2008 - The Summer of My Discontent (Isaac Hayes) ("Black Moses") This is the first summer that I can remember that can't come to an end fast enough. Over the past two months three men that have had a huge influence over the Soul-Patrol.com website have passed away: 1. Bo Diddley 2. Robert S. Davis (my father) 3. Isaac Hayes The Soul-Patrol.com website was the very first Soul music website on the internet back in 1996. It was conceived as a labor of love, and born of the simple notion that Black people needed to be responsible for documenting the past, present and future of their culture. The whole idea was that in assuming the responsibility for this, that a legacy could be created that Black children could look at, be proud of and carry forward, with the knowledge that the legacy they were reading hadn't been somehow "hijacked" and that what they were reading was information that was being used to "brainwash" them. At that time, Isaac Hayes was working as an on air radio personality in NYC at WRKS 98.7 FM. I listened to his radio broadcast each and every day during my morning commute. At that time Isaac Hayes was actually my only source of information about Classic Soul music. This was a time before the record labels created the volume of reissues, compilations, etc. and for me the Isaac Hayes radio program was truly my only source of information about Classic Soul. Not only did Isaac play the music, but he also talked about the relationship of the music to the events of the time, as only someone who had actually been there could. This had a great deal of influence on my as I went about the initial construction and more importantly the perspective of the website. I decided that the perspective of the website would always be that of "one who had been there", and so it remains today. It's no accident that I selected Isaac Hayes to be the very first artist page that I would put up on the site. After all, I was listening to him every day. He was one of the most important/innovative artists in the history of Black music, bridged the gap between "soul & funk" and was most importantly an iconic figure that stood for the positive aspects of Black manhood. That page for Isaac Hayes remains today at the same url: http://www.soul-patrol.com/funk/hayes.htm Of course it's been updated many times since then and if you go there today, you will read some commentary about his passing from Chuck D, Selah Eric Spruill and Charles Duke, a few pictures and you will be able to listen to a pretty good audio tribute containing both music & commentary that we did on Isaac Hayes back in 2002 in celebration of his induction into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame. At the beginning of that audio tribute, you will hear the voice of Isaac Hayes opening things up by saying: "THIS IS ISAAC HAYES, WELCOME TO SOUL-PATROL.NET RADIO" This is commonly known as a "station id" (or a drop). It was recorded when we hooked up with Isaac Hayes at the 2001 R&B Foundation Awards, where he was one of the hosts for the evening. Also standing with us was Richard Roundtree, that's right "Mr. John Shaft" himself. I felt like I was standing right there for a Black History moment. I'll cherish that moment forever. Not only do you hear Isaac Hayes doing the drop, but you also hear him cutting and laughing up a bit, saying "I do this for a living, I do this for a living." That's because it actually took Isaac Hayes 4 takes to cut that spot :) Isaac Hayes did many favors for Soul-Patrol.com over the years. Anytime I would see him at a function or event, he would always take the time to introduce me to whomever he felt that I should be introduced to, publicist, record company executive, artist, etc. However the biggest favor that Isaac Hayes ever did for Soul-Patrol was having Harvey Fuqua as a guest on his radio show back in the year 2000. You see despite the fact that Harvey & the Moonglows were coming to NYC to be inducted into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame... NOBODY GAVE A SH*T Not Rolling Stone, Jet, Ebony, BET, Local or National Kneegrow Radio Stations... Nobody wanted to interview Harvey & the Moonglows. EXCEPT FOR ISAAC HAYES We contacted Isaac Hayes and asked if he could have Harvey on the show as a guest to discuss his induction into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame. Isaac said; "of course I can do that, no problem, doo wop is a part of my DNA." I'll always remember Isaac Hayes for many things. I'll remember him for all of the great songs that he created, that I partied off of when I was a teenager. I'll remember his groundbreaking, Grammy/Oscar winning and genre busting soundtrack album for the movie Shaft. I'll remember his acting in Blaxploitation movies and on the Rockford Files TV show. I'll remember his great radio shows on 98.7. I'll remember his iconic status as a symbol of Black manhood. But mostly I'll remember that Isaac Hayes did a very big favor for a bunch of people that he didn't have to and he did it for all of the right reasons. And that is the kind of "karma" that goes a long way with me... I'll REALLY be glad when the summer of 2008 is over... NP: Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic --Isaac Hayes --Bob Davis Stay tuned, click here for more on Isaac Hayes Click here to listen to SOUL-PATROL SALUTES ISAAC HAYES Featuring the following cuts from the CD 'ISAAC HAYES: ULTIMATE COLLECTION': Shaft, Walk On By, Never Can Say Goodbye, Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic, Do Your Thing, Ike's Rap, Birth Of Shaft and more! Isaac Hayes - RIP ("Black Moses") "My Friend & Musical Godfather...." --Chuck D Isaac Hayes Has Gone To The Ancestors I was watching Olympic Boxer, Welterweight Demetrius Andrade score one for the USA by beating up on this dude from the Georgian Republic in a boxing preliminary, when my wife Bernette called me from where she was sitting at the computer and gave me the news. First Bernie Mack and now Ike. I wonder who’s next. You know it comes in three’s. (Come to think of it, this may be 3, counting the recent departure of Bob and Mike’s dad.) I just saw Isaac Hayes on June 12th, when he kicked off the Celebrate Brooklyn Concert Series at Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. The place was packed to the gills. Much like the Maceo Parker concert last year (when Prince performed in a surprise appearance.) Ike had a hot band at this performance. A Drummer, a Percussionist, a Bass Player, a Guitarist, 3 Keyboard players and 3 Background vocalists (1 male, 2 females.) That’s 3 keyboard players in addition to the keyboard that Ike sat at. All the players were superlative – top knotch. Ike at the time did not seem well. He was led to his place, by a young lady like he was Stevie Wonder or Ray Charles; except that it was evident that Ike could see, he just couldn’t walk very well under his own steam. Taking her hand, Ike kind of shuffled behind the young lady. It was a sad thing to see, and one was concerned for Ike’s health. The young woman led him to his seat behind a portable keyboard, where Ike stayed for most of the performance. Ike performed “Ike’s Mood”, “Café Reggio” “Do Your Thing”, “I Stand Accused”, “Hyperbolicsyllabicesqidallamystic”, “Soul Man”, and the unredoubtable “Shaft”, where in a herculean effort, Ike struggled to get to his feet, unaided, and shuffled to the center of the stage, where he urged the audience to clap in time and said, “Who is the Black private dick who’s a sex machine with all the chicks?” To which everybody in the universe replied, “SHAFT!!!”, and to which he replied, DAAAMMMNNN RIGHT!!!! And everyone applauded, enthused that despite Ike’s obvious disability, he still had the moxie to attempt to give the best performance that he possibly could, and succeeded in doing. After “Shaft”, the young lady came back out and guided Ike back behind his keyboard. Ike’s voice wasn’t as strong as we remembered, but he rose to the occasion. His bass wasn’t as deep as we remembered, but he plowed on through. Ike didn’t play much keyboard. He kind of tinkered at it. But his other 3 keyboardists handled the solos, the horn parts and the string parts; the complexities and textures of Ike’s music that we have come to know and that the music demanded. During “I Stand Accused”, Ike valiantly tried to rap, but just couldn’t get it together, sort of rambling. Seeing that he couldn’t get it together, Ike wisely cut the rap short. The audience was very forgiving. When Ike finished playing, he had the young lady bring him back center stage, where he gave a deep and gracious bow, after which he and the band left the stage. Only, they came back and did an encore!!! A classic blues shuffle. After which, Ike left the stage for good. Ike at this time reminded me of the last time I had seen Count Basie, at Lincoln center in the 1980’s. Basie was on a bill with Tony Bennett and Carmen McRae. Basie came out, also shuffling, with his trademark yachting cap, and also barely played the keyboards. His was a clinic in minimalism, although he made sure that you heard his famous 3 notes at the end of every song. Basie also died, not too long after that concert. Ike was generous with his performers. His Drummer, Percussionist, Bassist, Guitarist and one of his keyboardists gave long and involved solos that were’nt boring and which served to extend the show (and give him, no doubt, needed breaks.) One of his female background singers did the two part harmony on “Do Your Thing” and took an extended solo herself. The show was well paced, and even though you knew Ike was sick, you didn’t feel like you missed anything. It was a top knotch, profession performance that I would have paid good money to see and only paid 3 dollars for at a public park festival. Isaac Hayes was one of the icons of my generation and an inspiration to me personally. One can not express the sadness that I feel in his having left this place and the honor that I feel at having been present at one of his last performances. --Selah Eric Spruiell RIP, Isaac Hayes - This one hits me extremely hard. I'm sitting here trying to get my thoughts together, trying to figure out how to say things that I want to say without possibly offending people, and trying to make it all cohesive. But I'll admit...the emotions and sadness are overwhelming me. So if y'all don't mind, I'll just type out the feelings as they come to the fore. Ike was such a vision and representation of African American manhood, that, as a Black man, you just couldn't help but feel strength from him. It wasn't just the music; it wasn't just the imagery of "the chains" or "Black Moses;" it wasn't just the association of "Shaft" and the power and strength and boldness of the music and the movie; it wasn't just the voice; it wasn't just the strength through the vulnerable emotions of a "By The Time I Get To Phoenix" or a "I Stand Accused" or the eventual (finally!) comeuppance of "I'm Gonna Make It Without You" from the album "Joy"... It was ALL OF THAT.... And Ike gave us that. He was music to "make love to your woman to." He was a "soundtrack" for just walking down the street--especially in the early 70s, when all of this was coming together as far as an elevation of the Black man's image. All of the Brothers could relate to Ike. There had been others (I'm not naming names--LOL!!!) who tried to (with the deep-voice singing), let's say, "approxi-mate" around that time--but the difference was that Ike and his music sounded like he came from "around the corner on Lenox Avenue & 138th St."--whereas, say "someone else" (LOL!!!) sounded like he was "down on Fifth Ave with plush white carpeting." One was "Bruno Magli" shoes; Ike was "Pro Keds." Just sayin' all of this in fun--LOL!!! I shed an internal tear today...Ike was THE MAN! --Charles Duke Stay tuned, click here for more on Isaac Hayes Click here to listen to SOUL-PATROL SALUTES ISAAC HAYES Featuring the following cuts from the CD 'ISAAC HAYES: ULTIMATE COLLECTION': Shaft, Walk On By, Never Can Say Goodbye, Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic, Do Your Thing, Ike's Rap, Birth Of Shaft and more! The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation Announces Inductees for 2002 ("Black Moses") Ceremony to Air Exclusively on VH1 in March Thursday, December 13, 2001, New York, NY - The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation announced today the Inductees for the Seventeenth Annual Induction Ceremony, which will be held in New York on Monday, March 18, 2002... The following Performers, listed in alphabetical order, will be inducted: ISAAC HAYES ....first arrived on the 60's scene in Memphis as the keyboardist for the Mar-Keys, the Stax Records ensemble, where he can be heard on recordings for Otis Redding and William Bell. There Hayes teamed up with David Porter, which led to a string of hits they wrote and produced for other Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees, including Sam & Dave ("Hold on I'm Comin'" and "Soul Man"). This set the stage for Hayes' emergence as a solo artist. He virtually invented the Blaxploitation film score with "Shaft" and constructed a persona that presaged hip-hop's posturing by decades. Stay tuned, click here for more on Isaac Hayes New Compilation Album From Isaac Hayes The Ultimate Collection I suppose that I am spoiled, see I live in NJ so therefore I get to hear the voice of Isaac Hayes on the radio each and every morning during my commute to work, where he is the host of the Isaac Hayes and Friends" show on 98.7 WRKS. The radio show is nothing special, it's the typical "Classic Soul & Today's R&B" format that you can now hear in most cities in the United States nowadays, it's pretty much the same format as the popular Tom Joyner show, which is also heard in most cities. While the format is fairly generic, what makes it special in New York is the presence of Isaac Hayes. While he is no longer as vocal or opinionated over the air as he once was, his voice is one that stands front and center AGAINST today's "so called" R&B and FOR looking back at the glorious historical contributions of the past, as a pointer for the direction of the music for the future. Click here to listen to SOUL-PATROL SALUTES ISAAC HAYES Featuring the following cuts from the CD 'ISAAC HAYES: ULTIMATE COLLECTION': Shaft, Walk On By, Never Can Say Goodbye, Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic, Do Your Thing, Ike's Rap, Birth Of Shaft and more! That Isaac Hayes is such a vocal supporter of the legacy of "Classic Soul/Funk" should come as no surprise since he is also one of the most important creators of that legacy! Sometimes it's easy for me to forget that simple fact, this new compilation album from HIP-O, "Isaac Hayes - Ultimate Collection", is a good reminder of the legacy of Isacc Hayes http://www.soul-patrol.com/cgi-bin/director.cgi?00125 Isaac Hayes - Ultimate Collection 1. THEME FROM SHAFT - What can I say….this song is by now considered to be an American classic and should be ranked as one of the top 10 songs in the history of pop music. It's association with the opening of the movie "Shaft", where the lead character John Shaft is shown walking down the streets of Harlem USA is a powerful visual/audio statement of BOTH Black Power and Black manhood. 2. NEVER CAN SAY GOODBYE - I guess that the Jackson Five did this song first, but Isaac Hayes OWNS this song just as much as they do. The difference between the two versions is STARK! The teenaged Micheal Jackson turns in what some people regard as his best straight up singing performance on this song which was specifically written for him by songwriter Clifton Davis. However this cover version by Isaac Hayes might as well be a completely different song! "Ike" turns this mutha completely inside out and turns the song from a tale of teenaged angst into a lustful tune of adult love that is more appropriate for a bordello at 3am, than a schoolyard at 3pm! I wonder what Berry Gordy thought of this version of the song? 3. HYPERBOLICSYLLABICSESQUEDALYMISTIC - Are you a fan of the late funk/blues artist, Johnny "Guitar" Watson? Well if you are then this FUNK EXPLOSION is just what you are looking for. This is some STONE COLD FUNK in the "southern tradition" 4. DO YOUR THING - This song is from the "Shaft" album and is as different from the title cut as night is from day. It's got a slow cookin funk groove in the mode of Booker T. and the MG's and contains "Ike's message" of "doin yo thang". 5. WALK ON BY - Just like on the song "Never Can say Goodbye", Isaac Hayes proves once again that he is the master of the cover version. How many of you remember Dionne Warwick's original version of "Walk on By" from the mid 1960's? I do and I liked it quite a bit, however one listen to the Isaac Hayes version renders Dionne's original version as useless! Isaac Hayes turns this little pop song into a B-3 Organ Funk extravaganza. He's got the Bar-Kays playing behind him and as I recall the original version which appeared on the album "Hot buttered soul" was about 15 minutes long! Between Hayes on the B-3 and whoever is playing that STANK guitar this song is nothing short of a LUST BOMB!!! Click here to listen to SOUL-PATROL SALUTES ISAAC HAYES Featuring the following cuts from the CD 'ISAAC HAYES: ULTIMATE COLLECTION': Shaft, Walk On By, Never Can Say Goodbye, Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic, Do Your Thing, Ike's Rap, Birth Of Shaft and more! 6. JOY-PT. 1 - I remember when this song first came out, I didn't think much of it, seemed like Ike should have stuck with doing his fantastic covers and this song sounded "formulamatic" to me. Today I think that if D'Angelo, Rashan Patterson, Maxwell, etc were to do a remake of thse song they could have a hit song with it. Maybe someone should? It's BETTER than anything currently on the charts in my opinion. Maybe one of today's male R&B (for lack of a better term) should give this song a listen, they might just find themselves with a hit record on their hands? 7. DON'T LET ME BE LONELY TONIGHT - I wonder what James Taylor thought about this version of his song? My bet is that he "wett his pants" when he listened to it for the first time. In the liner notes of this album, Stephen Ivory says: "Isaac Hayes treats tried and true pop and R&B classics as if they are nothing more than expensive, polished demos to be transformed and redefined into a dramatic, elongated, blissed-out soul opera of his imaginative design". Quite a description, eh? Well I agree with him. If Hayes were smart, he would return to the "Black Moses" formula of doing these extended covers mixed in with some of his unique original material. There is little doubt in my mind that if he were to do so, that he would quickly return to the top of the Black music scene! 8. OUT OF THE GHETTO - I don't really understand what this song is supposed to be about, seems like "filler" to me 9. CHOCOLATE CHIP - This is another song that I didn't like when it was originally released, back in 1975, and although it was a minor hit as I recall, I still don't like it now. It's really a piece of forgettable disco. 10. FEW MORE KISSES TO GO - Prior to listening to this "Ultimate Collection" CD, I had never heard this song before. This song is badd!!! Although it sounds more like a Barry White song than an Isaac Hayes song, it's an uncovered jewel here on this album as far as I'm concerned. I guess I must have slept on it when it first came out? Don't you sleep on it, it's worth buying the whole CD just to get your hands on this song. 11. DON'T LET GO - More "forgettable disco". Instead of this song and "Chocolate Chip" HIP-O would have been better served if they were looking for more dance cuts from Isaac Hayes, to have included the theme song that he wrote and performed for the TV show "The Men"! Do yall remember that cut? (It was SMOKIN!!!!!!!!) In it's own way, "The Theme From The Men" - Isaac Hayes is as good a song as the "Theme From Shaft". Maybe HIP-O didn't have the rights to that song? 12. MOONLIGHT LOVIN' (MENAGE A TROIS) - Seems like more "generic filler" to me, but it's ok I guess 13. IT'S HEAVEN TO ME - This is an interesting song, it kinda reminds me of the song "Dindi" - Jon Lucien as Isaac Hayes almost whispers during the song. I can groove to it! 14. DARK AND LOVELY (YOU OVER THERE) - (with Barry White) - This song went to #29 on the R&B charts in 1992, however I honestly don't remember it. It's a good song and of course represents a historic pairing of Isaac Hayes/Barry White. There is also a memorable STANK guitar solo at the end of the song, I dunno who is playing, but it's badd! 15. IKE'S RAP - Ike's lament about the evils of crack-cocaine to his lover, it's a POWERFUL jam that kinda reminds me of Teddy P's "scolding" of his woman on the song… 16. BIRTH OF SHAFT - Very nice way to end the album, this cut is SUPER FUNKY and serves as a reminder to ANYONE out there who may think that Isaac Hayes can't FUNK IT UP NO MO' (that they had betta wake up and smell the coffee….lol) Overall I have mixed feelings about this CD… It's a good introduction to the musical legacy of Isaac Hayes for younger people, and stands on it's own as such. It's also a pretty decent "3 am FUNK" type of album which I have personally "road tested" with good results. Kudos to HIP-O Records on this release! http://www.soul-patrol.com/cgi-bin/director.cgi?00125 However, to truly understand the MAGNITUDE of the impact that Isaac Hayes had on Black music during his heyday, one MUST hear his studio albums. He was the VERY first Soul/Funk artist to create fully realized "concept albums", starting in the late 1960's. The songs on those concept albums need to be heard in the context of each other to get the full impact. Click here to listen to SOUL-PATROL SALUTES ISAAC HAYES Featuring the following cuts from the CD 'ISAAC HAYES: ULTIMATE COLLECTION': Shaft, Walk On By, Never Can Say Goodbye, Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic, Do Your Thing, Ike's Rap, Birth Of Shaft and more! The albums: - Presenting Isaac Hayes ~ Isaac Hayes (1966) - Hot Buttered Soul ~ Isaac Hayes (1969) - The Isaac Hayes Movement (3rd LP) ~ Isaac Hayes (1970) - Shaft ~ Isaac Hayes (1971) - Black Moses ~ Isaac Hayes (1971) - Live At The Sahara Tahoe ~ Isaac Hayes (1973) - To Be Continued ~ Isaac Hayes (1970) - Joy ~ Isaac Hayes (1973) - Chocolate Chip ~ Isaac Hayes (1975) Changed Black radio forever, and they also changed the bedroom habits of an entire generation :) Click here to enter your suggestions Back to P*FUNK REVIEW