Ronald’s passionate lead vocals and Ernie’s edgy (and, when the solo comes around, searing) guitar dominate.Ĩ ) “Fight the Power (Part 1 & 2)” from The Heat Is On This track, though, shows that their nuanced songwriting and social conscience had hardly exited. Yes, this 1983 album is best known for its title track, one of the smuttiest hit songs of the 1980s (and pretty awesome if that’s what you’re into). This live bootleg, meanwhile, shows how the Hendrix guitar style fit into their mid-1960s high-octane R&B groove.ħ ) “Ballad for the Fallen Soldier” from Between the Sheets You might have an easier time finding “Testify (Part 1 & 2),” though the Hendrix style is less distinct there. I like Seals and Crofts as much as the next guy (assuming, I suppose that the next guy is neither Seals nor Crofts) but the Isleys really make it their own and, notably, this is one of Ernie Isley’s most stank-face-inducing guitar solos on record.Ħ ) “Move Over and Let Me Dance” (issued on the It’s Your Thing compilation) This is another one of the 1970s cover songs that they did so expertly. The thick bass lines fusing Marvin Isley’s great bass and Chris Jasper’s synth make for a bottom end rivaled in the 1970s maybe only by Parliament’s “Flashlight.” I’m not crazy about the fake audience sounds, BUT they could overdub the sound of porpoises here and I’d still listen over and over again for this groove. In the meantime, though, the Hitsville USA assembly line produced some good stuff for them, including this definitive rendition of a song better known for the similarly produced Motown hit version by Kim Weston (and, to rock fans, for the Doobie Brothers’ 1970s cover).Ĥ ) “Take Me to the Next Phase” from Showdown Maybe that’s not so bad insofar as it spurred them to focus on building their own T-Neck label. The Isleys’ relatively short Motown tenure was, by all accounts, somewhat frustrating, as they never became an “A-list” act. The gentle pathos of the James Taylor original boils over with passion via Ronald’s vocals and the amazing groove.ģ ) “Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me)” from various compilations (issued as a single on Motown) Though there were several hits among this initial batch of covers (notably “Love the One You’re With,” where on the way out of the bridge Ronald nails the part that is an organ glissando on the Steven Stills original) and a chilling medley of Neil Young’s “Ohio” and Jimi Hendrix’s “Machine Gun,” this one is my all-time favorite.
This record introduced a formula where the often-covered Isley Brothers gave their own takes on then-contemporary rock songs. Of course Ronald’s lead vocals are passionate, as they always are, but on top of that the chord progression is rich, the groove simmers and the lyrics walk that difficult tightrope where they’re concerned, utopian and literate all at the same time. There are a few songs that I can listen to over and over and still consider to be perfect, and this is one of them. I don’t love all their stuff, but I’m glad for all of it, as the diversity is central to what makes them so awesome.ġ ) “Harvest for the World” from Harvest for the World That’s partly to give space to some of their other great songs and because there are simply so many of them that 10 is a very small number! I’m hard pressed to think of many other artists who’ve produced strong work with such a diversity of sounds and a consistent evolution over such a long period of time. You’ll notice that none of the above-referenced songs are even on this list. This began the 3+3 era and spawned all sorts of other classics like “That Lady” and “For the Love of You.” Instead, they added the younger generation of guitarist Ernie (perhaps the most direct inheritor of Jimi Hendrix’s mantle, both stylistically and due to the direct mentorship that occurred when Jimi was a member of the band and Ernie was a kid), bassist Marvin and keyboardist Chris Jasper (a brother-in-law, but that’s cool too). If superlatively great R&B singer Ronald Isley and his great backing singer brothers O’Kelly and Rudolph had retired after producing “Shout,” “Twist and Shout,” “This Old Heart of Mine” and “It’s Your Thing,” they would have been borderline Rock and Roll Hall of Famers and even those songs alone represent a great stylistic diversity. I love the Isley Brothers, and their place in my heart is as unique as their place in music history.
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