Isaac Hayes – Hot Buttered Soul (1969) & Hugh Masekela – Home is Where the Music is (1972)

[Albums 773 & 774 / 1001]

Let’s see, today is May 28th.

The Weather Network has been issuing ‘Special Weather Statements’ about hot daytime temperatures.

So naturally, I’m thinking about…the 1954 film White Christmas.

All thanks to Isaac Hayes & Hugh Masekela!

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Bob Wallace: Hot buttered rum, light on the butter.
– Bob (White Christmas, Club Car scene)

I was fortunate to find a copy of Hot Buttered Soul for $5.

However, in the tradition of the expression, “he’s tougher than a $2 steak,” I must say that my copy looks like a $5 record. It looks like someone spilled some hot buttered rum all over the cover!

But if given the choice between damage to the cover and LP…

Frankly, even if most of the LP itself was mangled beyond recognition, it would still be well worth a fiver just for the string crescendo in Walk On By (from about 0:30 – 0:42 in the clip above).

Sometimes 12 seconds is all it takes (I remember the same time interval being true for The Waterboys).

After that magnificent crescendo?

It’s moot, I’m already convinced, the rest of the album is just gravy.

Or hot butter, I suppose.

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Phil Davis : Uh, that’s right, Bob, ideal. That’s exactly the word we used, too – ideal. We looked at this big ski lodge and we said “Isn’t it ideal, absolutely, ideal,” didn’t we?
Bob Wallace : Ideal.
Gen. Thomas F. Waverly : We’ve established the fact the lodge is ideal.
– Phil / Bob / General Waverly (White Christmas, Cast arrives at the lodge scene)

#Stayhome.

We’ve been trying to do just that for the last couple of months.

And in our home, there is no shortage of music.

That being said, different music tends to work well in different home situations.

For example, the Paw Patrol theme may bring smiles during the day, but isn’t terribly effective as a soothing lullaby!

However, Hugh Masekela’s terrific trumpet work seems to be an ideal selection, regardless of the activity.

Meal prep? Yep.

Clean-up? Yup.

Playing / Running / Marking / Planning / Reading…? All of the above.

Having an album that’s the ideal soundtrack in so many listening contexts?

As Danny Kaye’s character might say, absolutely ideal!

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Verbalize the Positive

I wouldn’t necessarily say that either of these should be labelled as seasonal selections.

But like White Christmas, from now on, I’d be happy to break these out at least once a year!