Isley Brothers: S/D

RIP Marvin Isley

don't forget the early stuff. THis Old Heart of Mine takes some beating

RIP Marv :(

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foFK6q7kF9Y

"this old heart of mine" sounds like it was written for the four tops first

wikipedia says it was meant for the supremes. oh well close enough

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39WxCT4U4Vk

This take just kicks ass.

It's a good record all the way through.

I'd love to have a time machine to check out what the r&b club scene was like in the late 60s in Ohio. There was so much talent in that area in that time, I bet there was some great shows that went down.

gonna rep for "givin it back", amazing covers on there

Ernie Isley just wails on "Climbin' Up the Ladder, Parts 1 & 2" from 'Go for Your Guns'. It gives a taste what some Hendrix might have sounded like on top of some heavy mid 70s funk grooves.

The Isleys are easily in the very top strata of artists of all time.

This is a cool article I found on the recording of "That Lady" and that amazing lead guitar sound. There is an interesting connection between the Isley's and Tonto's Expanding Head Band that I did not know about.

http://mixonline.com/recording/interviews/audio_isley_brothers_lady/

That's a great read!

THey put out a Classic lp box set a few years ago which consists of their late 60s, early 70s material. I think it was about the first time I came across a Classic years box.

Had been wanting to check out that stuff for years I think it goes up to 3+3, cos I don't think i have that lp elsewhere though I did have it on vinyl years back.

Their late 50s stuff is pretty great frenetic stuff a feeling they kept throughout their Motown years too. I thought the This Old Heart Of Mine lp pretty hard-edged for Motown.

Yeah, I think that's why their Motown career didn't really work out - they were an odd fit, though the clash between Motown's sweet polish and Ron's gutsy vocal gave us This Old Heart Of Mine, which is just the greatest.

I wrote an 'Isleys in 10 tracks' piece for the Guardian that went up yesterday, and boiling a five decade career down to 10 tracks was a pulverisingly tricky task. I'm currently being taken to task in the comments for not including Summer Breeze (which, obv, is a brilliant track, but I prefer Harvest For The World as an example of their light pop side, and That Lady as a showcase for Ernie's guitar skills).

man I wish "Summer Breeze" was 100 minutes long

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6dBaVcpOQg

stretches out a bit but really I want this to go on forever

one of the best parts of the "Internet Age" is that I can find a band like this that I'd never really paid attention to before, except for the most obvious singles, and listen the shit out of them on a binge and realize THEY'RE THE BEST BAND EVER

& yes I am listening to "Summer Breeze" YET AGAIN right now. such an amazing song: piano and drums dancing together, lovely singing, and massive fuzzed out guitar wailing. the piano gives it jazziness but it swings in a rock way too, is there a book about this song I can read, I feel like I could understand everything I want to know about music from reading it & listening to this song forever

but then like "Between The Sheets" is amazing too in a completely different way. like was there not a style these guys didn't do? I used to think that about the Young Rascals, like they were behind every "oldies" song whose name I didn't know, but with the Isleys, it's like, they did everything, from the early 60s through what became g funk.

they are really the best band in the world, I'm so blown away

otmfm

Euler so otm!

In other news p4k rates 23 Isley Brothers albums with mathematical precision http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/20989-the-isley-brothers-the-rca-victor-and-t-neck-album-masters/

he's definitely right about the heat is on being their best album. the slow side of that one is like heroin thru the veins.

I'm hard-pressed to think of a bigger chasm between a crap original and a brilliant cover:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jO8dSfle7ow

that live album is phenomenal

Don't say goodnight, best slow jam

indeed

was there ever a better guitar solo than Ernie's on Summer Breeze?

They really were awesome.

Nice! Was hoping you would include “Love the One You’re With” - the live version- but hey, who am I to tell you who to sock it to.

That live version - the entire album, in fact - is awesome.

Repost of link that shifted and broke upthread: https://www.mixonline.com/.amp/recording/classic-tracks-isley-brothers-lady-365000

Where's the best place to start with these guys? Seems like I've heard a fair bit but it's so all over the place stylistically and there's so much stuff..

Bought this v v cheaply from Fopp a little while ago - excellent 3 CD set of their late 60s/70s stuff - all the hits and lots of deep cuts:

https://www.discogs.com/The-Isley-Brothers-The-Real-The-Isley-Brothers-The-Ultimate-Collection/release/7496750

I almost think it'd have to be a box set, but the Live album from the 70s, plus Brother, Brother, Brother, 3x3 and Fight The Power are all favourites of mine.

I'm not deep in their catalog but 3 + 3 is one of my favorite albums, a joy from start to finish

Late 60s/early 70s is prob my fave era but some highlight albums:

Shout (1959)
This Old Heart Of Mine (1966)
Doin' Their Thing (1969)
3+3 (1973)

I guess you could try those and go from there

This is my go-to Isleys comp:

https://www.discogs.com/The-Isley-Brothers-Its-Your-Thing-The-Story-Of-The-Isley-Brothers/master/513178

Spans the '50s through the '80s, includes live stuff and Motown.

Good lawddd...the groove on "Live it Up Pt 1 & 2" is unbelievable. I bet there was some DJs that could turn a crowd upside town with a couple of copies of that record.

I have the Isleys boxset...just randomly pulling albums out without looking...currently got on 81’s ‘Inside Out’...v pleasant but unremarkable...they made some absolute crackers though

WEIRD. Just listened to like five Isley albums yesterday.

'Take Inventory' is a solid groove but lyrically it has, er um ahh, not aged well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDqOq2KBraw

I love the title track of that 1981 album (it’s Inside You btw). It’s very Marvin Gaye-ish.

Just slapped on Isleys Live, inspired by seeing this thread appear in my New Answers. Such a great, great set.

There’s an unreleased live album in the box set ‘Live At Bearsville’ (probably recorded live in the studio) that I listened to a while ago...remember thinking how great it was

argh woah i wanna hear that

Sorry it’s called ‘Wild In Woodstock’ ...just checked it’s on streaming services and I’ve just put it on...it’s fucking great

such an incredible band

I just learned of the existence of that boxset yesterday, as well. Something like 28 discs?!? I mean, including some of their labelmates' work, but still...wow.

A little slow on the uptake but why on earth is this Live at Bearsville not a separate release? The version of Summer Breeze alone - Ernie is pure fire!

I kinda bought the box set for that album...it’s so great as are the Isleys

did no one here see the verzuz between EWF and the isleys? (sorry if its discussed in another thread). has to be the best verzuz that ive seen. literally not listened to this stuff in at least a decade and it was just amazing to hear it, but also just to see how cool both bands were with each other, as well as to see ernie isley playing along. seriously regretting not seeing them the last time they were touring in london.

I've been saving it for a blue day, but looking very much forward to it.

i watched half, then did the same as you. almost dont want to finish it as i loved it so much.

the R&B ones of verzuz are my favourite from what ive seen. you can sense real admiration and congeniality between them (eg babyface and teddy riley).

my one gripe, apart from wishing they were playing with their bands, rather than just playing along with the records (though ron isley just sounds so good, despite his age), is that the DJ kept messing up the chronology, so you had late 70s EWF being paired up with 60s isleys, which made no sense to me, but then maybe that made it a bit less obvious? idk.

we should poll Isley's singles

do it

Fuck man…this band hits me the in the feels…so many bangers!!!…nary a skipped track on the shuff

Unfuckwithable

this track cited by xgau has also been praised upthread a couple times---any of yall heard the whole collection??

The Isley Brothers & Jimi Hendrix:
In the Beginning . . . [T-Neck, 1971]
Cut around 1965, while Hendrix was still part of the Isleys' band, these casual sessions, remixed to push his guitar up with the voices, are far superior to Curtis Knight's Hendrix tapes. Make you wonder what would have happened if they'd been released at the time. Especially on "Move Over Let Me Dance," Hendrix anticipates effects Clapton introduced on "Sunshine of My Love," but in a less inflated context--could have blown some minds in Harlem. Not all of the music is don't-miss great. But it's all historic--and you can dance to it. B+

could have blown some minds in Harlem

Chris Jasper, renowned singer–songwriter and producer known for his pivotal role in shaping the sound of The Isley Brothers and Isley-Jasper-Isley, and over three decades as a distinguished solo artist, passed away on February 23 at the age of 73 following a cancer diagnosis in December, 2024.

Born on December 30, 1951, in Cincinnati, Ohio, Chris was a classically trained musician and composer. Chris’s musical journey began at the age of seven when he started studying classical piano. He would later study music composition at the Juilliard School of Music in New York City and earn his Bachelor of Fine Arts in music composition with esteemed jazz pianist and composer Billy Taylor. Chris’s classical training laid the foundation for his powerful music that blended his classical training with R&B, funk, and soul.

In 1973, Chris, alongside Ernie and Marvin Isley, transformed The Isley Brothers from a vocal trio into a self-contained six member R&B/Funk group. His songwriting talent and expertise on keyboards and synthesizers became the cornerstone of the group's signature sound. Chris was instrumental in writing, arranging, and producing numerous hits, including classics like "For the Love of You," "Between the Sheets,” and "Fight the Power."

In 1984, Chris formed Isley-Jasper-Isley with the younger band members Ernie and Marvin. The trio achieved international recognition with chart-topping hits like "Caravan of Love" in 1985, its message of peace and love resonating around the world and later covered by various artists....

Chris’s contributions to music have been widely recognized. He has received numerous gold and platinum albums and music industry awards. In 1992, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014. In 2016, Jasper was awarded the National R&B Society Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2020, Jasper was awarded the Soultracks Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2022, Chris was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

His innovative work has influenced generations of musicians, with his compositions being sampled and covered extensively by countless recording artists including Whitney Houston, Aaliyah, Notorious B.I.G., Tupac Shakur, Queen Latifah, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Gwen Stefani, Fantasia, Will Smith, and Jaheim.

Beyond his musical achievements, Chris was a dedicated and loving husband and father. He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Margie Jasper, a New York-based attorney and author, and his three sons Michael, Nicholas, and Christopher. He will be deeply missed and his legacy will live on as an inspiration for generations.

Sincerely,
His Loving Family

RIP. Saw that, but never really dug into that early 70s work enough to recognize his role. I should though it sounds like

I have vivid memories of a Christmas break in the mid-80s when one of the cable channels gave their hosts a break and ran a handful of videos on repeat, one of which was "Look the Other Way" by Isley-Jasper-Isley. Not to mention his contributions to the Isley Brothers' 70s records.