The Isaac Hayes Movement is a 1970 album where Hayes and his band explored extended, largely instrumental funk jams, shifting away from the more conventionally structured soul of his earlier work. It marked a significant step in his sonic evolution toward the solo superstardom he would achieve the following year.
- Recorded at Memphis, Tennessee's famous H.B. Barnum Productions, the album featured a full orchestra and horn section, characteristic of Hayes's grand production style.
- The album's centerpiece, a 19-minute interpretation of "(They Long to Be) Close to You," became a touchstone for Hayes's ability to radically reinterpret popular songs.
- While not achieving the blockbuster success of his later work, The Isaac Hayes Movement laid critical groundwork for his signature sound and proved his expanding artistic ambitions.
Isaac Hayes was a St. Louis-born songwriter, producer, and performer, a principal architect of the Southern soul sound. In 1970, he was transitioning from his prolific songwriting for other artists to establishing himself as a solo star with his own distinctive, extended jam-session style.
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