Isaac Hayes’ “Theme from ‘The Men‘ (Instrumental)”
Single released September 1972
#38 Pop, #19 R&B

After the success of his Shaft soundtrack and single, Isaac Hayes was approached by the ABC network and agreed to write music for their crime-drama television series The Men.

By this time, Hayes was so demonstratively skilful that his soundtrack writing seemed to refine his source material - mostly soul and R&B - into genuinely orchestral voicings. Which doesn’t mean that “The Men” is rhythmically slow or stagnant because it isn’t: Hayes nails down the rhythmic bottom with a vibrant bassline, pulls it out from under you for bright horn / string passages, then pulls it back in to horsewhip the theme through its finishing sprint. Strings most likely performed by the Memphis Symphony Orchestra sound particularly dramatic and dynamic, and dominate sections of the arrangement. Almost none of this sound, except for that bassline and occasional guitar hook, seems to connect this music back to R&B.

“Theme from ‘The Men‘” didn’t appear on any of Hayes’ Stax or Enterprise studio albums, but it is available on several Hayes anthologies. It also made it into Hayes’ concert set list, including the particularly hot performance documented on Live at the Sahara Tahoe (’73).

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