Reviews (page 9 of 14)
Hot buttered soul feeds you the silky smooth tunes you wish were still dominate.
Walk on By is a great song.
The first three tracks of this are great. The last track is good, but the long spoken word intro just isn’t for me. When Walk On came on I instantly recognized it from how many times it’s been sampled, and I think that shows just how impactful this record has been.
Ah, Stax Records, The Bar-Keys, soul music and unstoppable groove of the late 60's and early 70's. This album has been on my dive deep -list for quite a while, well all of Isaac Hayes catalog really. It's an awesome record, the psychedelic era is starting to seep through, in a smooth way.
some sweet slow jams from the Duke of New York
Didn't listen to the whole thing, but it seemed pretty groovy.
Interesting album. Mostly Isaac Hayes telling stories to soulful music.
This just isn't for me. It feels like Isaac Hayes is the black Frank Zappa.
I like it, but in little bursts. It's not consumable in its entirety for me. His voice though, so smooth!
Side A = 4 Side B = 2
Ikke det værste Soul jeg har hørt. Der er noget psyk og progrocket over det
Too long.
Not my thing. still an interesting listen.
Groove world championship winner right here. This shit bumps.
Issac Hayes is an incredible singer if you like hot buttered bass vocals. He's the dude who did the Shaft theme song, and that's really all I got.
This was...interesting. I like the longer tracks quite a bit. Not a huge fan of the album though and I feel that the runtime could have been used to be more inventive. Fav Track: One Woman
Classic, not traditionally my cup of tea but enjoyed
Did not enjoy it. Too long, made me sleepy
• 3/5 - Not my jam • Lot's of paradigmatic soul grooves, but the extended song length and ponderous spoken elements feel self-indulgent and my attention wanders • Walk on By is a nice reminder of how versatile Burt Bacharach tunes can be. Who's been covered more than him - maybe Dylan? K - tracks are too long for my limited attention span. Had a hard time getting other versions of the songs out of my head.
I get why some like this album. It’s not for me. Does seem progressive for its time. Some great solos. A bit repetitive. And he had a great voice, but I don’t love it
I really like Isaac Hayes but omg why do the songs need to be 11 minutes long
Does exactly what it says on the tin. Overblow and ridiculous soul. Awesome.
Very long instrumentals and blues
It was great! Walk On By is too long though and two versions? Bit of a joke.
Do you like soul music? Then this album is for you. That bad thing abt this album is the there´s only 4 songs and sum are pretty long. But anyways the beats of the song are nice I would like listen to this while i´m working out or chilling in the couch. The guy voice is nice, and the lyrics are decent. This album is great I would recommend this album.
I kinda didnt really like this album. The songs felt like mush, the lyrics felt like mush. and overall it doesnt sound good in my opinion. I dont think your missing out if you dont listen to this song.
I give it 0 out 5 because i dont like it dosent vibe with me. Dont recommend it.
Are you searching for albums you can play in the background while studying? Hot buttered Soul by Isaac Hayes would be the perfect album. It has a very interesting low sound which sounds like whales but it does relax you. His voice is also low which sounds nice while being played with the other affects. I do recommend this album but its not for me unless I want to fall asleep after a stressful day.
have you ever heard a song and thought this could be kinda good with an investigation moving that's what I thought because of how it sounds the album walk on by kinda sounds mysterious and it does get to a point that it does kinda change it still has the investigation vibe I like this song because of the instruments that are used that made those sounds and I like the voice of the singer. I think the album walk on by is good and I recommend listening to it
Do you like music with very long intros, and a lot of rhymes? If so, then this is the album for you! It has a very good beat, and I like that it has a lot of that soul feel to it. I also like the instruments because there are a lot of them, and when they are put together, they sound amazing. The only thing I don't like about this album is his voice is too boring to me. So that is why you should listen to this album.
1st song- its ok i rate like a 5/ 10 2nd song- i mean i dont like it i give like 1/10 3rd song-
Do you like VERY long songs? If so, this album is for you! Even though there are only 4 songs in this album, they make it up by being VERY long songs. One of them is 12 minutes long. 12 MINUTES!!! FOR A SONG!!! They are outstanding songs because I love the background music and Hayes' voice. I think you should listen to this album.
Yeah, that's a no for me, dawg. I never realized, before listening to this album, that something could be simultaneously excessive and not enough. This album is SO MUCH. Long tracks, extended vocal and instrumental stretches, a whole, spoken-word story for some reason. And yet, it leaves me wanting and feeling like I'm missing something. There's a lack of substance that I just don't get. The only reason this was saved from a one-star review is that the musicianship is incredible even if it's not being leveraged to its full potential.
long soul tracks with production far ahead of its time. i didn’t expect this to be from 1969. Favorite track: hyperbolic.. other picks:walk on by, by the time i get to phoenix
I knew Isaac Hayes, like many people of my generation, from South Park and the Shaft theme, so I was interested in listening to a full album from him. It’s a good soul album but an 11 minute and an 19 minute song is a bit too much, especially that last song.
Day 60 - Nov 1, 2024 Butter to my ears. 5/5
Will need to revisit but for now I enjoy this and nothing more. The middle parts of the second track drags with little progression and the 9-minute preamble to 18-minute By The Time I Get To Phoenix (so that's where Injury Reserve got their album title from) doesn't exactly endear it in my eyes. So really the opening track is doing a lot of the heavy lifting here.
With it being Halloween season was not surprised when I opened today’s selection and saw the album cover. Took me a few seconds to realise that it was not a pumpkin but a bald bonce belong to Isaac Hayes. This would have been an album I would have avoided at time of release but reading the albums Wiki page I was encouraged not to dismiss it now out of hand. And I must say I was at least 50% surprised. The two long tracks were particularly good and appealing mainly due to their orchestration and the way the tracks built towards a dramatic end. Both those I have favourited for future listening but as for the rest and the album as a whole I won’t bother revisiting. 2.5/5 30/10/24
Sexy funky smooth
Respect the hell out of Hayes as a musician, but just an ok album.
Deliciously smooth
12 ja 18min kappaleet + 12min jorinaa. Kokemuksena pettymys ja tyypiltä "odotti enemmän".
Hyvän fiiliksen levy
That’s gotta be the best 18 minute song I’ve heard. This brother is smooth, this album is smooth and it just sounds pleasant to the ears. Great for an early morning ride to work, a tremendous way to start the day.
Some really great songs, although not very many. This feels more like an extended single release. I had no idea that Hooverphonics' 2Wicky was sampled so directly from this.
This was enjoyable as always, but the running time for By the Time I Get to Phoenix is just WAY too long. I don't need to hear Isaac hold down one chord on his keyboards and tell a story for what feels like 10 minutes. It's drawn out and unnecessary and in my opinion, drops this album from a 4 to a 3 because of the length of that track.
Decent soul/R&B/funk album. The last track was like audible blue balls. There's no need for a 13 minute track telling some story while playing the same chords over and over.
A 4 track chill soul album that I hadn't heard of before. Standouts: Walk On By and One Woman.
It's a no from me. I feel like I'm missing something, clearly I'm just not getting it. There's a lack of anything interesting. The musicianship is obviously good, but that's all I can say that I enjoyed. 45 minutes of nothing. Saying an awful lot but not really saying anything at all. It just didn't grab me, it was very dull and too repetitive. I don't mind at all when tracks are long, but at least make them interesting or go somewhere. Any song that length needs to feel epic. The last song was 18 minutes long. Fine, not a problem. The first half is Isaac Hayes just talking. Literally just talking over an occasional cymbal. It's not cool. It doesn't make you cool to like this. In fact, I think it's quite pretentious. I will honestly never listen to this album again and I'm absolutely fine with that.
impressive how modern this sounds, but not for me YNN
3☆/5 10.24.2024
Holy shit
There must be better Isaac Hayes albums. This is an okay listen, but didn't really grab me--a bit too repetitive maybe?
One trick pony, the album.
Love this album. A classic for sure
now THIS is soul. would be 5 stars if the intro in by the time i get to phoenix was a few minutes shorter. it pulled me out of the music sadly
Impossibly fabulous. 5/5
Soul. The first half was pretty good, the second half was pretty boring.
I knew 70s were progressive time (in terms of music and... ya know... other things), but progressive JAZZ... it's something I never thought of.
Some bangers but a few long ass boring songs
You know it's five stars when I'm sad that the an hour long album is over. The perfect soul album. The singing is amazing but the instrumentals are perfection. Never heard of this album before but it is one of the best on this list.
Nicht interessant für mich.
Fucking awesome
Nice jams and solos. A little long-winded sometimes
I can only hear Chef (that said, it's some smooth butter). High 2s.
Absolute classic. Such a cool, rhythmic, soulful sound that so many other artists that I listen to have borrowed from. I also appreciate the structure of this record in that it's only 4 songs, but all allowed to really breathe and expose themselves to the listener. Sit back and feel the chill warmth of this one.
Aptly named album, but man, these are some long ass songs. Not my style.
Not bad
I wanted to like this more than I did, but I found it to be overindulgent and overdone. “Walk On By” was great but didn’t need to be 12 minutes long. “One Woman” was definitely the standout, which isn’t surprising considering it was the shortest and most concise song. Long songs are fine, but they need to serve more of a purpose than this. Isaac Hayes has a great voice and is super talented, but this could have been better.
Considering the music released in the present, this actually aged quite well. Incredible performance on this album, and amazing music overall. Great orchestration, great vocals. I enjoyed it a lot.
Pretty good!
Hot Buttered Soul is a soul filled album about love. It has some amazing background instruments, and Isaac Hayes masterfully sings his heart out. Best Songs: Walk on By Worst Songs: NA
Chef fra South Park! Lagde faktisk mærke til det mens jeg lyttede, kunne ikke huske i starten. Anyway, det er for langsomt, spoken word og laaange sange, ikke lige meget. Dog fed wah-guitar og imponerende de effekter der er på og hvor godt det lyder for 1969, en verden til forskel mellem det og f.eks. Doors som ofte lyder distraherende Lo-fi, ikke tilfældet her
Okay! Didn't love it but didn't hate it either
It had it's moments, although the length of those tracks is ridiculous. Time killers with no real uniqueness throughout. 2.5/5
so good at worldbuilding that it creates a whole backstory for an already existing soul standard and its one of the most hypnotizing experiences u can have listening to a record. hayes and the bar-keys go absolute god mode finding every single possible bit of groove and emotion to be fleshed out in a mere four songs to create something so overwhelming im a lil at a loss for words even having heard this a while back and sort of knowing what to expect. idk how often id even be in the mood for this but what an accomplishment man. south park will pay for its crimes
The songs can be pretty good in the right mood, but they can also often be incredibly boring. The instruments are playing some pretty interesting stuff, but they sometimes stretch and meander for too long. Isaac Hayes definitely had a very unique voice, but it also gets pretty damn boring. Especially for the spoken word section. So, this one really depends on mood.
Beautiful at times.
Excellent album. Soulful and strings are beautiful
Was very surprised when I saw only four tracks, as I expected more of a standard soul album with a bunch of songs about looove. Really dug this, incredible production on these and while each track is very long they all have something great to offer and you don't get bored, except for when he tells a way too long story.
Far out,a couple of massively long covers
Bueno
Long
Smooth R&B
This record is just so damn cool. The production quality is mind blowing for the age of the album, and it really holds up in the modern age. I think the opening track genuinely deserves the 12 minutes of run time it was allowed. It’s a beautiful version of “Walk on By” The second track, which I will not attempt to spell, is just cool and groovy and everything you’d ever want from Mr. Hayes. The string section on “One Woman” fits in so nicely, it’s as close to a perfect r&b song as I can imagine. I’m not entirely convinced that “By the Time I Get to Phoenix” needed to be 18 minutes, and I say that as a prog metal fan. It’s a great song, but I did find it a little difficult to get through the entire thing. It’s hard to imagine giving this record anything less than the 5* it deserves. Isaac Hayes at his best.
This album is a really nice listen, I’m not sure what I expected from a 4 song album but it wasn’t this. For starters, this will be the first time I’ve ever listened to an 18 min song. One woman was a beautiful listen and I thoroughly enjoyed it, but every song had something in it I liked.
Enjoyable but not my thing. Walk on by a highlight.
Lovely. Splendid even.
Pretty good, but will not be listening too again. Some sections were a lot of no song
So much anguish, so much groove, so much soul. "Walk On By" and "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" are such fantastic songs and the way they have been expanded and reimagined here is some kind of magic covers rarely accomplish. I don't know what else can be said about this album that hasn't been said before... iconic. *chefs kiss* 9/10
i liked
Really nice soul music; however, the long songs overstay their welcome, and the song By The Time I Get To Phoenix starts off rather boring but does get better around halfway in. Standout track: One Woman
Guitar tone on walk on by 😎
Was excited to listen to this - largely mehhhhhh though - will forever be chef from South Park lol
Was expecting much better!
Can’t deny the man has a voice made for soul - unfortunately the entire album comes across as self indulgent and kinda uninteresting for large parts of each track.
walk on by is one of the best songs i've ever heard.
Pretty dope. First half was more enjoyable than the second but its overall a pretty damn good album. Definitely a fan. 8ish/10
Great album and the first I've heard of Isaac Hayes, although I have seen the movie Shaft which I believe he made the original theme for. Delicious tracks with a scary run time, but they work so well. Hard to believe this album is over 55 years old!
Hated it. Slow and boring. Why are all the songs so long???
Solid, title is apt
3.5 stars. One of the best conclusions to an album I've come across. The long slow "By The Time I Get To Phoenix" builds to a lovely instrumental outro. Other than that a good if not overly-memorable soul album that was a landmark in it's time but I won't necessarily re-visit.
honestly? dude has what 4? 5? songs I love this genre and honestly I was vibing crazy with the guitar for the most part but everything else is a let down. ik it isn't exactly the genre for quick simple jams but it really starts to get old after the first 5 minutes
Kind of a weird album. I didn't much care for it.
Not my kind of music but strangely enjoyable.
feels like a warm half decent americano on a cold winter morning in an American diner, after being out all night
Utter rubbish
I’ve never really listed to Issac Hayes other than shaft I knew him from chef on South Park. I like this album as a concept. The songs are a bit long, but I understand the reasoning for it. I do tend to start drifting off when trying to listen to just music for that long I did recognize a song on here which was a pleasant surprise. This album isn’t slated to be one of my all-time favorites, but I definitely would give it another listen.
Not my genre.
más como un 3.5. me encantó como música ambiental
It's good
There's me thinking I didn't like soul music
absolutely groovy to the max but that last song is just unforgivably long highlight: walk on by (sep 25 2025)
Not for me. 1/5
This was probably the most modern 60s album I've ever listened to. Although the songs are pretty long, the music all feels like a bunch of different songs which I can appreciate. I can't see myself going back to this one much though.
Really nice
Not my bag
Suck on my chocolate salty balls! Put em in your mouth and suck em! Oh, wait, I guess that’s not on this album.
Really nice liked the sound but it goes on forever I’m not sure I like that
Pretty useless. Boring. Two stars
not bad but not for me
podcast é
69 Soul? Sounds good! I never even got to this today. I'll check it out tomorrow. Oooo I love the way this started out. And the vibe in on point. I'll give this one a 4
I've admired Isaac Hayes for years, and "Joy" is in my Top Ten.,.. but this album Yeuch. The two singles...great. Five stars each. The extended version add nothing but filler or rambling rubbish. One or two stars at best One of those rare occasions where I'd advise sticking with a Greatest Hits compilation
4 songs ...1 instrumental and 2 alternative versions plus an interview. Hard to get an opinion on this singer who seems to talk through most of the tunes.
This was a pleasant listen until the last track which didn't half go on.
Very good. 3.5
This is the second of two Issac Hayes albums I've listened to on this journey, having heard the Shaft film soundtrack. My enjoyment of Hot Buttered Soul is admittedly greater than that of the Shaft soundtrack, partly due to what is advertised on the tin. Issac's vocals were hot and buttery, as he worked his way around the keyboard while the session musicians played effortlessly to create this luscious psychedelic soul sound. There may be only four songs, and three of those four run over nine minutes, but it never felt long for the most part because the song construction felt meaningful, as the album ebbed and flowed with a serene audible tide. The only exception to this feeling was the eight-and-a-half-minute introduction to the cover of Jimmy Webb's "By the Time I Get to Phoenix". I understand if Issac wanted to tell the story behind that song, though it does hurt the replay value. Overall, this was a pleasant album to have going on. It's worth checking out.
I wasn’t expecting this but long form soul music slaps. The only thing I didn’t like was how long the closer was and it’s mostly him telling a story that the song is written about
Very nice
Amazing album. Have been listening to this for the past decade.
I enjoyed parts of all the songs, but also found myself bored in most of them. Unlikely to listen to it again off my own accord, but I wouldn’t rule it out completely. Would give 2.5 if I could
When I saw it was 4 songs and a 46 min runtime I was expecting much worse. Apart from the 8 minute monologue in the 4th song all the tunes were good. Instrumentals were great and his voice is buttery smooth. Was expecting him to say hello children at one point
I do not know, nor diid I look up any sort of cultural artifacts or side stories about Isaac Hayes so I could listen directly and judge solely by his music. I had an idea he was hugely popular and a household name in the 70's but figured I would let his talents speak to me and not any social stories. My impession? This guy is legend and a step above most. Sitting right there at the head table. His depth, soul, spoken word, connection with audience... I mean what? Pure. I would just say Isaac Hayes is pure. There may be many reasons he is a household name but the only one I needed was to hear this album. Thank you for that!
(2/1001) Hot Buttered Soul - Isaac Hayes (1969) Bem-vindo ao (Progressive/Psychedelic) Soul Train! São apenas 4 músicas, totalizando 45 minutos de música, onde as duas primeiras músicas ("Walk On By", "Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic") são bem animadas, dançantes e frenéticas, representando muito bem a essência da Soul Music. A virada vem no meio do albúm com a música "One Woman" que é mais um Love Song que o Soul Progressivo/Psicodélico das duas primeiras músicas. Por fim, partimos para uma saga chamada "By the Time I Get to Phoenix", um cover de Jimmy Webb, que são quase 9 minutos de introdução descrevendo a preparação de Isaac Hayes para Phoenix (poderia bem ser menos), resultando em outros quase 9 minutos de melancolia psicodélica soul muito agradável. Melhores músicas: Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic, 9 minutos finais de By the Time I Get to Phoenix. Piores músicas: N/A 3.5/5
Exceptionally good production, way ahead of its time and beautiful timbres but i found the talking sections a little bit boring
Классный соул-альбом. Для 1969-ого года это вообще удивительно звучит. Оказывается, его активно использовали рэперы для сэмплов. Он не так сильно зацепил, но слушается очень приятно.
this would be a 4 if he didn’t yap for 8 minutes in one of the songs
Pre-listening thoughts: THIS IS CHEF FROM SOUTH PARK 😭but 4 tracks at 45 mins… wild work. Heard through the grapevine that one song is 19 mins. Lord pray for me. Post/during listening thoughts: waittttt okay chef! He may have cooked here (haha hehe). This man has a beautiful voice and the instrumentation is stunning and full on every track (I mean these arrangements! I can’t gush about them enough!). I think my only complaint here is track length cause they’re really long but man this is some good soul music and just good music period 8/10 DID I NEED TO HEAR THIS BEFORE I DIE: yes I suppose! Fav tracks: Walk on By, One Woman Least fav tracks: intro of By the Time I Get to Phoenix - I think it could be shorter
Very soulful.
true soul music, walk on by is electric
I saw Isaac Hayes a few years ago when he was touring his jazz album. When I called for Tickets, the ticketing agent specifically said \"Mr. Hayes wants everybody to know that this is going to be a strictly jazz show.\" At the end of the show, somebody was screaming out, \"hot buttered soul\" during the encore. They left disappointed.
I can appreciate, but not for me.
#336. This album is good, but damn these songs drag on too long. I think all of them could have been better if they were half length or shorter. 3/5: acceptable Song added to playlist: Walk On By I've created a playlist on Spotify that consists of the best and/or my favorite song from each of the albums in this book. This list can be found here if you are interested: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7MAXDGLWlwLkFLb8veGfkA?si=FqkQQPgZTFWG0jAUJXLFZA&utm_source=copy-link
Away from the soul and r&b writings of Stax Records in the ‘60s, this record likely resonates with the avid hip-hop head, record collector or producer as being at one of the many cornerstones of sampling throughout hip-hop music. On this record, you’ll hear the original samples for ‘Warning’ by The Notorious B.I.G, ‘Black Steel In The Hour of Chaos’ by Public Enemy. Samples that allowed for these guys to flawlessly showcase their lyrical prowess. Nevertheless, in an era where 1:59 is an acceptable running time for a single in the charts, ‘Hot Buttered Soul’ emerges as the remedy. ‘Soul’ and ‘feel’ a bit a few things that can neither be encapsulated or condensed when it comes to music, and no one individual knows that better than Isaac Hayes. From the opening of ‘Walk On By’ right the way down to ‘By The Time I Get To Phoenix’, you can tell that Hayes meant every last note, let alone every last word he contributed towards this album.
Neljän kappaleen levy, mutta jokainen kappale tarjosi jotain. Herkkää ja hidasra, mutta myös funkkia ja tosi filmaattista. Parhaat: Walk On By, Hyperbolicsyllablevittujotain :D
I've never really gotten into soul music, but as the first track began to play it immediately caught my attention. I really enjoyed it! 4/5
Some good ol- soul. Can't really go wrong. Still, its not really an album to listen to on its own. Its got its moments, but its more of a background piece. Might listen again if I got a lot of work to do.
It was okay
The first couple of songs were great, but I really couldn't stand "By the Time I Get to Phoenix". I listened to the deluxe version, which included the single version of this song. What I don't get is, they cut 12 minutes of monologue from the single version, and I have no idea what was missing; there was still an obscenely long monologue at the start of the song. Once the song started, it was fine; but the song still just invalidates the album as a standalone thing I'd want to listen to.
great soul music
Really enjoyed the two first tracks, then it really fell off.
More poetry than music
Hot buttered soul Great band w/ the bar kays. Really liked the bass playing. Walk on by was cool His voice his great. I thought the spoken word was a bit long but it made me more invested in the story and lyrics.
Love this record. The long form songs are kind of unique and work so well with this vibe.
This was cool but way too long and drawn out. I’m all for long songs if the song warrants it but it felt jammy at times. Parts of it were really amazing though!
Halfway through ‘Walk on By’ I thought, nice funky-soulful groove, but maybe just a bit too long. And then I got to ‘…Phoenix’ and I realized I had no idea. Shame that half the songs overstayed their welcome, it would be higher. Great voice, good music, but track length sinks this album. Music 4/5, length 2/5
Hello children! Here’s one of my albums before I became your chef.
Любите себя
Couldn’t find it.
titre représentatif de ce que les oreilles reçoivent un crâne chauve ne me dérange pas si ce qui en sort est sexy
Suprisingly enjoyed it
Really enjoyed this. Sounded very fresh and told a good story. Only 4 long songs. 8/10
Listened to this while playing Return to Dark Tower solo. I lost. Is this Chef from South Park? I feel like it is. Totally enjoyed the funk/soul vibe of this album. The final track wanders for a loooong time before it starts finding its groove.
Did anyone else get bored listening to this album?
Talk about some long songs. I saw that there were only 4 songs on this album but it was still 45min. 18 min long songs. That was crazy. All in a good way. Songs with story is something you don’t hear everyday. Nice change of the other albums I’ve been getting. The rock/jazz elements I really enjoyed.
The 18 minute song in the middle of the album is NOT COOL
Three out of four songs are covers in the sense that “Ulysses” covers Homer: the originals provided scaffolding to large, intricate structures that take you to places distant from the base song. There’s improvisation here, but this isn’t a jam album. It’s too orchestrated; I listened to this twice over a flight and the premeditation became clear. “By The Time I Get To Phoenix” simulates a singer’s preamble to a live audience that morphs into a story, bass, drums and organ in a soft loop until the song breaks out eight and a half minutes in. This built mild atmosphere when I wasn’t listening closely, impatience when I was; oddly, I thought of Suicide’s “Frankie Teardrop”, which has a different vibe, different intentions, but makes you listen due to its repetition, not despite it - tense, going places - Phoenix is not far enough; and Vega’s voice, not comparable to Hayes, carries more conviction than Hayes’ here, as magisterial and rich as Hayes is. However, the last five minutes os “…Phoenix” redeems the song, rising into ecstatic abandon as the narrator loses himself.
So good, long grooves that never get boring. Perfect for an extended workout [EDIT: The 9 minute intro to "By The Time I Get To Phoenix" is, by consensus, the worst thing my kids have ever heard. I first broadcast this album from the list about 2 years ago, and within 30 seconds today they knew exactly what it was and screamed for their lives. I quite like it though; ironically, I can be in Phoenix long before the intro is finished]
Probably a really good album, just not in the right headspace to listen.
Bummer I didn’t like this more. I think the problem is the songs are so long, and there’s only four of them, so if I didn’t like one, well, it’s going to be ten more minutes until I can hear another. All time great name for an album, though.
01) Walk On By - 7,5 02) Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic - 7,0 03) One Woman - 7,5 04) By the Time I Get to Phoenix - 5,5 TOTAL: 6,88 (69/100) Current ranking: 194/277 Nine minutes of this last song is pure bullshit. If the song ever starts, it will be rated significantly lower. "Walk On By" could also have been shorter, but at least there wasn't ten minutes of talking at the beginning. An album with 4 songs shouldn't even be called an album.
Walk on by is so good!!!
Alright
Was debating between 4 or 5, as I'd probably give it 4.5, but fuck it, it'll probably get to a 5 on further listens. And I'll definitely be listening again. Favorite track: Walk on By
One of the interesting things about the 70s is how there seemed to be more freedom in what songs could be. I mean, yeah, "hit" singles had to be about 3 or 4 minutes. But then you have the albums that seemed to be a lot more experimental about song lengths. Which brings us to "Hot Buttered Soul". Isaac Hayes seemed to have a lot of freedom here to record what he wanted. But that isn't always a great thing. I felt the opening and closing songs were WAY too long. A 12-minute interpretation of "Walk On By"? No wonder they came out with a single edit. Someone needed to let him know that shorter can be better. And "By The Time I Get To Phoenix"... I felt the whole opening bit is something that works live. But in the studio it just felt like padding. I did like "Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalmystic", and the length was just fine for it. "One Woman" was a little over the top, but that's not always bad. But when two of the four songs overstay their welcome, that's a problem. Top tracks: "Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalmystic"
Geez, this album is a little self-indulgent isn't it? 45 minutes but it could easily have been 30 minutes. That whole story-telling to start By the Time I Get to Phoenix (about 10 minutes worth) sounded like Isaac Hayes' South Park character with the meandering stories about the Loch Ness Monster. Once the crooning and music got going it was a great listen, but prior to that, ugh. Three fiddy?! Walk on By also plays a little long, but damned if Harold Beane (of Funadelic fame) doesn't kill the guitar solo intro. One Woman shows what this album could be if everything was tight - soulful as hell and spine tingly. Somewhere between a 3.5 and 4 for me, but I'll round up for the timing of this album in the whole soul and R&B genre.
Trivia of the day - I didn't know Isaac Hayes wrote "Soul Man" (with writing partner David Porter - the two were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005). Originally recorded by Sam Moore and Dave Prater (Sam & Dave), with Booker T. and the M.G.'s as the house band (and Isaac Hayes on organ). That was fun to learn. Ok, re: Hot Buttered Soul - Hayes has an amazing distinctive voice. Latter day music listeners mostly know him as Chef from South Park, but he had an amazing musical career (look it up). Side 1 of this album is outstanding. Love the groove on Walk on By (which has been sampled a gazillion times for good reason). Hyperbolicsyll...um, not going to type that out...is very cool, with a great jam. Side 2 brings things down a little for me. You still get Hayes' amazing singing, but One Woman is a pretty basic track and By the Time I Get to Phoenix goes on forever. Unfortunately, Side 2 brings my overall score for the album down, but there's no denying Isaac Hayes was the essence of cool and an amazing singer. RIP.
Loved it wish it was longer
Loved it
Chef is cooking here, this is a very soulful, funky, and seductive album. It's not really one I think I would come back to, as the songs are not very digestible on their own. Hyperbolicsyllabilicsesquedalymystic is the song that best stands on its own, and even that one is 9.5 mins. Overall, good album but not my favorite soul I've had on this list.
Not wild about this album. Might work better live, or as a soundtrack, but the songs were way too long and didn't have enough going on. Would not listen to again.
Didn't care for this one. It was long, and I'm not sure why the songs are so long? I was getting lost. 2/5
Apparently this is one of Henry Rollins’ favorite albums? I can kinda see it ngl B
you know, I wasn't quite familar with you but damn you can fucking sing.
I struggled to connect with some of the earlier soul albums that I reviewed - but psychedelic soul? Sign me up!
Nothing grabbed me. Likely wouldn't listen again.
Another album well worth a listen and certainly doing some experimentation, but also rather flawed: lyrics in particular still stick to a certain kind of sentimentality that I find annoyingly inauthentic. Still, some amazing creativity going on.
Soul sublime. Brilliant.
Mainiota musiikkia, mutta liian pitkiä kappaleita.
Man, they don’t make ‘em like this anymore. Really, people literally do not make albums like this now. Storytelling soul is gone.indeed, I think soul music is gone, atomized into R&B, HipHop, Funk, even Singer-Songwriter, molecules-to-the-universe-gone-but-not-forgotten gone. I don’t necessarily love the music, but I long for the time and the sociocultural context that welcomed this music. When I complete my Time Machine, it’s the 70s or bust…
Man. I thought I loved this album. I have it on vinyl. I've listened to it a lot (well, mostly side one). "Walk on by" is still brilliant soul...that fuzz guitar is soooo chewy.and "Hyperbolic...etc." is fun. But "One Woman" and rhe insanely long "By the time..." are fucking garbage filler sounds....it's like Hayes already knew people were just going to fuck to his music, so he made these extra long, radio-unfriendly tunes that could fade into the background and last longer than most of the men who bought the album. And since South Park, it's impossible to listen to these songs as anything other than alternative, edited versions of "Chocolate Salty Balls". I will always celebrate good, thick, juicy soul and funk grooves, but this hot buttered mess melts into greasy self-indulgence.
... it's ok... not super engaging... putting me to sleep, actually.
Love this album. Started listening to this 20 years ago and still revisit often. I think it’s Isaac Hayes at his best. Lush production and prototype soul album that allowed for evolution of ‘soul sound’ from Motown into a looser more expressive sound. Walk on and Phoenix are so great.
I like the layers of the music that are going on here.
Right from the jump this is an AMAZING headphone album. The layering of sound, the organ and guitar competing in seperate channels, and the ebb and flow of dynamics in Walk on By is just an unbeatable sonic experience. The party continues through Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic, then Isaac slows everything down for side B, into what can only be described as his patented "fucking music". The man is a deserved legend and this release is a perfect example of why.
That's the kind of album I started my project for. Smooth and nice voice and music. Never heard of it before. What a great discovery.
Stunning album. Definitely recognized some spots where this has been sampled. I lost track of time in a good way with this one. Groovy and soulful sonic waves to surf on. That voice is smoooooth. Absolutely worth many listens.
Cool, I like it, even the super long songs are ok for me
2.5 Walk on by is a burner. Album is a bit short and lacks variety
More enjoyable than the Shaft album. Was able to get lost in the long grooves.
Epic progressive soul, he really gets the full power out of these songs
Awesome! First Isaac Hayes album I’ve listened to and I’m a fan.
What a voice. This 12-minute cover of "Walk On By" is special. I don't usually describe 12-minute covers in positive terms. I was initially put off by the length of these songs, but it was a treat. The instrumentation and performances hold up. Like another reviewer said, this could've been recorded recently, which goes to show how forward thinking this album was. Highlights: Walk On By, One Woman
Have this on vinyl. Such a vibe.
This album is cool as shit. Loved listening to it. Obsessed with the title. The songs are too long (aside from One Woman, which was my clear favorite). By The Time I Get To Phoenix takes WAY too long to get going. The end rules, but it's so much preamble.
it has some good moments but what it boils down to is that no song needs to be 18 minutes long. especially the most boring song on the album.
Zu lahm, zu ausufernd. Schade. ***
Awesome!
Got through this one by singing Simultaneous by Chef over the first eight and half minutes of By the Time I Get to Phoenix
The first few seconds of the first song (Walk On By) had me paying close attention and wanting to experience the album from start to end. To be immersed and revisit it over and over again. To experience it in different settings and in different time spans. The first four minutes of "Walk On By" starts off as a multi-faceted layering. You hear every single instrument. They are not yet tied into one another in the beginning but as the song builds up, they do so incredibly. The different instruments slowly start to mix and gel together in a way that gives the listener a great impression in terms of what they can expect from the project. What it made me expect? A dynamic yet perfectly layered instrumental that takes you through an ocean of emotions and thoughts. I liked how towards the four minute mark, Isaac Hayes' vocals and those of his backup vocalists prepare you for a sonic climax with sharp and extravagant tides of the violins, bass and what sounds like cellos and clarinet(s). Followed shortly by the bass guitar and nostalgia inducing notes of the flutes right before you hear childlike vocals along with the backup vocalists, the climax is something worth anticipating. Once it hits, you get quite the experience. The song goes back to a more mellow mood from the 5:35 mark then gradually starts building up again at the 6:40 mark. From then on the drums, flutes, bass and all these string instruments come together to create this majestic, intense and dynamically immersive atmosphere. I started imagining a tumultuous, yet beautiful movie scene where a complicated character in a story finally gets his glorious ending. The next song is a great follow-up to the intense ending of "Walk On By". My first impression as the transition took place? "Great placement". The second impression is that it's more of a feel-good, up-beat and groovy track with a lot more bounce than sharp-ness, contrary to "Walk On By". I found myself wanting to move my body and just let go. It was easy to do so and I easily let the groove carry me. The melody and piano notes starting at the 5:01 mark and onwards are exceptional elements t =o add onto the instrumental - they elevated the dopamine fueled emotions that you get from the song. Just as you give in to the urge to get up and sway your body to the rhythm, Hayes' voices comes through to howl into the instrumental - that howl is exactly how the song is making the listening feel at that point. Just as you're moving and swaying and allowing yourself to get lost, the piano keys join you in dance and the bass gets bouncier...groovier. Amazing stuff! The third song, "One Woman", starts with a melancholic and comforting melody that immediately puts you in a relaxed headspace. Hayes' deep, velvety voice comes in to ease the listener into a different sonic energy. With the very first lyric, Hayes catches the listeners' attention with a reminiscent account of his day. Accompanied by string instruments and air instruments that create a sonic nostalgia, Hayes and his backup singers give the listener a warm and comforting experience. It is a very soulful song and it leans heavily into the Blues and Jazz influences. I absolutely love it! The last song, "By The Time I Get To Phoenix", takes all the elements that exist in the three previous songs - intense tides and climatic moments, sharpness, rounded and bouncy grooves at some point, narrating through lyrics, incredible vocal delivery, emotional stimulation, instrumental build-up etc., which all make the previous songs stand out uniquely from each other and it ties those elements together to form 18 minutes of oneirism for an immersed listener. The first half of the song induces a dissociation and you just can't help but feel your body gradually falling into Hayes' world as he speaks and tells you about his experience, feeling and thoughts. The second half induces a dream-like state. Highly intense but not too intense in the way that may lead the listener to think that it's not, in fact, the closing song. This is a masterpiece. It is truly magnificent.
What happened to Stax to have instigated this album in is tragic. This album is anything but. The instrumentation is better described as orchestration which competes with the likes of Ravel.
I didn't want to listen to an album today. I went on Spotify and saved the first song so I could listen at a later date. I accidentally started the track, and was completely entranced. Listened to the whole album. Masterpiece. Some songs are *a little* bloated, and could have been trimmed. But as a huge Pink Floyd fan, it does not bother me. Apart from that, this album is flawless.
sound funk
Seems like the individual tracks were just stretched to fill an album. The last song is almost 20 minutes of which the first 9 minutes were just spoken word. Then after reading the wikipedia article on the album, I'm pretty sure that was the case. Apparently the record label had lost their entire back catalog and needed all of their artists to record something. Anyway I appreciated Issac's vocals. But surely another album could have been chosen for this list. Either way I won't be listening to this again.
Iconic. Love that big bald horny head on my original vinyl, but the second side lacks the power of the first 2 tracks.
Old school R&B, nice
The songs were groovy, funky, and soulful. Loved the string ensemble. Would have been better without the lengthy spoken interlude. 4.
really liked it but listened to it just after a breakup so couldn't appreciate it to the full extent i wouldve liked to
It started really great and then got worse
I wonder what they're considering an "album" since this one is just a few songs. But damn, Walk On alone can go toe-to-toe with most full albums on this list. Another round of hot buttered soul plz
That was awesome, no notes
Really enjoyed this
This album sounds so much more modern that it is and so does the album art. Really liked this and it was fun to find out he’s Chef from South Park.
Yes, Chef. Great grooves, psychedelic guitar, and a soulful voice that sounds more modern than 1969. Also, recognized "Walk on By" as sampled in Ludacris's "Southern Fried Intro"
Iugh
It was soothing but nothing too remarkable
Chef makes 39 seconds of dialogue last 8 minutes
Walk on by is such a classic sample, I never even knew this was the original record. Honestly this album was so good until the last song, which dragged on with making random noises. I'd give this a 4 if it wasn't for the last song (which ironically is a quarter of the whole album) being such a letdown. First 3 songs rock though and this album is definitely worth a listen.
Impossibly fabulous. Only Sir Isaac Hayes could pull this off. His version of Walk On By is fucking brilliant. 5/5
Hot Buttered Soul keeps up a strong mini-run with some effortlessly cool, silky smooth soul that is properly excellent at times. The main and only real drawback is that he gives up far too much time to talking or making random noises over music that isn't going anywhere, because when it does all come together, it's SO good. One Woman is the second-shortest track but the best by some way, a magical experience and composition, but it's then followed by a nearly 19-minute track :D which is a perfect example of the problem, the back 6-7 minutes are wonderful, but it doesn't need to take me so long to get there, the payoff doesn't justify that wait imo. It's also ridiculous that he had this sort of voice in his fucking 20s too :D just sounds like this world-wise grandpa with a rich velvety tone that a young person shouldn't be able to produce. I'll give it a 4 because the best bits are outstanding, and I'm not rating it off the Deluxe Edition that has an interview with him on it, no need to when it's not part of the original work.
Enjoyed this, but definitely not as much as the last one. It's so laid back and self-indulgent, groovy, sensual, funky. Very smooth. That said, it's too much really, a 48 minute album split into 4 is very rarely going to be tight enough to get a properly good score, and this is no exception. Single edits (the bonus tracks I think for this) are much better really. 3/5.
Ta bueno, storytelling en su maxima expresion.
Great album but the songs went on longer than most needed.
A very soulful album and even though the tracks were in part excessively long, it was not boring. Even the monologue in By The Time I Get To Phoenix wasn't misplaced. I think Hayes wanted to give this song due credit and thought that the story needed more space.
Loved it!
Phenomenal
Exactly as advertised in the album title By the time I get to phoenix drags, other than that, this was a great listening experience.
Great groove. Isaac Hayes has one of the most recently recognizable voices in the world. These songs are definitely way too long but they're all good
Chef sure knows how to sing
Soulful elegance Undeniably funky Lovely composite
Enjoyed this more than I expected when it first started
This was pretty nice.
Great stuff
Hey Children..
Huh?
4.5 classic
Could use less of Hayes talking about himself
Langdradig
Really liked Walk on By very nice arrangement. Tracks 2 and 3 were OK, was looking forward to By the Time I Get to Phoenix but was disapointed as half the track is talk but the song was well done.
Some days you 'discover' music that blows your mind. I'm 55 years late to the party here. It's four tracks long, in about an hour. One is a Dionne Warwick cover. Every track is worth it's length.
Damn
Oooooooooooooooooooh yeah....
Issac Hayes Classic.
To be fair, the 9 minute spoken work intro to By The Time I Get To Phoenix fucks, as does the rest of the song with it’s gorgeous cinematic strings. Actually, all of this album sounds cinematic. Those strings man, I don’t really associate strings with Soul before Disco. This makes it work. Fuck it, this is a 5
Jerome McElroy, often referred to as "The Chef" or simply "Chef", is a recurring fictional character on the Comedy Central series South Park who was voiced by Isaac Hayes.
Not my bag but objectively good music. But putting an interview with yourself on your album is mad.
Nice bits on here but the songs. are. so. long.
Noteworthy songs - 808080808 Magical Dream - Kinda catchy synth, but the rest is bland. Ancodia - Good background noise. Cobra Bora - Actually kind of cool, reminds me of Bomberman Hero. Pacific 202 - N64 vibes, but melody isn't great. Donkey Doctor - Nothing too special, weird ending. 808080808 - Really cool beginning. A little slow in the middle but stays interesting enough. Sunrise - Nothing remarkable. The Fat Shadow - Eerie. Very short.
Generally what I expected, though perhaps more experimental (long tracks, spoken-word intros etc). I enjoyed the vibe, but wouldn't really listen besides enjoying a particular kind of background groove.
3.5, lots of fun grooves, and the long songs are fun
I had not listened to this one before, and was excited to do so. I was not disappointed by the Hot Buttered Soul. Maybe I should ask my wife to listen to it too. It wasn’t exactly what I expected though. It’s closer to psychedelic soul than the straight up sex music I had preconceived. Hyperbolic…might be the exception here - but even it’s like sex music on psychedelics. It also holds the distinction of being the only song I can think of that mentions the medulla oblongata. Walk On By is probably my favorite song - the LP version is quite the jam. I personally love albums with a few long songs on it, and this one only has 4 songs. I’ll come back to this one in the future, pretty close to 5 stars for me.
Rating: 9/10 So much soul! Every song is amazing but the intro to By The Time I Get To Phoenix is way too long and prevents this album from being five stars.
I struggle to understand how on earth this is on this list. This does to music what B*Witched did towards the Good Friday Peace Agreement! 0.8
This man sweat out more soul than I’ve ever had in my whole life. And one of the coolest voices I’ve ever heard.
3+
Cool, funky, soulful. A little short, but overall very nice. Three stars.
Ruglaður
This guy is absolutely brilliant, you can encapsulate this album into a category of its own. Absolutely timeless
I kinda enjoyed it. Fantastic vocals and some groovy tunes but the length of the tracks is ridiculously excessive.
Nice instrumentation but the solos were a bit long and boring
drums are fully in the pocket here but the long talking bouts bring this album down for me
Album 451 of 1001 Isaac Hayes - Hot Buttered Soul Rating : 4 / 5 I enjoyed this. Seems way before it's time. A more toned down Issac Hayes than I've listened to. Very chill album.
Such an interesting album. Parts i didnt love but what i did i LOVED
Smooth, but not sure it needed that big spoken word spiel before the last track.
Interestingly put together album. All the tracks are very different from one another, both in composition, duration and vibe favorite tracks: "Walk on by", "Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic", "One Woman". Basically I liked most of the songs, but the nearly 20 minute long track By the time I get to phoenix didn't work for me. For most of this track Isaac is just talking. album cover: interesting to compare to some of his other album covers and see the difference. Some of the covers have a very "gangster rap" vibe to them, while others look very different. The album cover made me expect very different music than what I got.
I liked this record more than I thought I would.
was ok. probably won't listen again
I liked the first 3 songs a lot, but "by the time I get tp phoenix" at 18 minutes long is a little much as half of it is talking.. but the other three I liked.
not a huge soul fan I guess
Walk on By and Hyperboliicsy….are great!!!! One woman is ok, didn’t hear anything super special except for Hayes voice, of course!
This was really good but also these are four VERY long songs. It turns them into wonderful epics, but at the same time one on an album would have been enough. Four is a bit much
Great voice
Feels more like a soul instrumental album, but very well put together, but I feel could have been trimmed to something very tight 3.5*
nice!
Quería ponerle 4.6, la verdad me gustó mucho. Y One Woman fue insta add am i playlist, pero aún así deseo guardar el 5 para mi masterpiece verdadera.
Soul progresivo con toques de psicodelia. Gran álbum, disfruté todos los temas.
It had some highs and some lows but definitely funky to the bone. I wish the song writing was better but musically it was superb.
Interessant, aber sehr lange Titel!
very good, but a little long. awesome hearing so many samples from some of my favorite hip hop artists.
Pretty good rhyme
Skön soul
It was a vibe. Spoken word and such, and i love the messages given. I can hear the influence on what this album has had in the funk soul scene. Very cool
Pretty neat! Jazzy with hiphopish linda fun weird blend
Smooth as a pair of silk underpants
4.5 rounded up. Isaac Hayes' version of "Walk On By" is a legendary classic that still sounds fresh and relevant. The other songs are good, very experimental but enjoyable all the way through. Sexy and wildly inventive.
Lo escuche de camino a ciudad de Colón mientras me iba durmiendo y tengo que decir que me mantuvo en un buen mood, considerando que suelo ir cabreado para allá. Es increible, los acordes de jazz, las trompetas, the soul-ful perfromances de Hayes hacen de este album merezca estar en muchas playlists legendarias del genero. Simplemente es un album que nadie debe perderse de escuchar. 10/10.
Cool samples and relaxed vibe but long track times didn’t hold my interest
weird vibes all around
The Mahler of soul - very cool, wow those tracks are long though