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The Essential Isley Brothers

The Isley Brothers - The Essential Isley Brothers Audio CD

A fair review of the The Isley Brothers "The Essential Isley Brothers" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all The Isley Brothers reviews here, or go back to the The Isley Brothers tabs.

Band: The Isley Brothers
Title: The Essential Isley Brothers
Rating:

Release Date: 2004-08-03
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Twist and Shout 2: That Lady, Pts. 1 & 2 3: What It Comes Down To 4: Brown Eyed Girl 5: For the Love of You, Pts. 1 & 2 6: Groove With You 7: Brother, Brother 8: Work to Do 9: Harvest for the World 10: Summer Breeze 11: Make Me Say It Again Girl, Pts. 1 & 2 12: Live It Up, Pts. 1 & 2 13: Fight the Power, Pts. 1 & 2 14: Freedom 15: Keep on Doin' 16: This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You) - The Funk Brothers, The Isley Brothers 17: Move Over and Let Me Dance - Jimi Hendrix, The Isley Brothers 18: Shout, Pts. 1-2 19: It's Your Thing 20: I Turned You On 21: Lay Away 22: Love the One You're With 23: Pop That Thang 24: Spill the Wine 25: Take Me to the Next Phase, Pts. 1 & 2 26: I Wanna Be With You, Pts. 1 & 2 27: Pride, Pts. 1 & 2 28: Footsteps in the Dark, Pts. 1 & 2 29: Voyage to Atlantis 30: Don't Say Goodnight (It's Time for Love) Pts. 1 & 2 31: Between the Sheets 32: Caravan of Love 33: Mission to Please You - Lafayette Carthon, Jr., Reggie Griffin, Jason Hess, Ernie Isley, R. Kelly, Peter Mokran, Emanuel Officer, Angela Winbush 34: Down Low (Nobody Has to Know) - Lafayette Carthon, Jr., , Ernie Isley, Ronald Isley, R. Kelly, Peter Mokran

only a like, not in love.
I wasn't happy, but I was expecting more of the same stuff I heard on my friend's CD. I heard a friend's CD by these guys and decided to buy this. This was obviously a mix of their offerings over the years. I was looking for some love songs.

I LOVE THE ISLEYS BROTHERS
MY GRANDFATHER USED TO PLAY THEM ALL THE TIME, BUT I WAS LITTLE AND DID NOT KNOW WHO THE SIX MEN WERE BUT LIKED THE SONGS. HELLO TO EVERYONE, I LOVE THE ISLEY BROTHERS TO DEATH, I HAVE LISTENED TO THEM FOR YEARS, HOW LONG YOU SAY, FROM THE TIME I WAS 10 YEARS OLD, AND EVEN YOUNGER NOW I AM 43. AND AS I GOT OLDER I GREW TO LOVE THEM THEY ARE MY FAVORITES. I WILL LOVE THEM TILL THE DAY I DIE. I WISH RONALD ISLEY WAS NOT IN JAIL. I HEARD MARVIN ISLEY IS VERY SICK, BUT I NEVER HEARD ANYTHING ELSE ABOUT MARVIN. YOU KNOW KELLY ISLEY DIED YEARS AGO BRAIN HEMMERIAGE. RUDOLPH ISLEY SINGS GOSPEL NOW. ERNIE ISLEY WAS STILL DOING CONCERTS WITH RONALD AT THE TIME, ERNIE STILL PLAYING HIS GUITAR GREATLY. AND CHRIS JASPER THE (BROTHER-IN-LAW OF RUDOLPH ISLEY NOT COUSIN) AS FAR AS I KNOW HE'S SINGING GOSPEL TO. TO MAKE ONE THING CLEAR CHRIS JASPER WAS ALL THE ISLEY BROTHERS BROTHER-IN-LAW. NOW ALL THESE YEAR'S THEY HAVE SUNG THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SONG'S, AND SONGS WITH MEANING'S AND SONGS WITH MESSAGE'S LIKE HARVEST FOR THE WORLD, THIS SONG STILL HAS MEANING TODAY, AND CARAVAN OF LOVE GOES HAND IN HAND. I THINK SO. I CAN TALK ABOUT THE ISLEYS FOREVER. I WAS SAD WHEN THEY BROKE UP IN THE 80'S. BUT STILL I LOVE THEM NO MATTER WHAT. IF YOU GET THE ISLEY BROTHERS IT'S YOUR THING 3 CD SET, THE BOOK THAT COMES IN THERE WILL TELL YOU A LOT ABOUT THE BROTHERS AND WHEN THEY LET JIMI HENDRIX STAY WITH THEM,THAT'S ALSO WHEN HE TAUGHT ERNIE TO PLAY THE GUITAR IF I AM CORRECT, BUT I WANT TO BR RIGHT, AS I RECALL ERNIE ALREADY HAD THE KNACK, JIMI JUST HELPED ALONG. AND RONALD'S MOST SMOOTH WONDERFUL LIKE CHOCOLATE DOVE VOICE, OOOHHH MY GOD. WHEN THERE PARENT'S DECIDED TO HAVE ALL THESE WONDERFUL BOY'S, DID THEY KNOW HOW WONDERFUL THEY ARE? HOW THEY ALL JUST SOUND SO WONDERFUL TOGETHER. I LOVE THEM. ALSO THERE'S A PICTURE OF THE ISLEY'S DAD, BUT NOT THERE MOM, I WISH I HAD A PICTURE OF HER AS WELL. BUT BACK THEM WHEN WE STILL HAD ALBUMS, THE ISLEY'S ALL WAS DEDICATED THERE ALBUMS TO THERE MOTHER SALLEY BERNICE ISLEY. I AM SO GLAD AMAZON HAS ALL OF MY ISLEY BROTHERS CD'S, EVEN THE ONE'S NO ONE KNEW WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT. I LOVE YOU AMAZON. COM TOO. I HAVE OTHER SINGERS THAT I LOVE ALSO. BUT HONEY THERE IS NO OTHER LIKE MY BROTHER'S. THE I S L E Y B R O T H E R S. I LOVE THEM FOREVER. FOR AS LONG AS I SHALL LIVE THEY WILL ALWAYS STAY IN MY HEART. THANK YOU AMAZON. COM I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR YEARS TO LET SOMEONE KNOW HOW I FEEL, BESIDES MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS. I KNOW THAT THERE ARE THOSE OUT THERE THAT DOES NOT LIKE THEM , I DO NOT CARE, EVERY BODY HAS MUSIC THEY LOVE TO SOME POINT IN THERE LIVES. I NEVER THINK MY BROTHERS EVER GETS THERE PROP'S, FOR ALL THESE YEARS THEY HAVE LASTED. YES THEY MADE IT IN ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME, THAT WAS GREAT BUT I STILL DO NOT THINK THAT WAS ENOUGH. THE SHOULD HAVE A LIFE TIME ACHIVEMENT AWARD FOR MUSIC. AND IF EVER THEY HAVE AN AWARD FOR MUSIC. THEY SHOULD GET ONE AS WELL. NOW I DO NOT REMEMBER, BUT I THOUGHT STEVIE WONDER GOT THE LIFETIME ACHIVEMENT AWARD. BUT ANYWAY MY BROTHERS ALWAYS SEEM TO BE FORGOTTEN. BUT I WILL NEVER FORGET THEM. THEY ARE MY FAVORITE'S ALWAYS HAS BEEN ALWAYS WILL BE, NO MATTER WHAT. LIKE VOYAGE TO ATLANTIS WHEN HE SINGS SO SWEETLY I'LL ALWAYS COME BACK TO YOU. WELL I'LL ALWAYS COME BACK TO THEM. I KNOW THIS IS LONG BUT I FINALLY GET A CHANCE TO SAY SOMETHING ABOUT MY ISLEYS AFTER ALL THESE YEARS. I WISH THEM ALL WELL THE ONES I KNOW THAT SING THE ONES I DO NOT KNOW AND ALL THERE EXTENED FAMILY. I LOVE YOU ALL. THANK YOU AMAZON. COM THANK YOU DONNA WRACK IN DETROIT .

A funked-up collection
hits in a row. The good news here is that there are aisles of Isley Bros.
The bad news is that someone toppled over the banquet table and made a mish-mash of the platters.

There is no time-line, no historical appreciation of the Bros. from the punch of 1962's "Twist and Shout" to the whisper of 1997's "Between the Sheets". The evolution from basic 50's RnB "Shout" (missing here!) to 60's soul "This Old Heart of Mine" to 70's "Who's That Lady" with a Jimi Hendrix guitar line, to '80's "Caravan of Love" the Isley's were hitmakers and poptakers, and few bands have lasted 5 decades of hits.

This Two CD so-called "Essential" is exasperating. It has fine stereo of older hits like "It's Your Thing" (a nice wink at Sly Stone) and plenty of '70's hits (their most proficient peroid) and bunches of the latter day Smooth Jazz emphasis on Ron Isley's crooning.

Until a box set detailing each era, these CDs are a good primer.

.

I wish there were more compilations like this
One glaring ommission - "Hello It's Me" - but this is otherwise a great colelcton of Isley Brothers tunes. There are a number of Isley Brothers complilations out there, but this is the most comprehensive one I have found so far.

The songs are just what I used to hear on the radio, and still do from time to time. Of the songs that are on this CD, there is little not to like. A lot of vintage songs on this compilation. It covers the group's early days and goes through their latter hits, as a compilation (in my opinion) should.

Classic Soul
Some of the songs I never they sung and was pleased. I really enjoy old school.

You can see a complete list of all The Isley Brothers discography, or go back to the The Isley Brothers tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.