Baroquely beautiful work from the Stax soul master – one of Isaac Hayes' heaviest albums of the 70s – and a record so massive, they needed 2LPs to contain the whole thing! The record's a culmination of the rich, full style of soulful arranging that Hayes had pioneered in his early solo work at Stax – a sound that's incredibly rich, filled with added voices and instrumentation, but totally dominated by Ike in a powerful, masculine approach to soul. Some tunes are familiar – like the album's versions of "Never Can Say Goodbye", "Close To You", "Going In Circles", "Never Gonna Give You Up", and "Need To Belong To Someone" – but they're all completely transformed here by Hayes with a bad-rapping, personal mode that's totally great. Album also features some great "Ike's Rap" cuts too! New deluxe edition comes in fold-out packaging that's reminiscent of the original LP – and features new remastering, new liner notes, and rare photos too! CD

Ike's comeback LP from the mid 90s, and his last studio album! In an almost complete return to form, he gets together with his old running mates from Stax, including David Porter, and serves up a wonderful album of silky smooth, string-laden soul that stands tight next to his mid 70s classics! Includes "Ike's Plea", "Life's Mood", "Fragile", "Life's Mood II", "Summer In The City", "Let Me Love You", "I'll Do Anything (To Turn You On)", "Thanks To The Fool", "Branded", "Soulsville" and "Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic". CD

Slightly later than some of Isaac Hayes' biggest Stax albums – but a great little record that's filled with some excellent smooth soul material! The record shows Hayes really trying to push his style to new levels, and it's got a sophistication that you don't hear on earlier albums – a sound that hints at the Polydor years, but without as much of a disco influence. Ike's also dropped his thing of doing a lot of soul covers of pop tracks – which means that the record's got a lot more original material, served up with a new sort of focus on songwriting! Titles include "Chocolate Chip", a perennial fave on the dancefloor, in both vocal and instrumental versions – plus "I Can't Turn Around", "Come Live With Me", and "Body Language". CD

2 massive Isaac Hayes soundtracks in one set – both from the magical cinematic year of 1974! Truck Turner is a hard and heavy soundtrack that we like even more than his classic work on Shaft! Unlike Shaft, Ike actually starred in the film Truck Turner – which may be one reason why he brought his full game to the table for the record – and scored a batch of badass tunes that still stand with some of the best funky soundtrack work of the 70s! The rhythm's especially hard on the best cuts – really crackling with a lot of intensity, and a stark, hard funky sound that's made the record a favorite of beatheads for years! Ike kicks it hard on cuts like "Pursuit Of The Pimpmobile", "House Full Of Girls", "Drinking", "Give It To Me", "Now We're One", "Breakthrough", "House of Beauty", and the massive title cut "Truck Turner". Tough Guys is deeper and more complicated than the groove of Shaft and Truck Turner, and filled with some great tunes that glow with color, life, and imagination – showing an Isaac Hayes that almost seems to be moving beyond the usual blackploitation groove! The album sports 2 really classic tunes – the title theme "Tough Guys", and the classic "Hung Up On My Baby" – both of which have a solidly funky feel that will more than please the usual soundtrack beathead crowd. But overall, the other tunes twist and turn in a delightful mix of modes – expanding on the soulful territory Ike first explored in his original soundtracks, and offering up a great range of moods and emotion. The album's got some especially great chromatic guitar work – and other titles include "Joe Bell", "Randolph & Dearborn", "Buns O Plenty", "Run Fay Run", and "Red Rooster". CD

Amazing stuff from Isaac Hayes! Although Ike had first appeared on LP with the album "Introducing", this was the first record to really expose his true soul genius – and it was also the first release on Ike's successful sub-label at Stax, Enterprise Records. The record shows that for all the years Ike was working away on other folks' songs for Stax, he was carefully cooking up his own style of soul that would forever change the way we think about the music. Back in 1969, the album must have blown more than a few minds for its incredibly baroque approach to soul music – taking common elements like strings, piano, and funky rhythms, and stretching them out into long waves of sound that cycle over and over, working a sly subtle magic along with Ike's super-sexy vocals, and his monologue-heavy approach to popular tunes. The album features incredible remakes of pop hits "Walk On By" and "By The Time I Get To Phoenix" – both of which run for over 10 minutes, and which completely transform the songs into something way more than simple radio fodder. Also features the psychedelic soul masterpiece "Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic", which has this crazy funky piano, and a messed-up sound that would make even George Clinton weep! CD

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A landmark album that hardly needs any introduction – as it's one of the most famous soundtracks, if not soul records, of the 70s! Isaac Hayes had already surprised music fans with the sophistication of his first few solo albums, which had been issued before this one – but with Shaft, he did the inconceivable, as the album was one of the first times a pop musician had scored, not just sung on, an entire soundtrack. Plus, the soundtrack's super-huge – running as a double-length batch of tracks that was a rarity for the often-slim soundtrack market. Includes many great funky numbers – both vocal and instrumental – including "Theme from Shaft", "Cafe Regio's", "Walk from Regio's", "Bumpy's Lament", and "Do Your Thing", in the nice 19 minute long version! CD

Great work by Isaac Hayes – featuring a wealth of classic tunes from his years at Stax, packaged with some bonus video material from the 70s! The music alone is more than worth the price of the set – as the collection includes big hits, choice album tracks, and even 3 never-issued tunes from Hayes' 1972 performance at Operation Push in Chicago. 33 tracks include "Chocolate Chip", "Title Theme From Three Tough Guys", "Run Fay Run", "Rock Me Easy Baby", "Walk On By", "I Stand Accused", "Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic", "Ain't That Lovin You", "Theme From Shaft", "By The Time I Get To Phoenix", "Soulsville", "The Look Of Love", "Do Your Thing", "Someone Made You For Me", and "Let's Stay Together". DVD includes tracks from Hayes' 1972 performance at Wattstax – "Rolling Down A Mountainside", "Soulsville", and "Theme From Shaft" – plus his "Chocolate Salty Balls" performance as Chef in South Park. (Could have done without that – thank you!) CD

A fantastic update of earlier soul duo modes – served up here by two of the most badass soul singers of the 70s! The album's got the smooth flow of Isaac Hayes' late 70s work – a bit of clubby rhythms at times, some soaring orchestrations at others – all in a mode that opens up into tunes that allow plenty of vocal interplay between Millie and Ike – who beautifully balance their deep soul roots and growing shift into modern soul modes. Brad Shapiro and Millie produced – giving the album some of the flavors of Jackson's late 70s work on Spring – but the Isaac Hayes presence really makes the record his own, too – as if we could imagine anything less! Titles include "Sweet Music, Soft Lights, & You", "Do You Wanna Make Love", "If I Had My Way", "Love Changes", and "You Needed Me". CD

An incredible record – a real standout in Solomon Burke's career! This set features him working with arrangements that are smooth, mellow, and sexy – very much in the Barry White and Isaac Hayes mode, a style that's a perfect fit for Solomon's voice, which was warm and deep back when White and Hayes were just kids! Gene Page did some of the arrangements with Solomon, and the record's a wonderfully unified session with a mellow 70s soul feel that's just great. Titles include "Everlasting Love", "Music To Make Love By", "Midnight & You", "You & Your Baby Blues", and "Let Me Wrap My Arms Around You". CD

Roots rock but with a strongly soulful undercurrent – thanks to key late 60s Stax production from Donald Duck Dunn and Don Nix, both of whom make the record sound a lot hipper than many other similar sets from the time! The record showcases the singing and songwriting talents of Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett – a pair who were hyped heavily by the rock scene of their era, but who also step out here with equally soulful appeal – almost a blue-eyed soul take on the Stax sound of the late 60s! Of course, it helps that the pair get plenty of help on the record from folks like Booker T & The MGs, The Memphis Horns, Isaac Hayes, and William Bell – but their own efforts are pretty great too, as heard on tracks that include "My Baby Specializes", "Things Get Better", "We Can Love", "Just Plain Beautiful", "Everybody Loves A Winner", and "Pour Your Love On Me". CD features 6 bonus tracks – including "A Long Road Ahead", "I've Just Been Feeling Bad", "Dirty Old Man", and "Get Ourselves Together". CD

A sublime set of soul instrumentals – very funky work, and sort of a 70s follow-up to the Soulful Strings albums on Cadet Records from the 60s! Maestro Richard Evans is at the top of his game here – stepping out with that hip Chisoul mode he first forged at Chess, tuned here towards some even more sophisticated modes for Atlantic Records! Many of Evan's previous players are on board to make the record great – including Lennie Druss on flute, Paul Serrano on trumpet, Odell Brown on organ, and Phil Upchurch on guitar. Evans himself plays bass for the record – using a very funky bottom sound – and the set also features some wicked vibes from the legendary Billy Wooten, working away from his Nineteenth Hole group on a rare major label date! The sound is blacksploitation soundtrack, part Curtom funk – and titles include the great originals "Pie Daddy's Dream", "Wado City", "Angela My Sister", and the great "Patutu" – which was done by the Soulful Strings – plus a few nice covers like "Mercy Mercy Me" and "Ellie's Love Theme", by Isaac Hayes. CD

Collects b-sides, alternate takes, plus unissued cuts from Albert King's run at Stax and features Isaac Hayes, Booker T, Steve Cropper, and others! 13 tracks total. CD

2 funky classics from the legendary Pretty Purdie! Purdie Good is Bernard Purdie's first album as a leader for Prestige – cut right after he'd hipped up plenty of other sessions for the label with his famous funky drums! The groove here is very much in the best Prestige jazz funk mode of the early 70s – tightly vamping rhythms that draw heavily from Purdie's monstrous drums – and which also offer solo showcase space for Harold Wheeler on electric piano, Ted Dunbar on guitar, Tippy Larkin on trumpet, and Charlie Brown and Warren Daniels on tenor. Rhythm is augmented by Gordon Edwards on Fender bass and Norman Pride on congas – and the grooves hit a variety of modes that show that Purdie could sometimes be a more open-thinking rhythmatist than his funky contemporary Idris Muhammad. Titles include great instrumental versions of "Cold Sweat" and "Montego Bay", plus the originals "Wasteland", "You Turn Me On", and "Purdie Good". Shaft is a full funky session from master drummer Bernard Purdie – a set that expands out his previous Prestige vibe, and almost goes for a soundtrack scope to match the record's Shaft title! The set leads off with a great take on the Isaac Hayes hit – one that follows in the same fully-flowing, slow-building mode as Ike's – but which comes across here as an instrumental with some great solo work from Houston Person – playing here almost in a Stanley Turrentine sort of mode! Other tracks continue the hip mix of jazz and larger backings – and feature a lineup of players that includes Neal Creque on electric piano, Gerry Thomas and Danny Moore on trumpets, Willie Bridges and Houston Person on tenors, Billy Nichols and Lloyd Davis on guitars, Gordon Edwards on Fender bass, and Norman Pride on congas. The sound is warm without ever sounding too smooth – and Purdie's funky drums at the bottom ensure that most tunes are nicely lively. Titles include "Shaft", "Butterfingers", "Summer Melody", "Changes", "Way Back Home", and "Attica". CD

Great work from one of the tightest acts of 60s soul – the always-energetic Sam & Dave, working here with an excellent batch of tracks by Isaac Hayes & David Porter! Sam & Dave had made records before this period – but the cuts here are all from the years when they were recording with Stax Records – really burning things up, thanks to the great material that was often both penned and produced by Hayes and Porter, and always given a sharp Memphis groove that took the already-great dynamics of the pair and knocked it out of the park! At the time of these recordings, Sam & Dave were so hot that James Brown refused to have them open for him – as they'd completely exhaust the energy of the crowd – and you'll be able to hear why, on titles that include "Hold On I'm Comin", "May I Baby", "Soul Man", "I Thank You", "You Don't Know Like I Know", "When Something Is Wrong With My Baby", "You Got Me Hummin", and "Wrap It Up". CD

Classic Sam & Dave work for Stax – a searing batch of hard soul tracks that forever redefined the concept of a male soul duet! This was the sound that put Sam & Dave over the top hard – and which left a generation of similar acts trying to catch up. The album sports a sublime track list of Stax originals – mostly by the Isaac Hayes/David Porter team, plus a few others by Steve Cropper and other writers – all top-shelf work that really helps the pair do their best! Titles include "Hold On, I'm Comin", "You Don't Know Like I Know", "You Got It Made", "It's A Wonder", "Blame Me", "Don't Make It So Hard On Me", "I Take What I Want", "I Got Everything I Need", and "If You Got The Loving". CD

Johnnie Taylor's first album for Stax – and a tremendous little set that easily stands as one of his greatest records ever! Sure, we love Johnnie in all his incarnations – but there's a special sort of something here – a rawness and earnestness – that makes the whole thing shine right from the start – a crispy sort of Memphis vibe that has the Stax Records team really hitting their stride. The set's filled with great tunes from the team of Isaac Hayes and David Porter – including "I Got To Love Somebody's Baby", "Toe Hold", "Outside Love", "Little Bluebird", and "I Had A Dream" – and also features great versions of "Watermelon Man", "Ain't That Loving You", and "Where Can A Man Go From Here". CD

The Temptations going in all directions – and all of them pretty darn groovy too! The set's still heavy on the solid, righteous sound of Norman Whitfield – who gives some of the best cuts that psychedelic soul imprint he really perfected with the group – a quality that has a lot more funk than other Motown acts were getting at the time – yet still lets the harmonies soar! A few other numbers showcase a more mature ballad style – different than the sweet soul of their roots, and definitely with an adult vibe we really love. Titles include heavy funk on "Funky Music Sho Nuff Turns Me On", and their great cover of Isaac Hayes "Do Your Thing" – some mellow mature covers like "Love Woke Me Up This Morning" and "First Time I Ever Saw Your Face" – plus the long version of "Papa Was A Rolling Stone", and the tracks "Mother Nature" and "Run Charlie Run". CD

Incredible work from Spencer Wiggins – a late 60s Memphis singer who travelled in the same circles as James Carr, Percy Sledge, and Otis Redding, but who hardly ever got his due – despite talents that were clearly equal to his contemporaries! This beautifully-done set brings together 22 tracks that Wiggins recorded for Goldwax Records in the late 60s – a label that was also home to Carr's best work, and who does an equally great job with Spencer's deep-burning vocals on these sides. Many of the tracks on the set were written by the cream of the crop of southern soul writers at the time – George Jackson, Quinton Claunch, Isaac Hayes, and others – and backings are often spare and subtle, really letting Wiggins' vocals take center stage! CD features 20 tracks in all, plus some incredible notes – and titles include "The Kind Of Woman That's Got No Heart", "Old Friend", "Once In A While Is Better Than Never At All", "He's Too Old", "Soul City USA", "Walking Out On You", "Who's Been Warming My Oven", "I'll Be True To You", and "Anything You Do Is All Right". CD

A mainstream selection of funky tracks from classic 70s soundtracks and beyond – mostly familiar numbers, but plenty nice to have all in one place! Titles include "Truck Turner" by Isaac Hayes, "Cornbread" by The Blackbyrds, "Sweetback's Theme" by Earth Wind & Fire, "The Bottle" by Gil Scott-Heron, "Coffy Is The Color" by Roy Ayers, "Expansions" by Lonnie Liston Smith, "People Get Up & Drive Your Funky Soul" by James Brown, "Express" by BT Express, "Big Papa" by Edwin Starr, and "We Be's Getting Down" by Graham Central Station. CD

3rd volume, and the righteous 70's soul and funk tracks keep on coming! Titles include "World Is A Ghetto" by War, "Ike's Mood" by Isaac Hayes, "Trouble Man" by Marvin Gaye, "Love TKO" by Teddy Pendergrass, "Breakout" by Johnny Hammond, "Ironside" by Quincy Jones, "Move On Up" by Curtis Mayfield, "Who Is He & What Is He To You" by Creative Source, "Melting Pot" by Booker T & The MGs, "Westchester Lady" by Bob James, and lots lots more! 25 tracks in all. CD

Funky soundtrack tunes from the early 70s – a great mix of lesser known album cuts and a few other rare gems pulled from Universal's Soul Cinema series! The groove is wah-wah funk, fast riffing drums, tight "chase" theme grooves, and even a bit of soul – and tracks include "Monkey Hustle" by Jack Conrad, "It's Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday" by GC Cameron, "Fat Poppadaddy" by Quincy Jones, "I'm Gonna Catch You" by The Hues Corporation, "The Boss" by James Brown, "Bus Stop" by Harry Betts, "King George" by Roy Ayers, "Give It To Me" by Isaac Hayes, "She Did It" by Barbara Mason & Monk Higgins, and "It Sure Is Groovy" by Gil Bernal. 13 cuts in all! CD

An excellent primer for fans of blacksploitation soundtracks! The set was put together by Ice T as an homage to all the great black action films of the 70s – and it's a good selection of vocal hits from scores that may well be known more for their instrumental funk. And sure, the selection's a bit basic – but it's also a good place to start, and hearing the vocal numbers is kind of a different hook into the films than the usual instrumental riffs. Titles include "Love Doctor" by Millie Jackson, "I Choose You" by Willie Hutch, "Blowin Your Mind" by OC Smith, "Are You Man Enough" by The Four Tops, "Make A Resolution" by The Impressions, "Across 110th Street" by Bobby Womack, "Theme Of Foxy Brown" by Willie Hutch, "Trouble Man" by Marvin Gaye, "Theme From Shaft" by Isaac Hayes, and "Pusherman" by Curtis Mayfield. CD

The funkiest side of Stax Records – a treasure trove of funky nuggets, all hand-picked by RZA! As the title implies, these are some of the grooves that became the building blocks of the Wu-Tang sound – but even without that pedigree, these tracks are more than great enough on their own – a wonderful mix of album cuts and rare singles – some you'll recognize from famous hip hop samples, some you'll discover here for the first time ever! The triple-length package is overflowing with greatness – and titles include "I Could Never Be Happy" and "I Like It" by The Emotions, "I Forgot To Be Your Lover" by The Mad Lads and another "I Forgot To Be Your Lover" by William Bell, "Children Don't Get Weary" by Judy Clay, "All It Takes Is You & Me" by The Sweet Inspirations, "Poverty's Paradise" by 24 Carat Black, "I'll Play The Blues For You" by Albert King, "Why Marry" by The Sweet Inspirations, "Steal Away" by Johnnie Taylor, "Hang On Sloopy" by David Porter, "Ike's Mood 1" by Isaac Hayes, "In The Rain" by The Dramatics, "Don't Take My Kindness For Weakness" by The Soul Children, "Packed & Took My Mind" by Little Milton, "Sing A Simple Song" by Booker T & The MGs, "I'm Afraid The Masquerade Is Over" by David Porter, "LA Jazz Song" by Booker T & The MGs, "Walk On By" by Isaac Hayes, and "Keep The Faith" by Mel & Tim. CD

A 2CD half-century mile marker set for Stax Records – one of the most vital and popular southern soul labels ever – as if you needed us to tell you that! The set features a selection of many of the most popular and most culturally important singles from the early 60s and on through the mid 70s – in a nice little box package and a thick booklet of essays, notes and photos! 50 tracks on 2CDs: "Gee Whiz (Look In His Eyes)", "Last Night" by Mar-Kays, "You Don't Miss Your Water" by William Bell, "Candy" by The Astors, "Let Me Be Good To You" by Carla Thomas, "Soul Finger" by The Bar-Kays, "I Got A Sure Thing" by Ollie & The Nightingales, "What A Man" by Linda Lyndell, "Who's Making Love" by Johnny Taylor, "Time Is Tight" by Booker T & The MGs, "So I Can Love You" by The Emotions, "Mr Big Stuff" by Jean Knight, "Theme From Shaft" by Isaac Hayes, "In The Rain" by The Dramatics, "If You're Ready (Come Go With Me)" by The Staple Singers, "Woman To Woman" by Shirley Brown and much more! CD

Features music from Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Rose Royce, the Brothers Johnson, Curtis Mayfield, the Spinners, the Jackson 5, the Emotions, Lou Rawls, Labelle, Isaac Hayes, Chic, Al Green, the O Jays, Kool & the Gang & more. CD

Nice compilation of soulful grooves that mixes up older material and some of the better modern soul from Irma's current roster of groups. The older tracks include "Dreaming About You" by The Blackbyrds, "Thinking About You" by Sylvester, and "Never Can Say Goodbye" by Isaac Hayes – and the newer cuts include "Rescue Me" by Funky Company, "Feel It" by Freedom Or Not, "Baby I Know" by Babyra Soul, and "Good For Us" by Kama Sutra. A good mix of grooves, and a nice one if you like the modern soul vibe. CD