The Isaac Hayes Movement

by Isaac Hayes

Overview

Although this is Isaac Hayes' third long-player, he had long been a staple of the Memphis R&B scene -- primarily within the Stax coterie -- where his multiple talents included instrumentalist, arranger, and composer of some of the most beloved soul music of the '60s. Along with his primary collaborator, David Porter, Hayes was responsible for well over 200 sides -- including the genre-defining "When Something Is Wrong With My Baby," "Soul Man," "B-A-B-Y," "Hold On, I'm Comin'," and "I Had a Dream." As a solo artist however, Hayes redefined the role of the long-player with his inimitably smooth narrative style of covering classic pop and R&B tracks, many of which would spiral well over ten minutes. The Isaac Hayes Movement (1970) includes four extended cuts from several seemingly disparate sources, stylistically ranging from George Harrison's "Something" to Jerry Butler's "I Stand Accused" and even Burt Bacharach and Hal David's "I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself." These early Hayes recordings brilliantly showcase his indomitable skills as an arranger -- as he places familiar themes into fresh contexts and perspectives. For example, his lengthy one-sided dialogue that prefaces "I Stand Accused" is halting in its candor as Hayes depicts an aching soul who longs for his best friend's fiancee. Even the most hard-hearted can't help but have sympathy pains as he unravels his sordid emotional agony and anguish. Hayes' lyrical orchestration totally reinvents the structure of "Something" -- which includes several extended instrumental sections -- incorporating equally expressive contributions from John Blair (violin). Both "I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself" and the comparatively short (at under six minutes) "One Big Unhappy Family" are more traditionally arranged ballads. Hayes again tastefully incorporates both string and horn sections to augment the languid rhythm, providing contrasting textures rather than gaudy adornment. These sides offer a difference between the proverbial "Black Moses of Soul" persona that would be responsible for the aggressive no-nonsense funk of Shaft (1971) and Truck Turner (1974). ~ Lindsay Planer

Product Details

Release Date:	10/25/1990
Label:	Stax
UPC:	0025218412926

Tracks

1. I Stand Accused
2. One Big Unhappy Family
3. I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself
4. Something

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Isaac Hayes   Primary Artist,Keyboards,Vocals

Technical Credits

Isaac Hayes   Audio Production,Producer,Arranger
Jack Rhodes   Composer
William Butler   Composer
Ed Wolfrum   Engineer
Pat Lewis   Vocal Arrangement
George Harrison   Composer
Joe Tarantino   Mastering
Ron Capone   Engineer,Remixing,Remix Engineer
Sandra Rhodes   Composer
Jerry Butler   Composer
David Chalmers   Composer
Burt Bacharach   Composer
Hal David   Composer
Charles Chalmers   Composer
George Horn   Mastering
William E. Butler   Composer
Joel Brodsky   Photography
Billy Butler   Composer
David Krieger   Art Direction
Herb Kole   Art Supervisor
Dale Warren   Arranger
Henry Bush   Engineer