Reviews (page 7 of 8)
Good but to much of elevator music for me
4.5 Brilliant. Standout: Shaft The rest of this album is just amazing. I love it start to finish!
Own on Vinyl
Nice jammin' stuff. Starts with "Theme from Shaft" - classic. Nice grooves follow. Great to hear while getting stuff done.
Música muy de los 60-70. Estilo instrumental inconfundible. No hay muchas voces en el disco. Faltan muchas canciones para escuchar más en profundidad
The main theme is great and there are some other nice motifs here and there but a lot of the album is quite bland
liked it
לא אוהב לא אוהב לא אוהב
He was a better musician than he was a chef.
SHAFT: Music to Polish Your Bedpost To
You’re damn right
Typical 70s instrumental. Nothing super astounding except for that theme song
I was surprised that a movie soundtrack would be on here but I suppose if you're going to include one this is a pretty good pick since it was pretty influential in how Black-led movies were scored. I was only familiar with the theme song but the whole thing was pretty good. At some points I got bored but then remembered that this was probably for a slower part that was dialogue heavy and just waited for the next big action scene and all of those tracks were really funky and fun. Side note: I was looking through the controversial tab in my history and I saw that I gave stankonia by outlast a 2 which is embarrassing cuz after like a year and a half I think that albums a 4. Probably just shows how my rating system has evolved
Great and Groovy!
Some solid funk jams, big-band jazzy chillness, and the voice. "That dirty frank was a bad mutha..."
There’s nothing inherently bad about this but long soundtrack albums which are mostly instrumental just aren’t made for me. 2/5
not completely my style but good in his kind, nice soulalbum, and the favourite album of a good friend of mine
Good funk/soul album Great instrument sections I feel that the fact that the main theme has been parodied so many times that it ruin my enjoyment o fit as i couldn't take it seriously Its a good album but not great one and i don't think you are missing out if you give it a skip
Very good
The only thing I knew about going in was that people always say the theme from Shaft is so good. After listening, I can confirm its much more than just the theme.
Enjoyable for sure, although of course it is a soundtrack, so a little too deep in the background vibe to be a true 5.
Loved Shaft (theme song) The rest of the album is like the type of sounds in my head while I was 17, or the elevator music to a fancy burlesque club.
this left me with wow
Ihan kiva, toimii taustamusiikkina. Ei mene jammailuksi vaikka uhka on.
Kyllä kai leffan taustalla kuuntelisin. Mutta miksi PITÄISI kuulla?
Spotify doesn't have the entire album but from what i heard it's fantastic.
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.
Shut your mouth!
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.
From the first edition of the book: "What about Saturday Night Fever?'; you may ask. Well, you won't find compilations or soundtracks by "various artists" in this book, although we have made room for soundtracks that consist entirely of original material composed by a particular artist. Otherwise, we would not have been able to tell you about Superfly, Shaft, or Purple Rain-three milestones in pop and some of the best work by Curtis Mayfield, Isaac Hayes, and Prince respectively. Once again, the author(s) twist and bend the rules of the list to fit their vision, but an otherwise decent funk-soul-jazz album. 3/5.
Yep in in the movie before the guitar uneven starts up. Oh yes. This is something I've always wanted to here. Bring out the cars and long states, while chewing a match. Shiny leather jackets, and hormones.
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.
Well what's not to love? It's quite a nice barebones funk - meat and potatoes instrumentation that is actually just just right. Cooked medium rare, this album exhudes cool and sleaze in a stylish way. It tends towards the longer side of records which might be it's only slight flaw - but you need to take your time with good things and this is a record that someone should get to know properly.
vibey
Mmmm behagligt. Mysigt lunk från början till slut. Soundtrack till filmen Shaft från 1971, därav mest instrumentellt. Härlig stämning genomgående. 'Café Regio's' är vad jag skulle spela om jag ägde ett café som hette Regio's. 'Early Sunday Morning' låter precis som jag vill att min söndagsmorgon ska kännas. Längden och soundtrackfaktorn gör det lite svårt att bedöma det som ett koncist album. Inget fel på musiken, men lite långt som album betraktat, tappar 1p på det. Svårt att välja favorit. Både 'Walk from Regio's' och 'Café Regio's' är bra. 'No Name Bar' är lite mer rough, kvällsdoftande. Men ändå svårt att komma från huvudspåret 'Theme From Shaft', med sin otroliga presentation av hjälten Shaft: "Who's the black private dick That's a sex machine to all the chicks? SHAFT!" "He's a complicated man, but no one understands him but his woman" SHAFT! Bästa låt: 'Theme From Shaft' eller 'No Name Bar'.
HL: "Do Your Thing", the theme, "Walk From Regio's", "Soulville", "No Name Bar" Not the 1st 70's double album with too much muchness I've heard this month, but there are enough bangers to make the listen worthwhile. I first heard "Do Your Thing" when I was 10 or something, but didn't know there were 14 more minutes of the song after the single version fades out! The blaxploitation In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida 3.5 January 30, 2023
Musically a great album. But not what I want to listen to. Definitely speaks of the era.
weird
"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!
Like most soundtracks, I might have a stronger connection to this if I had a connection to the movie. But I don't think I've ever actually seen it! It was great, easy listening though. I particularly liked "Bumpy's Lament" and "No Name Bar" and "Do Your Thing" has something for everyone it's in nearly 20 minutes of rambling!
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)
Pretty much exactly what I expected. Chill Tunes I would hear when cruising through a rainy city at 3 am. Not my cup of tea, but you have to respect the musician involved with it. Edit: Okay, Listened to the full thing while I worked. I love this album now. It provided a groovy tone to my otherwise boring day. I can dig it.
Album is a very solid soundtrack. My biggest complaints are: Isaac doesn't sing enough, and it just makes me want to watch the movie.
This was a solid album but it just made me want to watch the movie. Without the visuals, a lot of it kind of washed over me. It's long enough that the instrumental tracks start to blend together despite the fantastic musicianship. Favorite track is the 20 minute long Do Your Thing. There was a stretch where it sounded like a track from Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii but with horns. Pretty neat.
Theme is legendary, but everything else is meh
Chill enough but a bit ZzzZ
Look, this is Isaac Hayes' Shaft. What do you want?
It's a soundtrack, so it's literally designed to be background music... ...but, this is Isaac Hayes, so I'm totally unsurprised that 'Shaft' rules. Putting aside the iconic theme song, the other pieces are the audio equivalent of an indulgent dessert - there's a delicious voluptuary about the arrangements. Plus, this is pungent music, invoking particular times, moods and atmospheres with ease. Of course, it wouldn't be Hayes if there wasn't a track jammed out to last almost one side of vinyl. Here, it's 'Do Your Thing', a kickass hunk of soul-funk with one of the sickest guitar solos around. It's the Blaxploitation 'Freebird'!
Too long, but I actually really enjoyed so many of the instrumental score tracks. I mean, it's hard to beat the title track just as a song of the era and one that's probably better than the movie itself (don't know; never seen it and just making a dumb assumption). But there's also some fine film composing going on here, too, and I don't know that this has been the cultural takeaway from this album at all. Which is too bad! I will single-handedly change that.
Beyond the classic signature tune there's a baffling amount of lift music on this. Some funky bits I guess but it's pretty bland.
Torenhoge verwachtingen die niet waar gemaakt werden. Behalve die eerste track viel alles vies tegen. Jammer.
Het openingsnummer is briljant! Dus ik had echt zin in een plaat vol van dit soort funky spul. Maar helaas blijkt de rest van deze soundtrack vol te staan met instrumentale R&B liftmuziek. Wat een suffe bende.
Eerste nummer erg tof maar het zakt toch wel erg snel af naar liftmuziek. Omdat ik het wel erg gemoedelijk vind toch drie sterren.
Couldn't find lots of the tracks
Classic movie, classic soundtrack, especially the title track. Doesn't really work as a walk to work album.
Theme tune is 5 star, the rest does sound like background music to a movie and isn’t as engaging, was still a good listen and was good that a lot was instrumental
Definitely not something I would just play. It requires you to sit down and actually absorb and listen to the details. I’m not the biggest fan of instrumental music. I need lyrics to keep my brain stimulated. Otherwise, it’s a great album artistically. Highlights: -
Interesting to have a soundtrack on this list - most of the tracks are instrumental and it's very easy to imagine them as background pieces. I've not seen Shaft the movie, but am aware of it's cult. As for the music, it's insanely groovy - itchy guitar hooks aplenty; deliciously mellow at times. I've always felt Isaac Hayes was like a much cooler Barry White. Such a shame that he fell in with the Scientologists; for South Park to offer a tender tribute rather than an all-out character assassination speaks volumes. A fantastic composition.
This is the OG “write the theme tune, sing the theme tune”. Amazing talent but instrumental soundtracks aren’t really my thing.
I know Curtis Mayfield's Superfly will be coming up on the list later, which to my mind, is a much stronger choice for "blaxploitation movie soundtrack" if someone felt that niche genre had to be included. Here's the difference between Superfly and Shaft: Superfly actually works as a standalone album, not just as a soundtrack. Shaft is one iconic song - "Theme from Shaft" is rightfully legendary - and then a lot of instrumental filler. It's not bad music at all, but it doesn't really work outside of the context of the film.
Solid! 5 stars!!
entretenida
Agree with others here that this is a questionable addition outside the context of the movie – several tracks are enjoyable and decently funky, but this OST was written to literally provide background music for the film. There are definitely musical chops shown here, but as a standalone listen it just doesn't break above surface level.
Meh
enjoyable background for a little 70s swagger
Great theme- proper 70's soul but a lot of the rest of the album is orchestral wallpaper with a couple of good tracks in between. Hot Buttered Soul is better by far.
Couldn't do it. Definitely not my style.
Ohhh yeah, he's the man. But saying that other than the theme tracks, the other tracks sound a bit like elevator music. Maybe it would be better while I'm making sweet sweet love to my woman
Not bad but no lyrics. Super old school cool elevator music
- catchy! Could see this being really fun to have on in the background while working. - unfortunately I couldn’t listen to the whole thing. Only 4 of the songs were available on Spotify
good soundtrack
Not sure how it made 1001 but its an enjoyable soundtrack for sure!
Yritin kuunnella avoimin mielin, mutta tää funkkihomma, yyh. En osaa kuvitella olevani koskaan niin tšilli, ettei tällainen musiikki kuulostaisi lähinnä vittuilulta. Tunnistan hyvin tehdyksi, siitä yksi piste.
Best soundtrack of all time? Probably. Musical genius, and I love the different moods here. Never get tired of this.
I had no idea that this was n the Stax label. Such details matters. Musically and this album has so much energy, so much rawness. The horn stabs come at you from all directions, building up to, well, building up to sex, basically. But you can't last all night. That's where the instrumentals come in. They're actually rally thoughtful and scenic. This album makes perfect sense as a film soundtrack. I love the way you can listen to it in isolation, and relive the film plot in your mind.
I have never seen or even heard of the movie. It’s a nice soundtrack album, funky jazz with really nice rhythmic section. But that’s all there is to me. It lacks context of the movie. And therefore I’m really puzzled if this should even be on that list?
I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would.
Excellent vibes from (maybe?) the root of the Blacksploitation genre. If you like this album like I did, make sure to check out the Superfly soundtrack by Curtis Mayfield. That cat Shaft is a bad mother......
cool lil groovy instrumental album, liked it in the background quite a bit tbh 6/10
Totally did not expect to get what I got out of this soundtrack. Was jamming to this putting up christmas lights. It was fantastic. Solid 4. Adding main theme to my playlist.
A great album of deep grooves and classic Hayes: soulful, orchestral, grandiose. A great soundtrack which passes the soundtrack test - listenable and meaningful without the movie.
Det var för tråkigt
Relic
2/5. Some great instrumentals but mostly very similar styles without much diversity among them. The opening track is great but I would rather just watch the movie.
classic
Some good tracks, some iconic tracks, will need to revisit and find the gems.
The theme song is such an icon. The album is worth it for that. There are some other good songs too, but also some that just sound like filler - due in part I'm sure to this being a movie soundtrack. A more concise album would have been even more enjoyable.
Title track is iconic for sure but the rest of the album isn't particularly noteworthy.
"That's a 3* album as he-" "Shut yo mouth!" "I'm only talking about the album as a whole! The title track is awesome." "... We can dig it."
Easy listening stuff
Theme is great, but the rest is not anything amazing, I'd rank a bunch of soundtracks higher than this. The Theme gets it out of 1 star though, so there is that.
I was a bit hesitant going in this album, but I actually quite liked it. Some really good arrangements. Not sure this album needs to be on this list though. 3/5
Kinda surprised by this one. Maybe I should watch the movie. It's a great soundtrack - will definitely revisit if I'm in the mood. 3.5 stars
28th November 2022 Listened throughout the day and finished the morning after. First body pump session in Stroud in the eve. Can see why it had such an impact, very classy, funky and of it’s time but the theme tune is timeless.
Soul is hit or miss for me, but this was fine in the background. Nothing earth-shattering or anything. +1 point just because my husband loved it so much. He said: "You never put on music like this! It's just sad folk music, classical piano, and k-pop with you."
I don't know. This whole album feels like it was cheesy when it was new. It's well put togeather and some of it is catchy but really only because of the movie it is the audio for.
Soul progresivo. Está bien, sin maravillar.
a few killer tracks but a lot of muzakey funk-jazz filler - then again it’s a film score
Cool as background/movie music but not something that I would regularly listen to.
Lekker vet maar niet mijn stijl
I don’t remember having ever watched Shaft but the theme song is epic; it really makes you feel like you’re 8-feet tall and the coolest person around. The rest of the album doesn’t quite reach those heights but there’s some fantastic stuff here, particularly the 2nd half with “No Name Bar” and “Do Your Thing”. Didn’t love the overall record enough just now to give it more than 3 🌟, but will definitely revisit it later, as well as more of Isaac Hayes’ work.
Cool music, not really impressive in any way, but overall OK
theme from shaft forever goated, shoutout knowhow by young mc the rest is okay. the movie's legacy is complicated. isaac hayes has some good stuff in his catalogue but eh
I thought this wouldn't go well with me after reading some reviews before I listened. It's definitely not my preference, but I can really hear the quality. I was surprised how easy this was to listen to and I'm so glad I stuck it out to "Do Your Thing"... that was awesome. Mostly I liked the album better when Isaac wasn't singing, but he does have such a cool sound. I'm glad I heard this, not my thing, but I'll still call it at 4 stars.
Lift music
Can’t get half. Funky though.
The Theme is the GOAT, but the interstitial tracks spread things too thin to warrant inclusion on this list.
The biggest thing I learned was “know how” sampled the first 10-20 seconds of the opening them song. So cool.
Mostly music from a lift
A little boring on its own... Sparse mixing which makes it extra uninteresting.
Thought it was a nice album to have on in the background but not much more. Also, how this gets on here and not the Bee Gee's Saturday Night Fever is criminal. This is considering that the Saturday Night Fever album was a gigantic commercial success and there's only two other Bee Gee's albums on this 1001 list, none of which have the songs SNF has. 6/10.
Some nice chill music. Reminds me of the Neon Genesis Evangelion OST a lot. Overall not really outstanding though.
I understand this album is on the list due to its impact on popular culture and the landmark in time. But, it's a soundtrack. And it sounds like one. Probably sounds well as background music for whatever is happening on screen. But aside from the killer opening track and the 20 minute jam-session on Do Your Thing, without the visuals, this album is mostly just funky elevator music. Right on.
Pretty good
Funky and suave, the epitome of 70s sexual swagger - perhaps more a caricature nowadays. I can see how this album revolutionised the soundtrack genre. And let’s not forget that it’s about a bad mother clucker.
As I've seen mentioned in other reviews here: funky elevator music, but didn't leave a lasting impression.
Classic 70s. Not really my jam, but funkadelic!
3.7 - The only real advantage this soundtrack has over "Super Fly" - the superior blaxploitation soundtrack of this era - is that it was released about a year earlier. Definitely more muzak than I was expecting but there are some funky cuts mixed in like "No Name Bar" and "Soulsville." And "Do Your Thing" is epic and worth revisiting.
A great soundtrack. This had me remembering some of the scenes from the film.
Great sound track
Unique
I feel that without the context of the film, this album just feels bland and doesn't make sense, just like any other film soundtracks with some exceptions. I didn't dislike it that much tho, it has a very cool progressive soul sound.
p228. 1971. 3.5 stars. Not his best album - see Hot Buttered Soul for that - and as with most 70s double albums it outstays its welcome. Do we really need 19 minute plus workout? Having said that, it's still good, easily accessible soul with silk smooth strings, and the title track is a perfect 4:39 snapshot of the early 70s.
I actually enjoyed this album way more than I thought I would and it led me down a listening rabbit hole of other Isaac Hayes albums.
This has a few really cool tracks! It’s a bit weird to listen to a movie soundtrack for a movie you’ve never seen
9/10. This was really nice, an improvement on the other Isaac Hayes album by virtue of the fact he is singing a bit more sparsely
Definitely sounded like a soundtrack but when the band cut loose it was amazing. 8/10
Iconic in every way.
That Shaft is one bad mother- Only the finest in 1970s blaxploitation cinema soundtracks for Richard Roundtree and Isaac Hayes.
Awful
Funky
I was hopeful for this album, given that I like what I've heard of Isaac Hayes. Also this album is clearly important in how it how it elevated Black music and changed the way R&B music was used cinematically. It's worth a spot on this list simply for being groundbreaking in those ways. But ultimately I didn't find many of the songs to be particularly engaging. As a soundtrack album you want to sit all the way through, this album really didn't do it for me. The vocal tracks are terrific I will say. I wish more of that energy had carried over into the instrumentals, which have a great funky vibe, but tend to sound dated. "Theme from Shack" is a classic cut that never gets old. Fave Songs: Theme from Shaft, Do Your Thing, Soulsville, No Name Bar, Walk from Regio's
Despite its iconic title track, its still an OST, so its uninteresting despite its musicianship
Hadn't really heard this album aside from the title track, and aside from having seen the movie ages ago, and was surprised at how loung-ey it sounded on the whole, with elements of funk and R&B thrown in. A good background mellow listen.
Enjoyed it at first, but got bored with it as the songs seems to similar for my liking. Good as background music.
Nice vibing.
Haha…I can’t even take this album seriously. The Shaft theme song has always seemed comical to me, probably because it has been referenced in pop culture so many times. Most of the album feels like elevator music to me. Reminds me of music that would have been playing when my mom would drag me shopping with her through Pic N Save in the 80’s. It would have been a 1 star, but the 20-min long “Do Your Thing” barely gave me enough to give it 2 stars.
I’ve never seen the movie Shaft, but I do remember watching the Academy Awards the night that Isaac Hayes won 2 Oscars - one for the now legendary theme song & one for the best dramatic score. Hayes was a mainstay of Stax Records during the 60’s - a great musician & composer and he had started a solo career in 1968. Four solo albums preceded Shaft but there’s no doubt that his career peaked with the soundtrack. Hardly surprising. A double album, it is thoroughly engaging, whether you’ve seen the film or not. It is soulful, funky and jazzy. Hayes enlisted the great Stax band The Bar-Kays to provide the instrumentation. I listened to the album from go to whoa & loved it. Here was a man who was only the 3rd Black American to win an Oscar, with a style of music that the Academy had never celebrated before. And 25 years before Salty Balls.
I think everyone is familiar with the the Theme from Shaft, It's iconic. I had never listened tot he soundtrack all the way through. I can see how influential the mix of funk, jazz and soul was on soundtracks over the following decades. Out of context as a soundtrack, I found much of this double album a bit wallpaper. The Bar-Kays are at the height of their powers, and the orchestral overdubs are really great. The title track really stands out, as does Soulsville (with its riff lifted from Aretha's Never Loved a Man). The track that really did it for me was Do Your Thing. It's the kind of psychedelic funk that I really go for. This is for sure going on my playlist. I am thinking that, when DJing, you could put this on, go for a wizz, get a drink, pop next door to order a pizza, have a chat with friends, maybe get another drink, and still get back to the decks in time to select the next platter. Awesome.
Soul/Funk soundtrack from the early 70s that works quite well without the movie. It's nice background music. Not sure if I'd come back to this, though. 3/5
It's really great start to finish. Not an album I see myself returning to quite often, but I would love to put a vinyl version of this on for background music. Not a bad track and some definite outstanding ones from the title track to "Walk from Regio's" to the monumental 20-minute opus "Do Your Thing"
Not for me.
Banda sonora pràcticament instrumental amb molt de groove i molt ben encapsulada en la seva època. El tema titular, és clar, és una de les joies indiscutibles dels començaments dels '70. L'altre tema cantat, 'Soulsville' també te una gran càrrega soul. La resta és molt decent, però res exttraordinari
Definitely has a 70s-show-background-music sound. I didn't love it, but at least it was easy to ignore.1
can ya dig it?
Groovy og funky, old-school rnb, primært instrumental, soundtrack
As I would have expected, a sound track to a movie I don't think I've seen. It seems that have the tracks on the album were not available on Sportify, so I guess I only heard about half?
Funky. But never saw the movie so...
Boring
I don’t know much about soul and funk music but this could be one of the crowning achievements of the genre. The orchestration is lush and the production is superb. The Theme From Shaft is just a great tune, Do Your Thing is truly epic. The soundtrack is filled with funky riffs and great rhythm tracks, mixed with some lovely flights of fancy. I loved how Hayes allows the music to amble causally at times, never rushing anything. I’ll definitely add this to my library and give it another listen. Also really need to see the film!
Awesome awesome album. One of the first on this list I agree with!
Made it part way thru. Probably should watch the movie
Wel goed, beetje eentonig.
Not bad. But it's movie music. It must sound great in the film.
Meh
I’ve never seen shaft, but the soundtrack definitely makes me want to
Cool songs, but feels more like a soundtrack than an album, plus a little repetitive (Also the 20 minute song near the end killed me) 2.5/5
very funky and still holds up, a lot of just background music but it was nice to chill to
Fun to discover where all the 70s funk TV intro parodies come from. Which is what my first response was, due to my generational roots. The rest of the album is fantastically mixed and curated.
good to half-clean, half-dance to; haven't seen the film
Outstanding soundtrack, lots of variety.
Apart from the iconic, Oscar-winning theme, these songs are probably best appreciated if you’ve seen the film beforehand. No doubt the musicians are sharp and the arrangements are smooth, but without context they just sort of drag.
2.5/5 Musically it’s a great album and probably the music is great as background in the movie. To listen to as an album is less interesting for me.
five stars, for a brother man
Shaft
I guess it’s fine but why?
Great visiting a time I never knew, feel like I was impregnated by this album
Ah, the entire album rather than the song. Who's heard it all the way through and expected that? Proper soundtrack with a catchy title song.
Title song is a classic. The few others that Spotify had were neither here nor there.
It was a travel day yesterday so I only listened to this once. The title track is iconic with it's wah-wah guitar and I also like Soulsville, with Isaac's rich voice. No Name Bar I like but it wasn't on the original release. The other instrumentals are okay and probably would have more impact if I heard them during the movie.
Isaac Hayes has some pretty impressive albums, my fav being the magnificent Hot Buttered Soul which has some epic psychedelic soul jams such as Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic, Walk on by and By the time I get to Phoenix. This album has one song at that level and that's of course the Theme from Shaft, which is one of most iconic film scores ever done and is instantly recognizable. Do your thing is also quite good given that its one of the more adventurous songs on this album. Unfortunately the rest of the album is corny muzak better suited for elevators or cheesey 70s porn films. I gave Hot Buttered Soul 4 stars and since this is a one-hit album it gets a 3 from me.
The main Theme Song is absolutely amazing...the rest I could leave alone. Too much movie soundtrack. 1.5/5
theme song is the best song
Title song is incredible. Probably carries the whole album to be honest. I didn't mind the rest but it didn't knock me out like "Theme From Shaft" did. 3.5 stars.
How was this good? Why did this work? I really have no clue but I liked it. Best album by a scientologist who was killed in south park.
Iconique
Mooi, rustig album, wat koffiezaak vibes. Leuk om eens op te zetten in een rustige mood, maar niet te alledaags.
Funk
I made the mistake of watching the Shaft re-make film a couple of years ago and probably the only highlight of the film was the Shaft theme by Isaac Hayes. I didn't see the original Shaft film from the 70's, but judging by the film's soundtrack, the music was pretty groovy. The Shaft theme is one of the best movie theme songs ever and the rest of the album manages to generally keep the vibe alive. It's a soundtrack, so there is a lot of atmospheric stuff happening and some of it wears thin after a wile, but overall a decent listen and a real time warp.
Not a big fan. Majority of it was elevator music. Far too long and caused me to put this project on hold for weeks
Not bad but not something is normally listen to
The main theme is fun, and there’s a sort of airy, happy-go-lucky feeling to the instrumentals which is endearing (no idea how a lot of these translate to a crime/action thriller though…) But as an album in its own right? Can’t see myself sticking this on in any situation really. The Super Fly soundtrack is better.
I went down a rabbit hole, looking up info about the Shaft films (yes, films plural). There's part of me that wants to watch the film and see how the songs fit in. Maybe I will. A number of the songs, as instrumentals, work except they feel like they need vocals. And the few songs (except for the Theme from Shaft) feel a bit clunky because... well... because of the lyrics. "Soulsville" in particular felt a little cringe-y. I mean, the topic was one that transcends the song itself about abject poverty. I don't know, maybe it was the delivery? I can't tell. One that caught my eye was "Be Yourself." It felt like it needed lyrics, and all I could think of was that the Audioslave song "Be Yourself" would somehow fit in there somewhere. I think the highlight for me was "Do Your Thing". The guitar solos were amazing. I didn't realize it was 20 minutes when I first started listening. A _DOUBLE_ album?! Wow, it's interesting that there was so much music in the movie like that. Definitely going to come back to this, especially "Do Your Thing."
I find the whole motif similar to Curtis Mayfield's Superfly - Shaft is a movie soundtrack after all. I dig it, just not as much Superfly. The opening and closing themes are incredible - the funk, the bass lines and guitar, the brass, the everything. Do Your Thing is epic, with the funk and sound and everything just as good if not better than the main theme (guitar work is ridiculous). But in between was a bit pedestrian or unexciting - except for Be Yourself (great grooves), Soulsville (vocals added some character and emotion), and No Name Bar (had some interesting variety). Superfly wasn't quite a 5 for me and Shaft isn't quite a 4 for me.
Ahh Yeah! This album certainly sounds like a 70s film soundtrack album. The opening theme is classic Isaac Hayes as well as the other two vocal tracks. The soul prog epic, “Do Your Thing” that takes up most of the last side is intense. The rest of the album does sound a bit dated as a whole. “Café Regio’s” and “Early Sunday Morning” sounds like the music that used to pop up television when the station was experiencing technical difficulties (please stand by). A decent album but not anywhere near as strong as his regular solo releases from the same time period. I’d like to give it a 4 for the great stand-out vocal tracks, especially the monster one but there’s just way too much filler on here so down to a 3 it goes. Maybe as a single album with the best of the first 3 sides on side one and Side 4 as Side 2 this might have received a 5. Sorry Isaac.
Hello there children! Right from the first song you know you're in for a fun ride. Favorite tracks: Theme from Shaft (shut your mouth!), Be Yourself (this one really caught my attention every time), No Name Bar (really like the horns), and Do Your Thing (ahhh, yeah...smooth singing from the man himself, followed by an awesome extended jam).
This is the good stuff
Do your thing!
I haven't seen shaft, now I want to. Album made me feel like I was in a movie while I ate my eggs. 3.5
This is great walking around the city music
Funky af
It's a perfectly fine soundtrack, but I think the only reason I would listen to this is if I had some nostalgia for the movie, which I don't. It was a bit long and I don't think I could distinguish anything besides the title track.
I haven't seen the movie but I really ought to. This soundtrack really works on its own though. Fantastic, experimental soul.
chef from South Park made a movie soundtrack
Smooth. Vibraphone!!! 70s! Some Barry White vibes.
Yeah, that’s a stone cold vibe but apart from the title tracks it’s all very incidental.
It's legendary for a reason.
Iconic.
Was great. Being a soundtrack made before the “mixed tape” era, some songs were obviously more soundscape-y, but some of the songs had some killer groove to them.
That seemed like a really strange choice for top albums, but I don't really know the context. All I could hear was chef from South park as that's where I know Isaac Hayes from.
Honestly kind of meh. Given the staying power of the theme, and how much I enjoy a lot of Hayes' work, surprised that the balance of the album was just sorta background filler. Which I guess it was intended to be.
Never seen the movie, never heard the music. This slaps.
Cool groovy music, I can get why its on the list but not something I’d care to listen to unless its in a movie. Aso Isaac Hayes is a bitch for leaving south park
Soulsville is a great show of Isaac's voice. oh my, no name bar is a jameroni.
Right on!
I have seen the film and always loved the theme song, but listening to the music on its own is an experience unto itself. Much love for this one.
Not bad... I loved this movie as a kid and the theme song is great.
Even though most of this is instrumental, it is fantastic. I love the Theme from Shaft.
Good music for the background.
Only a few songs available on Spotify but those few seemed enough to give a representative overview. 70s Soul combined with film soundtrack, decent music, nice to hear but that's about it
Good album - definitely of its time.
Shafts Theme is one of the all time greats. Some nice instrumentals on the rest of the album too.
The album that made America get bit by the Blaxploitation bug. Despite not getting the part of the suave, cooler than cool John Shaft, Isaac Hayes still embodied the spirit and swagger that the character had in spades. A blueprint for how Black music would sound throughout the 70s and what it would mine through and pine to recreate in the decades afterward, Shaft is stellar as a standalone but one would need to see the original movie to full assess its impact. Favorites: Theme from Shaft, Café Regio's, Early Sunday Morning, Be Yourself, A Friend's Place, No Name Bar, Do Your Thing.
Genre: Soul 3/5 A soul-filled soundtrack for the most famous Blaxploitation film ever made, Isaac Hayes' Shaft is a well-produced and well-manicured film soundtrack. Shaft, our movie's protagonist, is gifted with one of the most iconic movie themes of all time, and the soundtrack album that follows fits perfectly as the kind of background music a film like that should have. Unfortunately for the listener, what we're left with is a couple of really great funk classics (Theme from Shaft, Do Your Thing), and a whole lot of transitional pieces that come across as soulful elevator music. Once the theme is over, the rest of the album is mostly instrumental pieces dedicated to scenes or transitions in the movie. These tracks obviously are perfect as background music for the film, but don't play out in much of an entertaining way as an album. With not many vocals to fill the space, these tracks kind of plod along, not in any way that would make it very exciting to listen to unless you're a big fan of the movie, or a huge fan of the genre. Overall, Isaac Hayes is the fucking man, and deserves credit for some wonderful songs, but this album as a whole isn't something I'd feel like popping on and listening to front-to-back very often. Decent, though.
Jesli nie liczyc Purple Rain, ktory sam w sobie byl opowiescia autobigraficzna soundtrackowom do filmu o tym samym tytules, to drugi pick od pana Hayesa na liscie bedzie pierwszym soundtrackowym albumem listy, plyta z 71, ktora zamyka w 70 minutach i 15 trakach, ktore jak przystalo na material Hayesowy sa mocno funkowo jazzowe, ale jednoczesnie maja w sobie cos soulowego, glownym instrumentalem oczywiscie klawisze, ktore sa wspierane przez sekcje dete i smyczkowe oraz chorki zenskie, samego filmu nie widzialem, ale dwa lub trzy traki liryczne nakreslaja obraz oldskulowych filmow kryminalnych, w ktorych nie wiadomo kto byl wiekszym zlodupcem stroz prawa, czy ciemna strona mocny, film z gatunku blaxploitation, wiec czarne kino dla czarnych ludzi, nigdy nie lubilem takiego zamykania sztuki ze wzgledu na kolor skory, a zeby bylo jeszcze zabawniej, to postac detektywa Shafta jest autorstwa bialego pisarza, wiec jak to najczesciej bywa jesli jest popyt, to zawsze bialy czlek zrobi na tym interes, nawet jesli chodzi o czarnych bohaterow, wiec przesluchane, sam seans wyjatkowo lekki, a moze poprostu hardougotowany, jak to w przypadku kryminalow, ale sluchalo sie tego szybko i przyjemnie, na plejke leci openingowy shaft theme, ktory rysuje postac shafta jak w jakims bajeczkowym openingu, a kolejnym utowrem bedzie do your thing, nie wiedzialem ze palce i za czym nadgarstki potrafia sie tak zameczyc samym pisaniem, wiec chyba w tym tygodniu przystopuje z notkami albumowymi, tylko nie wiem czy stopowac caly projekt, czy jedynie wystawiac oceny, ale zostawie zmartwienia dla jutrzejszego na jutro
The whole record is a progressive soul masterpiece. Issac Hayes’ soundtrack is a slick mix of soul, funk and rock that conveys a wide range of moods. Hayes masterfully creates and resolved tension and weaves tense passages together to create the perfect backdrop for a blaxploitation film. Hayes is a skillful arranger and of course a great singer. The biggest drawback is the length, but seeing that this is a movie soundtrack, one cannot expect a popular music style album.
Title track good. Otherwise.. well its a soundtrack.
It’s SHAFT baybay! The title track is obviously an ICONIC song. One that complements Richard Roundtrees badass detective. Isaac Hayes for all his personal faults has a silky smooth delivery throughout and each note is funkier then the last.
I'm confused by the inclusion of film soundtracks on here... what is the criteria? Why are there no John Williams scores if soundtracks are fair game?
And we can dig it.
Main tune is a tune, the rest is (admittedly funky) instrumentals.
Boa, trilha sonora de um filme(mas não estava completo no Spotify)
Groovy
I don’t listen to movie soundtracks really, but I enjoyed this. Good for working quickly
I have very much enjoyed some previous isaac hayes on the list, but this is a soundtrack and it shows. It has fewer ideas
Je connaissais l'album pour sa signification culturelle ainsi que pour sa chanson theme. MAintenant après avoir tout écouté, certaines de ces chansons sont vraiment de bonne composition. Ca commence très fort et termine fort aussi. Il y a un petit creux dans le millieu je trouve et c'est un album double, donc au dessus de 60 min. C'est quand même une trame sonore de film, mais le groove, le funk, l'impro, le rock et même le psychédélique est là. C'est bon ! 4.25
4/5
Pretty funky. Maybe works better while watching the movie though
Difficult to rate a soundtrack, but the title track is cool
Pretty boring. The 20-minute Do Your Thing is great though.
Well this was a fun shakeup on this list. Loved the mostly instrumentals and the pure funkiness
Cool soundtrack
Rating: 7/10 Best songs: Theme from shaft, Soulsville
Ok this was a cool little disco romp. Never seen the movie. 3/5.
Geggjað grúv.
Along with 1993, the 1001 randomizer has recently gifted me with soundtracks. This one I have actually heard before. It is a double album and mostly instrumental and was scored by Isaac Hayes. The album was #1 on the charts, had a #1 song on the charts and won an academy award. It incorporated using R&B and soul into a soundtrack and was highly successful. Due to this, it had a huge influence on both soundtracks and R&B music (Curtis Mayfield, Marvin Gaye). Hayes recorded the rhythym tracks with the Stax Studio band The Bar-Kays in one day, the orchestral tracks the next day and then the vocals on the third day. The songs were later re-recorded at Stax Studios. This album is one of those added to National Recording Registry by The Library of Congress for being culturally, historically or aesthetically significant. The album starts out with iconic "Theme from Shaft". Got to love the intro with guitar and cymbals. For the next set of songs, it sounds like a soundtrack, with Hayes doing a great job combining jazzy guitar and rhythm with horns and strings to sound like a cinematic score. A great song in this set is "Cafe Regio's." The ability of Hayes to do this should come as no surprise if you've ever listen to his "Hot Buttered Soul" from 1969. The second half of this album is where it really takes off and separates itself from other soundtracks; I did think I was listening to "Hot Buttered Soul." It starts with "Soulsville" which is one the few songs with vocals. Next is "No Name Bar" with a great groove mixing in horns and strings and then "Bumpy Blues" with its piano and bluesy feel. And then...the highlight for me " Do Your Thing" which is a total R&B, soul and psychedelic jam. At 19 minutes long it didn't seem long enough. The guitar solo alone is epic, seemingly clocking in at 10 minutes. Who doesn't also love an organ solo? The song ends in like a psychedelic haze.... Amazing. The album ends with an instrumental of the "Shaft" theme. It's been awhile since I've seen the movie but after listening to this, I need to see where all these songs fit in.
Smooth
Good vibes. Once a year listen.
I mean it’s an album you can just chill out to, but it’s nothing to write home about.
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.
I'd heard of but still have not seen the film, and the only song from this album with which I was vaguely familiar is the theme song. There are some really solid tracks on this album; I'm drawn particularly to the funk/R&B grooves. Some of the tracks sound a bit like, well, what they needed to be for what this is: a soundtrack for an early 70s movie. Overall, good stuff. I love that it was super-popular in its time. Very cool.
Unfortunately, this doesn't do much for me.
What a sound this album has. Super sexy vibes.
Every bit as cool as its reputation – and maybe even cooler. “Do Your Thing” is elevated and epic – just about as good as rock/soul/pop music can be. The title track completely unmistakable, truly one of a kind The instrumentals work every bit as well as those cuts where the nonpareil voice (casual, knowing) comes. Awesome in every way as it can be. 4.8 / 5
A masterclass in soundtracks. Character-driven melodies and arrangements, so much pace and movement, long-form instrumentals and vocal pieces, and that chunky, solid full orchestral backing. Spot on.
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
Was pretty good. It was interesting hearing the wah pedal on an earlier piece of music than I'm used to hearing. The songs probably worked better as a part of the movie though, some songs were a bit too repetitive for casual listening.
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.
Not bad - long though. 97% instrumental, and that vibe is so specific.
Its not bad but its far from great.
Shaft is one of my favourite tunes ever so for that reason alone this album gets a 4* rating !
I mean the music was fine... good even. Maybe I'd like it more if I'd watched the film but it didn't really seem to be a cohesive thing.
I can see how the Shaft Soundtrack went onto influence future movie soundtracks - especially those with a predominantly black cast. It's a very catchy offering, provides some good background music, coupled with some funky items that will no doubt get you into the feel of the movie itself. Best: Theme From Shaft Worst: No Name Bar
first listen fiercely groovy and funky
1/5 hated the movies/series and what it represents.
Awesome soul/funk music. It’s weird to listen to Isaac Hayes because I always think of Chef from South Park, but the dude is legitimately talented. This album is a bop.
Cool stuff, but a bit long to listen through.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkfLKiYIfL4
Un peu longuet mais sympathique La bass et le drum sonnent en ta! Les arrangements de brass sont cool aussi. C'est psychotronique sur les bords mais j'aime bien. Étant un fan d'instrumental les soundtracks me plaisent habituellement et celui ci s'écoute particulièrement bien
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.
Je comprends que la chanson Shaft est une grosse chanson importante de film et que c’est une chanson importante pour Isaac Hayes, mais écouter un soundtrack, c’est long et plate. Probablement que ça fonctionne super bien dans le film, mais je ne réécouterai pas cet album.
DAMN RIGHT!
RIP Chef
Shaft by Isaac Hayes (1971) This motion picture soundtrack album provides high quality mood music for the marginally memorable 1971 MGM blaxploitation film Shaft, starring Richard Roundtree. The movie, indeed, was instrumental in establishing the ‘blaxploitation’ genre and the coining (in 1972) of the negatively critical term ‘blaxploitation’. Is this nostalgia or would it be better to forget? I’ll have to ask my CRT facilitator. The highlight of the album, is, of course, the opening track “Theme from Shaft”, which captured everyone’s attention upon its release, and won the 1972 Academy Award for Best Original Song. (Check out the YouTube video of Isaac Hayes performing it at the ceremony. It’s breathtaking.) This song is remarkable for its innovative use of (very!) steady high hat rhythm and percussive use of electric guitar wah pedal. Lyrically it sets up the film’s protagonist with a touch of humanity (and even the humorous spice of street profanity at 3:22, apocopated by the female backup singers’ “Shut yo mouth!”). For those who have never heard it, it’s definitely worth listening to just this one 4:39 track. For those of you who (like me) primarily listened to this song on (mono) AM radio, put on the stereo headphones, crank it up, and be prepared for a real treat from 4:02 to the end. The rest of the double LP (running a total of one hour and 10 minutes) is, well, soundtrack. It is mostly instrumental, and obviously topical, filled with nice soul grooves and copious, exuberant orchestrations, but it is limited to supporting the artistic impetus of individual scenes in the film, albeit with good texture and drama. Without the ‘movie’, it doesn’t really work as an ‘album’. Great music in the motion picture soundtrack genre. 3/5
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.
Sounds like a soundtrack- for good reason! Lots of instrumental tracks, or ones with only a few lyrics. Title track is obviously well known and an all time classic, but most of the others are pretty forgettable. Decent background music for doing something else, I guess.
Nice vibes
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.
This album was alright. Not my favorite but a decent listen
It's cool but more like background music. I liked the vibes though
Ya damn right... I wanna make a bunch of Chef jokes about Scientology here. ... But I'll 'refrain' Right on, right on.
Shaft was a bad mother (shut your mouth), but you wouldn't know if just from listening to Isaac Hayes' soundtrack. This album felt like chillin' in the jazz club, not chasing down some mobsters or risking his neck for his brother man. There were some cool guitar elements on "Cafe Regio's," but overall I was surprised by the lack of excitement, pace, and action implied in most of these instrumentals, you dig? Does most of the movie "Shaft" involve scenes of Shaft lying in bed relaxing with a good book or a post-coital cigarette? Or walking through the park on a sunny day? The energy finally picks up at the end of "No Name Bar," and "Do Your Thing" does a lot of different things, some of which are pretty great.
I feel bad giving this a 2 considering the cultural significance and the fact that the sound is perfectly pleasant. The problem for me lies in the fact that it was designed to be background to what was happening on screen. It is not designed or intended to be digested on it's own.
There is no way this album should be on this list to me. It’s not because I hate the music. The music is fine…for a soundtrack. You know…where there is a visual presentation ongoing simultaneously. This album is devoid of much meaning on its own. Admittedly, I’ve never seen Shaft. So maybe the album would feel more tactile if I had the memory of the action to harken back to while listening. From the sound, I can tell that songs like Ellie’s Love Theme and Early Sunday Morning fit the mood the song title implies. To me, an album shouldn’t be on this list if it is only impactful when paired with its movie. This album would be better fit for a list of movies with great soundtracks you must see/hear before you die, assuming it fits that mold. I’ve definitely had a vastly more profound negative visceral reaction to some other albums on the list (The Cramps, System of a Down I’m thinking of you), but at least I can understand how someone can get into them. This album it’s hard for me to understand how this is a go to listen for someone without the movie. And it does not do anything to make me want to see the movie either. I don’t get it.
That main theme sure is a classic. The rest is not great. It's not super terrible but I'd be lying if I didn't think of elevator or hold music while portions of this album played. I get that it's a soundtrack so there's a reason for so many instrumentals but Isaac Hayes had such a cool voice and I wish it had been used here more often. Come for the main theme and check out after. The movie is pretty good too.
Buen disco
Tiene cosas buenas, sí… Pero no tengo idea de por qué está en la lista. ¿Neta no puedes morir sin haber escuchado el soundtrack de Shaft setentero? Dejando de lado si tiene sentido o no, la neta es que tiene buenos momentos como de soul/latin jazz/funk, como un rollo de Santana pero con harta más melanina. En fin, lo podría conservar como referencia a cuando haga mi seria de detectives o algo.
Verbazend genoeg herkende ik de themesong. Het was wel eens leuk om dit te luisteren
Nice.Close to 5 stars.
Wow, this one was really really lame. I understand that this soundtrack is historically relevant in terms of what movie soundtracks can be. But I really don't care for listening to nearly any soundtrack as an album. The point of a soundtrack is to accompany something. Without the accompanying something you're just left with context-free yet context-specific background sound. I liked Soulsville. It was one of the only tracks with lyrics and to me the only track that could stand on its own (apart from Do Your Thing if it were 6 instead of 19 minutes). The guy has a nice voice, so I'm all for a proper album by Isaac Hayes. But please no more soundtracks.
Only a few songs were available to listen to. That shaft theme is iconic. I miss the big horns in more recent music.
Cool chill album
Three cracking singles, one of which is just amazing. The soundtrack itself, revolutionary at the time, is a series of funky and slow jams, great to work to and great in a movie, but not a compelling listen.
2.5 really , cool baselines and is pretty funky, nothing too substantial here to dig into here, will need to check out the film this is scored to for more context.
It was really good but surprisingly long. "Do Your Thing" is 19:27. WTF! Plus it starts to sound like one continuous album of like 30 musicians who got together and jammed. That may not be a bad thing if you are into 1hr 10 minutes (roughly) of that jam. I wasn't and could think of many more Movie albums that belong on this list then Shaft. Finally Isaac Hayes has much better records out where he actually sings on more then two of the songs.
Fun and groovy. Watch yo' mouth!
Jammin soundtrack, makes great background music. Funky.
Soul progresivo. Está bien, sin maravillar.
Musical. Agradable. Normal.
Every. 👏🏼Fucking. 👏🏼 Track. 👏🏼
Superb soundtrack to a shoddy film
Classic.
A little cheesy for me, but I can appreciate it. Do Your Thing is the best track, by far, IMHO with all of the funk jamming.