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Who’s the black private dick that’s a sex machine to all the chicks?

If you answered “Shaft,” you’re damn right!  When Isaac Hayes picked up the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1972 for the “Theme from Shaft,” he was only the third African-American to win an Oscar – and the first in the field of music.  Shaft remains the best-selling album in the Stax Records catalogue and one of the most successful soundtracks of all time; for Isaac Hayes, it was a triumph that built on the commercial success he’d been experiencing as one of music’s most consistent innovators.  Hayes was a songwriter and producer, a proven hitmaker, an interpretive singer, and a groundbreaking jam musician who blurred the boundaries of pop, soul, and funk.  His career has been oft-anthologized, but one of the best – and most compact – introductions has just arrived via Ace Records.  Hot Buttered Singles 1969-1972 presents the first nineteen A- and B-sides from Stax’s post-Atlantic “yellow label” period (and including sides originally released on the Enterprise imprint), containing highlights from the seminal Hot Buttered Soul (1969), The Isaac Hayes Movement (1970), …To Be Continued (1970), Shaft (1971), and Black Moses (1971), as well as various non-LP sides.

In addition to his deep, resonant voice, sensual persona, and penchant for rich, dramatic charts and lengthy raps, Hayes stood apart from many of his peers for his eclectic tastes, which often saw him absorb and transform pop hits into rhythmic soul epics.  The single versions were, of course, significantly edited down to emphasize the melodic aspects of Hayes’ productions, but his singular stamp remained.  Hot Buttered Singles opens with four-and-a-half minutes of his 12-minute reimagining of Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s “Walk on By,” backed with an even more languid take on Jimmy Webb’s standard “By the Time I Get to Phoenix.”  At more than eighteen minutes long, Hayes expanded on the original song in such a dramatic fashion that even the composer didn’t recognize it.  Webb told No Depression in 2010, “Honestly, I thought it was kind of funny, the whole pre-discourse where he’s kind of riffing with the drummer. And he says, ‘So I opened the door.’ BAM! ‘And I saw my woman.’ BAM! ‘And I saw my woman with another man.’ BAM BAM! I thought that was pretty funny. It was kind of a James Brown thing. I actually got up and checked the record. I said, ‘Wait a minute. This is supposed to be “By the Time I Get To Phoenix”!'”  It was radical and audacious, but when Hayes did get to the song itself, his affinity for it was undeniable.

Hot Buttered Singles showcases his dynamic takes on Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s “The Look of Love” and “I Just Don’t Know What to Do with Myself,” Bread’s “Baby I’m a-Want You,” and Clifton Davis’ Jackson 5 smash “Never Can Say Goodbye.”  Among the other treats are both sides of a 1969 Christmas single (“The Mistletoe and Me” b/w “Winter Snow”), a surprisingly breezy instrumental take on Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together,” and both sides of Hayes’ lone duet single with longtime writing partner David Porter. (Ironically, “Ain’t That Loving You (For More Reasons Than One)” wasn’t a Hayes/Porter copyright but rather a Stax oldie by Homer Banks and Allen Jones, first recorded in 1967 by Johnnie Taylor.)

Numerous vocals and instrumentals were pulled off the Shaft soundtrack for single release. Bacharach’s influence on Hayes was never more evident than on Shaft; Hayes shared Bacharach’s love of soft horn accents and purring female background vocals, and both men brought sophistication to soul. (Credit must be given, too, to Hayes’ primary co-arrangers Johnny Allen and Dale Warren.)  The cool, lightly swaggering “Café Regio’s” and mellow, vibes-driven “Ellie’s Love Theme” demonstrate how well Hayes painted musical pictures with his instrumental tracks.  The Shaft title track and other vocal numbers – the brassy “Do Your Thing” and smoother yet lyrically sharp and socially-aware “Soulsville” – remain powerful.

This collection doubles as a “greatest hits,” representing Hayes’ purple patch that yielded consistent chart success.  He would never again experience the crossover success of this era despite continuing his recording career into the 1990s and influencing generations to come.  Duncan Cowell has remastered the audio for all 19 tracks, and compilation producer Tony Rounce has provided a detailed essay within the 16-page booklet.

Smoldering, sexy, and soulful, Hot Buttered Singles 1969-1972 is available now at the links below on 1 CD or 2 LPs.  The liner notes tease a second volume, so watch this space!  In the meantime, you’ll find the complete track listing here.  As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Hot Buttered Singles 1969-1972 (Ace (U.K.), 2024) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

1. Walk On By
2. By the Time I Get to Phoenix
3. The Mistletoe and Me
4. Winter Snow
5. I Stand Accused
6. I Just Don’t Know What to Do with Myself
7. The Look of Love
8. Ike’s Mood Pt. 1
9. Never Can Say Goodbye
10. I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still in Love with You)
11. Theme from Shaft
12. Café Regio’s
13. Do Your Thing
14. Ellie’s Love Theme
15. Let’s Stay Together
16. Soulsville
17. Ain’t That Loving You (For More Reasons Than One) – Hayes & Porter
18. Baby I’m-a Want You – Hayes & Porter
19. Soul-a-Lujah (Instrumental)

Tracks 1-2 released as Enterprise single ENA-9003, 1969. Original versions from Hot Buttered Soul – Enterprise ENS-1001, 1969
Tracks 3-4 released as Enterprise single ENA-9006, 1969
Tracks 5-6 released as Enterprise single ENA-9017, 1970. Original versions from The Isaac Hayes Movement – Enterprise ENS-1010, 1970
Tracks 7-8 released as Enterprise single ENA-9028, 1970. Original versions from …To Be Continued – Enterprise ENS-1014, 1970
Tracks 9-10 released as Enterprise single ENA-9031, 1971. Original version of Track 9 from Black Moses – Enterprise ENS2-5003, 1971
Tracks 11-12 released as Enterprise single ENA-9038, 1971. Original versions from Shaft (Music from the Soundtrack) – Enterprise ENS2-5001, 1971
Tracks 13-14 released as Enterprise single ENA-9042, 1972. Original versions from Shaft (Music from the Soundtrack) 
Tracks 15-16 released as Enterprise single ENA-9045, 1972. Original version of Track 16 from Shaft (Music from the Soundtrack) 
Tracks 17-18 released as Enterprise single ENA-9049, 1972
Track 19 released on B-side of Stax single STA-0040, 1969