The sound of Isaac's Law

Looking at Scott Miller's favorite songs of 1971 on the day after Isaac Hayes dies, I can't help but notice how "Caucasian" his selections are.

I'm not really qualified to call someone else's musical selections "too white" (my own collection is probably 95% whitefolks), but any 1971 mix that doesn't include "Theme From Shaft" is Damn Wrong.



In fairness, Scott's 1971 list does include a Led Zeppelin song originally by Memphis Minnie and a swaggery blues tune by the Stones, but it also includes "American Pie": a song that (other than one line about "the book of love") essentially denies the existence of black people in America!

How about some African-American Pie? 1971 was the high water year for funk, soul, Motown and other urban music forms. Here's a muxtube (collection of video links) with some of the best ones from 1971!

1971 - The Sounds That Went Down (Can You Dig It?)

1. Theme From Shaft - Isaac Hayes
2. Ain't No Sunshine - Bill Withers
3. Family Affair - Sly & the Family Stone
4. Groove Me - King Floyd
5. Hot Pants - James Brown
6. If You Really Love Me - Stevie Wonder
7. Just My Imagination - The Temptations
8. Let's Stay Together - Al Green
9. Mercy Mercy Me - Marvin Gaye
10. Mr. Big Stuff - Jean Knight
11. Never Can Say Goodbye - Jackson Five
12. One Less Bell To Answer - The Fifth Dimension
13. Proud Mary - Ike & Tina Turner
14. Respect Yourself - The Staple Singers
15. Rock Steady - Aretha Franklin
16. Smiling Faces Sometimes - The Undisputed Truth
17. Stick Up - Honey Cone
18. Trapped By A Thing Called Love - Denise LaSalle
19. Treat Her Like A Lady - Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose
20. What You See Is What You Get - The Dramatics
    

R.I.P. Chef McElroy