Curtis Mayfield – Short Eyes - The Original Picture Soundtrack

As one of the heavy hitters of the 1970s soundtrack craze, Curtis Mayfield had zero to prove by the time he undertook this score to the 1977 cult prison drama of the same name, which was based on Miguel Piñero's acclaimed play of the same name. Released at the twilight of the blaxploitation era, Short Eyes is rather undercelebrated among Mayfield's other noteworthy soundtracks, but it stands as a fine display of his movie soundtracking prowess in its own right. Many of the gritty themes associated with the film are remarkably illuminated in Mayfield's hard-hitting lyrics on surviving the harsh realities of prison life. It shares all the musical virtues of Mayfield's other great albums: those sharp, conga-powered funk rhythms, Rich Tufo's lush string arrangements, and some of the sweetest gospel-influenced soul harmonies ever. There's even beauty in the cracks of his smooth falsetto that's hard to resist. It also has the usual badass psychedelic guitar licks Mayfield was known for, here with an incendiary tone than usual, befitting the unsettling subject matter. While there may not be any songs with the immediacy of Mayfield's past classics, Short Eyes is certainly one of those lost classics where its emotional terrain and musical charms take time to unfold and marinate.

This 1977 Jacksonville press sounds creamy, by the way. The funk and the detail of Mayfield's production come alive on this pressing, especially when cranked on a great system. However, this album could stand a proper CD remaster, as the few CD reissues and digital copies for this album are all sourced from so-so vinyl rips. Hopefully, the masters for this album are still available.

There is a DJ/Promo copy of this album pressed in Hollywood that is not listed on Discogs. It is not a WLP, only the pink DJ/Promo sticker on the front. Hollywood pressing is denoted by the sun in the dead wax. I tried to it but Discogs would not take the pictures for it, no matter how many times I changed extensions. Happy Hunting!

outstanding track of the movie not on the soundtrack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1SGJ3Sd4A0 :-)