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10.08.2008
Isaac Hayes, R.I.P.

Most obituaries of the funk-soul great Issac Hayes are focusing, understandably, on his immortal, Oscar-winning "Theme From Shaft," but my favorite work of his is the epic 11-minute version of Burt Bacharach and Hal David's "The Look of Love" off his 1970 album ...To Be Continued. The instrumental opening is familiar to rap fans because it's been sampled so regularly over the years, most memorably by Jay-Z on the Reasonable Doubt classic "Can I Live," but it's when Hayes begins singing that the song enters the stratosphere. Here's a live performance from 1973--a scaled-down, nine-and-half-minute version.

 

--Ben Wasserstein 

Posted: Sunday, August 10, 2008 9:19 PM with 7 comment(s)

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basman said:

I just  found out about this from glancing at this post.

I'm shattered.

August 10, 2008 10:32 PM

scrubbyoak said:

Me too, basman.

I still vividly remember his performance at the Wattstax festival. Awesome.

August 10, 2008 11:37 PM

kevincollins said:

People, people! What, no words thus far for his awesome performance as Snake Plissken's arch-nemesis The Duke in "Escape From New York"!? Just remember back when he sneered just once before knocking Snake unconscious with that tire iron, and you'll have a fair idea at how menacing he could be without ever overdoing it. RIP, Isaac.

August 11, 2008 9:46 AM

cspencef said:

Apparently he and Bernie Mac had recently completed a movie.  How sadly ironic.

August 11, 2008 10:53 AM

Ben Wasserstein said:

Ah yes, "Escape From New York"! He was so great in that. The other thing I was thinking about mentioning was his cookbook, Cooking with Heart & Soul www.amazon.com/.../0399146563

I was in the audience at Conan when he went on to promote it, and they handed out Chef's Chocolate Salty Balls to the whole crowd. He was terrific -- he had so much charisma, he was always talk-show gold --  and those things were tasty.

Ben

August 11, 2008 12:35 PM

psantillana said:

I myself am swoony in love with his version of "Walk on By" on Hot Buttered Soul. It's just perfect.

What is this dying at 65 next to a treadmill? I hope this gets investigated. Are some people damaging their hearts with too much exercise? The fact that Jim Fixx died at 45 of a heart attack has always made me suspicious. Also I knew a guy who died from a heart attack on a rowing machine at 24.

August 11, 2008 1:26 PM

basman said:

...What is this dying at 65 next to a treadmill?...

A 65 year old on tread mills and rowing machines and what not is odds on to live longer than one who isn't,  Isaac Hayes to the contrary notwithstanding: it's the difference between statistics and anomaly.

Isaac Hayes embodied cool in the best sense of cool: a kind of relaxed restraint just on the edge of exploding.

August 11, 2008 8:35 PM