Shaft

This album sounds great, the recording is crystal clear. Isaac Hayes us a great composer/arranger. “No Name Bar” has some killer solos. “Do Your Thang” is an instrumental banger, they get elbow deep in the groove on that track. However, this album is more of a score than its cousin/competitor Superfly which is more of a soundtrack. It pales in comparison to Superfly, “Soulsville” is a bad imitation of Superfly. That being said, this album does just what it promises as a score, great mood music, a funky background to shady. And very solid. Just a B for me though. 3.

Not Isaac's greatest film soundtrack, but it had me boppin and groovin

Background music at hotel bar. It’s nice but forgot I was even listening to anything lol I liked it

Sexy motherfucker

Come on admit it, you all sang along as "SHACK" instead of "Shaft" didn't you?

I was not feeling it a couple of instrumentals in, but I came around. Cafe Regio’s, Be Yourself, Soulsville.. I enjoyed the music. Didn’t need 19 min of “Do Your Thing”

Not something I’d listen to regularly but I’m aware it’s the soundtrack to a classic.

Hip and funky and a fun listen - never watched the movie but might be worth it for the music alone

Cool album! I've never watched the movie, so kind of fun listening without context. Super easy listening. Love the horns. Favorite track "No Name Bar"

the 70s was probably the golden era of the film soundtrack.

I always thought of Isaac Hayes as an actor and singer, so was surprised to learn he composed, recorded and produced this. Impressive. Everyone knows the theme tune, which is a movie classic, and the 19 minute 'Do Your Thing' is ace. Otherwise, this is a good and distinctive movie soundtrack but there is too much of the score element for it to stand up as an album in its own right. It's obviously no Chocolate Salty Balls, but judging as an OST it gets a 4/5. Without the movie context it would be a 2, so overall I'll give it a 3.

Smooth. Only heard the title track before

Música setentera, asada de moda y que ha envejecido mal, pero evoca recuerdos de esos momentos que no volverán. No carece de calidad, sino de actualidad.

Nice easy listening - not bad!

Cool, soulful, funky. A lot of instrumental stuff. Clearly designed to be a soundtrack to a variety of moods and scenes.

Un tema

Feel like a black cop in one of those old movies. Kinda has a motown feel? or more accurately jazzy? Can see images in my head as soundtrack plays. Makes me wanna call someone cracka.

strange

Fun background album

What a fun soundtrack. Best line to any opening track on any album ever? Look no further than Theme from Shaft (you're damn right)

JOHN SHAFT!

fresh 3

Iconic but not really what I would listen to every day. Light jazz. Sorry.

super chill, great for the rainy day

One long groove

This was a lot of fun to listen to. Never listened to the whole album. Beyond a soundtrack this was great.

Niet het hele album staat op spotify, maar de nummers die er wel opstonden waren lekker

I would say a typical 70's movie soundtrack. I've enjoyed it. 3.5

I don't know why I thought Isaac hayes sang more

It was okay not a fan of mostly instrumental

Opening banger, then the rest is too chill

Shaft!

Very smooth and cool!

Good background music but not much more than that

Spotify only has three songs from this album. They were good. Listened to one of his "Greatest Hits" albums too. Really liked it. Nice and soulful.

Not enough on Spotify

Want to like it so much, so catchy

I found the length to be a little overwhelming, but we're talkin' 'bout Shaft, so I guess that should have been expected. *You're damn right* Seriously though, while I do think Isaac Hayes was able to successfully create a "cool" vibe here, and there's no denying the theme song is a killer classic, this unfortunately falls into the same trap all progressive/progressive-adjacent music falls into for me: it meanders too much to be engaging. I get it. It's a soundtrack. It's meant to be meandering background music. But without the context of the movie, I fear it's just too complicated for me to understand - even if I had the benefit of being John Shaft's woman.

I can’t believe I’ve never seen this movie. I should watch it. This entry didn’t incite the same feeling I missed out on never listening to the music. It was fine, and maybe if I had seen the movie this would have hit better. I guess I’m inspired either way so there is that.

It's not really all that bad but I can't get rid of the feeling, that it'd be essential to at least see the movie once before you listen this album. And since I haven't seen it, I feel like just listening to this is severely lacking something from the overall experience.

What album starts off OK but drops off in quality quite quickly? SHAFT! What album is largely background filler? SHAFT! Which album probably shouldn't have been on this list? SHAFT!

incompleto está, pero meh

While I appreciated parts of this "album," I think I could have died without listening. I'm sure it is more iconic in a movie format than listening through the whole thing as an album. Shaft didn't ask to be on this list, and I don't think it's a great fit. 4/10

First song highlight, from all the previous tv versions where it’s been used but other than that - not much

Gir meg ikke så mye, denne sjangeren.

Shaft theme has always been a fun song. The rest is alright instrumental. Not sure the whole soundtrack needs recommended. Might have been more enjoyable to watch the movie then listen to whole soundtrack. Having never seen the movie, the music is just alright to me

A movie soundtrack that was probably quite good for the movie, but didn't do much for a commuter stuck on the Met line for 2 hours

No es mi estilo

681/1001 2026.08.17 🌕🌕🌗🌑🌑

Did not enjoy it.

Ugh, yea, not my thing at all. Probably good musicianship but I can get into it

Источник сэмплов для рэперов. Честно говоря, у них это лучше звучит

didn’t have to be on this list

It’s ok

Certainly not the worst album on here, but this is not doing anything for me. The couple of actual songs on here are good, but this really is an old school sound track comprised mostly of background vibes.

Sadly, underwhelmed by this one. Sure, it's classic-sounding '70s funk, but it's lacking somethink. A visual accompaniment perhaps. Listens too much like a film soundtrack, so doesn't stand as well on its own. Even the title theme (Best Original Song Oscar winner) takes waaaay too long to get going and have the vocals drop in. Just found myself bored with this mostly.

The Good: Blacksploition actresses with cleavage rulllllleeee!!!! The Bad: We only get to listen… not watch. The Ugly: A double fucking album… Damnit. That first song is won-der-ful!!! I mean, loved it with a capital L O V E Then the rest of the album just starts kicking you in the nuts… over and over again… Why did I have to listen to this double album? What makes this a must listen? I don’t get it… a I would give this a 1* but I am not a bastard… and I loved the opening, and closing track of this album… but I could have been spared all the other fucking songs… Also, why isn’t Saturday Night Live on this list? That is a 5* 2*

When I was a kid I had a tape with a bunch of movie/tv themes I recorded somehow. Bond, Mission impossible, the Pink Panther, Ghostbusters and the Shaft theme. Weird times. This album pretty much sucks though. Shut your mouth! (Talking bout Shaft, John Shaft)

The first track is an all time but the rest is just standard run of the mill 70’s soundtrack. Also John Shaft feels like a proper 70s porn name 🤣

It's a cool theme tune but I think everyone's heard it before. No need to hear it again!

Way more atmospheric than I expected

I have not seen this movie, but judging by the selections on this album, I assume it's a soundtrack to the film in the truest sense of the word: Most of these songs were lacking vocals and probably played behind the scenes, with only a few tracks giving us the soulful vocals of Mr. Hayes. I really wanted to dig this, but unfortunately it didn't hit for me. The first half of the album was filled with uncomfortably short grooves that were really good, but always seemed to end right when it felt like they were getting somewhere. Then, on the other hand, did "Do Your Thing" really need to be 20 minutes long? I just would have been happy with ten actual songs with vocals, but maybe my vision of a soundtrack is skewed by what we were given as soundtracks in the 90s. Anyway, how's the movie? Is it any good?

Unlike "Hot Buttered Soul", which I rated five, this soundtrack album is left destitute of a distinct sound. It also needs more vocals so much but be barely get them. The fact that it is made for a film does not help much; the music is just backround meterial that fails to deliver much. Frankly, "Shaft" is quite weak and should not be on the list.

nao sou o maior fã de albums instrumentais, mas esse tem uma vibezinha legal ate. so aquela faixa de 19 min que quebrou a brisa. nota 4/10

Kjedelig. Hadde kanskje hjulpet om man hadde sett Shaft?

Only a few songs on Spotify, ok'ish

The theme song carries this score a long way as it was by far the most memorable aspect of the record. The opening riff could have been used as a motif throughout the album, and I would have enjoyed the record more. I would take a theme song repeat, because too many compositions were mundane. A few of the slower tracks had some somber appeal as I assume they came in the more contemplative moments of the film. No other track delivered the jolt of the theme song, which is odd considering it is an action film. Understand its iconic status, but seems entirely due to one tune.

I like Isaac Hayes, but I'm not a huge fan of this particular album. Feels like a hit and some filler. I realize its for the movie, but even then, the rest of the music is just ok.

When Supafly is on this list, this one is a bit supafluous

It's great for a soundtrack, but was a bit of a slog to sit through

Boring as hell

Fine background music but not interesting at all as a standalone listen Favourites: Theme From Shaft, Soulsville

2.8/5 need more listen theme is fire but rest is just soundtrack

This is #day661 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's to crossing out another artist from the list, as this is my second and final album by Isaac Hayes. I kind of don't mind this smooth, jazzy, and funky backdrop. I only wonder whether it really made sense to include a soundtrack on a list of albums you must hear before you die. A soundtrack to a movie I've never seen and probably never will. Hot Buttered Soul could have been left as the one essential entry. This is a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day662, aka the first day of summer 2026.

elevator music

Nope. Didn't need to listen to this entire album of mostly instrumentals. I'm sure it's a important soundtrack historically but I don't think it's deserving of a place on the list. 2/5.

No está mal. Solo es instrumental, no tiene letras. De fondo, zafa bien, pero hay algunas canciones que no me gustaron nada

why

It’s cool but I mean, not the biggest fan of movie soundtracks

This was like living in a sexy, funky elevator bookended by some very smooth songs

Outside of the first song, idk not in the mood today. Didnt hit me right.

Works as a film score, but not good enough for a standalone album for me.

Sure, why not. Never going to listen to this again.

Some cool moments, but too much instrumentals. It is feeling to much like a film soundtrack, which it is. 2.5 stars

This is fine, but outside of being a score for the film, I'm not super into it as something I'd just listen to. The title theme is pretty iconic, but a lot of the other tracks just sound like standard 70s TV/film score stuff. I feel like I'm watching the Rockford Files or something. 2.5 stars.

I suppose the question here is whether to share or to shaft? The main theme is obviously top class and there are some snippets of real fire music on this although actually large swathes of this soundtrack double album is just weak mr men wallpaper. It does look like Robert Dimery has shafted us with this one and I would certainly would choose not to share this drib drab fest on 1001.

An enjoyable listen for the most part, but this is a movie soundtrack. Mostly instrumental. Funky. The songs aren’t pop songs per se, again they are movie soundtrack tracks. I wouldn’t seek it out again.

The title track is cool and so is that 29-minute jam near the end. the rest didn't do much for me.

The few songs with vocals are really good, the rest meanders between elevator music and decent instrumental soul or jazz. It's probably good as a soundtrack, but as an album on its own it's too long and uninteresting.

The list of "1001 Albums..." was compiled by blessed people; otherwise, I can't explain the logic behind the fact that it doesn't include EPs or greatest hits collections, but does include live albums and, wait for it, soundtracks. And while the Earth, Wind & Fire album I came across earlier, while technically a soundtrack, is perfectly listenable without the film, this double album by Isaac Hayes is just a complement to the events unfolding onscreen. Not only is the album long, it's also almost entirely instrumental. Vocals are found on only three songs, one of which is Hayes's signature twenty-minute psycho-soul jam. It's all a bit of a challenge, and I generally don't understand how people listen to instrumental film music without the film itself (or why Hans Zimmer sells out his concerts). It's not bad as a background, but as a position for such a list, it's a complete failure.

2/10 I'm not totally averse to this list having soundtracks, but this is certainly not the kind of soundtrack that should be on it. Boring, boring, boring, not iconic (at least not 50 years later), and not interesting in the slightest. Saturday Night Fever, Grease, Romeo + Juliet, and Great Expectations would all be terrific soundtracks for this list. Shaft? Nah.

Album No. 0205 on my list. My second Isaac Hayes album already. I’m not at all familiar with the movie “Shaft” or the whole Blaxsploitation genre for that matter (should maybe close that gap in my education at some point). This is my second soundtrack album from that genre already, the first being “Superfly” by Curtis Mayfield. Anyway. “Shaft” is a soundtrack album, and one can clearly hear that. I like the album for its groovy sound that is somehow laid back and intense at the same time. However, in contrast to “Superfly” (may frame of reference here), most songs are instrumentals. Laid back, intense instrumentals, but still. My lowbrow ears hear little distinction between each of them, everything kinda blends into each other, which makes listening to this a bit boring, unfortunately. The songs with actual singing and lyrics are okay, though. I’ll hence add “Theme From Shaft”, and “Soulsville” to my playlist. 2/5 stars.

A little lackluster to be honest. The opening theme song is fantastic, the rest falls very short in comparison.

You need to see the movie to get the album.

Never heard anything from Isaac Hayes before so went into this completely blind. This album is mostly instrumental based and is pretty jazzy, smooth and soulful. I found a fair amount of tracks quite pleasant and relaxing, especially as background music. However, much of the record is pretty forgettable, especially with the album being a soundtrack. Personally I don’t really see myself coming back here although the album isn’t “bad” per se, just unmemorable and not my style. 2/5 since I can’t give a 2.5/5

I really wanted to like this, but it just isn't thaz good. A lot of filler, and even the few songs that are famous (like Theme From Shaft) are more lilke soundbytes than songs.

Wasn't expecting this to be mostly instrumental. Some of it was good. Some of it made me felt like I was on an elevator. All respect to Shaft, though.

Abseits des monotonen Titelthemas verliert sich der Soundtrack in langen, filmisch gedachten Passagen, die ohne visuelle Begleitung schnell an Zugkraft verlieren.

Ik vond ‘ t eerste nummer erg leuk, het had wat weg van het Bipsman team song. De rest van het album is zo overduidelijk filmmuziek, wat oké is, maar wat toch wel een heel ander soort categorie is. Het voelt ondersteunend, maar zonder film voelt het als los zand. Ik kan me wel scènes indenken tijdens het luisteren, maar ik vind ‘ t toch lastig te beoordelen. Ik vind muziek van Lord of the Rings ook vet, maar ik zal ‘ t nooit opzetten.

The sound is bad-ass and it is beautifully recorded. I appreciate the historical significance. So I agree, everyone should hear it. That said, as a listening experience? Excepting the three actual songs, it's a score; musical passages meant to accompany scenes in the movie. It's a component of a work of art. So while it's great playing in the background of a party, it's not a unitary work of art that one can sit down and actively listen to start to finish.

Someone can preach to me all they want about having an open mind and appreciating an album for what it offers but even God draws a line. Music is only good on its own for so long without vocals or some sort of action that supports it. I’m highly disappointed that this album doesn’t have more singing in it. I’m assuming the movie was more popular than Superfly but hot damn, man oh man does The Superfly album kill this one in quality. Musically sound but an album meant for an elevator or McDonalds. So much more could have been done.

A funky instrumental album. It's nice to listen to while working. And it has those happy vibes that light up your soul but I prefered the tracks with vocals. Favorite Songs: Theme from Shaft ;

The title theme is iconic. The rest of this doesn’t do much without the film to accompany it.

This is the second soundtrack I got on this list and I don’t think they should be on here… soundtracks are best enjoyed when accompanied with the visuals and the storyline and the characters. Just listening to these with none of those things it’s just… meh

Hard to figure out how to rate this - the sound is nice, but as I have not seen the movie, these nice background sounds make no sense to me. Maybe, after watching the movie, it would make more sense?

I'm sure that every single album on this list has someone somewhere in the reviews asking the condescending question "why is this on this list". I have the same feeling for this, but I thought on the other hand, why not. It's not that I don't like it just because it's a soundtrack for a movie. That would disqualify a massive part of music. I just plain don't find this evoking any emotion in me.

Not remarkable to me.

Ehghh

I’m with everyone else, not sure why there’s a soundtrack on this list. Title song is fine, the rest is elevator music taking you to a cool club

This is probably an album I’d like more if I knew the film it came for. It was pretty solid background music at work though!

Half missing on Spotify. Otherwise, I know it's a definitive album for this kind of sound, it just wasn't the best version of it that I've heard.

Es bueno, sin embargo, escuchar esto por más de 5 minutos me aburre hasta el culo. Dos porque tiene buenos grooves y algunos temas en específico me gustaron bastante, pero escucharlo de pe a pa es un medio martirio.

I don’t think I’m in the best position to appreciate this album having never seen the movie. But it doesn’t really feel like something you’d want to actively listen to. Worked quite well as background music as I was working. Nearly made working on corporate PowerPoint slides interesting.

Felt exactly like listening to a 74 minute soundtrack. Three vocal songs save this from 1 star (Theme, Soulsville, Do your Thing)

Difficult because the theme song is such a classic, but that is absolutely no reason for this album to be on this list.

I probably would rate this album higher if I actually just watch the movie instead there are some good songs on here. It’s a vibe probably gonna have to give it a two.

Progressive soul, psychedelic soul.

Real soundtracky

Just not my thing. Some okay grooves, but some were annoying too.

shaft with good grooves ever

Фільм я не дивилася і поняття не знаю звідки ці саундтреки. Взагалі трохи дивно, що вони тут. Для мене саундтреки це окрема тема, трохи окрема від стандартної музики

Meh, the opening is funny.

Y.. como musica ambiental no estaría mal, pero sigue siendo de una serie que no conozco y no me interesa.

The title track is great. The rest of it is good music but definitely feels like it is a soundtrack and doesn't stand very strongly on its own without the film.

floot grooves. I'm sure it was great in the context of the movie, struggled to engage without.

12:48pm Poslušala sam prvu pjesmu na brzaka, drugu isto krenula samo kad sam videka da je samo neka mjuzikica bez teksta, s čim inače nemam problema, ali mi je ovaj put bila nešto samo dosadna za slušati.

I couldn't finish it i don't like it

0/16 bekannt 5/10 Beste Songs: Walk from regio‘s, Café regio‘s, the end theme Songnamen passen gut zu den Songs

2/5 - Theme song is classic, and I enjoy the general funk, but I'm not here for film scores.

-so classic to the point that it sounds like a modern day spoof, in a good way -i really enjoy the love theme!! -maaaan they don't make scores like they used to i wanna watch this now idk why this is on this list but we ball 2.5/5

first impression: 75% of the album is unavailable so im sad themes from shaft ts boooogiieeeee. his voice sooooo good me likey. ellie's love theme is pretty cafe regio lowk boogie homework music soulsville boring asf no name bar a lil boring i dont love it. also a lil annoying do your thing meh OH MY GOD 19 MINUTES!!!!!!!! hell no i gotta go im not listening to all dis

Meh. Stone roses sample

This sounds like a boring movie I found they would find a rhythm/riff and just play it over and over with no variation and it wouldn't even be an interesting riff. I don't mind simple melodies like that but there needs to be something interesting happening on top of it to make it enjoyable for me

While certainly iconic this album doesn't hit with me. The instrumental songs work well in a movie or tv-show but on its own, not so much.

Not a bad listen at all, but felt very much like listening to a soundtrack. I like Isaac Hayes, I bet there was some other thing by him that coulda taken this spot.

Starts strong, but loses it's way pretty quickly.

It’s cool and legendary but at times falls to background noise.

Definitely filler, background music

The opening theme is legendary, and Isaac's voice is pure velvet. "Hello Children!", followed by "Hey, Chef!" is all I hear though lol. It becomes this massive stretch of instrumental mood music that just doesn't hold up on its own without the movie. It’s got style, though. Spins: 1 Playlist Additions - Theme From Shaft - Soulsville

Smooth black energy

The music is probably great in the movie, but doesnt work as an album. Standout song Do your thing

This wasn't my favourite. The first disk in particular mostly just felt like, well, soundtrack music (derogatory). The second disc had some highlights. "Soulsville," and "Do Your Thing" were excellent, with the other jams feeling much more coherent and interesting. It's mostly instrumental, and in the first half in particular seems designed to be background music (which, given it's a soundtrack, it may well have been!). A mixed bag, but largely one that I struggled with, especially given its length.

Shafted

Instrumentals are not really my thing, and I'm not that into funk, so put those together and this is definitely an album I'll pass on. Soulsville was kinda nice though, as it had some words. And Isaac Hayes has a beautiful voice. Do Your Thing could have been good if it wasn't 20 minutes long. Good vocal section, and the instrumental part wasn't too bad either. Cut the beginning vocal section apart from the instrumental, and you'd have a much better song. I wouldn't mind hearing this as background music, so I'll give it a 2. Best song: Do Your Thing

Not a big fan of soundtracks on this list, though the lead track is iconic and I could see how the film could have really pushed this genre. Started well enough, quite like this cool funk heavy soul in patches. It goes on though, particularly that one near the end that was about 20 minutes long for no apparent reason. I think it's a very good soundtrack for a film but that doesn't mean it's a good album.

Do I need to hear the music to a 70s film as essential listening? I don't think I do! I've never seen the film though so maybe I'm not the correct audience. The shaft theme has been satirised so much they I can't help but just find it funny... Perhaps it was fairly unique at that time though. Feels super dated and tongue in cheek now though, but don't think it's meant to be. Isaac Hays has a good voice and a lot of this is pleasant enough, just don't think it's essential and would never choose to listen again. Who could forget such classics as "shafts cab ride" or his "walk from Regio's" though hey.... 2, as it's inoffensive and he has a good voice

Yeah nah, not for me, a bit flaccid👎 "No Name Bar" & "Do Your Thing" were sufficiently interesting enough to save it from a ⭐, the rest is either a funky cringe-fest or elevator drivel 🤮

Not for me … the music or the film…

Kind of boring

Peasant enough but I can't shake the feeling that it would be better while watching the movie it was made for.

Interesting background vibe music. But this soundtrack doesnt give me enough to really go on about.

the intro is a great song, a classic, if you will, but the rest of the songs just illustrate the actual movie, which is devoid of meaning when you’re only focusing on the music. in terms of this being on the list, it shouldn’t be. if soundtracks are allowed then there should be many others making it on this list. the music was fine, but it doesn’t need to be on this list

Not my thing.

Might have meant something to someone familiar with Blaxploitation, but not for me.

Started good but got a bit boring

It's a perfectly fine soundtrack but I feel this is only included on the strength of the theme song 2.5*

Theme song is awesome, but the restvis forgettable

2.5 stars. Despite being exceptionally well-crafted and produced, there's very little on this album that I find engaging. It's very mellow, and much of it resembles 1970s elevator music. The title track is obviously a classic, and I really dig "No Name Bar" and "Do Your Thing" (as long as it is) as well. If you like slow grooves with lots of flute, this is your jam.

Decisamente not my style e canzoni troppo lunghe e ripetitive

Some good parts, don’t understand why it’s on the list

kedelig. 2

4/10 - Most of the songs are not even on spotify

I didn’t think soundtracks were even allowed on this list—if they are, then where’s Saturday Night Fever? Honestly, I don’t see why Shaft deserves a place in the 1001 albums to hear before you die. As a soundtrack, the music probably works well within the film, and there are some nice moments—Theme from Shaft, No Name Bar, and Do Your Thing all stand out. But as a standalone album, it feels flat, with too many aimless instrumentals that struggle to hold your attention. For me, it’s a fairly pointless listen outside of its cinematic context. Favourite track: Theme from Shaft is the obvious highlight, with No Name Bar and Do Your Thing also enjoyable. These three songs just about lift the album to a 2/5 instead of a 1/5. Least favourite track: Most of the instrumentals blur into one, making it hard to pick out anything memorable. Album artwork: A standard soundtrack cover—nothing special.

So this music isn’t the worst overall. It’s listenable in short doses. BUT the 19 minute song messed it all up. -1 for annoyingness & length. Mehhhhhhhh

Long-Winded "Be Yourself", "No Name Bar", "Do Your Thing" and "The End Theme" are great. As for the rest, I guess im to european for this but appreciate the artistry. 2/10

While the music isn't that bad, it just goes on for too long and the song "Do Your Thing" overstays its welcome. Overall I'll give this a high 2/5.

Who mastered the first song? The rest, an OST with nothing stellar in it.

Trilha sonora. Até que legal, mas nada a ver estar na lista.Soundtrack. Pretty cool, but it has no place on the list.

I liked the groove it was missing vocals on the songs I didn't save because it's a movie soundtrack.

Ein Cooles Lied. Der Rest plätschert so dahin.

It's fine but it's a soundtrack. Without the movie it just doesn't make sense. 2.13

I get that this was a popular movie at the time but I don’t see the appeal of this album. Reminded me of an elevator.

Exactly as I expected listening to a TV series soundtrack would sound like. Background elevator music.

Not feeling it this day, but probably would have rated it higher another time

I am a fan of Isaac Hayes, he was truly an amazing artist. Although I’m not a fan of his work with the Super Adventure Club. I feel that Black Moses should have been on this list included over this album. The Theme of Shaft is certainly an all time song, but fourteen more tracks of soundtrack music hardly make this a must listen.

4/10 It's a soundtrack. It sounds like a soundtrack. It has one song and then lots of sound tracks. They sound ok in places, but rarely hint a cohesive album in the way I think this list understands it to be.

I have never watched this movie, but the soundtrack is ok. I kinda don't understand why this is on here.

Unique black voice from the 70’s.

This isn't my jam, but I appreciate it. It's dynamic, well-made and interesting. 2/5 stars.

More long-winded '70s soul/funk. Not for me.

I really have no idea why this is on the list. Soundtracks are an odd choice, and if you’ve got this one why not Saturday Night Fever or Who Made Who as well? Massively over long and a bit shit does not make me love this.

I listened to the Deluxe version to get all the songs and because everyone recommends it and....Meh. This was a fun jazz album by "Chef" (I can't believe this is the same guy who voices that South Park character) but this album just sounds like hotel lobby/elevator music. Most of the songs never go anywhere or develop. There are fun songs and good ideas here, just too long and boring at times. Maybe this would be better if I saw the movie. Liked Songs: "Cafe Regio" , "Ellie's Love Theme" , "Shaft's Cab Ride" , "Early Sunday Morning" , "Soulsville" , "No Name Bar"

This was fine for a soundtrack. I do like the overall sound, but it didn't particularly do anything groundbreaking in a musical sense. Maybe watching the movie would make me appreciate it more. 2.5

I'm not gonna say I disliked this album, because it would be a lie. I juste didn't think it was nearly as good as many other albums on here. I don't think it is one of the best soundtracks ever, which to me makes its position in the list really questionnable. Still, it was an easy listen, just not a fantastic one.

Tolerable but barely so.

What is this even doing on the list? Yes, the Theme from Shaft is an undeniable funk classic with its iconic wah-wah guitar and slinky groove, but beyond that, this soundtrack feels more like an exercise in background music than an essential album. The bulk of Shaft is made up of long, meandering instrumentals that, while slickly arranged, don’t really stand on their own outside of the film. Tracks like Cafe Regio’s and Ellie’s Love Theme are pleasant but unmemorable, often drifting into repetitive jam territory without ever really going anywhere. The few vocal moments—when Hayes finally steps up to the mic—are strong, but they’re so sparse that they feel like an afterthought. As a film score, it does its job, setting the mood with smooth orchestrations and deep bass grooves, but as a standalone album, it’s a slog. The tracks blur together, rarely offering anything as dynamic or engaging as the famous theme song. There’s no doubt that Hayes was a gifted arranger and a key figure in soul and funk, but Shaft feels more like an overlong movie cue than an album worth revisiting. If this weren’t attached to an iconic film, no one would be talking about it.

No suena mal, pero me ha resultado aburrido excepto el tema principal que es un clásico de esta época, lo he guardado. Entiendo que hay que escucharlo alguna vez en la vida.

I really wanted to prove the haters wrong, but the haters were right: without the movie this is missing so much.

A bit loungy.

Audible porno Ellie’s Love Theme is 5/5

The main theme is iconic but the rest is a bit so so

Some enjoyable smooth jeopardy, but on the whole the ratio of funk to lift tilts too far towards lift!

Simultaneously awesome and cheesy which is quite an achievement. Sadly mostly the latter, never lives up to the awesome promise of the opening track

It’s a score to a film, not an album. It has groove and the vocal tracks are good, but there are only so many instrumentals I can take - too long.

If I saw the movie "Shaft", or at least had some visual aid, I would rate it higher. Anyone else agree? Damn right! Favorite Song: "Theme From 'Shaft'".

non capisco il senso di inserire questo album. è una colonna sonora, ma dura tipo un quarto d’ora e a mio avviso non è neanche così particolare o rivoluzionaria. non è male, ma davvero, un ascolto inutile.

It’s good as a background music for moving images. It’s funky and stuff, but why tf is it on 1001 greatest albums list? In the words of shaft, man an hour long soundtrack of some 70s tv series on this list come on you gotta be kidding me. Never seen shaft

This is the fourth 2* album in a row. I'm sorry. This again is a nice album with some nice sounds. But... it doesn't do anything for me. Doesn't elevate me, doesn't make me feel anything. (Is the problem me??) Best songs: Do Your Thing Theme From Shaft

Maybe it would have meant a lot more if I had seen the movie. Otherwise it feels a little low impact. Is it good background music, yes. But it is good background music. It has some emotion in it and would work well with some visuals, but on its own it wasn't super interesting.

Well, this was too long and quite boring. The theme is a bop.

Nja, beetje te lang. Hoefde er voor mij niet op. Cava om op te zetten op de achtergrond. 2.4

Decent for background noise

Artiste inconnu, et je ne suis pas sur d'avoir vu le film. Par contre j'ai reconnu le premier morceau, un classique ! Le reste, en majorité instrumental, est plutôt agréable à écouter. Mais il y a aussi du remplissage, qui passe certainement quand on regarde le film mais est plutôt ennuyeux à l'écoute (exemple "Be Yourself" bien trop répétitif). Pas sur de l'écouter de nouveau. =>2/5

It's fun but not something I'll listen to again.

There’s a song on this soundtrack with the powerful title: “Shaft Strikes Again” - and it’s the most mellow and boring thing, you’ve heard in a long time. I listen to Isaac Hayes for his vocal, a thing that is almost completely omitted from Shaft. It’s not a bad soundtrack; it’s just not an album. Looking forward to listening to Howard Shore’s LotR-soundtrack further into this list.

#444. I'm sure this was fine as background music in the film, but it doesn't really stand up as something interesting on its own. It's not bad, it's just boring out of context. 2/5: meh

I'm a bit conflicted with this one. I enjoyed a lot of it and see why it's included (the cultural significance of the main theme). But I'm on the fence about whether soundtracks should be included here at all. A lot of these tracks don't really stand alone without the context of the film (which I haven't seen). Much preferred Hot Buttered Soul.

Listened to the deluxe version. I love this type of music, but barring the song sung by Hayes, this was capital b Boring. Songs dragged on too long, album was too long. Woudlve been better as a medly.

2,5

I expected a banger... It's Isaac Hayes. And then I realised this really is just a soundtrack album. Not songs from the film, but the music that accompanies various scenes in the movie. A disappointing and a bit boring exercise.

Oh look, more 70s music. Shocker. This should be interesting, though. I’m too young to have seen the movie, but the song is pop culture royalty. It's mainly just a score, which I was a little surprised about. The issue with that is that it just sounds like a cheesy 70s movie, which isn't extraordinary, it's just kind of forgettable. For a soundtrack to be something one "must listen to before you die" I would think it would need to be something exceptionally different or groundbreaking. For example: Judgement Night - forgettable movie, but the soundtrack was really breaking ground by putting major hip hop artists with major rock artists. The rap/rock hybrid sort of became the dominant sound of the mid 90s, but this album predated that dominance and, in fact, heavily influenced it. Purple Rain - I mean, just a masterpiece on so many levels. I know it's already in this project so I won't belabor the point, but THIS is an album you have to hear at least once before you die. Saturday Night Fever - Look, I don't like disco, and this album isn't my cup of tea. But if you're talking about albums to listen to before you die, this is one of them. Whether you like the music or not, it tells a story. It is a love note to a very specific time and place. There are instructions in this album, there is history in this album. It is a time capsule and, for a moment at least, it was perfection. Oh Brother Where Art Thou - This soundtrack took music that was close to 100 years old and somehow catapulted the album to number 1 on all the charts! Why? What was the allure? How the hell? Exactly! Don't you want to know the answers? Don't you want - no, *need* - to listen to that album before you die? Exactly! There are literally dozens of soundtracks that are more deserving of being on list of Albums to hear before you die. Even if you're looking more at scores than soundtracks, literally anything by John Williams, Gladiator, Chariots of Fire, Interstellar, Last of the Mohicans, FFS! Anyway, this album was underwhelming.

I’d always assumed that ‘Theme from Shaft’ was a one off novelty record, but it turns out that Isaac Hayes (who missed out on the title role) recorded the whole soundtrack for the film. The result is a double album of prime 70s funk and soul. Judged on its own merits, most of these tracks lack context so feel a bit aimless. The highlight though is ‘Do Your Thing’ - an epic 20 minute track which makes me feel like driving a car through some cardboard boxes.

I've watched this movie at least a dozen times and I do not recall the soundtrack being this boring.

It's just too much wokka wokka guitar.

Delighted just to be able to access only 4 tracks of a double album

2.5 This is one of the weirder inclusions we’ve had on the list so far in that it’s a film soundtrack. Not that that itself is a problem per se - I mean, so is Purple Rain - but this album feels much more like film score, meaning, it’s mostly instrumental stuff that sounds like it was meant to play in the background of movie scenes. So, as someone who’s never seen Shaft, it makes this album hard to rate. Does this album work? Idk, it’s hard to gauge given that the intention and creative force behind most of the music was to accompany the film. Don’t get me wrong, listening isolated is fine, but without context, it also just feels like a lot of nothing. The Theme track is at least pretty good, but conversely, there’s no reason Do Your Thing needed to be as long as it is - it just feels like the same thing looping over and over for twenty minutes. If you want to hear something of the same length that’s much better, go give The Decline by NOFX a listen - it’s certainly topical given the current state of affairs in America. Hell, maybe everyone should go out and give that song a listen right now. Not exactly sure how to rate this one, so I’m just going to land in the middle. Will definitely revisit if I ever do end up watching Shaft.

It’s good. The funk is played well, an the orchestral parts in the theme are well done. It’s just kind of kitschy. 2.5/5 Probably won’t listen again

I think this would have been better if I had any context for who Shaft is

Maybe the best theme song of all time? Its up there. The rest is fun and of that era. Horn sections, wind sections and a touch of Isaac (he doesn't sing that much). Was fun and fine.

Pleasant but too close to elevator music. Obviously the actual theme song is great though.

Never saw the film so I don't have any context for the soundtrack. It sounds very stereotypically 70s in an almost funny way. Key tracks: Theme from Shaft

Haven't seen the film, so no nostalgia for me for this. The theme is fun, lyrics are hilarious, almost exactly what you'd write if you were parodying a film like this. But most of the rest of it is incidental music, nice, but ultimately designed to accompany something else rather than being listened to in its own right. 2/5. 

All I can hear in this album is “Shaft!”.. it was just ok.

Not a huge fan of soundtracks. A couple tracks on this album can be standalone's but as an album it's not high on my list.

I'm sure this would be great within the context of the film but it's pretty boring by itself. There is a rare highlight to toss in an instrumental playlist though. 2/5

Classic track, not a classic album. suffers from being a soundtrack

Für das klasse "Theme From Shaft" einen Extrapunkt. Der Rest ist leider zu sehr Soundtrack. Ohne Film fehlt was.

A few songs are okay, but this doesn’t really feel like an album. Probably suffers a lot without the movie it’s attached to. …do I just not like slow, soulful R&B?

Scientology is a cult

Perfekt elevator-musik hvis din swingerklub ligger på 5. sal

Pleasant background noise. Not that exciting as an album

Hmmmmm. movie soundtrack and mostly instrumental. Why on this list? Just for the one song?

It's a solid movie soundtrack, if a product of its age.

As 3 músicas que eles recomendam são boas, mas o resto faz nenhum sentido sem a imagem provavelmente

Fairly ambivalent about this record! It was certainly fun and pleasant, and I’m sure that title track was a hit, fantastic example of that sound, good jazz interspersed there. I felt soundtracked to. It no doubt must be brilliant in its effect of scoring the film, but it suffers from being unsupported on its own without the film itself to lead the way. 2/5, probably not returning to this as an album, despite its acclaim!

I hoped this would be a lot more fun than it was. I knew the iconic theme with all that lovely funky wah wah business. But as with all movie soundtracks (especially mainly instrumental like this one) it’s not a great listen unless you absolutely love the movie. Having never seen it, it was all a bit lost on me.

Gameshow music. Got really dull really fast

Favourite song - cafe regio

Boring

This album is so cheesy Kraft Foods called - they want their Velveeta back. 1.5/5.0: Bad

not for me

A Soundtrack? I guess it is all performed by the same artist, Isaac Hayes. Good background music, I guess

Bow-chica-bow SHAFT

Oddly corny for such a controversial album. 2/5

The music was ok but it really felt like listening to a movie soundtrack, something was just missing without the story elements and visuals. If we are going to allow movie soundtracks on here there must be really iconic ones that deserve places here too. How does one even decide? As an album it doesn't really connect as you can here the songs belong to different scenes. The theme is cool though,

This soundtrack has some great bits but is mostly skippable and not worth your time---JUST LIKE THIS LIST 😮

Most songs weren't available on Spotify

Kind of tough to rate a soundtrack album heavy in instrumentals without viewing the movie simultaneously. For me the 70s cop show sound just doesn't hold up today. Quintessential for the time, but the relevancy has faded.

I like that 70's guitar sound, obviously the lead track is the standout out and the rest seems what it is, background.

Lots of soul/blues jamming. Enjoyable enough but not something I would seek out.

Fun album to get for this, but only really enjoyed a few of the tracks. Personally feeling pretty meh over it.

Da jeg startede med at høre den her plade tænkte jeg: Jeg vidste slet ikke at jeg havde haft brug for så meget wah-pedal, orgel og blæsere før! Men efter de første 10-15 minutter fandt jeg ud af at jeg ikke behøvede mere i min hverdag.. Soundtracket giver mig lyst til at se blaxploitation film... Og det er nok præcis den her lyd jeg forbinder med den filmgenre, så det er jo ikonisk og derfor den er på listen. Desværre bliver pladen rimelig ensformigt og lidt kedeligt i LÆNGDEN.

Definitely lacks the engaging aspects of a dedicated album as a soundtrack but has pretty good funky grooves. Won’t be a regular listen and I didn’t save anything

Theme from Shaft is a banger but the rest of the album is just background music.

This was a funky album. But also... my life doesn’t need to have shaft music in the background.

Based on the title track this would earn 5 stars but due to the remainder os the songs being hot tub jazz, which is definitely not my cup of tea I have to score a 2

Boring

I'm sure it's great if you know the context these songs play in during the movie, but for the uninitiated, it's not very engaging.

I played the Theme in high school. Loved it. Hadn’t heard the rest of the album. It is a movie score - not expected to be 75 minutes of high level stuff. I’m not a fan of strings and vocals. Two stars

this album suffers from what many soundtracks do, the fact that it is comprised of mostly instrumentals. i do enjoy the music of the album, don’t get me wrong, but it would be much more enjoyable if more of the songs had vocals.

Meh. Good background music, I guess. 🤷‍♂️

Listening to a soundtrack from a film you've never seen definitely takes away about 90% of the experience. Does that mean I'm going to go and watch the film just to make a less biased review? Absolutely not. I'm doing this challenge to listen to music, not to watch films. That's the fault of the list's creator for putting an album on the list that requires more than just the music to fully experience. Every review from everyone here is biased to a degree so I'm going to review this album, as an album, as someone who has never seen this film. This album really drags on, it never feels like it really goes anywhere and just keeps doing the same thing all the way through. The fact that almost all the songs are instrumental definitely doesn't help, it just makes it so much more boring than it already is. It has its moments, it can be enjoyable at times. It's the kind of thing you need to listen to while doing something else, I couldn't even imagine how tedious it would be to get through this entire album if you just sat down and listened to it. Overall, definitely not the worst thing I have ever heard, but I really have no desire to come back and listen to this album likely ever again.

This is alright for a soundtrack, quite a few epic melodies that have been sampled in hip hop. This is far from the best Isaac Hayes though, probably would not listen again.

Only 3 songs of the 15 are available on Spotify for some reason. I guess they couldn't get the rights. I can listen to the whole album elsewhere but that was kind of interesting to me. In any case, this is a strangely popular album. For the kitsch or whatever, I don't know.

Movie soundtrack with a couple good songs.

Not my jam

In Canada, Spotify only has the rights to 4 tracks, so this may be an unfair review… Funk guitar to kick off the theme song, always a plus! I did think it would be a bit louder and intense (just thinking it is an action movie soundtrack). Full of soul. From what I’ve heard, high 2 to very low 3.

I was just not interested in this album. It felt a bit too much like a soundtrack for a 70s movie for me to enjoy it. Plus, Issac Hayes first appeared to me on South Park and I can’t separate that from him. Sorry this album was always set up to not live up to my tastes.

Good but like just an instrumental soundtrack?

This was okay, but was also just a movie soundtrack. I don't think I needed to listen to this, I could've just watched the movie.

Couldnt really listen to the whole album and Isaac Hayes is great but this seems like a weird placement here.

What this really needs is a film to watch at the same time.

I couldn’t dig it.

can ya dig it? the obvious aside, sadly not

It’s fine as background music

I bought the single "Theme from Shaft" and it's still an amazing track, but for the rest of the album that Spotify allowed me to listen to - meh!

I knew the them song. I was surprised that this entire album made the cut. It is not a bad album, but certainly there have to be better funk/soul albums? There was already one Isaac Hayes album on this list. The album is certainly better than some of the other albums on this list. I don't see myself listening to this entire album again.

Classic funk, but a score without the movie is not my thing

Enjoyed some of it but had higher expectations. Not much variety.

Shrug

2 songs rest is 70s elevator music

Incredibly boring

A soundtrack that perfectly communicates what's happening but sounds like it's elevator music now. Everyone knows the theme. I really dug the bassline on "No Name Bar" but I didn't come across any crazy standouts.

Good strong vibe, definitely a music soundtrack cause it’s mostly instrumentals. The vibe here is super funky

Pretty snazzy but a bit samey after a while

It has its moments, but too much of it sounds like background music (which, being a soundtrack, it is).

My entire knowledge of Isaac Hayes is from watching South Park as a kid. Refreshing to hear that voice again. Great first track. Peters out a bit from there, I know it's a soundtrack, but a large bunch of the tracks sound like they're trying to focus the viewer on what's happening, which doesn't really work in solely audio format. The other two vocal tracks Soulsville and Do Your Thing were disappointing for opposite reasons; the former because it simply wasn't good, the latter because it was good but then ran far too long. I'm a fan of a long jam but 10-12 minutes would have been much better than the actual 19. Might check out some of his other stuff given the vocal tracks were on the whole enjoyable.

That theme song is a verified 11 outta 10. The rest of the album doesn't need to exist. It's functional background music. I now know where "Santa Claus is Coming to the Ghetto" got their sampling from, however. So that's cool.

The title track (which everyone knows) and some other vocal tracks are good, otherwise this is surprisingly bland.

Except for the title track, it wasn't very exciting.

A film score and it shows. It is pretty laid back which is weird given the film it is supporting. The title track is the standout providing the memorable hook - Stick any single syllable to the end of the Who is the .....

There’s nothing inherently bad about this but long soundtrack albums which are mostly instrumental just aren’t made for me. 2/5

Ihan kiva, toimii taustamusiikkina. Ei mene jammailuksi vaikka uhka on.

I don't really see why a soundtrack is on this list. I'm sure Issac Hayes has many many fantastic albums that don't have the disadvantage of not missing visuals to go along with it. That being said its ovbiously very well made funk and Hayes vocals are as smooth as you would expect. But being a soundtrack alot of the time it just meanders along without any really standout moments because thats exactly why it was made, as background music.

The soundtrack languishes a little too long in its soundtrackness. There are moments that reach choice, and nothing is bad; There's just excessive repetition making for something average.

Was it an interesting idea? Yes. Did it make me feel like I was hold while calling a bank? Also yes. Would I listen to it again? No. Can appreciate the history with movie sound tracks and academy awards but it's little more than elevator muzak in the end, until it got to track 14.

"Superfly" is on this list as well - did we really need two progressive soul funk soundtracks released like 6 months apart on this list? This doesn't work as well without the context of the movie as the other soundtracks on this list do (or at least I assume as I haven't seen the movie). Too many songs here are just little background tracks that no sane being would ever listen to in their spare time. Uhh.. something something coffee shop music, something something Scientology is a cult, something something South Park. And again, I have to mention the fact that C418's "Minecraft: Volume Alpha" is not on this list despite being not only the best soundtrack album of all time but also the best ambient album of all time in general! Curse you Robert Dimery, yet again!

Rating: 2.5 Without watching the movie it might be a less enjoyable experience. It's a fine album but besides the main theme and (tracks with vocals in general) nothing really stands out on each own. This could be a good background music though it already sounds very dated. Best song: Soulville (Really good soul/bluesy song, with meaningful lyrics and great backing trumpet) Worst song: Walk from Regio's (repeating sounds are irritating, unpleasant)

Theme is legendary, but everything else is meh

Chill enough but a bit ZzzZ