Would not come back to.

This is an awesome funk soul vocal groove slow and rich and creamy lyrical musical masterpiece to be enjoyed with a rich cognac or cherry wine oh lawd baaaaby! The fact this is so groovy after 55 years. The Phoenix song is HOT. I need a shower! 5 out of 5.

Isaac Hayes. Shaft. Chef from South Park. Chocolate Salty Balls. All of these things occurred before I actually listened to an Isaac Hayes album, which is this one. There's little doubt about his distinctive voice, but soul and r&b are again two genres of music that don't really float my boat. And then you have the fact that there are only four songs on this album, stretched out to the edge of the universe. A 12 minute cover of the pop song "Walk on By" which is... interesting, at least for the first five minutes. And my word, "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" goes for over 18 minutes, and I can tell you the Glen Campbell version certainly does not do that. Is there an actual reason this is the way it is? If you are looking for freeform extended mix get-up-on-stage-and-just-keep-playing-until-you-drop kind of stuff... then I guess this could be for you. This is absolutely nothing like what I was expecting to hear when I put this on. I'm sure there is a reason I "MUST" hear this before I die. I don't know what that reason is though. Boring as batshite.

It’s not okay to have 19 minute songs. It’s just not. Get an editor. That being said, the production/playing on this is GORGEOUS; I am bowled over by what a talent Hayes is compared to the super unfortunate public association for him South Park generated. Glad I listened.

not my thing

I knew these songs but did not know I knew these songs. The single version of these songs can tend to be the better song, but this is an excellent album overall. I have never gotten into Isaac Hayes' catalogue so this is a great start to his version of soul.

I want to go to bed with that voice.

This album was a fun listen. I nearly made it all the way through before I had to stop. I had to stop because, at my office, we have The Current playing, so I can faintly hear what's playing while I listen to the music in my headphones, and I could hear this faint little angel singing. So I pressed pause and perked up my ear to try and figure out what was playing, and low and behold, it was Billions by Caroline Polachek, which made me realize that I haven't listened to her album yet today and switched over to "Desire, I want to Turn Into You."

Some very long tracks on this album. Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic was the most interesting track, very funky, with lots of large neuroscience words. Walk on by was also a good song, an interesting take on a classic song. Overall it was funky soul. Nothing like the Shaft theme song that I was expecting to hear

Gotta love the soul vibes!

With only 4 tracks, it's easily digestible, especially with its clean production and lush orchestral instrumentation. There are low points, like how it took 8 minutes for "By the time I get to Phoenix" to start. "Walk on By" was a fantastic cover, and the rest had their moments, but overall underwhelming. Stick to the kitchen.

So that's why Chef got laid so often. Favorite track: Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic

This album is 7 songs and it's an hour and 9 minutes. I can justify a song over 10 minutes if it's on a live album, a really good song, or you're watching a live performance on a studio album pushes it. I don't know if that's an opinion other people have but it's one that I hold strongly. However, I did enjoy the songs on it. The 18 minute one definitely had me struggling to keep listening but it's hard to be upset over a solid album like this one.

Sexy

Very immersive album with songs to remember. Only thing I have to say is that it’s too short.

Really solid work

Great album. Wish it was longer

Not really my jam. Too cheesy …

For the most part the songs are good, just too long.

Very good soul album

3/5. What a wild album, 10+ minute long songs mostly and amazing crooning from Hayes. However, that last song is not listenable. 18+ minutes with most of it just talking. First three are fantastic though.

Meh

Just ok

Tempted to drop a star off for the lack of original material, but it’s just too good

I really enjoyed Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic and its long length worked for it (Although a little long). Album as a whole isn't fantastic, tracks are too long. I really like some sections of some of the songs. You could edit this down to nice 35min album.

seminal

good 8/10

My husband felt it was cruel to give this 1-star on the basis that it is tedious rather than painful to listen to. But this should be 1001 albums you should listen to before you die, not 1001 albums it is worth tolerating. A strange mix of soul, ruined by a sprinkling of big band. It takes a great song as its first track and makes it terrible. How is that even possible?

Glorioso

So soft! Not enough 'o's in smooooooth

I already listened and reviewed in my first short-lived trip. Yes. Hot buttered soul.

A bit cheesy, but honest

Some nice stuff on here but some super indulgence too

Epic soul, love how long these tracks go for and are allowed to breathe. Only let down by the ballad "One Woman" 4*

This albm is great. A real slick cool groove soul record that always feels like it is driving towards something, even with only 4 songs and a 45 minute runtime. The extended story telling of this songwriter is a little boring though.

The last album I reviewed contained 14 songs in 15 minutes of running time, HBS has only 4 songs with two lengthy songs over 12 minutes each. On the 18:42, By The Time I Get to Phoenix, Hayes spends a good part of the first half of the song talking and by the time he gets to the music the song is halfway done. As a general preference, I'm not a huge fan of epic length songs, but the opening track (12:03), the Bacharach/David, Walk On By, is a great song and it doesn't seem too long. It's a nice groove to open with and overall it's nice listen. Previously, I had only heard Hayes because of the Theme From Shaft and this is a solid record from the Soul legend.

Somehow doesn't scratch the soul itch that other artists do for me, just comes up a small bit short on that front - but the blend of soul and funk is great, and Get to Phoenix is incredible

The slow burn to end all slow burns, and I need to go to the burn ward because I jumped straight into it and loved every second.

Prog soul is quite intriguing. I think it lacked something that really popped for me, but it truly is a great album.

Samples of this album are so intrinsic to classic hip hop it’d be hard for me not to enjoy it by association, that said, the ‘By The Time I Get To Arizona’ cover’s spoken word intro is awfully pathetic and overdone.

Knew so many of the tunes from Wutang and other artists sampling, in fact it's hardly even sampling, some of my favourite tunes are ripped straight from here it seems. however this is all Hayes as even though some are covers "Walk on by" it's all his style.

Loved every track besides Phoenix.

If any record producer wanted a masterclass into how to remaster an album, THIS IS IT. If I didn't know, I would have said it was recorded yesterday, with brilliant use of EQ, creating an "as live" feel. Hot Buttered Soul is the perfect name for this album, achieving the warm gooey feeling inside that only Soul music can muster. If there's one thing that stood out for me, it has to be the outstanding orchestral arrangements. It took each track to a whole different level and made it feel somewhat of a masterpiece. I also loved the story telling intro of "By the time I get to Phoenix". For an album released quite so long ago, it has to have been one of the first albums to include this style. The interview at the end is the icing on the cake. Isaac's effortless passion for his music shines through and brings the album to a close wonderfully. The only negative, and the reason for a loss of star is simply due to the album being far too short. 4 real tracks, 2 repeats and an interview. This is more EP than album. I finished, but I wanted more.

Smooth as hell, can’t think of a more suitable album name! I enjoyed the first half but felt the latter dragged somewhat with some quite drawn out songs

Incredibly smooth voice. Songs too long though

Un soul dulce y muy clasico que es vibrante y hace mover la cabeza al instante. No se hace pesado, diria incluso que es corto. siento que algunas caniones las habia escuchado pero no se en donde y tampoco me acordaba de las letra, cara, portada, sonoridad del todo. Buenos temas, que tienen adornos interesantes y arreglos sutilmente pensados. Conforme con esta escucha. Ya más hacia el final del disco me dio por reconocer lo texturoso que es, es uno de los aspectos positivos de la musica antigua. Este tema es tiene muchas textruas, se podría pintar con él. Me llevo una buena primera impresion de lo que es un buen disco y lo que parece un buen artista.

The only thing bringing this album down is the ten minute monologue

Soul music as it should be. The Bar-Kays nearly steal the show, right of the gate, with axe work so hot it’s sizzling. (That one doesn’t know the guitarist’s name is an embarrassment to be rectified – Harold Beane and Michael Toler seem to be the guys, but don’t sleep on Charles Pitts’ soloing on “Do Your Thing” on Shaft – these cats can play their asses off and seem all-time underrated.) But IH is so cool he knows he can hold off and do his thing and will still have maximum impact (less being more yet again [except when it comes to wah-wah, where one is very much in the more-is-more camp]). When he talks, when he sings, one listens. “Walk on By” is the very definition of soul singing, and so much besides. The song rocks, truly, and slow burns, too. The nearly unpronounceable second cut certainly is singable, besides being full-on groovy. “Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic” indeed – easily one of the fattest grooves of this or any other decade (and in fact might have single-handedly pushed across the ‘60s-’70s threshold). “One Woman” drips with ‘70s sentimentalism (in a good way, too, the contrast with the baritone voice working well) and works as a slightly misogynistic morality play. “By the Time I Get to Phoenix” gets points for creativity but it does drag a bit. Still … wonderful record, great ride and experience overall.

Pleasing old school soul, fuzzy guitars, strings, and wah make this album super fun to listen to. Hypnotic, very cool old school use of stereo makes the band sound like it is swirling around you as you are listening.

Superb! Full of funk and soul, was let down a little by the previous Isaac Hayes entry and this more than made up for it, never heard a version of walk on by like this one, assume no-one has done it like this since cos it just wouldn't get close

2 classic songs get Isaac Hayed and become 100 times as long. Anyway: great soul album from >50 years ago that I had not listened to for many years.

Great album, but there are some passages that drag on way to long, and I could have done without the spoken word intro to By the Time I Get to Phoenix.

Apart from the story telling some fine soul music.

Strong melodies and very easy to listen to

This was pretty groovy actually. Nice album and short. 8/10.

love his cover of the white stripes. chefs got some voice on him.

Hot buttered tits dipped in treacle, dripping into the eye of my anus as the sun comes out. What an immense piece of aural sex. My eardrums are bashing one out.

Go on, Chef. Lamb chops for breakfast

Interesting, but ultimately didn’t pull anything for me.

Better than expected.

I never listen to this one before. First side is good and then By the time I get To Phoenix, I like the riffing in the beginning but it's bit long and get's really redundant. There's an art to doing it, his label mate at the time Albert King was a master at it. 2.5 stars for me.

Only 4 songs? Walk On By was a tedious rendition of classic. Hyperbolicayllab… lacks energy and the production feels dull and a little muted. One Woman is a sweet song but doesn’t break new ground. By the Time I get to Phoenix wow, that’s quite a story in the windup. Of course Hayes has great R&B vocals, but… ho hum.

I was doing fine till I hit the last track. Which is a 3 minute song stretched out to 19 minutes.

It started out okay. But man did this thing drag by the end. Why did he feel the need for a 18 minute "song" to end the album? I didn't get the second half of this thing at all.

Beautiful soul album, definitely sounds like it's of the era it was made. You can hear influences of it everywhere, Portishead, etc. 4.5/5

This album starts with pure awesomeness (it’s great to learn where Portishead got their sample from), but side B is one big letdown. Regardless, I’m going to give credit to the creativity and originality in this album. Well worth listening to!

So good. What a great voice

Smooth and soulful. Would be a great record.

Did not like it.