Classic Stax Singles of the Week
June 1st, 2007 byIssac Hayes: “Walk on By” b/w “By the Time I Get to Phoenix”
From the Album: Hot Buttered Soul
“Walk on By” #30 Pop single, #13 R&B single
“By the Time I Get to Phoenix” #37 Pop single, #37 R&B single
Isaac Hayes’ covers of the Burt Bacharach - Hal David classic “Walk on By” and Jimmy Webb’s “By the Time I Get to Phoenix” were released as singles after Hayes’ album Hot Buttered Soul started moving up the charts.
Hayes’ interpretations don’t change these classic pop melodies so much as reconstruct them, blowing out their walls and putting in huge extensions with the Bar-Kays, strings and brass from the Memphis Symphony, and his own piano and organ playing, and vocals.
Dionne Warwick’s original reading of “Walk on By” sort of skips lightly over the hurt its lyrics describe. But Hayes digs deep into the pain, more like he’s relishing than even nursing a grudge, the bassline that throbs like a toothache in your soul screaming for relief. The hurting comes to an end in a stoned soul instrumental jam, with fuzztone guitar phasing between two channels and other psychedelic production tricks of its time.
“By the Time I Get to Phoenix” is a genuine soul music suite in three parts. Hayes’ spoken introduction is nothing less than an extended sermon testifying to the power of love, complete with scriptural references to “seven times” forgiveness. In the song proper, he lays down one of his most majestic, dramatic vocals. For the outro-duction, he vamps instrumentally on organ and vocally with lyrics from the perspective of that broken-hearted guy who’s driving away to leave his past behind.
The string and brass arrangements are striking and powerful on both tunes, as arrangers Johnny Allen on “Phoenix” and Dale Warren on “Walk” create a sweeping, cinematic feel in the music. It sounds like you’re listening to each song play out like a movie, with Isaac Hayes’ romantic pain as the star.
To be fair, some folks seem to consider a nine-minute introduction to a ten-minute song to be a bit…extravagant, especially when said introduction is essentially spoken by a solitary voice over one time-keeping cymbal, two bass notes and two, maybe three, sustained organ chords. I was surprised to learn this, but apparently it is true. (Okay, “some folks” could mean “my wife” in particular, and her original wording might have possibly been something closer to “ridiculous” than “extravagant.” Whatever. Even she can’t keep from singing along to parts of Ike’s ”Phoenix” introduction.)
Isaac Hayes Greatest Hit Singles edits “Walk on By” down to four and a half, and “Phoenix” down to seven, minute singles. But you really should know the original album versions first.
