Black Moses

This is a very close second (in my book) only to hisclassic & iconic 1969 breakthrough "Hot Buttered Soul" inthe great Issac Hayes catalogue of 1969-1973 brilliantsoul/funk masterworks which were highly influential game-changersin the scope and production of black music of that time.Of course their influence goes beyond just black music orthe times in which they were produced.Issac Hayes was pure genius at taking songs which were popularin their day by other artists and totally transforming them intosomething that was uniquely his own creation!Just like "Hot Buttered Soul", this amazing 2-disc set aboundswith epic & lush orchestration, raw & flat-footed funky rhythmarrangements that will have you making the "funk face", bobbin'your head and haunchin' your shoulders along to the groove!Also, there is the deep sensuality & longing that Issac's musicwas known for and he communicated so well through his silkybut resonant baritone with that southern drawl that drove theblack women of that time wild!--The black men of that timeadmired him for what he represented.Issac Hayes--from his "look" with that bald head,the gold chains which symbolized the new post-civil rightsblack man & woman breaking free of the chains that had oncebound their ancestors and "washing them gold" if you will,with a new spirit of expansiveness, upward mobility, education,pride, self-motivation, fully utilizing the freedoms &opportunities which were then newly available to them!That is what that generation of young blacks were about,and he seemed to be the living & breathing embodiment ofthat for them! Many felt he was like a beacon to them ofwhat could be possible for you if you were young, gifted,black, proud and self-determined!Hence the nickname that was bestowed on him, which becamethe title of this seminal album....BLACK MOSES!!Issac Hayes was indeed a MOVEMENT, a STATE OF MIND in the early 70's!Just like the preceeding albums from this period, Issac Hayesshows how adept he is as a producer, arranger and vocalistwho had the ability to not only transform the music works ofothers, but he could create his own original musical statementsas well which had similar impact of his listeners.Brother Ike was known for his long verbal tales (or "Raps")which set up the theme of a particular song, building it to aclimax of brilliant musicianship, peppy horn lines, lush strings,lilting woodwinds, and afro & dashiki-wearing female vocal sirenswhich supplied the harmonic oohs and ahhhs or call & responseto what the Black Moses was puttin' down! (-:This whole album is amazing from start to finish and contraryto what some of the other reviewers have said, the new remasteringand repackaging is fantastic! I don't know what kind of systemthey're listening to it on, but on my BOSE WAVE Surround Sound Systemin my home, as well as the system in my cars, this sounds amazing!As far as the repackaging, they were able to recreate (in miniature)the 4-sleeve cross-like opening jacket with Black Moses standingthere, with his arms extended outward, wearing sparkling sunglassesand a biblical-looking robe as he led the children & grandchildren offormer slaves and sharecroppers to a new "promised land" ofblack upward mobility in the 70's and beyond!!---Yes, I know it'sa grandiose, somewhat knaive and ego-driven vision to 2010 sensibilities,but you have to consider...this was 1971.The future indeed seemed bright and limitless for black americaat that time!--Blacks were on TV more than in any previous decade,they were owning their own companies, breaking down barriersculturally and otherwise and being portrayed in a positive lightfor a change, instead of as mammies, butlers, bug-eyed fools,criminals, etc., and people like Don Cornelius, Quincy Jones,Issac Hayes, Stevie Wonder, Curtis Mayfield, Marvin Gaye and otherswere showing & proving that there was indeed a place for us at thebig table where the American pie was being divided up and we couldhave our share too! (-:Bottomline, this is an amazing album filled with classic material,and if you weren't hip to it before, then this your chance toget hip now! Issac Hayes was a bad kat in the world of musicand broke down many doors in entertainment long before he becameknown as "CHEF" to the Southpark Generation! (-:The highlights are: "Never Can Say Goodbye", "Ike's Rap II /Help Me Love", "Never Gonna Give You Up", "Nothing Takes ThePlace Of You", "Man's Temptation", "Your Love Is So Doggone Good""(They Long To Be) Close To You" and others.Rest In Peace Issac Hayes aka The Black Moses (1942-2008)

The music and service are very good

Wow! That's what I thought when I unwrapped this thing.Finally someone tried to recreate the original cover art. Isaac can be unfolded, forming a cross in the end.Somewhere inside you'll find hidden the two discs. Don't worry; you got brains. A few seconds of patience is all you need.And here comes the real improvement. The remastering was definitely worth it. The overall blanket the other disc sets suffered from is almost gone (Part-Time Love still has a bass boom though). The instruments, most notably percussion, horns, piano, and the background vocals are clearer and separate better from the rest.Trust me, I know this record by heart, almost every note. When you are a fan like me, get this.When you're new to Isaac's amazing talent and after listening to Shaft you started thinking about maybe getting something else, get this. Do not download it. All the depth will be lost. This is the real deal - and Isaac is worth that you dive into his magical music.From the booklet: The Album was issued on November 15, 1971. By December 18 it had entered Billboard's Best Selling Soul Albums chart shooting straight to number 1 where it stayed for 7 straight weeks in what was a 40 week chart run. It entered the Pop lp chart a week earlier, peaking at 10 and staying on the chart for 34 weeks.To the music: Ballads and mid tempos mostly, a very relaxing album. It leaves Isaac every space he needs to dig deep into his marvelously multi layered arrangements. Of course there are his famous raps and his keys - magic!What I love most here is that to me with this album material Isaac found the perfect match for his voice. Don't get me wrong, Shaft was the BOMB but this one, well, give it a try. I promise it won't disappoint. It can't.

My brother brought this album home on college break 1972, and at the time the intrigue was the 'raps' Isaac Hayes had created on his previous albums; and whether he could surpass the Ike's Rap I II and III. Black Moses not only surpassed those superlative efforts but at the time the full musical scope of Isaac Hayes was realized until he completed Shaft. Now that I am listening to this 40 years later, the musical complexity astounds me greatly. There are greats mixtures of country and western riffs and jazz overtones. My favorite is still the reworking of A Brand New Me with its 10 minute rap sequence. But Going In Circles is so haunting and dramatic it shifts all the thematic elements from love as happy actualization to dark speculation. The blend of strings and horns to bring forth the power of obsessive adoration comes in as a storm on a sunny day. The most complex rendition is 'Your Love is so Doggone Good.' I have a huge collection of all R&B starting in the late 1950s. This is the jewel.

The product arrived without damage.

This album is the best album of soul / funk music history . Ike has surrounded the best musicians in the class of STAX to produce more melodic and heavy album of black music genre . The instrumental part is vibrant , female vocals are superb support as well as that permeates the album ( sometimes shaken and bustling, sometimes romantic and restless) mood . The ballad CLOSE TO YOU is one of the most beautiful love songs in music history . But not only are the ballads that show their superiority on the disk . It also has the "rock" classic GOOD LOVE and NEED TO BELONG TO SOMEONE . In addition to the musical content , the graphical part is incredible . The reproduction of the original cover album was pretty good with Ike dressed as a sort of modern Moses , who tries to show the way the music for his people . And he manages with great success . In the same year he recorded the soundtrack to the movie SHAFT , who also had a resounding success worldwide , because of their theme song . Need not be a fan of black music to buy this album. It transcends music genres .

Isacc Hayes is probably best know to many (younger & not so young) viewers of South Park as the voice of Chef but he was an excellent musican prior to South Park recoding many albums & film scores including Shaft. Black Moses is an impressive double album with some familiar & not so familiar tracks. Well worth a listen.

Why don't more albums fold out into a cross, on which the star is dressed as, quite literally, Black Moses? I don't know, but it's a damn shame.I don't like this as much as the excessively funky, reasonably mad, and quite possibly drugs-influenced Hot Buttered Soul, but it is much more like a 'proper album', and less testing of the patience of uncommitted souls. IE: it doesn't have any 37-minute-long versions of contemporary country classics, or Bacharach and David songs.

I love the fact that the makers of this cd have kept faithful to the original vinyl version - this cd opens out into a mini version if the original vinyl poster sized album. The album itself is essentially a covers album with some truly awesome versions of some classic tunes, none better than( the nearly 9 min version of) 'Close to you'. Spend a few quid on this cd and you are in for a real 70's treat!!

You can't see him live anymore, but close your eyes and listen to a master in action..... sheer heaven, black Moses indeed...go buy it now..