Shaft

Cool soundtrack

Rating: 7/10 Best songs: Theme from shaft, Soulsville

Geggjað grúv.

One of the few excellent movie scores that stands entirely on its own. People 3 or 4 generations removed from this film still quote and parody the title theme (I'm just talkin' 'bout Shaft!) Isaac Hayes's "Shaft" deftly blends funk/soul and orchestral themes to create 18 tracks of eclectic and beautifully-recorded music. Anyone familiar with the Stax recording studio's legacy will likely be interested to learn this was the highest-selling LP ever on a Stax label. That's no small feat. I could listen to this record just about any time.

What a sound this album has. Super sexy vibes.

One of the most specific period albums of the past 50 years. When you hear it, you know exactly what year it is and what the conditions look like.

I must’ve missed the track ‘Chocolate Salted Balls’, but I say each as good as the other- a great listen

it was smooth and enjoyable

Way more chill than I was expecting. Perfect amount groovy and funky to make work fly by. Here and there it sounded a little 70's and cheesy, which was also fun. I especially liked Be Yourself and Bumpy's Blues.

Enjoyed what I heard though most tracks were not available on spotify.

Shaft is one of my favourite tunes ever so for that reason alone this album gets a 4* rating !

first listen fiercely groovy and funky

Cette musique/film a tellement défini la fierté noire du début des années 70. Avec Super fly, il défini un son pour un genre de soul funky auquel on arrête pas de faire référence depuis. Il y a des choses super inventives là dessus. L’harmonie prend souvent des directions inattendues. La flûte ajoute un petit côté cool. On se tanne un peu des brass à l’unisson à mesure que l’album avance par contre et la guitare maringouin sur « Do your thing » fini par taper sur les nerf, mais c’est quand même vraiment cool comme album.

DAMN RIGHT!

Great album, that brings back so many great memories of the era. Hayes is why I love Neosoul today.

Silky smooth.

Great theme song - other instrumentals were interesting and had a good funk/soul vibe.

How many babies were made while this album was turning on the turntable in the early 70's? Great R&B / progressive soul album. Every song is smooth and cool. The Theme from Shaft is an absolute classic but the rest are great as well. Stand Out: Theme from Shaft. 4/5

This soundtrack pretty much sets the bar any soundtrack after it, and after enough listens, it's understandable why so many other movie soundtracks fail to make the cut.

You know shaft is one bad mother.. Surprised to see this here. Pretty funky if a bit dated.

Ya damn right... I wanna make a bunch of Chef jokes about Scientology here. ... But I'll 'refrain' Right on, right on.

Nice.Close to 5 stars.

Jammin soundtrack, makes great background music. Funky.

Soul progresivo. Está bien, sin maravillar.

Superb soundtrack to a shoddy film

Classic.

I like it , quite cool genre

yaaassss

Classic funk, an old favourite

Good background music. Bluesy

Cool, another hour of mostly instrumental album, but this time it's literally a movie soundtrack. I'm not familiar with the movie, "Shaft" (1971). Apparently a "blaxpoitation" film, which means that it's like poverty porn but instead of slum inhabitants, it is focused on urban African-American people. But I won't judge the movie since I haven't seen it. Nor will I judge this album as a soundtrack. After all, this project involves listening to albums, not watching some movies. This album is... great. I liked it. Perhaps because it's admittedly better than "Let's Get Killed" that I listened to yesterday. I love the chill and soulful vibes of the tracks, and I can see why it was such a successful hit. I think I'm loving soul. This one is a so-called "progressive soul". Probably, this genre is culturally tied to African-American music. Think about the kind of movie that it is based on. And if it does, then this album is definitely a culturally significant work of art.

It's a shame not all of this is streaming on Spotify because from what I heard, this was great. Really good funk-soul, I would pick it up if I saw it at my record store.

This was quite fun. Not for everyday, but nice enough to put on again. Also the minimal amount of vocals makes it good work background music.

Quite enjoyable. Struggling between a 3 and a 4, but I could see myself putting this on again so I'll be nice.

Excellent album. Super talented composer

The intro theme song is a jam

Taiten tehty letkeä rnb-jamittelu on mun heikko kohta, vaikkei tässä mitään mieletöntä olekaan.

Great soundtrack. I don't think I've listened to it beyond the Theme. Some of it sounds like it could have come from yesterday's Moon Safari.

Classic funk album. Favorite Track: Shaft Theme Relisten: No

i could only hear like four of the songs but we love jazz my tastes are not incredibly discerning if it's jazz i like it

Now here is a classic album and hopefully a promising start to the week. I can dig it! One of the few albums I had already listened to prior. This theme song is iconic.

Sheela had the boogie

This album holds up even if you haven't seen Shaft. Speaking of which, I really ought to see Shaft.

Funky and smooth. I love the hi-hats, the jazz, the strings. Overall, most of the album is better suited for background listening (which makes sense given that it's a movie soundtrack), but there are a couple tracks that really make my head bop. Favourites: Theme from Shaft, Ellie's Love Theme, Do Your Thing, Soulsville

pretty quirky soul music, definitely iconic for the time.

Some really fun stuff in here, only complaint is it felt kind of long but it is a soundtrack so I DUNNO

I have heard some of Isaac Hayes' work and at least the "Theme from Shaft" from this album, if not more. In general I think I like Hayes. With his quality of voice, I was a little surprised that there was so few vocals on this album. (At the same time, this is the soundtrack for a movie, so I shouldn't be too surprised that the music is mostly instrumental). Overall I liked listening to the album. A couple songs felt like they were straight from a TV show in the 70s. "Be Yourself", "Do Your Thing", and "No Name Bar" were the tracks I liked the most. There was enough to remember from this album that I might thing about playing it again some time.

Not the first time I've heard this album. It is great. Every song is great. I love the progressive soul sounds! Solid 4/5.

Really good background music during my drive home. 1RS

Of course I've heard the theme song to Shaft, but the rest of the soundtrack was new to me. It is a delight to hear a proper soundtrack and not one of those "song written for a fictitious film that does nae exist" situations. The Shaft soundtrack doesn't just feel like a movie soundtrack. There's some interesting things going on with the prog soul sound, capturing the gritty feeling of early 70s New York City, a place with a beating heart. And really, it's still worth asking and answering the most important question - who's the black private dick that's a sex machine to all the chicks?

Occasionally very cheesy and soap opera-like, but fun and funky nonetheless.

Good album

Pretty great tunes actually, to have in the background. Never knew this film had this good of a soundtrack.

Great movie score / funky BG music.

My first time listening to anything beyond the theme song. It's impossible not to like this, right? The musicianship/swagger combo is almost unparalleled. It takes its time with each song building endlessly into such a masterpiece. Layers add at the end of each bar. No tambourine yet? Just wait 16 beats, or so...

I, like much of my generation, really only knew Isaac Hayes from South Park. Glad to have gotten this and checked out the record. Tight, funky, soulful music that's engaging to listen to despite it being background music for a film score. Favorite tracks: "Ellie's Love Theme", "No Name Bar", "Do Your Thing"

jamming...

In summary, https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=b2_vbou3kxE

Very Jazzy with a bit of the Isaac Hayes flair. I liked it.

Heel gave muziek vandaag. Je voelt de soul en als je dan Samuel L. Jackson erbij bedenkt is het plaatje compleet. Ik heb ook wel iets met filmmuziek, ten minste een groot liefhebber van Ennio Morricone. Het is gewoon geniaal als je een bepaalde sfeer in je hoofd kan visualiseren door alleen de muziek te luisteren. Beste nummer uiteraard "Theme From Shaft" zelf die de sfeer meteen goed neerzet. Binnenkort de film nog eens kijken. ****

81. De um tarolo para um tarolo. MotA: Theme From Shaft "Who's the black private dick that's a sex machine to all the chicks?"

-Cool bass in "Walk From Regio's" -"No Name Bar" is quite grooving -"Do Your Thing" has great guitar solos and awesome guitar throughout. The lyrics are nice as an addition. It keeps my interest well for a 19 minute song -This is a great album, lots of grooves and jams. Would probably be a 5 if it had lyrics. I get that it's a soundtrack, so it's not going to have many lyrics, but I just prefer music with lyrics. -Basically all of this album is going onto my study playlist

I enjoyed this a lot. Every song was good. I think it's really good background music and i will be revisiting a lot of the songs again. 4/5 stars.

So groovy. Enjoyed it quite a bit. I can't get over the fact that chef has such a great voice, but he did have some memorable songs on the show. Smooth and easy listen.

Jazz

More of a passive listen, given that it's a film soundtrack. Even so, each track is dripping with funk and evocative beats. It all feels very iconic; weirdly so given that I've never actually watched the movie all the way through.

Groovy as hell, most of the songs aren't available on spotify though :(

really need to watch this movie. If it's half as good as the soundtrack it's 4.5 stars easy

Wahnsinns Soundtrack.

This soundtrack is not only an eclectic collection of sound, but an evolution of feelings - the ups, the downs, the bops, the orchestra. :chef’s kiss:

Some great, original sounds + music. Encumbered by it being a film soundtrack rather than an independent work of music.

groovy baby

Bless up.

Solid vibes for a Tuesday

Shoutout to making a soundtrack sound fun. I find that most soundtracks tend to fall into the background and have no life to them outside of the intended movie, but Hayes clearly wanted music that could be enjoyed at home as well. That kicks ass! Thank you Issac Hayes. The penultimate track Do Your Thing is also a certified 19-minute banger and deserves to be immortalized.

What a hoot. Thoroughly enjoyed this jazzy number

Best wel goede jazz muziek

Its a good album but odd that a movie soundtrack made this list. I think the importance of the album speaks to its high ranking. Had head Theme From Shaft before and its interesting to learn more about it. 3.5 but rounding up for influence.

Sex

Theme from Shaft is rad. 3 songs in and I am hooked! Great song structure, interesting motifs, and a sense of grounding and authenticity in the sound. Man what a pleasure to listen to.

Soul progresivo. Muchos temas instrumentales. Bastante bueno.

Wasn't expecting a soundtrack. They're not typically my favorite, but I thought this was still pretty groovy tho ngl

Never listened to this whole soundtrack before. It was a nice listen! Great vibes, of the era.

Classic

soooo smooooth

Love Stax

Guess it would be good but album not available

hehee shaft

Slaps

Excellent example of an effective motion picture soundtrack. Cafe Regio makes me feel like I'm at a late 60s Californian pool party.

Sexy, cool.

It's a little strange to see a soundtrack on this list, but fuck it starts out strong. After that it just kind of chills out and fades into the background the way a soundtrack is supposed to. It's really good though. 4/5

Great workday morning music

Pleasant enough, more background music that something I'd listen to

“Who’s the black private dick who’s a sex machine to alllll the chicks?” Josh “Y’damned right” I thought we didn’t do soundtracks here.

Shaft! "Can you dig it?" Yes, I can dig it. The opening Shaft Theme is iconic, so damn cool. The rest is not bad bad by any stretch bit it is ultimately a film soundtrack, and doesn't make all that much sense without the context. The sexy twanging guitars and brass do give it a cohesion though; you would know these tracks are on the same album. 3 stars

I need a term for albums like these. It’s like the cake from Matilda, where I’d love a single piece, but an entire album becomes too much. If I’d seen the film, it might resonate more as a standalone album. Standout track: Theme Rating: 2.5

Nice to listen to at work, but nothing that I would listen to outside of work on my own.

This was an interesting listen as it was pretty much one song, then background music after that. But I guess super well crafted and top quality background music. Very well written and performed instrumentals, very 70s.

I’ll be honest all the songs kinda just blurred into one for me. Just kinda the same vibe all across. I was a fan of Theme From Shaft and even though it was 20 minutes long I quite liked Do Your Thing.

Im aware that the soundtrack is "iconic" but have to agree it's only really the title track. Much preferred Hot Buttered Soul

Nice soundtrack! I'd heard bumpy's lament before but a different version (which i actually prefer) not a fan of so your thing, but can see that if it was in a film it would work really well My favs are, cafe reigos, theme from shaft, and end theme

I love Isaac Hayes, and this music would obviously be really great in a movie. But does it really stand up on its own as an essential album? Maybe not. Cool listen, though.

Surprisingly mixed on this. The theme song is an all-timer. The 20 minute song near the end was good enough to keep my attention all the way through. A few of the middle tracks slapped almost as hard as the theme song. The rest of it? Kind of standard sounding 70's era background movie music. Very light jazz, some breezy sounds. It was fine, but nothing to the level of the really great stuff. Probably a 3.5, but going to knock this one down to a 3 just because more of it didn't land than did.

Can ya dig it? Epic and fun and makes you feel like you're in the movie. Nothing deeply profound about it but plenty of fun.

Really cool, soulful songs here. I agree with a lot of other reviewers that it’s tough to listen to a score without seeing the movie. Theme Shaft is a banger. Do Your Thing is great. In fact, I enjoyed everything with vocals; however, that was probably less than half the record.

I haven't seen this film, but there are a few tracks on here that were quite great. Favourite Track(s): Cafe Regio's Least Favourite Track(s): Be Yourself

I was just thinking the other day if there were going to be any soundtrack or theater albums on here. This was NOT the first one I thought of. The music is pretty groovy, and it was fine as background music, but I think that's part of the problem. It's soundtrack music, and as such can't be the complete focus of your attention. Also, if you're trying to represent the music people should listen to and understand, this seems like a wild choice for one of the five (a Beatles movie doesn't count) soundtrack albums to choose. Not a single movie or theater musical? Weird decision.

Title track is iconic.

I don’t think soundtracks to movies are the kind of music that belongs on this list. It’s just my opinion. Isaac Hayes is a legend. Hot Buttered Soul is in contention for a top ten spot for me from time to time. This is great music. For a movie. I would not choose to listen to it without the movie- that’s the point of the soundtrack. Still, it’s excellent and worth hearing. Call it 3 stars: 4 for the music, minus one for not supplying the movie to go with it. What can I say? I’m a tough audience. 3 stars

3.5

Rating:★★★ Nice Funk. Liked the guitar solos, and the sax solos were great! The end of Cafe Regio's was probably my favorite solo. Do Your Thing is my favorite song, I'm a sucker for long drawn out solos and the entire song is just a big jam session. Not sure why the other songs didn't resonate with me the same.

This was unexpectedly pleasant for me most of the way through!

Que Groove más suave, da mucho gusto este nivel de smoothness Sonidos bien precisos, intencionales en todo momento, metódico a entregar una pieza de mucha presencia y estilo en muchas de sus interpretaciones, combinado con otras canciones asociadas a momentos de incertidumbre o momentos bajos de algún personaje del largometraje Do Your Thing es simplemente la joya clave de este álbum, 20 minutos de sana diversión, cada instrumento tiene su momento de brillar y es que lo hacen muy bien Que gusto dió escuchar este álbum, joyaza! 3.4

Didn't really grab me, just nice funky background music.

Nice but didn't do much for me

It’s decent but I don’t think I’d return to it

No soundtracks on this list, sure. A good listen.

It is really hard to know how to review this. I have seen this movie and the soundtrack is great as part of the movie. When listening on its own, the record goes by quickly. A few songs catch your ear especially as it nears the end. Much like blaxploitation flicks, this music feels like a blackened orchestra in parts. I am not sure how well this would connect with African Americans. At least on the face, it seems to have something to offer. This seems to be the history of popular music. The music has to whitened and sterilized a bit before the next onslaught of rawer and more emotional. Frogs will leap out of a pot of water as it gets warm; it is humans that would probably boil alive. Regardless, the importance and influence rates this as a 3. I am not sure that I can go higher in terms of my overall enjoyment. Now, if we had made one album with music that wasn't intended to be incidental or maybe just shortening some of these cuts, then I could at least make it to a 4. However, it does deserve to be listened at least once.

Some grooves so smoothly to the point you forget you are listening to it. Theme from and soul city, with the singing, are best.

Really enjoyed this one as background music

This very much sounds like a soundtrack, which is fine. However if we are allowing that, my daughter and I think we should add Encanto or K-Pop Demon Hunters?

Aside from the iconic main theme, I don't consider this an essential album, but as a fan of film scores, I do find it more enjoyable than the film itself. Hayes does a fine job of exploring the genres he is known for, funk, R&B, soul, but also explores bits of vibraphone jazz ("Ellie's Love Theme) that could have been subbed into a Neil Simon film adaptation, and even throws in a bit of bossa nova ("Cafe Reigo's").

That sounded exactly like what I expected it would sound like.

Funky sound. I remember enjoying the movie as well. Good album.

There's plenty of soul & groove to this record, and the instrumentals are as tight as you can get, making for a fun listen. It does feel like it's missing something though. I probably just don't like listening to movie soundtracks without the movie it was designed to accompany. There's a lot to like about the album but 70 minutes of soundtrack doesn't hit for me

It did make me wanna watch Shaft

Great music, but I feel I couldn't properly appreciate it as its detached from the film. The score is there to aid the narrative and as someone who hasn't watched the film yet, I feel I didn't/couldn't fully appreciate it, but it was super cool as to be expected from Isaac Hayes

Very funky, have to be in a specific mood for something like this though

============================================== ============================================== ============================================== ============================================== ------------------ISAAC HAYES----------------- ---------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------- ---------------------SHAFT-------------------- ---------------------------------------------- ---------------------(1971)------------------- ============================================== ============================================== -----------------CALIFICACIÓN----------------- --------------------★★★⯨☆-------------------- ---------------------(3,4)-------------------- ============================================== ============================================== ============================================== ============================================== 1. Theme From Shaft (★★★★☆) 2. Bumpy’s Lament (★★★☆☆) 3. Walk From Regio’s (★★★☆☆) 4. Ellie’s Love Theme (★★★☆☆) 5. Shaft’s Cab Ride (★★★★☆) 6. Café Regio’s (★★★☆☆) 7. Early Sunday Morning (★★★☆☆) 8. Be Yourself (★★★☆☆) 9. A Friend’s Place (★★★☆☆) 10. Soulsville (★★★★★) 11. No Name Bar (★★★⯨☆) 12. Bumpy’s Blues (★★⯨☆☆) 13. Shaft Strikes Again (★★⯨☆☆) 14. Do Your Thing (★★★★★) 15. The End Theme (★★★⯨☆) 4+3+3+3+4+3+3+3+3+5+3,5+2,5+2,5+5+3,5 ============================================== ============================================== ============================================== PUNTAJE TOTAL 4+3+3+3+4+3+3+3+3+5+3,5+2,5+2,5+5+3,5 = 51 ============================================== ============================================== PUNTAJE PROMEDIO 51 / 15 = 3,4 ============================================== ============================================== ============================================== ============================================== CALIFICACIÓN FINAL ★★★⯨☆ (3,4) ============================================== ============================================== ============================================== ============================================== ============================================== COMENTARIO -Una buena musicalización para una película... ============================================== ==============================================

A trip to the soulful 70s - with great grooves, horns, and the utter over-the-top absurdity of the title track. Good fun that suffers only from the fact that this was intended as a movie soundtrack, and some of the tunes drift a bit too much toward background music.

acabaram com esse álbum no spotify bicho, dá pra ouvir 4 músicas só esse cara tem uma voz foda, mas a repetitividade do que ele faz n ajuda que drumbeat irritante do que eu consegui ouvir, de vez em quando a instrumentalidade funciona, mas a voz n salva esse drumbeat irritante e essas letras não melódicas daria 2.5/5 / 5/10 vai 6 / 3 pq pra um som de fundo até vai, e a estética me agradou

Unfortunately I have heard Shaft too many times and its lost some of its majesty for me. The majority of the album is OST and as I only have a vague recollection of the film it felt very incidental. The latter tracks when Isaac sings do have some groove/ funk to them but I can only see Chef singing which does diminish them a little unfortunately.

het eerste nummer is natuurlijk tijdloos.. maar de rest valt wat plat op de rug zonder de beelden erbij

Meh. Was fine but I didn’t really care about it.

Een Hammond, een xylofoon-achtig iets, wat blazers, eventueel een klein strijkertje en Chef. Gooi het bij elkaar en je hebt een prima soulvolle soundtrack. En toch is het een beetje alsof je Bassie en Adriaan op de achtergrond hebt aanstaan terwijl je wat anders aan het doen bent. Ik mis met name bij de instrumentale nummers de beelden erbij. Wel geinig dus, maar ik zou me een jokkebrok voelen als ik meer dan 3 sterren zou geven.

I remember seeing Isaac Hayes on the Grammys in the early 70s wearing his chain shirt singing the title song. My friends and I have been jokingly quoting the private dick lyrics ever since. The bulk of this album is background soundtrack soul music that is both engaging and at times a bit sleepy. But if you want music that’s representative Black culture of the early 70s, this is it.

“Oh weird like shaft of light?” “Oh no it’s THE Shaft soundtrack” “Holy shit” Wild that this had so much commercial success. Funky and sticky, but wish it was just a little nastier.

As a whole, this album is really nothing more than funky soundtrack to a blaxploitation movie. Is fun but most of the material works better as score rather than as a listening experience. Notable exceptions are the main theme, of course, a blood pumping soul classic that remains iconic for a reason, and "Do Your Thing" which is quite frankly a downright funky Stax jam featuring the studio band, The Bar-Kay's (known for their hit "Soul Finger"). That's my kinda shit! Love it! Some notable bits "Café Regio's" has some great guitar work towards the end and I dig the feel of "No Name Bar". Also "Soulsville" is probably the least of the three vocal tracks on here, but still hits hard with the sociopolitical message. All in all too soundtracky, but with some stellar highlights. (6.8) ★★★

Bekannte Musik. Damals sehr suggestiv

Neat

Beaucoup (beaucoup) trop long

Enjoyed this but another album that's long and without the visual representation of the film against the music, I think a lot of the feeling is lost. It ends up seeming like an album in the background of a blues bar. Whilst not technically bad or anything I don't think I'd pick this up to listen to again.

I'm surprised this guy could find enough movie soundtracks to say that there are any you need to listen to before you die, let alone two. I was thinking it'd be cool to see some TV show soundtracks on the list as well, but the only one I could think of that's "you need to hear before you die" levels of good is the soundtrack to Twin Peaks. Maybe throw in some video game soundtracks for the later verions of the list, I don't know. The album's fairly decent for background music, but trails off a lot towards the end. There were some pretty funky sax solos throughout, though. I feel like I'd probably like it more with the movie, but by itself it isn't bad.

Hopefully the penny of profit from my hearing this isn't going to scientology. This theme is so iconic and goofy all at once. It is shorthand for an entire era of cinematic music and part of my favorite Xfiles episode. And it is only a few minutes of this whole soundtrack. That's sorta the tough thing with soundtracks: there are at least two more in this era and genre that i'd expect to be on this list, and both of them load up with stone cold bangers. With the exception of Soulsville, this is all soundtrack, all perfectly nice and of a piece and as good a representation of a moment in cinematic soundtracking as there is, but it rarely elevates from there. The highlight other than the classic theme is the extended vamp of Do Your Thing, which means if there's a record changer version of this with sides 1 and 4 on one platter, hey, serious bang for the buck. But as largely soundtrack divorced from its context, it's a 3* for me.

It’s cool

Theme tune is a classic, the rest of the soundtrack ain't bad either but hardly the best way to spend 70 minutes, even if you are a fan. I'd rather watch the film.

Hard to judge on the four songs available

Some funky shit

Only a week ago I had Hayes's "Hot Buttered Soul" as my album of the day. And then a few days later we watched John Carpenter's "Escape from New York" which features Isaac Hayes as the character The Duke. I was obviously like "oh! It's the Hot Buttered Soul guy!" And my sister was like "wtf is Hot Buttered Soul?". So I was like "He also did the soundtrack to Shaft!" To which she responded "I've never seen Shaft". So I give up. Anyway, I didn't even know that this soundtrack was also on the list! It's an Isaac Hayes April I guess. I've also never seen Shaft but I'll probably add it to my watchlist because I bet it adds some important context to this music.

Just ok, not much more to say about it 5/10

En skiva full av klockrena samplingar. T ex SVT Sport signaturen. En stilbildande och viktig skiva för utveckling av svart musik och till slut Hiphop-genren. Men inte så lyssningsvärd. En trea.

Funky, but I agree with the reviews on this site that a soundtrack in the list is a bit a a stretch

When Isaac is singing it's worth the time. Also, 'Do Your Thing' is an absolute jam and is a great long song in a world of terrible long songs. Give me more of that sweet voice and you've got a much higher score.

3.5/5 I love Ike, but to me this doesn't quite function as an album and the incidental music is interesting but not something I particularly want to return to.

Not my thing really. Jazz-like stuff is always a nice listen tho so can't complain

3 Stars (8/15)

Decent soundtrack, not so decent film.

Elevator Music. 3/5 Highlights: - Theme From Shaft - Shaft’s Cab Ride - No Name Bar

Brilliant album. Genre defining. The film alongside was a cultural phenomenon.

No lo entendí.

The Theme from Shaft is as incredible as it has always been. So funky. The rest of the album sounds like smooth jazz. Not so incredible. Nice background music though.

Nice and smooth, 6/10

This is difficult one to rate. There's nothing bad about this album and it is historically significant. But it's really a movie score rather than a soundtrack. It's not just a collection of hit songs featured in a film. Without the context of the scenes in the film to support it, it's a bit awkward as a standalone album. But the title track is one bad mutha... shut yo mouth! 3/5

Misschien als ik de film had gezien had het hoger gescoord. Het lijkt mij een film die bekend staat om de uitstekende soundtrack en dat is het ook. Als album vind ik dat lastig te beoordelen. Het openingsnummer is heel erg leuk. Voor als isaac Hayes met zijn stem can you dig it zingt. Sommige nummers gebeurt er voor mijn gevoel te weinig omdat het meer voor de film is bedoeld dan voor de losse muziek. Wel echt hele goede muziek

As far as soundtracks go, this one in a unique one that fits the time period

Very good.

Funky, but kind of exhausting.

Well I definitely know one song, and its a classic! But soundtracks are tricky things. I never really listen to them. It's cool, but quickly fades to the background. 3.5 rounded down Heard before? Some Owned: No 59/237 (24%) Will I get: No

some nice soul

Favorite Song: Them From Shaft

Dá para ouvir uma vez apenas. Achei repetitivo e cansativo

It's fine. The songs with vocals are quite chilled and funky. The rest of it is a low-key soundtrack and is simply 'quite nice'. Strange entry really.

I really liked it but there was not much to write home about

I added this to my library just to make sure I didn't miss something the first time around. I certainly enjoyed it, but it faded into the background when I wasn't hearing any of the various versions of the theme. I don't know if that's because I was distracted or because the rest of the album isn't as interesting, as movie scores tend to be sometimes.

Following Curtis Mayfield's Superfly soundtrack that I had last week, I found this to be a little disappointing! Comprising largely of instrumentals, it had nowhere near the impact that Superfly had on me. The title track is a banger and there's one or two other great songs but I found a lot of this to be very underwhelming.

Gut! Aber mir zu viele Instrumentals, ich mag "Hot Buttered Soul" zum Beispiel lieber.

Nice tunes

Classic.

No soy muy fan de los instrumentales, pero están buenos.

I always loved the theme song from Shaft. This album has some good music.

It's hard to accept that Isaac Hayes has two albums in the Top 1001 (OF ALL TIME). The theme song from Shaft is instantly recognizable if you're over 50. I know the artist and his sound were imitated and influential but it kinda all sounds the same. Bottom line: It's a soundtrack, a true soundtrack, not a conglomeration of pop hits that are mixed into the movie to make it fun, but the actual music playing during the action and background scenes. That in itself should remove it from contention for the T1001 list. At times is sounds like it could be music in the background of CHiPs or Love Boat, it's so 70's. And let's be honest, Isaac Hayes is NOT a singer (please see "Soulville"). The guitar work on "Do Your Thing" (a 19 min jam) is the highlight. Lot of horns, lots and lots of horns. Too many flutes and a xylophone. It's just dated and boring outside of the Theme song. Can I dig it? Not really. 3 stars cause the music is solid, but I'll never listen to it again.

I usually am not a fan of these albums that are soundtracks, but this one is pretty decent. Especially for it being so early in the 70s, the sound is very cool. I can definitely see how it influence future stuff. Not sure how popular the movie was.

Jamais écouté avant. Compliqué à écouter dans la longueur sans le film qui va avec. Par contre, les musiciens sont brillants, et quand ça tape, ça tape fort (Do Your Thing, c'est quelque chose !). Top : Do Your Thing Flop : Shaft Strikes Again

Used to love it, now it just makes me think of that old dog shagging in The Commitments

De ”riktiga” låtarna är ball och Isaac heyes är stenhård. Men soundtracks kan ju bli lite enahanda, svårt att komma in i instrumentala låtar som är skrivna för bild, utan bild. Med det sagt älskar man ju groovet. Pluspoäng för ”Do your thing” som fan nästan håller i alla sina 19 minuter.

Det är najs

Movie soundtrack? The SHAFT MOVIE SOUNDTRACK?! WHAT?????? Requesting Hairspray to the list then please and thank you.

On continue la descente aux enfers (ou au paradis, ça dépend des jours) de ce projet titanesque : les 1001 albums qu'il faut avoir écoutés avant de claquer. Aujourd'hui, on s'arrête en 1971 et on s'attaque à un gros morceau, un truc qui brille, qui suinte la coolitude et qui porte des chaînes en or plus lourdes que mon mépris pour la soupe commerciale actuelle : Shaft d'Isaac Hayes. On est en plein dans la "Blaxploitation". C’est le genre de disque qui, sur le papier, fait mouiller tous les critiques de rock en mal d'exotisme urbain. On ne va pas se mentir, l'album est sorti chez Stax en 1971. Pour les non-initiés, Stax c'était l'usine à rêves de Memphis, le pendant rugueux de la Motown. Isaac Hayes y était déjà le roi avec son crâne rasé et son torse nu sous une cotte de mailles en or. Le mec imposait un respect immédiat. Le livre nous dit que c'est un "jalon de la pop" et l'un de ses meilleurs travaux avec Superfly de Curtis Mayfield. Sur le principe, je suis d'accord, c’est d'ailleurs le premier compositeur noir à avoir raflé un Oscar pour la meilleure chanson originale. Mais parlons franchement, j'ai jamais vraiment accroché au film. Ces polars urbains des seventies, avec leurs zooms brutaux et leurs poursuites en Cadillac, ça m'a toujours laissé un peu froid. Et avec la B.O., j’ai exactement le même ressenti. L'album s'ouvre sur le "Theme from Shaft", et là, on est obligé de s'incliner. Cette guitare wah-wah qui pulse dès les premières secondes, c’est le génie à l'état pur. Et puis la voix d'Isaac... cette basse profonde, presque chuchotée, qui te présente John Shaft comme le sauveur des quartiers chauds. C'est cultissime, c'est intemporel, c’est parfait. Si l'album s'arrêtait là, je mettrais 6 sur 5 et on n'en parlerait plus. Le problème, c'est qu'il reste 55 ans d'histoire de la musique derrière, et qu'une fois le morceau phare passé, qu'est-ce qu'il reste vraiment ? On se retrouve avec un double album (à l'époque) rempli de morceaux instrumentaux qui servent avant tout à illustrer des scènes de film. "Soulsville" est sympa, ça pose une ambiance, c'est une jolie ballade soul comme Isaac savait les faire sur Hot Buttered Soul. Mais le reste ? Des longueurs, mes amis, des longueurs à n'en plus finir car le groove, aussi bon soit-il sur certains passages, finit par se diluer dans une soupe cinématographique un peu répétitive. C’est un bon album de soul-funk, certes et le groove est là, bien gras, bien présent. On sent que les musiciens de chez Stax, les Bar-Kays, s'amusaient comme des fous. Mais au bout du compte, c'est un disque qui n'a pas forcément si bien vieilli que ça dans son intégralité. C’est devenu une pièce de musée. Un truc qu'on respecte, qu'on cite en exemple, mais qu'on écoute rarement du début à la fin sans avoir envie de zapper pour revenir au thème principal. Ma note ? Un 3 sur 5 et je suis généreux parce que c'est Isaac Hayes et que le type avait une classe intersidérale. C’est le genre d'album qui s'en sort grâce à son morceau d'ouverture qui a vampirisé tout le reste. Le reste de la galette est une succession de thèmes qui font leur boulot de bande originale mais qui peinent à exister de manière autonome. C'est l'écueil de beaucoup de B.O. de cette époque : on privilégie l'atmosphère à la composition pure. Si vous voulez de la vraie révolution soul de 1971, allez plutôt voir du côté de Marvin Gaye ou de Sly Stone. Là, il se passe vraiment quelque chose qui vous prend aux tripes et qui ne vous lâche plus. Isaac, lui, a préféré nous pondre un objet de design sonore ultra-efficace pour l'image, mais un peu vide pour l'esprit une fois qu'on a coupé la télé. Bref, Shaft, c'est le disque idéal pour se donner un genre quand on reçoit des potes à l'apéro, mais si vous cherchez une expérience musicale qui vous retourne le cerveau, vous allez rester sur votre faim. C’est bien, c’est propre, ça groove, mais ça manque cruellement de relief au-delà de sa légende. John Shaft est peut-être "un détective privé qui n'en fait qu'à sa tête", mais sa musique, elle, finit par rentrer un peu trop dans le rang.

Had a good chuckle seeing this album on here. Sure, the theme track is cheesy as hell, but the rest of it is just awesome groovy background music.

Great fun and the title track is an absolute classic. I don’t really enjoy playing through most soundtrack albums though even if I appreciate the skill and the history

Spotify only had 4 songs on it and honestly that's all you need. SHAFT!

Only half album on Spotify. Fun theme song but otherwise meh. 5/10

Норм. Но не пушка.

This was solid!

Yeeeeeeaaaaahhhh!!!

I only know Isaac Hayes from South Park lol and I wasn’t fully locked in on the album cuz I was working but what I remember was enjoyable

This was very pleasant music. And the theme is great.

Funky music! Loved some of the tracks on this soundtrack album, though in the middle some started sounding a bit like video game / npc shopping background music. I think this would all go better with the actual movie it was supposed to accompany though. Most tracks blend into one another so it all goes down very smooth, but you don’t really remember anything afterwards. Still, I enjoyed it but don’t think I will be revisiting it. 6/10

It's no super fly

Sounds a little like elevator music or being out on hold music but probably because this is good soothing background music so they play it in elevators

"Theme From Shaft" is a legendary funk song, the rest is pretty much instrumentals that have been chopped and sliced for hip hop samples ever since, so in that sense it's a cultural touchpoint musically speaking... but it's still a movie score and there's no movie score you need to listen to before you die, not without the context of the movie, at least. And did it really need a near 20 minute long number? Why yes, yes it did.

its a fine album but the idea of someone saying "have you heard the shaft soundtrack? you HAVE to listen to it before you die" is really funny to me

Fantastic soundtrack but it’s not that impressive by itself.

The one song is classic. The rest is just more of a hodgepodge score

A well made soundtrack album, liked the 19 minute track. Good theme song, jazz and funk fusion, and the Chef's voice every so often.

Was an okay album. A somewhat surreal experience listening to it in a traffic jam - got to groove along (slowly). 3/5

so just grab somebody

This was good background music but I found it a bit same-y

pretty nice

Never actually seen the film Shaft, but very familiar with the legendary theme song provided by Isaac Hayes. I don't wanna say that's the most notable song here, but this IS a movie soundtrack after all. Expect a lot of instrumentals. It all sounds good enough (I do like funk & soul), but I don't have the context of having seen the film itself and thus don't know how well each of these tracks were scored. Like many others have expressed here, this is really only half of the story without the visual accompaniment of the movie itself. I'm not really chomping at the bit to watch this movie after listening either ('cause I've got like 35 albums to catch up to in this list!)

A movie soundtrack! I was familiar with Shaft/Isaac Hayes going in, and this was pretty much exactly how I expected the album the sound. Pleasant to listen to but at the end of the day, it sounded like a mpvie soundtrack

Funky goodness. I Only heard 4 songs from the spotify link, more tracks would be cool.

Cool, but got boring.

smooth

This is a jam band album disguised as a soul album disguised as a Blaxploitation film. The next to last track Do Your Thing is a 19 minute journey that could be a recording of a Phish sound check.

"Theme From Shaft." Enjoyed some of the more laid back tracks, and of course the classic Theme From Shaft. The 19 minute Do Your Thing wasn't my cup of tea.

Enjoadinho. Salvam-se os momentos de vibrafone e o tema principal.

Classic soul album! Shaft! Lol it was alright but not something I'll listen to everyday lol

It's a good time.

Isaac Hayes was so talented and bursting with creativity during this time period. This soundtrack (which I think is kosher for this list because it’s the work of a single artist) is funky and fun and a very enjoyable listen. Also, unlike so many double albums, it never feels like a slog. Probably because it varies so much from song to song. One second you’re listening to funk, then boss a nova, then pop, then r&b and then easy listening. I’ve never seen the movie “Shaft” and I’ve seen “Star Wars” a hundred or more times, but I put this soundtrack on with some regularity and never listen to the “Star Wars” soundtrack. Something about the sound of the music Isaac Hayes was making in the late 60’s and early 70’s just hits my ears exactly right.

I enjoyed this album, but I’m not sure soundtracks are really what I’m looking for here. Great vibe, just not something I’d reach for often.

I had high hopes for this album. My parents had it on vinyl when I was younger, and the college-aged me enjoyed listening to it. Apparently, though, there was some degree of irony in that listening, or possibly a secondary understanding of coolness, that I no longer bring to the experience, because now the album seems long, dated, and not that cool.

This was pleasant enough, though maybe not enough to appear on this list. Be Yourself definitely references Everyday People. I don’t think that was an accident. I liked Cafe Regios too.

There are some great horn parts. Which was my favorite part of this album; however, a soundtrack shouldn’t be on this list.

Me: wow listening to this album, it’s like the Shaft theme is from an entirely different artist. Her: um… yeah because Quincy Joes wrote it

c'est ok oui

Bo de film sympa

I recognized the first song- Fun! The rest were great for background music while I worked. I can't help but think if Chef from South Park when I see Isaac Hayes. Do Your Thing is banging! Maybe I should watch the movie, Shaft?

Orchestral funk/soul of the highest order. Supremely over the top but so fun that it doesn’t matter. At its worst it comes across as a sexier Henry Mancini film score, but the 20 minute ‘Do Your Thing’ is a funky barn burner that is alone worth the price of admission. Favorite track: Do Your Thing

Good background

It's got that one really famous song and then a lot of instrumental stuff. So weird how most of it sounds like background music for some kind of movie, huh? But it's quality-made background music and it's better than enough of the other stuff on this list, I did go "oh golly the penultimate track is 20 minutes long" but I never got particularly tired of letting the smooth grooves flow

I was expecting more, but cool sound.

Technically amazing, and quite the sound track. However it's not an album i'm gonna put on if I want to jam or listen to while driving.

2/3. Fun little soundtrack album, nice to listen to on a morning walk. Regio's Cafe and Sunday Morning were particularly nice, but I thought it was a pleasant listen in general. Probably benefits further from having seen the movie prior, but even without it the music evokes a mood and scenery pretty well (Ellie's Love Theme comes to mind).

Makes me want to watch the movie. Doesn't stand alone particularly well

Spotify seems to have murdered the full tracklist so I had to chase this down on youtube. It's pretty standard funk/jazz music with Isaac Hayes's vocal accompaniment. With Shaft being the most important film of the genre, it's hard not to associate the music with the filmmaking, but I'm not sure that this was the real zenith of the genre. It's definitely good, fun to listen to, and complicated enough to be interesting, but I can only listen to three chord wah pedal guitar for so long. If this wasn't a film soundtrack I would say it's overly lengthy, but I'll let it go because, well, it is. This is genre music. It doesn't make me want to listen to more of it, nor does it make me dislike the entire style. It's just good enough that I'm interested in seeing what others do with it.

Some fun stuff, but meh

2.75 It’s jazz. Definitely more fun jazz, but still mostly no words. If it was hold music I’d be seriously bopping along, but I want words when I choose my music. There’s a theme song on the album, and it sounds like it. Fun but not for me

5/10 - this is a hard album to rate since I haven’t seen Shaft. I imagine this album is on the low for the cultural significance of being the first black composed movie album to win an Oscar.

I like the groove of this but I feel like it would work better as a soundtrack (which is what it is) than a stand alone album. 6/10

Not notable

A very generous 3. The music is good, the production is good, but at the end of the day, it's the score to a film.

Mostly instrumental album with epic cinematic production. Soulful and jazzy with riffs that have certainly influenced later songs. Standouts are the dramatic Shaft theme(s) and the beautiful Soulsville.

I probably would've enjoyed this more if I had seen the movie and had visuals to tie it to? There were great songs on here, don't get me wrong, but it felt too long and repetitive

Chill background music. Good for writing.

Probably it doesn't really hold up as an album without a film, but I was listening to it at work and it was pretty good for that purpose. And you know what? I think I'm going to try to find the time to watch Shaft this weekend.

Lots of great stuff here and man that voice.

Filmska muzika nije ekvivalent pravoj muzici, posebno u obliku albuma. Da se nešto dešava u pozadini, tj. da gledam film, bilo bi ok. A ja ne volim baš filmove pa mi se ovo ne gleda. Međutim, ovdje ima nekih tako genijalnih kompozicija da postaju samoodrživi, značajni primjeri muzike.

Я розумію важливість Shaft (як кіно, так і музики) для афроамериканської культури. Втім слухати ці інструментали як альбом не дуже цікаво.

Meint man man kennt die Musik nicht, Falsch gedacht. Bekannt kann es nicht EInordnen. Irgendwo Werbung ? EWtwa szum Entspannen

Probably the only film score worth listening to.

3.5 - probably mostly nostalgia but really enjoyed listening. There were some songs I didn’t remember

Fun, funky stuff. It's good to walk to. Top tracks: "Theme from Shaft," "Cafe Regio's," "Walk from Regio's"

Great soundtrack. It reminds you what a badass mother fuc(Shut Yo Mouth!) Isaac Hayes was. Good scoring, not sure something I would actively listen to.

Pretty cool I guess.

Awesome soundtrack to a movie. Not entirely sure it needs to be in the book but enjoyed it nonetheless

6/10. Should it be on the list? I don’t think so.

Iconic intro and the rest is okey as background music (which it is main purpose to begin with). Do your thing is my only issue because it is waaay to long for how uninteresting it is. A good long song need a clear structure otherwise you can just put a repeat if you wanna hear the same thing for a long time. Nothing special music wise but a part of music history in a way.

Better than I thought. Good grooves. Sometimes a little repetitive I’m sure for film purposes. Good album.

A good album albeit I always find a soundtrack a slightly weird listen, given it was made to supplement a visual /narrative experience as well, and you're only getting part of it. I enjoyed the funky vibes and it's quite engaging given most of it is instrumental and it's a double album, I didn't get bored. But I don't know if I'd listen again

It's not a bad soundtrack at all, Isaac Hayes is capable of pulling off this style with ease, however without the context of the movie, it's likely losing some of its impact.

Overall: 6/10 Very funky, but I just don't like the idea of film scores being in the list. I gave a pass to Superfly mostly because I love Curtis Mayfield's voice and a majority of the songs featured his vocals, but how much is Isaac Hayes actually singing on this one? That's not to say entirely instrumental albums are bad, but I'd prefer if they weren't the soundtrack to a movie. The music itself is fine. Fav Song: Theme from Shaft

Always a classic, but not one I would go out of my way to listen to

“Who's the black private dick that's a sex machine to all the chicks?” You know, I’ve always been interested in checking out this movie, and now I’ve heard the entirety of the soundtrack to it. This is the third movie soundtrack I’ve rolled so far for this project, and for the third time I think it would have been better had I already seen the movie going in. Listen, I love Isaac Hayes as much as the next guy, but this is not the best representation of his work. He barely even sings at all here, and his voice is the most notable thing about him. None of these songs, besides “Theme From Shaft” and “Do Your Thing” really stand on their own legs without whatever scene they are supposed to accompany. Without that very important added context, this is like 99% background music and 1% gold when he’s actually singing. The good news is that even the instrumentals are at the bare minimum good, even if some of them go on way too long. I’m an absolute sucker for some Funk/Soul, so it was at least enjoyable for the most part. It’s a tad boring in places, but with background music to a movie, that feels inevitable really. Another strange inclusion to this list to have a musician beloved for his voice, and inexplicably have him not sing for the majority of the album. Thank God for the fact that Hot Buttered Soul is on this list, that’s one I expect to enjoy substantially more. Important to note that I didn’t not enjoy this one, it just wasn’t what I was hoping it would be.

It was mostly instrumental. It was nice to have on but it just faded into the background after a while.

It's long and I just prefer lyrics in my music. But there's some real talent here, that's undeniable. I just don't see picking this to put on again anytime soon.

Nice 70s vibe and good for background music.

I’ve never seen shaft, but before I hit play I knew what the theme sounded like. That alone should say something about the cultural significance of this album. The first half didn't really move me. Many of the instrumentals seemed too funked up. The second half though...that got another star out of me. I enjoyed tracks 10-14 very much. Do your thing was far too long.

Works really well for a movie picks: Theme from Shaft, Do your thing

The instrumental tracks aren't interesting to me but when Isaac Hayes sings I feel like I'm gonna make love to you, woman, Gonna lay you down by the fire! And caress your womanly body, Make ya moan and perspire.

Soundtrack albums can be extremely hit-or-miss, since they often depend on the visuals of their parent film. It’s the reason why Queen’s Flash Gordon, or the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine (album), or Pink Floyd’s More (or Obscured By Clouds), are regarded so much more negatively than the rest of their respective discographies. Shaft encounters a similar issue. Without (many) vocals to guide the listener along, and of course without having the movie playing alongside it, the music feels a little all-over-the-place. And often it’s plain bad. Walk From Regio’s is the first suspect track. It’s dominated by its slow, simple, repeating drum pattern, which gets old pretty quickly. (Good thing the track is also quite short.) Interlude tracks like Shaft’s Cab Ride are also completely unmemorable. But most of the album is plain, standard, “good” soft jazz (maybe elevator jazz?). Which, of course, earns the plain, standard 3-star rating. Highlights are tracks that can reasonably stand alone, even as instruments. Café Regio’s is one of these. Clocking in at just over 6 minutes, it has plenty of time to develop its musical ideas and juggle a few different textures one after the other. It’s also a pretty chill song overall, lacking most of the weird tension in other tracks and going all-in on the “background of a musical” feel. I can easily envision the concert band playing this during a (very, very long) onstage scene transition. The Theme From Shaft is also good. Musically, it's pretty simple, but has some instantly recognisable high notes in the strings that justify the simplicity. Soulsville and Do Your Thing earn points for being two of the only ones that utilise the band’s decently strong vocalist. But then Do Your Thing throws some of those points away for being… let’s see… what? 19 minutes? (Holy hell!) Be Yourself is impressive for the year 1970. It sounds straight out of the disco era. That combo of EW&F-esque guitar (whatever it’s called) and tight horn section are straight out of, well, a EW&F record. Or Tower Of Power. Strictly speaking, in isolation, it’s not a life-changing track. But I have to imagine it was pretty ahead of its time. No Name Bar, on the other hand, attempts a sort of progressive rock thing with the genre’s signature multiple sections, but it doesn’t work at all. At least the jazzy sax sections are good. 3/5 Key tracks: Theme From Shaft, Be Yourself, Soulsville

Nice

Perfectly funky, but alI fear without the film to tie it together it's a bit a drift.

Cool but there were much better OST in 70s

Most of the songs don't exist on Spotify or aren't available in my region. Seems good?

I like the theme song as much as the next guy, so I have to admit I was hoping for more tracks with Isaac Hayes’s unbelievably smooth vocals, and fewer “Shaft gets a cup of coffee,“ instrumentals. I can still dig it, but just not as much.

It was a good album but way too long! Less instrumentals would have been better, we wanna hear that voice! 3 ⭐️

Sounds like a soundtrack, because it is a soundtrack.

Pretty cool, definitely a classic theme.

I'm not usually into movie soundtracks that much but this was throughly enjoyable from start to finish. Great compositions, arrangements, and loads of funk. I can see why this soundtrack won an Academy Award. Plus, that soulful voice of Isaac Hayes popping up every so often. Great stuff.

Naslovna tema super ostalo dosadno. Pored black moses i hot butter soul ovo je dosadno

Zuhause, Heidenheim, Deutschland. Nett, mehr aber auch nicht.

Funky soul soundtrack. Liked the few actual songs and wanted more of them.

First (and only?) OST in the list. It's not bad but why is it special? 2,7

Feels kind of strange to have a movie soundtrack on the list but here we are, a double album to boot. It’s mostly an instrumental album used for scoring the movie. The very famous theme is no doubt a highlight but Do Your Thing, one of just three tracks with vocals, was the highlight. This was a fairly easy listen but not an album I would return to save for the odd song.

This “album” doesn’t belong on the list but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t strutting around the house, slapping everything I saw

I thoroughly enjoy soundtracks and movie scores, though this is not a film I’ve seen. The intro and overall concept seems a bit goofy, but the music isn’t bad.

Maybe I should watch the film. 3.

Mostly instrumental, funk, Issac hayes Theme from shaft Soulsville Do your thing

Pretty funky stuff, to be sure, but beyond the theme song, which is iconic, the his was forgettable, like “funk comes to the mall”.

Classic song but the rest of the album feels a bit like filler. Great background music which guess was the point.

Listening to film scores isn't for everyone. The music is purposefully minimal to underscore the action of the movie. Make the music too exciting and it risks distracting from action and/or dialogue of the film, so most of it is just background music, by design. Some are definitely better than others and many films have spaces to fit more iconic songs (usually opening and end credits). All of this is true of the Shaft soundtrack so it's a little surprising to find it on this list. But "Shaft" is more significant than it might seem at first. The idea of a popular artist (as opposed to a composer) scoring a film was almost unheard of. True, "The Graduate" had already managed to fill a movie with Simon and Garfunkel songs a few years before and movies like "Easy Rider" also used existing rock songs instead of a traditional score. But "Shaft" dared to let Isaac Hayes complete an entirely original soundtrack of funk and soul mixed with a full orchestra. Surely the sound of that movie was a large part of its success. The opening theme elevated the main character from suave detective to a larger than life, exciting figure. Despite being a score and mostly instrumental, there are some gems on here. While it doesn't really work as a standalone album, it was groundbreaking for the time, has a few amazing songs, and makes me want to watch the movie. And that's all worth some points.

Wow I was not expecting to be so into this. So to start, I know who and what shift is, but I’ve never seen any of the shaft movies so I wasn’t familiar with the actual music, just familiar with what it was going for. And it nails that sleazy and action packed “blaxploitation” r/b soundtrack. Honestly the biggest complaint is that while the music is perfect and ambient, there’s only two songs with Isaac Hayes’ voice featured on them and that feels like a missed opportunity. I know most of these tracks are strictly background material, but his voice is just so wonderful and smooth that I wanna hear it on every song. But that’s not a real criticism, I just think the album being a soundtrack makes it less strong as an album as opposed to a full studio release. But at the end of the day all there is to ask is: Who’s the cat that won’t cop out when there’s danger all about? SHAFT! Right on.

Pretty cool

I think this is the final sign that I need to sit down and watch this movie.

Fabulous opening number. But after that, the album gets less and less interesting.

I like Isaac more as a musician who sings and croons his way through my ears than a guy who makes a movie soundtrack. But can I dig it? Yeah. Those vocal tracks slap, and Do Your Thing is an amazing acid face melter. Rest is good for background listening to make you feel free and funky.

The album starts off with the song Shaft, one of the greatest R$B and movie songs of all time. The rest of the album does not quite hold up and by the end it started to sound like lounge music.

Don’t love as I think there is so much more Issac hayes to enjoy.