Live at the Sahara Tahoe

Personnel: Isaac Hayes (piano, organ, alto saxophone, vibes, tambourine, vocals); Charles "Skip" Pitts, Anthony Shinault, Sammy Watts (guitar); William Taylor, Mike Gregory, Ben Cauley (trumpet, flugelhorn); Floyd Newman (baritone saxophone, flute); Emerson Able (alto saxophone, flute); William Easley, Calvin Bennett, Tommy Williams (tenor saxophone, flute); Lester Snell (keyboards); William Murphy (bass); Sidney Kirk, Willie Hall (drums); Gary Jones (percussion, congas); Hot Buttered Soul Ltd. (background vocals); Al Trouti Orchestra, Memphis Symphony Orchestra.
Engineers: William Brown, Henry Bush, Dave Purple, Pete Bishop.
Recorded live at the Sahara Tahoe, with some re-recording done at Stax Records. Originally released on Enterprise (2-5005). Includes liner notes by Leonard Feather.
Digital mastering by George Horn (1989, Fantasy Studios, Berkeley).
Personnel: Isaac Hayes (alto saxophone, piano, organ, vibraphone, tambourine); Charles "Skip" Pitts, Anthony Shinault (guitar); Sammy Watts (acoustic guitar); Emerson Able (flute, alto saxophone); William Easley, Tommy Williams , Calvin Bennett (flute, tenor saxophone); Floyd Newman (flute, baritone saxophone); Mickey Gregory , William Taylor , Ben Cauley (trumpet, flugelhorn); Lester Snell, Sidney Kirk (keyboards); Willie Hall (drums); Gary Jones (congas, percussion).
Liner Note Author: Leonard Feather.
Recording information: The Sahara Tahoe.
Photographers: David Rose; Frederick Toma; Howard Bingham.
Arranger: Isaac Hayes.
You could expect Isaac Hayes to be in his element at a resort venue -- lounge soul was his forte, and this double album offers almost two hours of it. Hayes demonstrates his versatility by getting "Shaft" out of the way right off the bat and alternating between originals and covers of a wide range of tunes, including "Light My Fire," "Never Can Say Goodbye," "Rock Me Baby," "Stormy Monday Blues," "Feelin' Alright," and "It's Too Late" (yes, the Carole King song). Often these are linked together, of course, by Hayes' brotherly raps; for Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine," he tests the limits, stretching the tune just past the ten-minute mark. ~ Richie Unterberger