Sep 6, 2014

RhoDeo 1435 Grooves

Hello,

These weeks we focus on an American singer-songwriter, actor, and producer. He was one of the creative influences behind the southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served both as an in-house songwriter and as a record producer, teaming with his partner David Porter during the mid-1960s. Hayes, Porter, Bill Withers, the Sherman Brothers, Steve Cropper, and John Fogerty were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005 in recognition of writing scores of notable songs for themselves, the duo Sam & Dave, Carla Thomas, and others. He is also a 2002 inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. We'll start at the beginning ......N'joy

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Few figures exerted greater influence over the music of the 1960s and 1970s than Isaac Hayes; after laying the groundwork for the Memphis soul sound through his work with Stax-Volt Records, Hayes began a highly successful solo career which predated not only the disco movement but also the evolution of rap.

Hayes was born on August 20, 1942, in Covington, TN; his parents died during his infancy, and he was raised by his grandparents. After making his public debut singing in church at the age of five, he taught himself piano, organ, and saxophone before moving to Memphis to perform on the city's club circuit in a series of short-lived groups like Sir Isaac and the Doo-Dads, the Teen Tones, and Sir Calvin and His Swinging Cats. In 1962, he began his recording career, cutting sides for a variety of local labels.

Two years later, Hayes began playing sax with the Mar-Keys, which resulted in the beginning of his long association with Stax Records. After playing on several sessions for Otis Redding, Hayes was tapped to play keyboards in the Stax house band, and eventually established a partnership with songwriter David Porter. Under the name the Soul Children, the Hayes-Porter duo composed some 200 songs, reeling off a string of hits for Stax luminaries like Sam & Dave (the brilliant "When Something Is Wrong with My Baby," "Soul Man," and "Hold on, I'm Comin'"), Carla Thomas ("B-A-B-Y"), and Johnnie Taylor ("I Got to Love Somebody's Baby," "I Had a Dream").

In 1967, Hayes issued his debut solo LP Presenting Isaac Hayes, a loose, jazz-flavored effort recorded in the early-morning hours following a raucous Stax party. With the release of 1969's landmark Hot Buttered Soul, he made his commercial breakthrough; the record's adventuresome structure (comprising four lengthy songs), ornate arrangements, and sensual grooves -- combined with the imposing figure cut by his shaven head, omnipresent sunglasses, and fondness for gold jewelry -- made Hayes one of the most distinctive figures in music.

After a pair of 1970 releases, The Isaac Hayes Movement and To Be Continued, he reached his commercial zenith in 1971 with the release of Shaft, the score from the Gordon Parks film of the same name. Not only did the album win Hayes an Academy Award for Best Score (the first African-American composer to garner such an honor), but the single "Theme from Shaft," a masterful blend of prime funk and pre-rap monologues, became a number one hit.

After 1971's superb Black Moses and 1973's Joy, Hayes composed two 1974 soundtracks, Tough Guys and Truck Turner (in which he also starred). By 1975, relations with Stax had disintegrated following a battle over royalties, and soon he severed his ties with the label to form his own Hot Buttered Soul imprint. Although both 1975's Chocolate Chip and 1976's Groove-a-Thon went gold, his records of the period attracted considerably less attention than prior efforts; combined with poor management and business associations, Hayes had no choice but to file for bankruptcy in 1976.

After the 1977 double-LP A Man and a Woman, recorded with Dionne Warwick, Hayes began a comeback on the strength of the hit singles "Zeke the Freak," "Don't Let Go." and "Do You Wanna Make Love." Following the success of his 1979 collection of duets with Millie Jackson titled Royal Rappins, he issued a pair of solo records, 1980's And Once Again and 1981's Lifetime Thing before retiring from music for five years. After returning in 1986 with the LP U Turn and the Top Ten R&B hit "Ike's Rap," Hayes surfaced two years later with Love Attack before again dropping out of music to focus on acting.

In 1995, fully enshrined as one of the forefathers of hip-hop and newly converted to Scientology, Hayes emerged with two concurrent releases, the vocal Branded and instrumental Raw and Refined. Under the official name Nene Katey Ocansey I, he also served as a member of the royal family of the African nation of Ghana while continuing simultaneous careers as an actor, composer, and humanitarian. In 1997, Hayes provided the voice of what was slated to be a one-time character on the animated series South Park -- Jerome "Chef" McElroy, the main characters' favorite school cafeteria worker. Hayes was an instant hit, and Chef became a regular character on the show, lending advice and, oftentimes, breaking into songs that gently sent up Hayes' image as one of R&B's ultimate love men.

South Park made Hayes more visible than ever and cemented his status as an icon with a whole new generation. He contributed the infamous "Chocolate Salty Balls" to the South Park tie-in album Chef Aid, and naturally appeared in the film South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut. (He left the show only after an episode made fun of Scientology.) In 2000, Hayes revisited his biggest triumph of the past by appearing in the remake of Shaft starring Samuel L. Jackson. The following year, he supported Alicia Keys as a musician and arranger on her acclaimed debut, Songs in A Minor.

On August 5, 2003, Hayes was honored as a BMI Icon at the 2003 BMI Urban Awards for his enduring influence on generations of music makers. Throughout his songwriting career, Hayes received five BMI R&B Awards, two BMI Pop Awards, two BMI Urban Awards and six Million-Air citations. As of 2008, his songs generated more than 12 million performances. Although he recorded little during the 2000s, he appeared in many films, including 2004's Hustle and Flow. Hayes was in ill health on August 10, 2008, when he collapsed at his home in Memphis and was pronounced dead later that day of a stroke due to high blood pressure.

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With seven massive number one records trailing in his wake, Isaac Hayes donned his stylin', funky gold-chain link vest once again and capped 1973 with Joy, a set which might have proven the lucky-streak breaker -- it missed the top spot by one place -- but still waded into gold-record waters with ease. "Joy" itself, of course, was the album's crowning glory, a gargantuan 15-minute piece which essentially devoured side one of the album (the accompanying "I Love You That's All" is merely an afterthought). Heady, smoky, ubiquitous -- an instrumental and vocal foray into the land of good grooves -- it was sexy and sassy, with strings and innuendo stripped bare and smoothly built to lead anyone within earshot toward a classic climax. The song continued to impact via sampled revitalization from as far afield as TLC, Massive Attack, Eric B. & Rakim, and Big Daddy Kane. But don't forget that Joy is an entire album, with Hayes continuing his silky vocal assault across a further three slow, simmering songs. The best, and perhaps most interesting, is the closing "I'm Gonna Make It (Without You)." Markedly un-steamy, the song finds Hayes trading in his come-ons, choosing instead to open up and lay himself down in the wake of a broken romance. It's Joy's most touching moment, equally on par with the opener. Indeed, with those two glorious bookends, this album becomes a must-have for any '70s soul aficionado.



Isaac Hayes - Joy (flac 224mb)

01 Joy 16:01
02 I Love You That's All 6:17
03 A Man Will Be A Man 7:24
04 The Feeling Keeps On Coming 6:52
05 I'm Gonna Make It (Without You) 11:12

Isaac Hayes - Joy (ogg 99mb)

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A black superstar who created a unique form of orchestral soul which was later hijacked in my city and evolved into the Sound of Philly - - While many other artists in the '70s represented black power, Isaac Hayes represented a liberated straightforward form of black sexuality. Entering the stage on a motorcycle often wearing nothing but a costume of chains, his shaved head look alone defined the fashion of a generation. The tunes on this album are funky as you'd expect in any Memphis Shoals production, yet represent a new wave of black music, a raw mixture of funk and pop laden with strings, vibraphone and other orchestrations.

Far be it for me to suggest the use of chemically altering substanced, but for sure, if any tune brings memories of a certain sweet musty odor behind the closed doors of the bedroom, the gritty mind tripping "DO YOUR THING" from Shaft definitely has to be among them. From his "raps", to soul anthems, to covers of some great tunes from his albums, whether's its Bacharach's Look of Love, or Ellie's Love Theme their is a funky sensuality that is pure Isaac Hayes straight throught the album... I don't care what anybody says... Barry White had nothing on him... Overall, this incredible CD captures Isaac Hayes in his prime... Its pre-disco Orchestral Soul at its sizzling best and a funky mind trip back in time..



Isaac Hayes - Live at the Sahara Tahoe (flac 608mb)

01 Theme From "Shaft" 4:38
02 The Come On 4:35
03 Light My Fire 3:16
04 Ike's Rap V 4:13
05 Never Can Say Goodbye 3:54
06 Windows Of The World 7:40
07 The Look Of Love 5:20
08 Ellie's Love Theme 4:58
09 Use Me 6:29
10 Do Your Thing 7:30
11 Theme From "The Men" 3:30

12 It's Too Late 5:50
13 Rock Me Baby 5:38
14 Stormy Monday Blues 3:58
15 Type Thang 3:37
16 The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face 4:59
17 Ike's Rap VI 6:39
18 Ain't No Sunshine 10:40
19 Feelin' Alright 5:46

Isaac Hayes - Live at the Sahara Tahoe  (ogg 262mb)

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On this 1975 release, Isaac Hayes made a transition from soul to disco. Not as essential or as artistically substantial as his Stax releases but its production values are solid and it has the right blend of ballads and disco tracks. This album contains the basis for all house/dance music that was recorded after 1988. the single "i cant turn around" is to house music, what run-dmc is to rap. when house music was begining to come out of the underground. "Love Can't Turn Around", produced by Farley "Jack Master Funk" was a massive dancefloor hit that got it's lead from "I Can't Turn Around". This album got two Top 20 hits for Hayes and was his last really big hit album in the '70s. Just a decade later this was one of the most wanted,(and hardest to find) albums to a true house/disco d.j. you gotta have this one in your collection.



Isaac Hayes - Chocolate Chip  (flac 240mb)

01 That Loving Feeling 6:36
02 Body Language 5:31
03 Chocolate Chip 5:30
04 Chocolate Chip (Instrumental) 5:32
05 I Want To Make Love To You So Bad 4:17
06 Come Live With Me 6:35
07 I Can't Turn Around 6:32

Isaac Hayes - Chocolate Chip (ogg 102mb)

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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Thank you very much, Belgian greets :-)