Ultimate Isaac Hayes: Can You Dig It?

Disc 1
1	Theme from Shaft 3:17
2	Precious, Precious 2:43
3	Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic 9:39
4	Ain't That Loving You (For More Reasons Than One) 4:24
5	Never Can Say Goodbye 3:38
6	By the Time I Get to Phoenix 7:07
7	Soulsville 3:48
8	Wonderful 3:41
9	Help Me Love 5:30
10	Need to Belong to Someone 5:15
11	Good Love 5:18
12	The Look of Love 3:20
13	Do Your Thing 3:20
14	For the Good Times 5:23
15	I Stand Accused 11:35
Disc 2
1	Walk on By 12:04
2	Joy, Pt. 1 4:40
3	His Eye Is on the Sparrow previously unreleased 4:14
4	Brand New Me previously unreleased 8:35
5	If Loving You Is Wrong (I Don't Want to Be Right) previously unreleased 4:32
6	Someone Made You for Me 4:04
7	Baby I'm-A Want You 4:40
8	Let's Stay Together 3:35
9	Theme from the Men 4:00
10	I Can't Help It (If I'm Still in Love with You) 4:25
11	Title Theme from Three Tough Guys 2:36
12	Run Fay Run 2:48
13	Chocolate Chip 3:50
14	Come Live with Me 3:26
15	Disco Connection 3:41
16	Rock Me Easy Baby, Pt. 1 3:34
17	Medley: By the Time I Get to Phoenix/I Say a Little Prayer 4:35
Disc 3
1	Rolling Down a Mountainside Live / Bonus Track / Bonus DVD
2	Theme from Sharft Live / Bonus Track / Bonus DVD
3	Soulsville Live / Bonus Track / Bonus DVD
4	Chocolate Salty Balls Bonus Track / Bonus DVD

Barnes & Noble

The appeal of Isaac Hayes spans the generations: To some, he's the voice behind Jerome "Chef" McElroy on the raucous animated series South Park, while to others, he's a songwriter who helped pen many '60s Memphis soul classics and later developed the alter ego "Black Moses of Soul," whose musical flights of fancy influenced both the blaxploitation film explosion and the funk and hip-hop that would follow. Comprising two CDs and a DVD, Ultimate Isaac Hayes surveys his musical contributions from 1968-78 -- and then some. The set kicks off with his breakthrough signature song, "Theme from Shaft," and the remaining 31 cuts showcase the man's skills during his Stax/Volt tenure, as an artist who boasted an ear for tasteful orchestral arrangements, a distinct, romantic growl, and a masterful ability to interpret the songs of others. Who else could take the Bacharach/David classic "Walk On By" and stretch it out to more than ten minutes while infusing it with psychedelic fuzz guitar, darting strings, and organ vamps -- and still convey a spot-on mix of remorse and heartbreak? And if some Hayes originals, such as the instrumental "Disco Connection," sound somewhat dated, there's no denying that he knows how to sustain a serious funk groove. The DVD completes the portrait by offering a sense of his imposing visual presence. Three of the four clips on the bonus DVD are taken from Hayes's appearance at the seminal 1972 Watts Stax concert, and the fourth is an animated video of the novelty cut "Chocolate Salty Balls," which he wrote for South Park. Can You Dig It? underscores the timeless charm of Isaac Hayes. Dave Gil de Rubio

All Music Guide

One of the better and more thoughtful Isaac Hayes compilations, Ultimate Isaac Hayes: Can You Dig It? is a three-disc (two CDs and one DVD) set that covers his years on Stax. There's a wide range of material here, from singles to deep album cuts, that provide a very representative look at these years, and Stax is even wise enough to include "I Stand Accused" and "Walk on By" in their full 12-minute versions. Only minor quibbles could be made with the selections. The third disc, a DVD, contains three songs performed by Hayes at Wattstax. And then there's the cherry -- er, some other spherical object -- on top: Hayes' performance of Chef's "Chocolate Salty Balls." Andy Kellman