Customer Reviews

To Be Continued

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
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This is the peak accomplishment of Isaac Hayes' career. In 1971 he took 60s soul music and made it sleek, symphonic and refined, paving the way for so much of what became 70s soul, including, most obviously, Barry White's boudoir romps and some of the long instrumental forays of disco. Was this a good thing? Well, as one who generally prefers 60s soul to 70s, I say yes. Soul needed to evolve, and Isaac Hayes' albums of 1969-1972, of which this is the best, came as a needed shock to the system. But Isaac did it without compromising the raw emotion found in the 60s greats. Here is a blow-by-blow:

"Ike's Rap" and "Our Day Will Come" (joined tracks). "Ike's Rap" is a young man's tender words over the phone to a forbidden lover, telling her "I got my greetings today" and will soon be off fighting a distant war. Gentle strings and the rat-a-tat of a military-style snare drum provide ominous backdrop. He then dedicates "the words of this song" to his lover, and suddenly we are into "Our Day Will Come", a radical updating of the early 60s hit by Ruby and the Romantics. Unlike Ruby's breezy optimism, Isaac presents it slowed way down, as a courageous affirmation of faith against terrible opposition. When the orchestral arrangement swells in the climax, if your eyes are still dry, you haven't really been listening. "Our Day Will Come" is my favorite track on the album.

"The Look of Love". What is took Sergio Mendes two and half minutes to do, Isaac gets done in 11 - just long enough to.... well, to generate the wish that this be "just the start of so many groovy nights like this". It ends with an "ahhhhhhhhhh" from Isaac that is sheer theater! This is much closer in spirit to Dusty Springfield's version than Sergio's.

"Ike's Mood". This an orchestral mood piece, but don't let that description fool you. It starts with a light-funk bass line, staccato brass, and girls singing "brr-ring it back" (suggesting the "lovin' feeling" of the next song). Then it morphs into a sweet melody played by oboe and flute, then gaining momentum until the whole orchestra throbs with it. All class.

"You've Lost that Lovin' Feeling". A good rendition, but at 12 minutes, maybe a tad too long. To me, the least interesting track.

"Running Out of Fools". Second best track on the album, and most faithful to the old 60s definition of soul. A very effective slow-burn of revenge against a woman who had played Isaac for a fool, and years later actually calls him up. The words are priceless. "Go ahead with all your sweet talkin', go ahead for all the good it can do - Have yourself a dime's worth of talkin', cause in 3 minutes I'm gonna hang right up on you." Isaac's singing is magnificent throughout the album, but this song was made for him. He delivers all the shock, the tears, the anger, the sting and the manly pride that it calls for.

This album, like its two predecessors defined Ike's work. He shows his continued ability (having already proven himself an first rate writer) to take great songs in their own right and rearrange them to make them new and different classics. "The Look of Love" is a masterpiece, which must give its creators new found pride. However, there is no song like "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling": Sure enough a great work by the Righteous Brothers. A whole 'nother smoke when Ike puts his inimatable stamp on it.

A worthy successor to Hot Buttered Soul, and The I.H. Movement. Like those (unlike what followed) no filler.

If Stax Records would remaster this album, they should make The Isaac Hayes Movement and ...To Be Continued one complete collection because both albums sound excellent when played together. The other actually takes off and advances where the previous left off. I just listened to them for the first time in full today, I mean I've heard them before, but I had a chance to kick back and enjoy them. True epics and right there along with the other classic albums Ike has done. If You have not heard of Isaac Hayes, or if You only think of him as the voice of Chef on South Park, You got it twisted! Nuff respect due...

"The Look of Love," an early pop hit for Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66, was revamped, recycled, and restructured into an erotically-enhanced homage to "bedroom callisthentics" by Hayes and his masterful orchestra. The vocals by Hayes are alluring and when the band takes over for the last third of the song, it is totally orgasmic.

Break out the champagne and the candles. This one WORKS!

Oh, by the way, the other tunes are just as entertaining!

This version of "Look of Love" is the best version i've heard still today. Ike layed it down with his 11 minute plus version of this classic cut. His orchestra is so tight nitched. "Runnin' out of Fools" is also the jam on this cd as well.

By itself, Isaac's moody, sensual and (yes indeed) suspenseful remake of Sergio Mendes' "The Look Of Love" warrants buying this CD. "Our Day Will Come" foreshadows the Disco sound that would materialize just a few years down the line and Isaac's remake of the Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" is as powerful and emotive as could be. This is smooth and sophisticated '70s Soul at its finest.

I remember this album when I was a very young man and it still sounds soooo good! He was in top form when ...To Be Continued was produced. It takes you back to the day when groove was in and being Cool was a way of life. Ike showed you how to say what you felt about your girl. We used to call it rapping!!!!

one of the most thrilling recordings of all time. isaac rises togenius status as he reconstructsclassic tunes. this was an interesting road to take by someone responsible for penning someof the great songs for other artists including among many, "show me how" by the emotions...he did have a writing partnerfor this but his name escapesme at the moment. how refreshingit is to hear full orchestrationwhen today so much music is synthesized.the effects are undeniably smashing! this isone of those journey listens. itis dated only by the use ofpop words of the day, 'groovy,mama, thing/thang,' etc..and hisjazz guitar that harkens back to other great masters. this is a very dramatic work that will surely send chills down your spine. it sparkles and shimmers. it scintillates. it rocks you gently, then seduces you. it glides and punctuates. it slithers and weaves itself around you. it will stimulate all your senses and you will know whatfeeling truly alive is like.cant have a more vicseral experience from music than this.

For mine- the most well structured album ever, 'To Be Continued' is ultimately a classic tragic scripture of love. From the optimistic start , 'Our Day Will come' right through to the ending 'Runnin out of fools' , this album tells a tale of a relationship gone wrong from the perspective of the male who is getting his heart broken.

Our Day Will Come is the voice of a young man , hopeful that one day he will share a relationship with a girl he has a crush on. His dream comes true in 'the look of love'- but falls apart in 'youve lost that loving feeling'. Most moving however is 'running out of fools', a nerve chilling song which sees the persona reassuring himself that one day his ex-girlfriend/lover/spouse will get her's cause what goes what goes around comes around.

This album is a must for any guy who has had his heart broken- and will mean a lot, like it did for me. Not disimilar to Shakespear's 'Othello' - another timeless masterpiece focusing on love. The title 'To Be Continued' is perhaps a message that there is hope after a bad break up as the story doesn't end there, it continues......

Oh and did I mention that Isaac's vocals are at their best here? And so is the backup Memphis orchestral ensemble...... superb!

Mr. Hayes makes you've lost that lovin' feelin' immortal. What can I say, what can I do, you have to listen to it. It makes you feel good, like in those sunny days of summer, when beutiful women put on their mini-skirts and go strolling. Love is in the air, Dr. Love Groove is around, and his name is Isaac.