Black Moses (Remastered) Isaac Hayes

• 1Never Can Say Goodbye05:10
• 2(They Long To Be) Close To You09:05
• 3Nothing Takes The Place Of You05:31
• 4Man's Temptation05:01
• 5Part-Time Love08:34
• 6Medley: Ike's Rap IV / A Brand New Me09:43
• 7Going In Circles07:01
• 8Never Gonna Give You Up05:50
• 9Medley: Ike's Rap II / Help Me Love07:33
• 10Need To Belong To Someone05:16
• 11Good Love 6-9-9-6-905:18
• 12Medley: Ike's Rap III / Your Love Is So Doggone Good09:19
• 13For The Good Times05:22
• 14I'll Never Fall In Love Again04:57
• Total Runtime01:33:40

Info for Black Moses (Remastered)

Isaac Hayes is nothing if not ambitious, and this double-disc collection is a case in point. Released the same year as the breakthrough „Shaft“ soundtrack, 1971's „Black Moses“ melds Hayes's superior skills as an architect of progressive soul sounds with his talent as a song interpreter. Except for his smooth, boudoir-savvy "raps"--there are three within the set, acting as intros to songs about love and devotion--Hayes's own songwriting energies take a backseat to tunes by some of the preeminent pop songwriters of the '70s.

Clifton Davis's magnificent "Never Can Say Goodbye" is given loving--and arguably definitive--treatment here. In its rich majesty, Hayes's reading of Kris Kristofferson's "For the Good Times" provides an intriguing counterpart to Al Green's spare 1972 version of the same tune. Two Bacharach-David songs, "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" and "Close to You," sound not at all misplaced beside two Curtis Mayfield numbers. That's because Hayes (and his collaborator Johnny Allen) re-imagined the songs into new versions via lush, orchestral charts, so that each tune bears the team's stamp indelibly. Though full of covers, „Black Moses“ is an Isaac Hayes record through and through, and in its continuity and smarts, one of his finest.

„The sheer tenacity -- albeit undeniably fitting -- of this double-disc set has made Black Moses (1971) one of Isaac Hayes' most revered and best-known works. The multi-instrumental singer/songwriter and producer had been a central figure in the Memphis soul music revolution of the mid-'60s. Along with Booker T. & the MG's, Hayes wrote and performed on more Stax sides than any other single artist. By the time of this release -- his fifth overall, and first two-record set -- Hayes had firmly established himself as a progressive soul artist. His stretched-out and well-developed R&B jams, as well as his husky-voiced sexy spoken "raps," became key components in his signature sound. Black Moses not only incorporates those leitmotifs, but also reaffirms Hayes abilities as an unmistakably original arranger. Although a majority of the album consists of cover material, all the scores have been reconfigured and adapted in such a fundamental way that, for some listeners, these renditions serve as definitive. This is certainly true of the extended reworkings of Jerry Butler's "Brand New Me" and Esther Phillips' "You're Love Is So Doggone Good" -- both of which are prefaced by the spoken prelude to coitus found in each respective installment of "Ike's Rap." The pair of Curtis Mayfield tunes -- "Man's Temptation" and "Need to Belong to Someone" -- are also worth noting for the layers of tastefully scored orchestration -- from both Hayes and his longtime associate Johnny Allen. The pair's efforts remain fresh and discerning, rather than the dated ersatz strings and horn sections that imitators were glutting the soul and pop charts and airwaves with in the mid-'70s. Hayes' own composition, "Good Love," recalls the upbeat and jive talkin' "Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic" from Hot Buttered Soul (1969), adding some spicy and sexy double-entendre in the chorus.“

Isaac Hayes, vocals, piano, vibraphone, organ, electric piano, background vocals
Lester Snell, electric piano
Charles "Skip" Pitts, guitar
Sidney Kirk, piano
Gary Jones, bongos, congas
Ronnie Hudson, bass
Willie Hall, drums, tambourine
Hot, Buttered, and Soul, backing vocals

Engineered by Ron Capone, William Brown, Henry Bush, Eddie Marion, Dave Purple
Produced by Isaac Hayes

Digitally remastered

Isaac Hayes
Born in Covington, Tennessee august 20, 1942, died august 10, 2008 in Memphis.

He made his first session at Stax in 1963 as a saxophonist on Floyd Newman's 'Frog Stomp' then stayed as a keyboardist, even replacing Booker T. Jones on MG's recordings. He was also a great composer and producer, along with David Porter. He was a longtime songwriter and arranger for Stax Records in Memphis, playing in the studio's backup band and crafting tunes for artists such as Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, Carla Thomas and Johnnie Taylor in the 1960s.

Among the songs he wrote for Stax artists, often with his partner David Porter, were 'Hold On, I'm Comin',' 'Soul Man,' 'When Something Is Wrong with My Baby' and 'B-A-B-Y.'

'Isaac Hayes embodies everything that's soul music,' Collin Stanback, an A&R executive at Stax, told The Associated Press on Sunday. '

Hayes released his first solo album in 1967, and his 1969 follow-up, 'Hot Buttered Soul,' became a platinum hit. 'Hot Buttered Soul' was notable for its lengthy, richly orchestrated covers of 'Walk On By' and 'By the Time I Get to Phoenix,' and became a hit.

In 1971, the theme from 'Shaft' topped the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks and won an Academy Award for best original theme song. The song and the movie score also won Grammy awards for best original score and movie theme.

Hayes won a third Grammy for pop instrumental performance with the title track to his 1972 'Black Moses' album.

From the late 1990s through 2006, Hayes provided the voice of 'Chef' for Comedy Central's raunchy animated series 'South Park,' as well as numerous songs.

The role introduced him to a new generation of fans, but he left after the show lampooned his own religion, the Church of Scientology.

Hayes' other acting roles included 'Tough Guys,' 'I'm Gonna Get You Sucka' and 'Hustle & Flow.' He played himself in the forthcoming 'Soul Men,' with Samuel L. Jackson. 'Soul Men' also stars Bernie Mac, who died Saturday.

Hayes was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.

Booklet for Black Moses (Remastered)