Isaac Hayes Shaft ( vinyl 2LP )

Release date: 15-12-2016(Originally released in 1971)

2016 EU reissue ( vinyl 2LP )Soundtrack from the movie 'Shaft'. Stone cold classic movie soundtrack where Hayes created the blueprint for just about every 'cop' movie of the '70s and beyond, huge strings, brass and plenty of wah-wah guitar! Best-known work and the best-selling LP ever released on a Stax label. Shaft was arguably the most famous of the so-called 'Blaxploitation' movies of the 1970s. This is the soundtrack for it, by Isaac Hayes.

Tracks:
LP1
A1     Theme From Shaft     
A2     Bumpy's Lament     
A3     Walk From Regio's     
A4     Ellie's Love Theme     
A5     Shaft's Cab Drive(Bass – Ronald Hudson Piano – Sidney Kirk)
    
B1     Cafe Regio's     
B2     Early Sunday Morning     
B3     Be Yourself     
B4     A Friend's Place     

LP2
C1     Soulsville     
C2     No Name Bar     
C3     Bumpy's Blues     
C4     Shaft Strikes Again     

D1     Do Your Thing     
D2     The End Theme    

Of the many wonderful blaxpoitation soundtracks to emerge during the early '70s, Shaft certainly deserves mention as not only one of the most lasting but also one of the most successful. Isaac Hayes was undoubtedly one of the era's most accomplished soul artists, having helped elevate Stax to its esteemed status; therefore, his being chosen to score such a high-profile major-studio film shouldn't seem like a surprise.

And with "Theme from Shaft," he delivered an anthem just as ambitious and revered as the film itself, a song that has only grown more treasured over the years, after having been an enormously popular hit at the time of its release. Besides this song, though, there aren't too many more radio-targeted moments here. "Soulsville" operates effectively as the sort of downtempo ballad Hayes was most known for, just as the almost 20-minute "Do Your Thing" showcased just how impressive the Bar-Kays had become, stretching the song to unseen limits with their inventive, funky jamming. For the most part, though, this double-LP features nothing but cinematic moments of instrumentation, composed and produced by Hayes while being performed by the Bar-Kays -- some downtempo, others quite jazzy, nothing too funky, though. Even if it's not quite as enjoyable as Curtis Mayfield's Superfly due to its emphasis on instrumentals, Shaft still remains a powerful record; one of Hayes' pinnacle moments for sure.

Credits
    Bass – James Alexander
    Bongos, Congas – Gary Jones (3)
    Drums, Tambourine – Willie Hall
    Electric Piano – Lester Snell
    Guitar – Charles "Skip" Pitts, Michael Toles
    Horns – Memphis Horns, The
    Performer [Rhythm Section] – Bar-Kays, The*, Movement, The*
    Piano, Vibraphone, Organ, Producer, Electric Piano – Isaac Hayes
    Strings – Memphis Strings, The