Shaft

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

Who's the black private dick that's a sex machine to all the chicks? Anyone who gives this less than 3 stars knows their chick would rather be eating chocolate salty balls then their limp bizkit. Laid back funk and groove for days on this album. You're damn right this is 5 stars.

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.

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

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

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

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

Gotta be my next find at the record store.

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

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

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.

Wow! A special treat. Forgot about this album - As a kid, I loved the Oscar winning title track, and the album holds up with nice, smooth R&B/Jazz. nice . Man this is one "Mother-f*cking albu... WATCH YOUR MOUTH!!!"

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.

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.

Every. 👏🏼Fucking. 👏🏼 Track. 👏🏼

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

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

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

Vivement les 1001 comptines à écouter avant de s'endormir

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

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.

Kakav lik, kakav album ❤️ apsolutno obožavanje Hayesa! Da čak i album snimljen za potrebe filma može ovako dobro zvučati i uopće se ne činiti kao da je za film je meni fascinantno. Dala bih mu najvišu ocjenu za bilo koji album, i sredinu palačinke 😂. Ne smijem ni reći šta bih mu sve dala jer mi je muž u projektu. 5/5, 9/10

Fun and groovy. Watch yo' mouth!

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

Awesome album. Classic for a reason.

Really fun album. Great score

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

It's amazing.

Really awesome jazzy funk. Instant classic.

Excellent. Added to list of favorites

Groovy as hell and smooth as a motherfucker

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

This inclusion makes no sense to me. It feels like background music at best, elevator music at worst. While it probably goes well with the visuals of a 70s film, it offers little for the listener. With so many great albums left off the list, I am astonished this made the cut. That said, it wasn’t unlistenable.

It’s great and perfect and funky.

9.5/10 Kakav album! Bas trazim nesto (polu)instrumentalno u ovakvom obliku i doslo je kao deseta piva u 5 ujutro ili dobar seks nakon duze nejebice! Odlicne melodije i atmosfera kroz cijeli soundtrack, mogu zamislit da gruvam na ovo u bilo koje doba dana ili noci. Sve mi je toliko sjelo da film uopce ne trebam ni pogledati ali stavit cu ga negdje na popis! Među većim favoritima za sad na ovom projektu i nešto s čime nisam bio upoznat. De toga još!

This album is smooth and creamy. Digesting a double album soundtrack should be daunting, but this one was quite pleasant and the time flew by. When the 19 1/2 minute funk fest of Do Your Thing came on, the party hit. Otherwise it’s mostly Sunday morning chill. It’s the first day of a vacation. It’s Friday night with the entire weekend in front of you. Glorious!

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

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

Ja shaftar din mamma!!

I have the deepest respect for Isaac Hayes and all the work he did for Stax Records. He is a legend and an amazing musician beyond what the average American knows (few have seen him play bari sax and know how many hits he wrote behind the scenes). I even liked several of the songs on this album, including Soulville, and of course, the legendary Theme from Shaft. But unfortunately, this album held the purpose of being the backdrop of a very famous movie. Once separated from that movie, it plays out flat in my opinion. I will go back to hear a couple of songs, but aside from that I probably won’t return to this album or look for it on vinyl.

This is unfortunate because I love Isaac Hayes but it's a soundtrack! It just doesn't hold up as an album like Hot Buttered Soul. Really uninspired pick for the list in my opinion.

Isaac Hayes was incredibly talented and not sure he ever fully got his due. However, this is mostly a straight movie score and I find it boring for that reason. Black Moses, Hot Buttered Soul, Live at The Sahara Tahoe, Wattstax are all much better albums and more appropriate for this list.

How is this essential listening? It must be considered so based on it's merits for capturing what was going on in a certain period of time but today it sounds pretty dated and cheesy. Stripped of whatever context these numbers played in the movie, there's very little here of interest, just overly long, boring instrumentals.

I’ve seen Shaft but after listening to this I assume the story is he is a cop that plays by his owns rules while fucking every piece of tail he comes across. The music also sounds like music that plays when your on the home menu of a hotels tv guide. 4/10

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

I feel too white to listen to this but I also don't care. Cause this makes me feel like a baaaaad son of a something.

2 seconds and I already love this. This album is amazing oh my god, jazzy, funky, and a bit experimental. you bet I'd fell in love. Every part of the musical body is well fufilled, there's always something to keep the music going. the narrative and singing voice is amazing too. Beautiful. Can't tell it's a 1971 album, age so well! 5/5.

Isaac Hayes just got a new fan. Five stars and it's going in my Tidal library.

Шафт!!!!!!!!

Great soundtrack!

only brilliant. Loved it

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

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

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

Прекрасный саундтрек. Осталось посмотреть фильм.

Holy hell this album is groovy.

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

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

Good funk, Elevator music.

Amazingly good.

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

Can you dig it? Best track: Theme from Shaft

Shaft I don’t remember this being so long, I don’t think I realised it was originally a double album when I had it on CD, and I only really remember a handful of songs. The theme from Shaft is of course one of them, and it is a fantastic piece of music, both as an introduction to the character in the film and as hugely influential wah-wah and string driven music, foreshadowing disco and laying the template for much of the 70s soul sound as well as Blaxploitation soundtracks. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen the film, but the first half/record/disc/volume in particular very much sounds like a film score, rather than a coherent collection of songs. Musically it is often brilliant, rhythmically excellent and with some great motifs and themes - Shaft’s Cab Ride, early Sunday Morning and Be Yourself are great - but its so clearly written to match the visuals, and with so many sub two minute pieces it’s quite hard to get a handle on it. On the second volume the songs are longer and are able to stretch their wings, out bringing in more of the psychedelic-funk-soul sound of Hot Buttered Soul, and it's a more satisfying experience; Soulsville is excellent, No Name Bar has a great groove, and Bumpy’s Blues and Shaft Strikes Again have a nice, languid jazzy feel to them. And Do Your Thing is a superb 20 minute soul-funk-rock epic. There’s a lot of great music on here, and overall it's incredibly enjoyable and very easy on the ear, but it does feel slightly disconnected as a 70 minute listening experience. I think the highlights and the overall feel to it gets it to a 4. 🕵️🕵️🕵️🕵️ Playlist submission: Could be Do Your Thing but the title theme is a classic.

Perfectly cheesy in every mother _______ (Shut your mouth) way!

I enjoyed this listen. The kind of music that makes me feel super cool, and like I should be driving my El Camino around shooting people. Perfect stylistically.

He has the best, sexy, smoky voice. And he barely sang on this which disappointed me. Good music though though. 3

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

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

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

Bland

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

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

The only title to be featured in the 1001 albums and 1001 movies books and I dont understand why it is in each one

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed this. But at the end of the day, it's still a movie soundtrack, and it's intentionally written to be in the background; the repetition makes that clear. When it's loud and funky, boy does it smack, but when it's obviously behind character dialogue...why listen to it? And, I don't mind the 70s theatricality, but it can get to be a bit much. Total "Pippin" vibes at points, and the music in that show (a classic!) feels dated to me too. Fave tracks: - Theme From Shaft - Ellie's Love Theme - Café Regio's - Early Sunday Morning - Soulsville - No Name Bar - Bumpy's Blues

The movie is great. The theme is epic. The rest is no more than accompaniment. Don’t listen to this, go watch the film.

No soundtracks means no soundtracks. The album was inoffensive but utterly unremarkable... why is it here?

i am really struggling to get through this. it doesn’t hold up on its own without being in the movie, that i haven’t seen btw. but i am just very bored, and it just feels.. bland. it doesn’t sound bad, it’s just.. bland and boring. it’s prob great in the actual movie.

Theme from Shaft is so iconic, but I don't think that alone is worthy of including the entire soundtrack on the 1001 list. I'm sure it's included on the 1001 Songs list.

This one was weird for me. I've never seen this movie, and obviously the album was primarily created to set the tone and background for Shaft. Not having the context of the movie felt like I was missing part of the whole picture. That aside, this is cool vibes and good music. But it gets a bit long and boring on its own, and the 20 minute song was pretty grueling. The lack of lyrics in most of the songs really does make a lot of them feel like a movie score rather than music simply for music's sake. When I heard his voice in the first song, all I could initially hear was Chef from South Park, lol. I do love his voice! Wish there was more of it in the album. Ultimately, not really sure why this one is on the list.

why is this here

A soundtrack? Really?

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

He wasn't able to get my shaft hard, sorry Isaac.

Very nice.

Iconic soul soundtrack. Isaac Hayes is a national treasure. You can feel the scenes through the music.

It took me a long time to really appreciate Isaac Hayes. I didn’t realize until much later that he composed the soundtrack for *Shaft*—by then, I was already a fan of his music. I really like this album. It’s a shame he doesn’t sing much on it, because his voice is still amazing. 5/5

Yes!!! Crazy, I bought this on CD from a dollar bin when I first went to college. For a time it soundtracked EVERYTHING I did: study, clean, cook, drive, study. I found it pretty f*ing perfect for any activity, musically complex enough that I could always get sucked in and get lost in it, but not so sonically demanding that it couldn’t be put in the background if need be. It inspired me to buy Hot Buttered Soul and Marvin Guy’s What’s Going On. These were the first albums that I can honestly say I bought ENTIRELY of my own volition with no prompting from others. I sought them out and braved the too cool gate keeper at the record store. I knew I wanted them, regardless of the sideways glance he gave me. All because of Shaft that cat who’s a bad mother… oh yeah AND I watched the film. 5 Boolean Yes! Can you dig it?

This is a monumental masterwork of cinematic composition that completely shatters the boundaries of traditional rhythm and arrangement. Hayes constructs a breathtaking widescreen sonic universe, taking heavy, syncopated street grooves and layering them beneath massive, complex orchestral movements. The interlocking brass lines, the iconic scratching wah wah guitar work, and the sweeping, dramatic string sections show a level of compositional ambition that directly rivals the great rock suites of the 1970s. The way the rhythm section locks into an unbreakable, hypnotic pocket while the orchestration independently drives the narrative forward is staggering. It is an immersive, rhythmically flawless, and intellectually stimulating journey through pure audio grandeur.

Aw yeah. I always knew Isaac Hayes as a top-tier soul artist, but I didn't realize he was an establish composer too. This isn't mere movie soundtrack; it brings you back to a specific time and place, early 1970s NYC, especially Harlem. Out of the 15 tracks, 12 are instrumentals, and one of the three with lyrics has a 15-minute instrumental solo. You can also hear the early influences for disco that would come later. Can you dig it?

Soulful, funky, kick ass grooves. Classic, ain't no doubt. Chef wouldn't disagree, and since we share the same surname I don't either!

Very nice soundtrack, relaxing, good sound, good instrumentation

Some really glorious funk infused soul tracks on this album, particularly the opening track which is such a great introductory moment. It seamlessly satisfies isolated listening and listening in the context of the film. Overall it’s a solid soundtrack and very soulful.

Fuck yeah....5/5

An iconic soundtrack that still vibes today.

Beautiful work

Simplesmente perfeito, é a soundtrack mais detetive que eu já ouvi.

Isaac brings it!!!

Damn right, this is some good soundtrack work. Solid 5 Stars.

I’m at a 10, though I do have one little gripe here. I mean, look, Isaac Hayes is in remarkable form throughout this thing. Say what you will about a soundtrack album making the list & any frustrations that might stem from this being a mostly instrumental album, but… my goodness, these compositions are fucking awesome even without the context of the movie. I’ve never seen Shaft, but goddamn, do I want to now. The funk present here is in top form, especially for 1971, and Hayes’ ability to capture a mood on so many of these tracks, with almost nothing but the titles alone to go off of, is incredible. There’s not really a dull moment here – points where you can easily zone out, sure, but it’s never in a way that leads to boredom. It’s zoning out in a way where the groove naturally glides its way into your ears & you can just feel it, even if you’re not paying attention to the chord structure or some of the prettier background details. This whole album never takes away from that energy, and it succeeds as both an instrumental album & as a movie soundtrack. I’m not sure if there’s many other soundtrack albums in history that have been nominated for an Academy Award & the GRAMMY Album of the Year. Even after trying to Google it, I can only really find a handful of examples (surprisingly, “Star Wars” & “Beauty & The Beast” among them). So, what’s the gripe? For as much as I really like “Do Your Thing”, I do feel like the 20 minutes stall at a certain point. That’s not to say I wasn’t captivated by it, but unlike a lot of the other tracks where the groove glides & you never feel the weight of the length bearing on the track, it definitely hit more on that one. Between that & the sort of ear-splitting outro with the guitar deciding it wanted to go as loud as possible, it didn’t leave me as satisfied as I wish it had. That said, for the vast majority of its runtime, it’s still a pretty damn good track, and it barely takes away from a stellar soundtrack otherwise. It is the sort of thing that makes this a slightly shakier 10, as it might hit me a little differently on another future re-listen, but regardless, I fucking loved this. Isaac Hayes must’ve felt on top of the world in the early ‘70s, man. I’m very glad this is on the list, and for me, it’s a 10.