Jason Ankeny summarizes the group nicely in his AllMusic.com
write-up: “First formed in the early '50s, the Isley
Brothers enjoyed one of the longest, most influential, and most diverse careers
in the pantheon of popular music -- over the course of nearly a half-century of
performing, the group's distinguished history spanned not only two generations
of Isley siblings but also massive cultural shifts,
which heralded their music's transformation from gritty R&B to Motown soul
to blistering funk.”
A short history of the band in 8 songs:
Shout – a raw classic that sold a million
copies, despite getting no higher than #47 on the Hot 100 and never reaching Billboard’s
R&B chart at all. (Joey Dee took it to #6 in 1962 – go figure.)
This Old Heart Of
Mine (Is Weak For You) – a Holland-Dozier-Holland song that ranks as one of their
best (for both HDH and the Isleys)
It’s Your Thing – an appropriate title
for this post-Motown hit on their own T-Neck label
That Lady – the one where Hendrix-influenced
guitarist Ernie Isley really lets loose. (Hendrix
himself toured and recorded with the group in 1964.)
Summer Breeze – the Isleys
also had a way with covers. The 1992 edition of the Rolling Stone Album Guide [RSAG
‘92] noted that “resuscitating [this Seals & Crofts song] qualifies as a
miracle.”
Fight The Power – similar sentiments as
Public Enemy, but 14 years earlier
Harvest For The World
Dress me up for battle, when all
I want is peace
Those of us who pay the price,
come home with the least
And nation after nation, turning
into beast
Oh, when will there be a harvest for the world?
Between The
Sheets – one in a series of singles that RSAG ’92 characterizes as “love-me-all-over
slow numbers”. Imagine Barry White doing ballads, and you get the picture.
Favorite Songs:
This Old Heart Of Mine (Is Weak For
You)
That Lady
For The Love Of You
Shout
Caravan Of Love (Isley, Jasper, Isley)
Livin' In The
Life
Work To Do
Your Old Lady
Voyage To Atlantis
It’s Your Thing
If You Were There
Lay-Away
Fight The Power
I Guess I’ll Always Love You
Twist And Shout
Behind A Painted Smile
Summer Breeze
Footsteps In The Dark
Respectable
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