Top Artists – Isaac Hayes

Isaac Hayes – Shaft

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  • Shaft is back, and this superb pressing boasts nearly Triple Plus (A++ to A+++) sound or BETTER on all four sides – right up there with some of the best sounding copies we have ever palyed
  • It took us years to find enough copies with good enough sound and quiet enough vinyl to do a shootout, and this fine pressing is the result of all that digging, cleaning and critical listening
  • 4 1/2 stars: “Isaac Hayes was undoubtedly one of the era’s most accomplished soul artists, having helped elevate Stax to its esteemed status… And with “Theme from Shaft,” he delivered an anthem just as ambitious and revered as the film itself, a song that has only grown more treasured over the years, after having been an enormously popular hit at the time of its release.”

This copy of the Shaft Soundtrack has wonderful sound throughout, and that ain’t no jive talkin’! We collected a bunch of these and after putting them through the shootout process we were delighted to find out that some of the material on here can sound amazingly good on the best pressings. What earned these four sides such good grades? They’re simply richer, fuller and livelier than most. They’re also more open and transparent, with notably improved clarity, much less smear, and tighter, more note-like bass.

Find your favorite song on here, drop the needle, and see if the dramatically improved sound doesn’t bring back some special memories, and maybe even inspire you to bust a move. (more…)

Isaac Hayes – Chocolate Chip

  • Hayes’ 1975 release finally arrives on the site with Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) sound from start to finish – exceptionally quiet vinyl too
  • Smoother, more musical, with more top end extension and more weight down below, this is the way to hear Isaac Hayes in his prime
  • Forget whatever dead-as-a-doornail Heavy Vinyl record they’re making these days – if you want to hear the Tubey Magic, size and energy of this wonderful album from 1975, this is a great way to go
  • “A fine mid-’70s album on which Isaac Hayes adapted to the disco era. His productions were already ideal for dance floors, and he now updated his charts to include some stomping segments with horns and layered beats, while maintaining his soulful vocals on both up-tempo tunes and ballads.”

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