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From the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Shaft

Isaac Hayes

1971

Buy At Rough Trade
Shaft
Album Summary

Shaft is a double album by Isaac Hayes, recorded for Stax Records' Enterprise label as the soundtrack LP for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's 1971 blaxploitation film Shaft. The album mostly consists of instrumentals composed by Hayes as score for the film. Three vocal selections are included: "Soulsville", "Do Your Thing", and "Theme from Shaft". A commercial and critical success, Shaft is Hayes' best-known work and the best-selling LP ever released on a Stax label.In 2014, the album was added to the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

Wikipedia

Rating

3.23

Votes

13001

Genres

  • Soul
  • Funk
  • Jazz

Reviews

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Jun 24 2021
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2

Oh yeah. Quick aside, if soundtracks are allowed on this list, then where's Saturday Night Fever? Because Saturday Night Fever is a 5. Also, the Spotify link here does NOT include the entire album, it only allows you to hear 4 songs from the album. If you intend to listen to Spotify, make sure you listen to the remastered Deluxe Edition, which has all 16 songs. Theme from Shaft (the song) is an all-time classic. The rest? Well, it's not Saturday Night Fever. Since I was already familiar with the theme song, the rest of it made me a bit disappointed. It's fine overall. I'm not sure it belongs on the list. It could get kicked off to make room for, gee, I don't know...Saturday Night Fever maybe?

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Feb 23 2022
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2

There is no way this album should be on this list to me. It’s not because I hate the music. The music is fine…for a soundtrack. You know…where there is a visual presentation ongoing simultaneously. This album is devoid of much meaning on its own. Admittedly, I’ve never seen Shaft. So maybe the album would feel more tactile if I had the memory of the action to harken back to while listening. From the sound, I can tell that songs like Ellie’s Love Theme and Early Sunday Morning fit the mood the song title implies. To me, an album shouldn’t be on this list if it is only impactful when paired with its movie. This album would be better fit for a list of movies with great soundtracks you must see/hear before you die, assuming it fits that mold. I’ve definitely had a vastly more profound negative visceral reaction to some other albums on the list (The Cramps, System of a Down I’m thinking of you), but at least I can understand how someone can get into them. This album it’s hard for me to understand how this is a go to listen for someone without the movie. And it does not do anything to make me want to see the movie either. I don’t get it.

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Mar 15 2021
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1

I see no reason to listen to these songs other than if you are actually watching the movie...

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Apr 29 2021
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3

Je me réveillai hier matin avec la même curiosité quotidienne : qu'allait me proposer aujourd'hui ce généreux générateur ? Mon doigt tapa soudain le lien de ce dernier dans la barre de recherche et, une fois ma critique de l'album précédent rédigée ainsi que les quelques étoiles attribuées, l'album Shaft apparut au milieu de l'écran. Je cliquai sur le lien Spotify lorsque je fus pris d'effroi ; seuls trois chansons étaient disponibles. YouTube fut dès lors ma seule alternative. Après quelques minutes d'écoute, la supercherie se découvrit progressivement : il s'agissait de la bande son d'un long-metrage. Je laissai échapper un long soupir amer. C'est désemparé que je poursuivis tout de même l'écoute. "Comment as-tu trouvé la musique ?" me demanderiez-vous si j'étais en face de vous. "Pas mal" vous répondrais-je avec assurance. J'ai seulement regretté les trop nombreuses similitudes avec la bande-son du film Amélie Poulain, personnage qui intervient d'ailleurs à de nombreuses reprises dans le morceau de 19 minutes. Une belle collaboration en somme.

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Jun 14 2021
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4

I mean, it's Shaft, right? Baby, if you can't groove on this at least a little bit, I don't know if we can jive, dig? This is prime, buttered funk. But ... well, it's a bit dated at this point, you know? For example, "Cafe Regio" sounds like it should be playing in an elevator at some resort in Miami. Still a great album filled with sick grooves, though.

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Apr 29 2021
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3

Vivement les 1001 comptines à écouter avant de s'endormir

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Feb 17 2021
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3

This was a funky album. But also... my life doesn’t need to have shaft music in the background? I’m not a black man with an Afro wearing a purple coat and a Steve Harvey mustache...

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Jan 18 2021
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5

Instantly a classic. Fucking phenomenal, soulful and yet the times of psychedelic rock start showing near the end.

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Jul 06 2021
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4

I was expecting this to be a "this is pretty good but not really my thing" type of review but I really ended up digging this. Do Your Thing is an epic jam. Most everything on here is ultra-groovy and funkalicious. 4 stars.

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Feb 23 2022
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2

Shaft was a bad mother (shut your mouth), but you wouldn't know if just from listening to Isaac Hayes' soundtrack. This album felt like chillin' in the jazz club, not chasing down some mobsters or risking his neck for his brother man. There were some cool guitar elements on "Cafe Regio's," but overall I was surprised by the lack of excitement, pace, and action implied in most of these instrumentals, you dig? Does most of the movie "Shaft" involve scenes of Shaft lying in bed relaxing with a good book or a post-coital cigarette? Or walking through the park on a sunny day? The energy finally picks up at the end of "No Name Bar," and "Do Your Thing" does a lot of different things, some of which are pretty great.

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Dec 14 2021
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5

Such a soulful album. The use of horns and strings alternates between peeping you up and mellowing you out, much like Shaft himself when he’s on the job. I forgot how much gospel influence there is as well. Use of vocals is smart and timely without overdoing it. I loved this album!

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Apr 21 2021
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5

You know that Shaft is one bad mother... (Shut your mouth!) But I'm just talkin' about Shaft! (We can dig it)

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Apr 04 2021
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5

Amazing album overall can not believe it had such a cultural impact as the score for a film 4.8

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Feb 12 2021
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5

Gotta be my next find at the record store.

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Jun 23 2021
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4

Chef from South Park is such a smooth, sensual, caring lover. I often dress up as Shaft for children's parties. They love it. I love it.

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Jun 24 2021
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4

Very cool 70's vibes, feels like this must've been what set the tone for this to be riffed off so much. Love the theme, the rest is good, but still a movie soundtrack. Bumping up to a 4 for the influence.

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Aug 09 2024
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2

Чернокожий мститель идет крошить черепушки врагам смотреть онлайн без регистрации

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Feb 23 2022
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2

I feel bad giving this a 2 considering the cultural significance and the fact that the sound is perfectly pleasant. The problem for me lies in the fact that it was designed to be background to what was happening on screen. It is not designed or intended to be digested on it's own.

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Feb 17 2021
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1

I..what..I don't understand. Maybe it was just too sexy for me.

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Apr 28 2022
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5

A masterclass in soundtracks. Character-driven melodies and arrangements, so much pace and movement, long-form instrumentals and vocal pieces, and that chunky, solid full orchestral backing. Spot on.

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Mar 29 2022
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5

Awesome soul/funk music. It’s weird to listen to Isaac Hayes because I always think of Chef from South Park, but the dude is legitimately talented. This album is a bop.

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Feb 02 2022
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5

Fun and groovy. Watch yo' mouth!

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Jan 28 2022
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5

Every. 👏🏼Fucking. 👏🏼 Track. 👏🏼

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Jan 06 2022
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5

Really awesome jazzy funk. Instant classic.

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Dec 22 2021
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5

I *love* this album. Every track. Sure, everybody knows the theme song, but the real good stuff is on the B side.

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Dec 15 2021
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5

Surprised by how much I’m enjoying these funky jams. Great music to focus on work to as well.

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Dec 14 2021
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5

Anyone who doesn’t like this album doesn’t know 1) what great music is 2) how to have fun.

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Dec 02 2021
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5

Awesome album. Classic for a reason.

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Nov 09 2021
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5

Excellent. Added to list of favorites

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Nov 06 2021
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5

Holy crap, Do Your Thing just GOES OFF. The rest of the album is pretty smooth and funky, but that track is GOLD.

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Nov 05 2021
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5

Groovy as hell and smooth as a motherfucker

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Sep 28 2021
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5

The album that really shows the godlike genius that is Isaac Hayes. The arrangements are the equal of Per Sounds.

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Sep 19 2021
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5

Spotify was missing about 9 songs from this album sadly. Still a wonderful album!

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Aug 29 2021
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5

Funky, soulful and keeps it up for the whole double album (though it could be one disc if not for "Do Your Thing"). You can't go wrong with it.

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Jun 20 2021
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5

Прекрасный саундтрек. Осталось посмотреть фильм.

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Apr 21 2021
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5

soundtrack music is the best, why isn't there more

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Feb 18 2021
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5

Knew and loved many of these tracks already. This was surprisingly fun to work to, and I expect I'll be coming back to it on occasion.

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Feb 04 2021
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5

Never heard anything but the Shaft theme by Hayes. Some really good background vibing tunes.

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Mar 30 2021
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5

Can you dig it? Best track: Theme from Shaft

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Sep 15 2024
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3

The name is Shaft, John Shaft, can ya dig? Shut your mouth! (but I'm talking about Shaft!)

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Mar 07 2024
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3

There’s a lot of other funk I’d rather listen to.

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Jan 18 2024
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3

5/10 - 3/5 I was surprised to see a soundtrack come up. It sounds pretty good, but it does just end up being background music. I struggled to stay present and invested.

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Oct 26 2023
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3

Before going any further, I salute Charles Pitt for ruling the wah-wah with a precision that puts alongside demi-machine Jaki Liebezeit - imagine that band! - and who led me on a short digression to The Isley Brother's It's Your Thing, where he plays one of those riffs that you could listen to for hours. I bought this album more than twenty years ago, and never had much time for it, title track aside. It's gorgeous as pure soundtrack, too much so: it's decorative, mise-en-scene, and therefore faintly anonymous - there's a style, personality, but barely any voice, melodies and riffs designed for ambience rather than focus. Cafe Regio's is a relaxing type I wouldn't mind spending an afternoon in a bar with. The near 20-minute Do Your Thing is the standout oddity, and might be close to the Can-collaboration I imagined earlier: I like it a lot, though I cannot remember any particular moments from it as I type this. Anonymity strikes again. This is the second double-album in a row that we've been dealt, and I note that this passes a lot quicker and easier than Ryan Adams' grand statement of nothing.

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Oct 26 2023
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3

This was very entertaining, if not very engaging outside of the vocal tracks. Never seen the movie but I bet it's lots of fun! Love me some Isaac Hayes in general. RIP Richard Roundtree

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Jan 07 2024
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2

Album 281 of 1001 Issac Hayes - Shaft Rating : 2 / 5 Aside from the theme song, this is nothing but background music. No songs to be found here.

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Dec 04 2024
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5

This is a clinic on how to make a soul album. It's just one non-stop groove. One of few double albums that deserves the format.

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Oct 16 2024
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5

Absolutely sensational. Really captures that 70's sound. Black soul and funk is so much nicer than hip hop rap. Beautifully arranged and produced. Just brilliant.

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Sep 26 2024
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5

Brilliant soundtrack designed and arranged like an infinitely listenable funk album. From those opening iconic hats and wah pedal to the end. This soundtrack is as fun as it is life-affirming. I'd put this right up there in a class with Curtis Mayfield's soundtrack for "Superfly" and Marvin Gaye's soundtrack for "Trouble Man", which rival this for soundtracks that stand up as perhaps more relevant than the movies themselves. Not to say the movies don't rip, because they absolutely do, but Superfly's soundtrack actually alters your perception of the characters, for instance. I digress. Parts of this remind me of Sly Stone, parts of the first Funkadelic album ("Mommy, What's a Funkadelic?") in their raw & gritty approach, like being a fly on the wall in a funk band's practice space at 3 in the morning. Then you got smooth tracks like "Bumpy's Blues" with an air of classy sophistication to them. This soundtrack is like a movie in and of itself. It really transports you to cinematic scenes in your mind. Might not be for everyone, but as for me, I can dig it.

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Sep 18 2024
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5

Groovy, smooth, eclectic but thematic. Can fade into the background or dominate your foreground, depending on your mood. Always something new to find here.

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Aug 21 2024
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5

Smooth as silk, cool as hell. Mostly instrumental, but makes sense as a movie soundtrack. Nice background music with groove and grit and a perfect example of everything great about the 70's and Isaac Hayes.

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Aug 15 2024
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5

This was fucking awesome. Not sure what else to say other than I really enjoyed this.

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Aug 09 2024
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5

Nice and funky. Mellow, yet upbeat. I thought that there would be more vocals on the album, but it was mostly instrumental

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Aug 05 2024
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5

I love the way Isaac Hayes’ music makes me feel. “Do Your Thing” is my new favorite song

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Jul 31 2024
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5

Starts and ends funky Melodies of life between And an air of cool

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Jul 26 2024
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5

During my big Isaac Hayes phase I somehow never got to this. What a daftie.

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Jun 03 2024
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5

Would have been great if all the songs could be played on spotify

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Jun 02 2024
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5

I was skeptical about this. I was wrong. There were some compositions that I would have been happy if they never ended.

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May 05 2024
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5

Great theme and no name bar is fun.

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Apr 11 2024
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5

One of the greatest theme tracks, like how the album begins and ends with theme track. Album has great music notes on all tracks except song 10, that one didn’t fit the music style for this album.

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Mar 17 2024
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5

Isaac Hayes will ALWAYS be cool. As will his music.

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Mar 08 2024
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5

fuck yes fuck yes fuck yes seventies exploitation score let’s goooooooooo listened on a vinyl i’ve had for like three years but never actually played shout out to the goodwill in san diego where i got this for like $3

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Mar 06 2024
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5

Just awesome :) I love the 70s. One of the tunes from The End Theme sounds like one of the Lovage songs I know...

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Mar 04 2024
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5

Amazing soundtrack. Such a classic.

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Feb 21 2024
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5

Isaac Hayes is certainly one of the greats of the last 50 years of music history. This album maybe is a bit too much film-music-like but it does not really matter. The songs are still great and the album as a whole also.

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Feb 15 2024
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5

I can feel this music on the surface of my brain. The mix is so good. Do yourself a favor and be sure to listen using headphones. Groovy. The bass, the horns, the beats. Do Your Thing is a song that should get way more play. At just over 19 minutes I never grew tired of it. Just get lost in it.

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Feb 09 2024
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5

One of the best soundtracks ever - and certainly enjoyable as a stand alone album to give you a nice evening at home or at a party. Hayes' arrangements leave so much room to breathe which is not always working in soul music but here if really does.

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Feb 07 2024
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5

Of course, this is extremely fabulous.

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Jan 11 2024
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5

I liked this album very much, both the instrumentals and the vocals. I have always liked the theme song.

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Dec 31 2023
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5

Not much to say here: iconic soundtrack album with vintage IH soul music. Can be listened without the movie - in particular the 19 minute jam at the end is great.

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Dec 25 2023
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5

Great soundtrack! Isaac Hayes rules!

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Dec 21 2023
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5

Schade das bei Spotify so viele Tracks fehlen. Isaac Hayes is nämlich geil.

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Dec 12 2023
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5

Took this at face value as a soulful jazz record with a couple of bangers thrown in, and it did not disappoint. A few reviews seem to have been foxed by the word soundtrack and failed to do that, it's still music, it's hardly a series of incidental pieces. Beyond the obvious, No Name Bar and Cafe Regio's stuck out. And the 20 minutes long funk Do Your Thing is just outstanding. The longer it goes, the better it gets. An easy 5 in the end. Thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish.

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Dec 01 2023
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5

Vele malen geparodieerd, nooit geëvenaard (kon niet nalaten om ook even de hilarische parodie op het genre te herkijken, 'De kracht van Schagt'). Wah-wah-gitaren, koortjes, violen, een orgeltje, en nietsontziende percussie: het is voor de foute jaren zeventig-detective wat de electrische gitaar en jazz-blazers zijn voor James Bond en de harmonica voor de Western. Onverwoestbaar. En dat dan vier plaatkanten lang. Waarom dacht je dat Isaac Hayes karakter bij South Park 'Chef' heet...

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Oct 20 2023
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5

I'm just disappointed that not all tracks were available on Spotify.

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Oct 19 2023
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5

LET"S FUCKIN GOOOOO. Gotta watch this movie. Do your thing goes so hard

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Oct 13 2023
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5

Funky AF. Cool as hell. Some of the tracks are a little dull to sit down and listen to, but that's explained entirely by it being incidental music to a fillum. The highs beat out the lows though, hands down.

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Oct 06 2023
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5

You could tell Isaac Hayes had a massive “shaft” the whole time while making this straight heat.

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