Isaac Hayes; 1942 - 2008
Our first order of relevant business today, is the untimely death of Mr. Isaac Hayes (I'm starting to sense a pattern? See recent post). For those of you who think you don't know of Isaac Hayes, let me inform you (Article via Pitchfork Media)
"Born in 1942 in Covington, Tennessee, Hayes moved to Memphis with his family at a young age. He sang in church and played in gospel, doo-wop, blues, and jazz bands in high school. In 1964, Hayes joined the Stax Records stable as a session musician and later songwriter, playing with Otis Redding and teaming with co-writer David Porter to write hits for the likes of Sam & Dave ("Soul Man", Hold On! I'm Coming!") and Carla Thomas ("B-A-B-Y"). According to his website, "with the exception of Booker T & the MG's, Isaac Hayes worked on more Stax sessions and tracks than any other musician."
In 1967, Hayes released his first solo album, Presenting Isaac Hayes. He hit the mainstream with 1969's hit Hot Buttered Soul, which stretched the boundaries of R&B with its epic song lengths and sexy, bubbling funk. It hit number one on the R&B charts and stayed on the pop charts for 81 weeks. His imposing image (shaved head, sunglasses, massive gold chains) helped solidify Hayes' presence as a star.
As his website notes, Hayes scored 20 albums on the R&B and pop charts between 1969 and 1980. 1970's The Isaac Hayes Movement and ...To Be Continued were both hits, but it was 1971's Shaft, the soundtrack to Gordon Parks' blaxploitation film, that launched Hayes into the stratosphere. Shaft hit number one on both the pop and R&B charts, and won both Grammy and Academy Awards. Hayes' performance of "Theme From Shaft" at the 1972 Oscars remains one of television's most powerful musical moments.
Following the success of Shaft, Hayes took on film roles (and scoring duties) for two 1974 films, Tough Guys and Truck Turner. It was the beginning of an acting career that would last until the end of his life, with roles in such films as 1981's Escape From New York, 1988's I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, and 2005's Hustle & Flow. From 1997 to 2006, Hayes was introduced to a whole new generation of fans through his role as Chef on the foul-mouthed cartoon "South Park."
That pretty much wraps it up. It's also interesting to note that Mr.Hayes was a Scientologist and quit South Park after they took a couple jabs at Scientology. I for one find this a bit idiotic, as he didn't mind when the show took a jabs at almost all other systems of beleif (which occurs in
Mr.Hayes you will be missed.
Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic- Isaac Hayes
Theme From Shaft - Isaac HayesOkkervil River; The Stand Ins
Okkervil River have been one of my favorite bands for a while now, from the first song I heard by them (The President's Dead), to their phenomenal latest release (The Stage Names), their genre-hopping rock music is something I can continuously enjoy. Thankfully, my opinion hasn't changed in the slightest after listening to their soon to be released album, The Stand Ins.
As the name suggests, the album is very similar to it's predecessor, as they were actually supposed to be a double album. You realize this fact immediately, as the songs share a similar quality and subject matter. Also, if you place the album art for these two albums on top of each other (with The Stage Names on top), they make one completed picture (as seen above).
So, clocking in at a mere 40 minutes, The Stand Ins is a very strong effort from the boys of Okkervil River. Hopefully they'll go on a long tour in support, and PERHAPS land in Detroit, as they've been neglecting to do so.
Enjoy a couple tracks from the new album, which is out September 9th.
Singer Songwriter - Okkervil River
Now we've come to the conclusion of this week's rather short post. You'd be right to expect some small posts during the week.
Thanks for reading.
Til' Next Week
