Isley Brothers: S/D

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.

in verzuz, don't the artists pick and choose the songs and order? i think d-nice was just doing what he was told

Yeah, I doubt it was some kind of "stump the band" thing.

Can’t tell if this was posted before but even so it’s so tasty worth doing it again.

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

TIL they have an incredible catalog of 60s/70s soft rock covers beyond Summer Breeze. Their covers of It's Too Late, Lay Lady Lay, Sunshine (Go Away Today) and Fire and Rain are mind blowing.

The live album from around that era is sublime

Love the One You’re With as well, iirc

There's a decent Original Albums set covering the turn of the 70s T-Neck etc material up to 3+3 .
Starts on Brothers Isley. So I think may be skipping one T-Neck set not sure what the reasoning behind what is and isn't included on these things tends to be. I remember it being pretty good throughout but has been a while since i last listened through it.
Possibly just that they wanted 5 lps and to end on 3+3. So they've just done the consecutive ones.

Years ago I took Rhino's two The Isley Brothers Story releases and combined them with Sony's much heralded but less comprehensive It's Your Thing: The Story Of The Isley Brothers. A lot of overlap, and after dropping a few mediocre CD-only bonus tracks found only on the Rhino set, the whole thing fit on to three CD-R's packed to the brim. I would have recommended the Rhino and Sony sets to anyone, but merged together, it's a mightily impressive summary of their career.

I do like their Motown mid 60s stuff too which si pretty hard for Motown. Then & The Contours.
& the earlier r'n'r stuff that the Beatles had early hits with is quite great too.

Solid new album.

Oh seriously? Will have to check that out...

Are there any other currently active groups -- understanding that many lineup changes have occurred with the Isleys -- to have released records spanning eight decades?

It's crazy that Ronald is still in the group.

The Four Tops have been around longer, with one original member remaining, but apparently their last album was in 2000.

Listening to the two Rhino sets mentioned above, I'm struck at how the Isleys simultaneously keep to rigid formulae and manage to take all sorts of unusual detours within those parameters. The Pitchfork review link above gets that across really well.

isley brothers spend the night: angela winbush's masterwork?

Weellll....Sharp exits. *gazes with delighted wonder at the sleeve*

but when I wrote a Winbush paper several years ago I listened to the first two Winbush-produced albums and they're good!

we should poll Isley's singles