"Shaft (Music From The Soundtrack):2-CD Deluxe Edition" by ISAAC HAYES – 23 July 1971 US 2LP Set on Enterprise Records and November 1971 UK 2LP set on Stax Records – featuring Backing Bands The Bar-Kays, The Isaac Hayes Movement, The Memphis Strings and Horns with Arrangements by Johnny Allen and J.J. Johnson and backing Singers Pat Lewis, Rose Williams and Telma Hopkins (September 2019 US Craft Recordings/Enterprise Deluxe Edition 2-CD Reissue – A 2LP set Newly Remastered by Dave Cooley onto CD1 – CD2 With Original Film Score Album Version Available For The First Time Remixed and Remastered by Michael McDonald and Doug Schwartz) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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Rating: *****

"...Damn Right!"

There was industry discussion in the October 1971 issue of Billboard Magazine as Stax/Enterprise prepped for the release of Isaac Hayes' second double-album "Black Moses" in the same year (the double soundtrack album "Shaft" had been issued in July 1971). The article told all industry insiders that Stax had locked down all promotion of his new opus. This was because some DJ had reputedly been offered $300,000 for his Promo Copy of "Black Moses" with the aim of bootlegging it.

Why would someone offer an A&R employee such a huge amount of cash in 1971? Because his previous effort "Shaft" as a Movie, as a 2LP Blaxploitation Soul Music Soundtrack was MASSIVE – an absolute phenomenon and in a way that few had ever seen before. The handsome sex symbol lead actor Richard Roundtree, the bespectacled and impossibly cool musician Isaac Hayes with his beard and bling, the wah-wah guitar theme Hayes composed that just slaughtered all in its path worldwide - this bad mother was everywhere. Stax was even then claiming that such was the demand for Isaac's fourth release, that nearly 40% of all copies of "Shaft" in American circulation were bootlegs - gazillions of them.

Few now remember (or even know) that December 1971's "Black Moses" was going to be Isaac Hayes' fifth No. 1 US R&B LP in a row – a feat no one had ever achieved (he would achieve another 2 R&B number ones in 1974 with "Truck Turner" and the 1976 live double "Live At The Sahara Tahoe"). Seven No.1 R&B albums – wow!

But its the soundtrack to "Shaft" that has a special place in fan's hearts. Which brings us to this latest go-round – a twofer from September 2019 which replaces the Universal/Concord Music November 2009 US single-CD Remaster version. 

There were bitter diatribes about the BOB FISHER sound on the 2009 Concord Music Group single-disc Remaster – that is firmly kicked into touch here. The principal 1971 Double-Album Original Soundtrack has been Remastered by DAVE COOLEY at Elysian Mastering for this 2019 twofer and sounds amazing (CD1) - the Film Score on CD2 was Remixed by MICHAEL McDONALD at Private Island Trax while the Mastering was done by a name many will know - DOUG SCHWARTZ at Mulholland Music. For me (at least) CD1 is improved (clearer bass) and CD2 is even better somehow than CD1 – fabulous clarity-wise. I love what I'm hearing. And this reissue is also the first time that both versions have been available together as a 'Deluxe Edition'. DE 2019 has also wisely dropped the '2009 Mix' of the famous title song "Shaft" which was a supposed bonus at the end of the 2009 single-CD issue (74:32 total playing time because of it) - no great loss. And the film score on CD2 offers 22 cuts and not the 15 on CD1. I've also provided the playing times of tracks on both CDs for comparisons. Let's get to the details...

UK released 20 September 2019 - "Shaft: Deluxe Edition 2-CD Set" by ISAAC HAYES on Craft Recordings 00888072099012 (Barcode 888072099012) is Two-Disc Reissue and Remaster offering the full 15-Track 2LP 'Original Soundtrack' set Remastered onto CD1 with the 2-Track 'Film Score' Variant Also Newly Remastered onto CD2 (together for the first time). It plays out as follows:

CD1 Original Soundtrack (69:32 minutes):
1. Theme From Shaft (Vocal) – 4:40 minutes [Side 1]
2. Bumpy's Lament – 1:49 minutes
3. Walk From Regio's – 2:22 minutes
4. Ellie's Love Theme – 3:15 minutes
5. Shaft's Cab Ride – 1:07 minutes
7. Café Regio's – 6:09 minutes [Side 2]
8. Early Sunday Morning – 3:47 minutes
9. Be Yourself – 4:27 minutes
10. A Friend's Place – 3:21 minutes
11. Soulsville (Vocal) – 3:47 minutes [Side 3]
12. No Name Bar – 6:09 minutes
13. Bumpy's Blues – 4:01 minutes
14. Do Your Thing – 19:31 minutes [Side 4]
15. The End Theme – 1:56 minutes
Tracks 1 to 15 are the double-album "Shaft" - released 23 July 1971 in the USA on Enterprise ENS-2-5002 and November 1971 in the UK on Stax 2659 007. Produced by ISAAC HAYES and featuring THE BAR KAYS and THE MOVEMENT as the backing band – the Music From The Soundtrack 2LP set peaked at No.1 in both countries.

CD2 Film Score (62:07 minutes):
1. Theme From Shaft (Film Version) - 4:34 minutes
2. Shaft's First Fight - 1:45 minutes
3. Reel 2 Part 2 / Cat Oughta Be Here – 1:43 minutes
4. Bumpy's Lament (Film Version) – 1:44 minutes
5. Soulsville (Film Version) – 3:32 minutes
6. Ellie's Love Theme (Film Version) 1:45 minutes *
7. Shaft's Cab Ride (Film Version) / Shaft Enters Building – 1:38 minutes
8. I Can't Get Over Losin' You – 2:06 minutes
9. Reel 4 Part 6 – 1:37 minutes
10. Reel 5 Part 1 – 1:35 minutes
11. A Friend's Place (Film Version) – 1:44 minutes
12. Bumpy's Blues (Film Version) – 3:05 minutes
13. Bumpy's Lament (Reprise) (Film Version) – 1:32 minutes
14. Early Sunday Morning (Film Version) – 3:05 minutes)
15. Do Your Thing (Film Version) – 3:21 minutes
16. Be Yourself (Film Version) – 1:54 minutes
17. No Name Bar (Film Version) – 2:28 minutes
18. Shaft Strikes Again (Film Version) / Return Of Shaft – 1:36 minutes
19. Café Regio's (Film Version) – 4:23 minutes
20. Walk From Regio's (Film Version) – 2:27 minutes
21. Shaft's Pain – 3:03 minutes
22. Rescue / The End Theme (Film Version) – 10:44 minutes
* Track 6 is mistakenly credited as 3:23 minutes; it is 1:45 minutes

The single-disc jewel case of 2009 is replaced with a three-panel foldout card sleeve and stickered-outer-shrinkwrap (see photos) - CD1 in one pouch, CD2 in another and the booklet in the third flap. After reproducing the original album liner notes on Pages 2 and 3, from Page 4 on, the 20-page booklet is a pleasingly in-depth affair with new 2019 liner notes from AHMIR "Questlove" THOMPSON. 

Questlove takes the reader through the genesis of the music to its cultural explosion (24-hour screenings to meet the demand) and onto the "Big Score" and "Shaft In Africa" follow-up films/soundtracks and the WATTSTAX Concerts while talking about the groundbreaking 60-weeks the double-album spent on the charts. Although it didn't mean to start a sort of early BLM in 1971 - street hustling, drug addiction and cold-landlord slums were all part of the "Shaft" narrative/look and therefore brought these topics to the fore. Questlove sets that backdrop and is clearly enamoured at the big man Isaac Hayes - composer, producer, icon and above all - successful. 

Stills from the Blaxploitation Film pepper the text, actor Richard Roundtree looking like the Private Eye man of the moment while dodgy-looking inner-city dudes hold ladies and people hostage with round-barrel Thompson submachine guns. Towards the Credit Pages are various pictures of Isaac with backing musicians The Bar-Kays and members of his own band The Movement – Black and White snaps of Hayes with Gwen Mitchell (who was in the movie) by a framed poster of their phenomenon whilst another shows his Academy Award - all of it with the usual recording and reissue credits in the back pages. Cool, in-depth and "Shaft" now has that classy Craft Recordings look (they specialise in all things Stax and related - see my review for 'The Gospel Truth: The Complete Singles Collection'). To the music we have…

For an album that's so associated with the chicka-chicka wah-wah guitar of its theme song - "Shaft" the double-album is surprising mellow throughout. The near two-minutes of the sexy instrumental "Bumpy's Lament" is followed by the Funky Brass and Percussion 2:24 minutes of the superb "Walk From Regio's" where you can literally see our hero walking the dude streets with a pep in his step and a glide in his stride (oh stop it). There is gorgeous sound on the vibes smooch of "Ellie's Love Theme" - and those brass and strings melting on "Early Sunday Morning" as the high-hat taps time.

The brass pump-and-punch of "Be Yourself" sounds like a 1976 Disco anthem only five years before anyone knew the word (nice clarity on the Sax solo too). Back to yeah baby turn-out-the-lights smooch with "A Friend's Place" - the instrumentation being ever so slightly fragmented in the sound stage (one too up front, the other too far back) - but that's how I remember it was on the original vinyl. Now to one of my faves - the keyboard and vocal "Soulsville" talks about brothers getting high and strung out and finding out that they can get high but never touch the sky. The audio is gorgeous and makes you wish he sang more on the album (a bummer is that the three ladies who add so much to the backing vocals - Pat Lewis, Rose Williams and Telma Hopkins are not credited in the musicians list - a stupid oversight carried over again). There is that big chunky piano that opens the smooth "Bumpy's Blues" - lovely brass and drums - so clear now. And on it goes to the monster that is the 19:28 minutes of "Do Your Thing" - if the music makes you groove - love on baby (it is reduced to 3:21 on Cd2). Fantastic to hear it sound this good. Rap On. Which brings us to the radically different beast that is the Film Score.

Let's get specific. The playing times for "Theme From Shaft" on CD1 and CD2 are 4:30 and 4:34 minutes – so not much in timings – but the plays and mixes are wildly different. After all these years of Damn Right and Can You Dig It and Right On and Talking About John Shaft and Shut Your Mouth – it is wild to hear those subtle keyboard fills on the CD2 version. But when we would normally have gone straight into "Bumpy's Lament" as the next track – we now get four extra minutes of Tabla and Flute and Bass noodling in "Reel 2 Part 2 / Cat Oughta Be Here" that feels like you're eavesdropping on a long-lost John Barry gets Funky session. 

The clarity on "Reel 2 Part 2 / Cat Oughta Be Here" is gorgeous and even if it is only under two minutes, what a find for fans. But my jam is "Soulsville" which is moved forward in the Film Score version and features a great vocal/lyrics from Isaac – a little boy needs a pair of shoes. The vibes and flicked guitar of the gorgeous instrumental Soul ballad "Ellie's Love Theme" sounds amazing on CD2, but it is 1:45 minutes long on the Film Score version (therefore shorter) and not the extended 3:23 mix on the Soundtrack Album – so sort of winners and losers there. CD2 also mistakenly lists it as 3:23 minutes long when it isn't.

 
You can hear why the slightly Motown-out-of-place "I Can't Get Over Missing You" although Northern Soul dancers would dig it big time as a 45, they could spin. The very George Benson guitar-ish "Café Regio's" on the original ran to six minutes – on CD2 it's shortened to 4:23 minutes and is better for it in my opinion. But the final piece "Rescue/The End Theme" is a full-on 10:44-minute musical rollercoaster ride alternating between smooch and shimmy one moment (lone Vibes and Bass notes) to Black Private Dick funkiness the next where the wallop of orchestra and band kick in.

To sum up – after the single CD of 2009 - this supposed Hotter Than Bond and Cooler Than Bullitt 'Deluxe Edition' 2CD variant of 1971's "Shaft" makes a real effort. I think Craft Recordings should also have included those US Single Mixes either on CD1 or CD2 (there was room) and maybe a fold-out poster in that first flap too (the film poster is pictured on Pages 2 and 3 and its base sentences make for the backdrop on all three inner flaps as pictured). 

But as it is – the New Remaster on CD1 and those extras on CD2 make for a lethal combo. And "Shaft: Deluxe Edition 2-CD" does not come with an aircraft-carrier price tag either. 

I can indeed dig that the most my brothers and sisters and rappers and (oh do be quiet)…