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Isley Brothers APPRECIATION

JazzsuckaJazzsucka 720 Posts
edited March 2007 in Strut Central
I just got a 45 by them in the mail and decided that an appreciation thread was due here on the strut.The Isley's stayed relevant in the game for about three decades from doowop to r&b, soul and funk, adjusting to changes in music styles and created some top notch songs to boot. They were on top of their business, and founded their own label T-Neck. Some of my faves:"Why when your love is gone""It's your thing""Work to do""Footsteps in the dark"What say you? What are your personal favourites? I'd really like to hear more about their earlier work, and also some later stuff that I might have missed.
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  Comments

  • gruntgravelgruntgravel 559 Posts
    I dig cold baloney sandwiches and pop that thang.
  • hcrinkhcrink 8,729 Posts
    I've said it many times, but the Isleys basically destroy all the rare soul/funk people here are so keen on. The first 5 or so on T-neck are absolutely essential.
  • SwayzeSwayze 14,705 Posts
    Yes.

    "Highways of My Life"
    ketan
  • CousinLarryCousinLarry 4,618 Posts
    I was just listening to Brother Brother Brother last night. What a great album.
  • fishmongerfunkfishmongerfunk 4,154 Posts
    Brother Brother Brother. What a great album.


    the one with all covers of ohio and machinegun etc is also killing it.

    is ron isley still in jail?
  • Big_StacksBig_Stacks "I don't worry about hittin' power, cause I don't give 'em nuttin' to hit." 4,670 Posts
    Yo,

    "Journey to Atlantis"; however, I could pick so many more:

    -"Harvest of Love".
    -"For the Love of You".
    -"Work to Do".
    -"Hello it's Me".
    -"Footsteps in the Dark."
    -"That Lady".

    I'll stop now. This could go on for days!!!

    Peace,

    Big Stacks from Kakalak
  • bassiebassie 11,710 Posts
    'Feel Like the World' off It's Our Thing gives me shivers every time.
  • Big_StacksBig_Stacks "I don't worry about hittin' power, cause I don't give 'em nuttin' to hit." 4,670 Posts
    I was just listening to Brother Brother Brother last night. What a great album.

    Super The Isleys, overall, are one of my favorite groups ever. They had a truly unique sound.

    Peace,

    Big Stacks from Kakalak
  • longtallsimonlongtallsimon 45 Posts
    a very nice lesser-touted side of theirs for those who like some fuzz with their soul -

  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts

    I was hoping this would be on a Yousendit file so's I could rip it to my iTunes! The fuzz guitar almost makes the whole song! I have this cut on the Doin' Their Thing album (a comp that Tamla released to cash in on "It's Your Thing"), and it's been getting multiple plays at home as of late.

    Other Isley faves:
    "Good Thing" (that's right, the Isleys tackle the Paul Revere & the Raiders classic!)
    "Rockin' McDonald" (jumping doo-wop version of "Old MacDonald"...one of their first singles, pre-"Shout")
    "I'm Gonna Knock On Your Door" (still back in the fifties on RCA, this time post-"Shout")
    "Rubberleg Twist"
    "Got To Have You Back" (on Tamla, with harpsichord straight out of the Left Banke!)
    "Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out" (single released on T-Neck as "the Brothers Three," ca. '69 or '70)
    that insanely hard-to-find T-Neck LP featuring the sessions they cut with Jimi Hendrix
    "That Lady" (hit version from '73)
    "Who's That Lady" (original version from the sixties)
    "Fight The Power"
  • fishmongerfunkfishmongerfunk 4,154 Posts
    "Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out" (single released on T-Neck as "the Brothers Three," ca. '68 or '69)

    can someone post this tune?
  • bassiebassie 11,710 Posts
    Summer Breeze
  • GenePontecorvoGenePontecorvo 5,612 Posts
    Summer Breeze

    Beat me to it. That cover is the SHIT.

    They became next level when Ernie Isley started laying down the rippin guitar.

    If anyone has a "Get Into Soemthing" to let loose of, holler.
  • JazzsuckaJazzsucka 720 Posts

    I was hoping this would be on a Yousendit file so's I could rip it to my iTunes! The fuzz guitar almost makes the whole song! I have this cut on the Doin' Their Thing album (a comp that Tamla released to cash in on "It's Your Thing"), and it's been getting multiple plays at home as of late.

    Other Isley faves:
    "Good Thing" (that's right, the Isleys tackle the Paul Revere & the Raiders classic!)
    "Rockin' McDonald" (jumping doo-wop version of "Old MacDonald"...one of their first singles, pre-"Shout")
    "I'm Gonna Knock On Your Door" (still back in the fifties on RCA, this time post-"Shout")
    "Rubberleg Twist"
    "Got To Have You Back" (on Tamla, with harpsichord straight out of the Left Banke!)
    "Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out" (single released on T-Neck as "the Brothers Three," ca. '69 or '70)
    that insanely hard-to-find T-Neck LP featuring the sessions they cut with Jimi Hendrix
    "That Lady" (hit version from '73)
    "Who's That Lady" (original version from the sixties)
    "Fight The Power"

    Thanks for the recommendations! I think you should be able to download that tune by right clicking and then clicking save as...
  • JazzsuckaJazzsucka 720 Posts
    a very nice lesser-touted side of theirs for those who like some fuzz with their soul -

    Can someone post audio of this one?
  • faux_rillzfaux_rillz 14,343 Posts

    If anyone has a "Get Into Soemthing" to let loose of, holler.

    I need one, too.

    Is there some backstory to why this is such a (comparitively) tough pull?

    Was T-Neck having distribution problems or something?
  • Jonny_PaycheckJonny_Paycheck 17,825 Posts
    NEVER see that record.

    I think I've seen three copies EVER in my travels, and it's a fucking mid-career Isleys record. What gives?
  • p_gunnp_gunn 2,284 Posts

    If anyone has a "Get Into Soemthing" to let loose of, holler.

    I need one, too.

    Is there some backstory to why this is such a (comparitively) tough pull?

    Was T-Neck having distribution problems or something?

    another question...

    anyone know what track came first, ie. who ripped off who w/ "the grunt" vs "keep on doin'" off that record?

    side 1 of that record is just so nasty, but i think the "it's our thing" lp is their best, not a clunker on there, just nice simple short funk/rock/pop songs...
  • faux_rillzfaux_rillz 14,343 Posts
    NEVER see that record.

    I think I've seen three copies EVER in my travels, and it's a fucking mid-career Isleys record. What gives?

    I regret not buying the one you had in the shoppe when you first opened.
  • motown67motown67 4,513 Posts

    If anyone has a "Get Into Soemthing" to let loose of, holler.

    I need one, too.

    Is there some backstory to why this is such a (comparitively) tough pull?

    Was T-Neck having distribution problems or something?

    I've only seen it once as well and I bought it. Great first side. Second is a bit of a letdown IMO.

    http://www.soulstrut.com/reviews/review/review_insert.php?item_id=2307
  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts

    If anyone has a "Get Into Soemthing" to let loose of, holler.

    I need one, too.

    Is there some backstory to why this is such a (comparitively) tough pull?

    Was T-Neck having distribution problems or something?

    From what I've seen, the album they did with Jimi Hendrix (In The Beginning) is the hardest-to-find T-Neck Isleys LP ever. I mean, all these next-to-worthless "early Hendrix" albums given out on every street corner with every crack shipment...and now here's a pre-psych Hendrix record with some good music on it, and it turns up so seldom that some doubt it exists!

    Next to In The Beginning, Get Into Something is as common as Frampton Comes Alive!.
  • drewnicedrewnice 5,465 Posts
    I've been pulling the needle back on "Make Me Say It Again Girl" a lot lately.

    All of the Isley Brothers' shit is classic. Nobody has done it better for so long, especially as a cohesive group.
  • holmesholmes 3,532 Posts
    Some of my favorite Isley Bros 45s:

    Love The One You're With/He's Got Your Love on T-Neck (played this out the other week & some guy jumped on the piano & started playing along )

    This Old Heart Of Mine/There's No Love Left on Tamla Motown (absolute classic)

    Behind A Painted Smile/One Too Many Heartaches on Tamla Motown (another absolute classic)

    Twist & Shout/Spanish Twist on Top Rank (great stuff with the instrumental on the flip)

    Take Some Time Out For Love/Who Could Ever Doubt My Love on Tamla Motown (this one seems a little slept on, but two great sides, I recently found it in my stacks again & have been playing the hell out of it, so good)

    It's Your Thing/Don't Give It Away on T Neck (possibly my fave funky cut of theirs)
  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    Let me turn this thread over for a MINUTE (no hijack, I promise!):

    What's the consensus on Isley-Jasper-Isley?

    IMO, not quite as mighty as the Isley Brothers pre-1985, but they have their moments. Kinda like Night Ranger meets Freddie Jackson...
  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    I think I've seen three copies EVER (of the Get Into Something) in my travels, and it's a fucking mid-career Isleys record. What gives?

    Seems like the T-Neck/Buddah Isleys album I see the MOST, for some reason, is The Brothers: Isley (which was the one before GIS).
  • Strider79itStrider79it 1,176 Posts
    YES.......

    IMHO all the LP's that came out during the so called "3 + 3 years" are essential SOUL ALBUMS
  • SnagglepusSnagglepus 1,756 Posts
    Give the Women What They Want (T Neck)
  • DJFerrariDJFerrari 2,411 Posts
    "Work To Do Is" is my fucking theme song... in fact it's so good, I might say it's the best song ever!
  • mordecaimordecai 2,204 Posts
    Between The Sheets
  • GenePontecorvoGenePontecorvo 5,612 Posts
    Let us not forget how they absolutely slay rock classics "Ohio" and "Fire and Rain". Okay, "Fire and Rain" isn't really rock but you know what I mean.
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