Hot Buttered Soul

An absolutely amazing album. Such a wide set of emotions, from the 12-minute orchestral storm of "Walk On By" to the soft drum and bass of Hayes' voice in "By The Time I Get To Phoenix". You can really bathe yourself in the Hot Buttered Soul, the inspiration and brilliance of this album.

I remember when this album came out and how "us kids" loved his rendition of "Walk On By". Our school gym teacher HATED this album and one day played a John Coltrane song, telling us. "This is real jazz!" OF course, I already knew of Mr. Coltrane and his records but, what our gym teacher didn't get was Mr. Hayes' music was NEW & soulful to the younger generation. The Bar-Kays rhythm sections on "By The Time I Get To Phoenix" (as well as the entire album) really acts a punctuation mark throughout the song. Imagine slow dancing with the love of your life and, the rhythm section is building up to something climatic and, then BAM! The drummer hits that "punctuation" and your hip snaps into that key note instinctively! Of course, in this day and age people call it "Steppin' but back then it was... Unison. All elements come together and creating an everlasting impression in your soul.

Not everything he has done has aged as well as this and it is true that he repeated the formula to lesser (though still great) results on Isaac Hayes Movement, To Be Continued, and Black Moses. But the 20 minute By The Time I Get To Phoenix is the answer to the question you never knew how to ask. Try to ignore the post Soul artist image he cultivated and if you've stuck around for the whole slow-burn rap, by the time he actually starts singing, you'll be ready to follow him to the ends of the earth. Hyperbolic, with a groove I defy you to sit still for, and Phoenix pretty wonderfully illustrate the dynamic he was mining on these records from 69 to 74. He was a master of arranging a slow build of hooks you won't be able to get out of your head for days. The whole thing sounds as fresh as I imagine it must have upon release. Totally essential for every human being on the planet.Edit: I'm not a big fan of bonus tracks, as I prefer the sequence of the original release, so if you can find the cheaper earlier issue, the mastering on it is first-rate, imho.

Isaac Hayes, the Black Moses! I got this album when I was 10 years old for birthday a gift in 1969. The song " By the Time I Get to Phoenix" was outstanding. He set the mood with that song with a story intro. Stax records produced a lot of great artists and Isaac Hayes is one of them. 50 years later, I bought this cd. Can you dig it?

This is a great! Cd I had not, heard this album since I was a kid. When my mother use to play it, when it first came out on LP. This was Issac Hayes first album he did, this was the begining of many more great! albums from Mr. Hayes. For you old skool folks, this is a must have cd in your collection. The song walk on by, was use in the movie "Dead President's" and played at the ending. This cd deserves 10 stars, great! horn sections played by The Bar-Kay's which I didn't know. When I was a kid one of my older brothers, got me hooked on a lot of old skool R & B soul music.

When I was a senior in high school, 1970, I loved this album. Obviously, one of the greatest soul voices of all time, but what I loved was that on the whole album there were only four songs. Long songs. "By the Time I Get to Phoenix"--wow! Almost 20 minutes long.Well, there wasn't a very strong concert presence in Jackson, Mississippi at the time, but my aunt knew somebody who worked at the Coliseum, and we were able to get into the shows of the groups who actually came for free: I think the highlight had been the Grass Roots. Anyway, Isaac came. My friends and I were out of our minds to see this guy. When we got there, the place was empty. There weren't fifty people there. There were almost as many people performing because Isaac had--if my memory is any good--a full orchestra in addition to his band.The musicians were milling around, tuning up. No sign of Isaac. The lights started to go down and a man with a huge Afro came center stage and knelt down. The lights went out completely except for a single spot light on the kneeling man. Somebody stepped up and removed the wig and Isaac's head shone forth like the miracle of ages.They played for three hours. Five songs. Heaven.

Sounds great remastered. Key piece to my vinyl collection. Classic album.

Being someone who rarely listens to songs over 6 minutes i decided to take a gamble and purchase this LP. That said i could not believe my ears, the 30 second samples give these tracks little justice, just as it seemed i had placed the needle on the record i found myself having to start over, though long they seem on paper, in reality the tracks are so good by the time you realize it you have to replay them again and again making the album not long enough,i must have replayed side 1 four times! though one thing i must admit the intro to "by the time i get to pheonix" would have been better in a LIVE recording and not a studio one, but i dont mind, having the vinyl version allows me to set the needle ahead of the intro (but i wont)

I have noticed a few reviewers here complaining that this album is self-indulgent and bloated. Just to clarify: this album is self-indulgent, bloated and absolutely perfect. Especially in its more recent CD incarnation, as you get heavily edited versions of Walk on By and By the Time I Get to Phoenix that even the squares can sit through.Of the other 2 tracks, Hyperbolicsyllablecsesquedalymistic is an absolutely fantastic bit of psychedelic soul, with a harsh, percussive piano break that later turned up as Public Enemy's Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos. One Woman, meanwhile, is a quaintly sexist bit of soul-rending in which Ike just cannot decide between the woman who is 'making his home' and his bit on the side who is so cruelly tempting him away from said woman. We've all been there, mate.

Funky, soulful, romantic, groundbreaking and a very good listen. Just a few of the hyperbolic adjectives that spring to mind when thinking about this superb album.This is an album of deeply funky soul. With the extended cuts and luscious orchestration, mixed with Hayes unique soulful vocals it feels like Stax soul meets prog rock. The 10-20 minute tracks never outstay their welcome though.The standout is the opening 'Walk on by', a 12 minute epic that slowly builds annd builds, with Hayes almost teasing you as whether or not he's going to sing. The other tracks follow in a similar vein, long, laid back grooves.Very much an album to played late at night, alone with that special someone.

Use to listen to this album when I was at sea listen to this album in a quiet place and you’re there this bloke did it before Barry white did soul funk jazz a classic album of the time

Four awesome tracks by the Soul man himself. Superb production on this reissued vinyl.

Along with seminal albums of the era by Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, Stevie Wonder and Al Green, this prime slice of Funk'd up SoulJazz by Isaac is an essential part of any study into the Black rhythms and sounds of the early 70s, providing a comfortable, grounded counterpoint to the more airborne efforts by Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock and Donald Byrd and adding musical context to the more wordy-but-no-less-groovy efforts by Gil-Scott Heron. This is an album in the sense that we know an album to sound like in 2013, with all the benefit of the proceeding 40-odd years since to give us evidence of its value and influence. It's a 4 track collection of extended wig-outs on familiar themes, a nod to Jazz and the evolution happening in that genre, and provides many, long and uninterrupted sections of pure, unsignposted, eyes-closed-and-headz-nodding groove-heavy chill-out music, a template that was sped up and given a 90s rush 25yrs later and renamed Trip Hop, Downbeat/tempo and Balearic.So what we have here is the album as meditational tool and technology of relaxation on the one hand, and on the other, a glimpse in time of a genre previously centered around the 3min single stretching out and making itself at home in our retro 70s lounges, propped up next to the leopard-skin wall hanging and lava lamp, and awaiting further use as trendy artifact of early90s turntablism and beat compiler.No complete archive of Beat music should be without this Solid Gold album.

And as smooth. Before Barry White and before chef from South Park, we had this. This is the sound that inspired every deep voiced soul man of the seventies, be they good bad or plain ludicrous. Twenty minutes to sing By The Time I Get To Phoenix - no more or less odd than John Coltrane taking fourteen minutes over My Favourite Things. This is wonderful music. At this price theres no reason not to.

Brilliant atmospheric album

Memories are made of this

A wonderful album! Anyone who's got an interest in music give Isaac a try, the vocal performance and keyboard playing from Isaac is superb and the backing from the Bar Kays is out of this world (don't take my word for it though try it yourself and discover something you probably didn't give much thought)

Another great album from Isaac hayes

hello how about I don't want to be heavy but the order I think has been lost, you decide the solution greetings

I always wanted to own this album. I didn't realise why until I received it today and I just haven't stopped playing it. If you only ever buy one album, these four tracks will have you totally suspended on a different level for a long time! The variety of musical dynamism is pure genius. On a cold dark night, crank up the heating, turn the lights down really low, and just close your eyes. You won't be disappointed!

Great album

Awesome tunes, super funk

Very honest seller. Long delivery time, but still strongly recommended. Thank you.