THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
2,037) Isaac Hayes: “Something”
Something in the way Isaac Hayes reinvented George Harrison’s [see #423, 545, 872, 942, 1,437] acclaimed triumph attracts me like no other cover. Hayes gives us “a masterpiece! As soulful and brilliant a cover of a classic song that has ever been done.” (garywilliams8226, https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_EHOy41nDXQ&list=RD_EHOy41nDXQ&start_radio=1&pp=ygUVSXNhYWMgaGF5ZXMgc29tZXRoaW5noAcB0gcJCU8LAYcqIYzv&ra=m) He “turns [“Something”] into a gritty, greasy soul sermon on the merits of love” (Steve Leggett, https://www.allmusic.com/album/stax-does-the-beatles-mw0000495301), his “lyrical orchestration totally reinvent[ing its] structure”. (Lindsay Planer, https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-isaac-hayes-movement-mw0000190261)
Richard Havers enthuses that:
No other version of Harrison’s beautiful song has come close to offering the originality of Isaac’s arrangement: the superb orchestration uses both the brilliance of Harrison’s melody along with some wonderful new flourishes entirely of Isaac’s own imagining. There’s also a wonderful set of violin solos from 27-year-old John Blair, giving the song an edge, while at no point losing its original intent.
https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/rediscover-isaac-hayes-movement/
Lesliecunnian6848 adds an insight of which I had not been aware:
The first time I heard this I was with a friend in Barbados, lying on a huge pillow and drinking champagne. My first reaction after listening to it was that with that electric violin there was no question it was an orgasm. I was lucky to have met Isaac Hayes when I booked him on a TV show in Toronto, and I asked him if his 12-minute version of “Something” was……. I didn’t get to finish when he said “yes”. I KNEW it!!!!!!!
Lindsay Planer writes about The Isaac Hayes Movement:
Although this is Isaac Hayes’ third long-player, he had long been a staple of the Memphis R&B scene — primarily within the Stax coterie — where his multiple talents included instrumentalist, arranger, and composer of some of the most beloved soul music of the ’60s. Along with his primary collaborator, David Porter, Hayes was responsible for well over 200 sides — including the genre-defining “When Something Is Wrong With My Baby,” “Soul Man,” “B-A-B-Y,” “Hold On, I’m Comin’,” and “I Had a Dream.” As a solo artist however, Hayes redefined the role of the long-player with his inimitably smooth narrative style of covering classic pop and R&B tracks, many of which would spiral well over ten minutes. The Isaac Hayes Movement (1970) includes four extended cuts from several seemingly disparate sources, stylistically ranging from George Harrison’s “Something” to Jerry Butler’s [see #347, 1,921] “I Stand Accused” and even Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s “I Just Don’t Know What to Do With Myself.” These early Hayes recordings brilliantly showcase his indomitable skills as an arranger — as he places familiar themes into fresh contexts and perspectives. For example, his lengthy one-sided dialogue that prefaces “I Stand Accused” is halting in its candor as Hayes depicts an aching soul who longs for his best friend’s fiancée. . . . Both “I Just Don’t Know What to Do With Myself” and the comparatively short (at under six minutes) “One Big Unhappy Family” are more traditionally arranged ballads . . . . [that] tastefully incorporate[] both string and horn sections to augment the languid rhythm, providing contrasting textures rather than gaudy adornment. These sides offer a difference between the proverbial “Black Moses of Soul” persona that would be responsible for the aggressive no-nonsense funk of Shaft (1971) and Truck Turner (1974).
https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-isaac-hayes-movement-mw0000190261
Pay to Play! The Off the Charts Spotify Playlist! + Brace for the Obscure 60s Rock Merchandise
Please consider helping to support my website/blog by contributing $6 a month for access to the Off the Charts Spotify Playlist. Using a term familiar to denizens of Capitol Hill, you pay to play! (“relating to or denoting an unethical or illicit arrangement in which payment is made by those who want certain privileges or advantages in such arenas as business, politics, sports, and entertainment” — dictionary.com).
The playlist includes all the “greatest songs of the 1960’s that no one has ever heard” that are available on Spotify — now over 1,500 songs. The playlist will expand each time I feature an available song.
All new subscribers will receive a Brace for the Obscure 60s Rock magnet. New subscribers who sign up for a year will also receive a Brace for the Obscure 60s Rock t-shirt or baseball cap. See pictures on the Pay to Play page.
When subscribing, please send me an e-mail (GMFtma1@gmail.com) or a comment on this site letting me know an e-mail address/phone number/Facebook address, etc. to which I can send instructions on accessing the playlist and a physical address to which I can sent a magnet/t-shirt/baseball cap. If choosing a t-shirt, please let me know the gender and size you prefer.
Just click on the first blue block for a month to month subscription or the second blue block for a yearly subscription.
Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! / Off the Charts: 60s Rock Revelations😊 