Shaft: Music From the Soundtrack

Peasant enough but I can't shake the feeling that it would be better while watching the movie it was made for.

Fun and funky!

BANGER record dripping with sex, funk and soul. I did watch the movie to get the full context, but this soundtrack cooks just as well on its own, especially the longer cuts that don't get to fully shine in the film. I honestly wouldn't have minded a scene of John Shaft shaggin' and ass-kickin' to Do Your Thing's full 20 minutes, because that's where Isaac Hayes *really* busts the funk faucet wide open.

– What'd you get, Shaft?
– I got *laid*.

Standouts: Theme From Shaft • Café Regio's • No Name Bar • Do Your Thing

Fun album, great songs, screams "cool" from the start. That said I don't know how often I'm going back to replay, but wouldn't mind hearing it every now and again.

I didn’t think soundtracks were even allowed on this list—if they are, then where’s Saturday Night Fever? Honestly, I don’t see why Shaft deserves a place in the 1001 albums to hear before you die.

As a soundtrack, the music probably works well within the film, and there are some nice moments—Theme from Shaft, No Name Bar, and Do Your Thing all stand out. But as a standalone album, it feels flat, with too many aimless instrumentals that struggle to hold your attention. For me, it’s a fairly pointless listen outside of its cinematic context.

Favourite track: Theme from Shaft is the obvious highlight, with No Name Bar and Do Your Thing also enjoyable. These three songs just about lift the album to a 2/5 instead of a 1/5.
Least favourite track: Most of the instrumentals blur into one, making it hard to pick out anything memorable.
Album artwork: A standard soundtrack cover—nothing special.

For the most part this really felt like a movie soundtrack. As in, it is meant to be background to the action happening on screen. Most of this is not that interesting. There’s a couple tracks that work on their own but for the most part it was boring and repetitive. Do you thing was cool.

It's fine but it's a soundtrack. Without the movie it just doesn't make sense. 2.13

I mean, it’s soundtrack background music mostly. It’s good, it’s got some funk, it’s smooth and calming at some points. Over an hour of it is more than I need. Feeling pretty conflicted on what to rate this. I get that it’s pretty unique, but I can’t imagine when I’m going to want to sit and listen to it again.

It's funny to get this one today, I just had Superfly a couple days ago. But still, it's a soundtrack. The cultural relevance of this one definitely earns it a spot in this list. I mean if Isaac Hayes had released this as just a regular album and not specifically for a movie soundtrack, would people be upset it was included in this list? I don't think so. Regardless, Theme From Shaft is a fantastic piece of music and one that almost anyone (over 30 years old maybe...) would recognize even if they haven't seen the movie, which most at this point probably haven't.
That said, I don't think this is as good an album as Hot Buttered Soul, the other Hayes album from this list. A lot of this one is almost like generic elevator music or something you'd hear playing in the airport waiting areas. But that's the nature of it being a soundtrack I guess - support what's happening on screen without taking attention away. So in that sense it’s quite successful. But this one is still just a 3/5 from me.

✨️shaft✨️

Track 1 : mmmm, inject this funk directly into my veins
Other tracks : oh, OK, this doesn't really work as a standalone does it

The late 60's sonically epitomized and performed masterfully. What a wonderful and moving romp.

This was fun for a soundtrack. I didn’t mind that there weren’t many “songs” on it.

No suena mal, pero me ha resultado aburrido excepto el tema principal que es un clásico de esta época, lo he guardado. Entiendo que hay que escucharlo alguna vez en la vida.

This was also pleasant, although very hard to track down all the songs of online. I like the instrumentals better than the singing ones, but both are mildly enjoyable. I already know 'Theme from Shaft' because it's on some compilation CD (of movie/TV themes), so I particularly like that one, but whether it's due to familiarity or inherent bangerness, I cannot say.

I guess it’s alright but surely these songs are better when accompanied by the visual effect of the sections of the films they were made for? Not quite sure how I feel about soundtracks being in this list but hey, that’s not my call.

Most tracks all sounded the same. Not terrible but not particularly interesting either.

There’s a song on this soundtrack with the powerful title: “Shaft Strikes Again” - and it’s the most mellow and boring thing, you’ve heard in a long time.

I listen to Isaac Hayes for his vocal, a thing that is almost completely omitted from Shaft. It’s not a bad soundtrack; it’s just not an album.

Looking forward to listening to Howard Shore’s LotR-soundtrack further into this list.

I mean. I can see how it’s a cool movie soundtrack?

This is a clinic on how to make a soul album. It's just one non-stop groove. One of few double albums that deserves the format.

Oh look, more 70s music. Shocker. This should be interesting, though. I’m too young to have seen the movie, but the song is pop culture royalty.

It's mainly just a score, which I was a little surprised about. The issue with that is that it just sounds like a cheesy 70s movie, which isn't extraordinary, it's just kind of forgettable. For a soundtrack to be something one "must listen to before you die" I would think it would need to be something exceptionally different or groundbreaking. For example:

Judgement Night - forgettable movie, but the soundtrack was really breaking ground by putting major hip hop artists with major rock artists. The rap/rock hybrid sort of became the dominant sound of the mid 90s, but this album predated that dominance and, in fact, heavily influenced it.

Purple Rain - I mean, just a masterpiece on so many levels. I know it's already in this project so I won't belabor the point, but THIS is an album you have to hear at least once before you die.

Saturday Night Fever - Look, I don't like disco, and this album isn't my cup of tea. But if you're talking about albums to listen to before you die, this is one of them. Whether you like the music or not, it tells a story. It is a love note to a very specific time and place. There are instructions in this album, there is history in this album. It is a time capsule and, for a moment at least, it was perfection.

Oh Brother Where Art Thou - This soundtrack took music that was close to 100 years old and somehow catapulted the album to number 1 on all the charts! Why? What was the allure? How the hell? Exactly! Don't you want to know the answers? Don't you want - no, *need* - to listen to that album before you die? Exactly!

There are literally dozens of soundtracks that are more deserving of being on list of Albums to hear before you die. Even if you're looking more at scores than soundtracks, literally anything by John Williams, Gladiator, Chariots of Fire, Interstellar, Last of the Mohicans, FFS!

Anyway, this album was underwhelming.