Black Moses (album)
Black Moses | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | November 1, 1971 | |||
Recorded | March – October 1971 | |||
Genre | Progressive soul | |||
Length | 93:38 | |||
Label | Enterprise | |||
Producer | Isaac Hayes | |||
Isaac Hayes chronology | ||||
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Singles from Black Moses | ||||
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Original LP | ||||
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Pitchfork Media | (8.7/10)[5] |
Record Collector | [3] |
Rolling Stone | (unfavorable) 1972[6] |
Rolling Stone | 2008[3] |
Spin | (9/10)[7] |
Uncut | [8] |
Black Moses is the fifth
Background
In addition to "Never Can Say Goodbye", other selections on Black Moses include covers of songs made popular by The Carpenters ("(They Long to Be) Close to You", Toussaint McCall ("Nothing Takes the Place of You"), The Friends of Distinction ("Going in Circles"), Dionne Warwick ("I'll Never Fall in Love Again"), and Little Johnny Taylor ("Part Time Love"). Hayes named Black Moses as one of his most personal works.[9]
The very same sample of "Ike's Rap II" was used in four tracks at about the same time in the mid-1990s: "Hell Is Round the Corner" by
The album's title derives from Stax executive Dino Woodward's nickname for Hayes, which he bestowed upon the musician after comparing the effects of his music on Black audiences to the leadership of the
Black men could finally stand up and be men because here's Black Moses; he's the epitome of black masculinity. Chains that once represented bondage and slavery now can be a sign of power and strength and sexuality and virility.[9]
Larry Shaw, head of marketing and publicity at Stax, came up with the idea to title Hayes' LP Black Moses.
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Never Can Say Goodbye" | Clifton Davis | 5:07 |
2. | "(They Long to Be) Close to You" | Burt Bacharach, Hal David | 8:58 |
3. | "Nothing Takes the Place of You" | Toussaint McCall, Alan Robinson | 5:29 |
4. | "Man's Temptation" | Curtis Mayfield | 4:59 |
Total length: | 24:33 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
5. | "Never Gonna Give You Up" | Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff, Jerry Butler | 5:47 |
6. | "Medley: "Ike's Rap II" / "Help Me Love" | Hayes, Johnny Baylor, Mickey Gregory, Luther Ingram, Tommy Tate | 7:31 |
7. | "Need to Belong to Someone" | Curtis Mayfield | 5:15 |
8. | "Good Love 6-9969" | Gregory, Hayes | 5:15 |
Total length: | 23:48 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
9. | "Medley: "Ike's Rap III" / "Your Love is So Doggone Good" | Hayes, Difosco Ervin, Rudy Love | 9:15 |
10. | "For the Good Times" | Kris Kristofferson | 5:20 |
11. | "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" | Burt Bacharach, Hal David | 5:02 |
Total length: | 19:37 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
12. | " Going in Circles " | Jerry Peters, Anita Poree | 7:02 |
Total length: | 25:12 |
Note: Some of the vinyl pressings (and all CD releases) have a non-standard arrangement of the sides: sides 1 and 4 are pressed on one disc along with sides 2 and 3 on the other. This practice, known as "automatic sequence", was intentional on vinyl.[11]
Personnel
- Isaac Hayes - lead and background vocals
- "Hot", "Buttered", and "Soul": backing vocals
- The Bar-Kays, instrumentation: "(They Long to Be) Close to You" and "Going in Circles"
- Instrumentation on all other tracks by The Isaac Hayes Movement:
- Piano, vibraphone, organ, electric piano - Isaac Hayes
- Bass - Ronnie Hudson
- Bongos, congas - Gary Jones
- Drums, tambourine - Willie Hall
- Electric piano - Lester Snell
- Guitar - Charles "Skip" Pitts
- Piano - Sidney Kirk
- Arranged by Isaac Hayes & Johnny Allen, except "(They Long To Be) Close to You" by Isaac Hayes & Dale Warren
- Engineers: Ron Capone, William Brown, Henry Bush, Eddie Marion, Dave Purple
- Remix engineers: Ron Capone, Dave Purple and Isaac Hayes
Covers and samples
- Tricky used the same sample on his song "Hell Is Round The Corner".
- Brazilian hip hop group Racionais MC's sampled "Ike's Rap II" on the first track "Jorge da Capadócia" from its 1997 album Sobrevivendo no Inferno.
- Canadian singer Alessia Cara sampled "Ike's Rap II" on her debut single "Here".
- English-Irish singer Maverick Sabre sampled "Ike's Rap II" on his single "Let Me Go".
- The sample was also used in Snoh Aalegra's song "Nothing Burns Like The Cold".
- Isaac Hayes covered the song "Good Love" as his Chef character in the 1999 film South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut.
- American rapper Cormega sampled "Medley: "Ike's Rap III"/"Your Love is So Doggone Good" in the song "Love in, Love Out" on his second album, The True Meaning.
See also
- List of number-one R&B albums of 1972 (U.S.)
References
- ^ Jason Ankeny. "Joel Brodsky | Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-08-29.
- Allmusic. Retrieved on 2010-12-28.
- ^ a b c Product notes – Black Moses. Muze. Retrieved on 2010-12-28.
- ^ Columnist (April 2, 2009). Review: Black Moses. Paste. Retrieved on 2010-12-28.
- Pitchfork Media. Retrieved on 2010-12-28.
- ^ Gersten, Russell (January 20, 1972). Review: Black Moses. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2010-12-28.
- ^ Hultkrans, Andrew (May 2009). "Review: Black Moses". Spin: 95.
- ^ Spencer, Neil (March 2009). Review: Black Moses. Uncut. Retrieved on 2010-12-28.
- ^ a b c d e f Bowman (1997), p.237–240
- ^ Morgan Neville, Robert Gordon, and Mark Crosby [directors, writers, producers] (2007). Great Performances - Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story (TV documentary). New York City: Tremolo Productions, Concord Music Group, Thirteen/WNET New York.
- ^ "Isaac Hayes - Black Moses". Discogs.com. 1971. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
Notes
- ISBN 0-8256-7284-8