Ultimate Collection

Trying to whittle Isaac Hayes' mammoth output over 30 years down to a manageable single disc is a futile task. Not only is there so much material, but many of his best tracks, at least from the Stax years, are over ten minutes long. As much as this disc gives it a valiant shot, it's doomed by time constraints alone. Since the majority of Hayes' most memorable work after his non-performing, songwriting years was during the '70s, this collection nabs 13 of its 16 tracks from that decade and should probably have focused entirely on that period. The two later cuts that close the disc -- especially the meandering "Ike's Rap" from 1986 -- are disposable. More problematic, though, is the surreptitious editing of Hayes' longer material like "Never Can Say Goodbye," "Walk on By," and "Joy" (although interestingly not the nine-minute "Hyperbol"), which are all severely shortened from their original versions. Unfortunately, that essential information is nowhere to be found on the outside sleeve or liner notes. That said, the meat of those extended songs is still represented in the edits, and Hayes' trademarked slow-burn soul/funk permeates the bulk of this collection. The decision to eliminat…

When was Ultimate Collection released?

Ultimate Collection was released in 2000.

How many tracks are on Ultimate Collection?

Ultimate Collection has 16 tracks, with a runtime of 77 minutes.

What genre is Ultimate Collection?

Ultimate Collection is catalogued under Funk.