The work of R&B legend Isaac Hayes, who we lost last August at the age of 65, will be revisited next month by Stax Records. On February 24, 2009 Stax will be reissuing both Hayes' 1971 soul classic Black Moses, as well as the influential singer/songwriter's 1976 disco album, Juicy Fruit (Disco Freak).
An integral part of the Memphis-based Stax Records' talented roster, Hayes performed as part of the label's house band. Along with his songwriting partner David Porter, Hayes wrote hits for R&B artists like Sam & Dave, Carla Thomas, and Johnnie Taylor. Hayes launched his solo career in 1967 with the album Presenting Isaac Hayes, but fully hit his stride as a singer, songwriter, and performer with 1969's breakthrough album Hot Buttered Soul.
Black Moses, released in 1971, coincided with Hayes' success with the soundtrack to the hit film Shaft, for which Hayes became the first African-American composer to win an Academy Award for "Best Score." A two-album collection of pop and soul classics, Hayes originals, and spoken-word "raps," Hayes provided his own unique arrangements to songs by talents like Curtis Mayfield, Luther Ingram, Kenny Gamble & Thom Bell, and even country songwriter Kris Kristofferson.
Black Moses would hit #1 on the Billboard soul chart and #10 on the magazine's pop chart, subsequently influencing a generation of R&B, hip-hop, and soul-blues artists. Remastered from the original master tapes, the album will be reissued with a complete duplication of the original packaging with fold-out insert, and new liner notes from award-winning author and Stax historian Rob Bowman.
Hayes' Juicy Fruit (Disco Freak) is a curious choice for reissuing, considering that the album is generally considered an inferior example of Hayes' skills. By 1976, the artist was clearly trying to ride the wave of disco's commercial fortunes back to the top of the charts. In less than two years after leaving Stax, Hayes cranked out four disco albums, and the soundtrack albums to two films that he starred in - Truck Turner and Tough Guys - and he was clearly running on empty, creatively (and would, sadly, through the end of the decade).
Recorded with much of Hayes' regular band, known as The Movement, and originally released by the artists' ABC Records-distributed Hot Buttered Soul label, this is the first time that Juicy Fruit (Disco Freak) has been released on CD. Remastered from the original tapes and benefiting from new liner notes by writer and music historian Bill Dahl. Our recommendation? Skip the disco - unless you're still hiding a three-piece white polyester suit in the back of your closet - and pick up on Black Moses instead.
