Ultimate Isley Brothers

by The Isley Brothers

Overview

The Isley Brothers have been an R&B force to reckon with since the late '50s, and The Ultimate Isley Brothers is the most extensive single-CD collection of their songs ever assembled. Spanning their hit-making years from 1959 to 1983, the compilation includes such early hits as "Twist and Shout" (also a smash for the Beatles) and "Shout." The lion's share of the hits here were recorded on the group's self-owned T-Neck Records label, including the No. 1 R&B singles "It's Your Thing," "Fight the Power," and "The Pride." Fueled by Ronald Isley's soaring falsetto, Ernie Isley's Jimi Hendrix-inspired guitar licks, and Chris Jasper's gritty organ playing, the Isleys took creative dares that found them interpreting distinctly non-R&B songs, including Stephen Stills' "Love the One You're With" and Seals & Crofts's "Summer Breeze." Balancing out these whimsical remakes and party favorites are a number of slow jams that have become quiet storm classics, including "Between the Sheets" and "Don't Say Goodnight." With their influence carrying over to a generation of contemporary R&B artists (Vanessa Williams had a hit with her remake of "Work to Do") and hip-hop giants (Salt-N-Pepa revamped the Isleys' "It's Your Thing" with the go-go-inspired "Shake Your Thang"), the Isleys continue to spread their "Caravan of Love." Dave Gil de Rubio

Product Details

Release Date:	10/17/2000
Label:	Sony
UPC:	0074646219621
catalogNumber:	62196
Rank:	6674

Tracks

1. It's Your Thing
2. That Lady, Pts. 1-2
3. Harvest for the World
4. Work to Do
5. Spill the Wine
6. Summer Breeze
7. Caravan of Love
8. For the Love of You, Pts. 1-2
9. Groove with You
10. Twist and Shout
11. Live It Up, Pt. 1
12. Fight the Power, Pt. 1
13. The Pride
14. Shout, Pts. 1-2
15. Love the One You're With
16. Between the Sheets
17. Don't Say Goodnight (It's Time for Love), Pt. 1

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Isley Brothers   Primary Artist
Isley Jasper Isley   Track Performer

Technical Credits

Isley Brothers   Composer
Ernie Isley   Arranger,Composer,Producer
War   Composer
Lee Oskar   Composer
Lonnie Jordan   Composer
Chris Jasper   Arranger,Composer,Producer
Papa Dee Allen   Composer
Harold Brown   Composer
Malcolm Cecil   Programming,Engineer
Luigi Creatore   Producer
Dash Crofts   Composer
B.B. Dickerson   Composer
Marvin Isley   Arranger,Composer,Producer
O'Kelly Isley   Composer
Ronald Isley   Composer
Rudolph Isley   Composer
Hugo Peretti   Producer
Robert Margouleff   Programming,Engineer
Phil Medley   Composer
George Patterson   Arranger
Howard Scott   Composer
Charles Miller   Composer
Bert Russell   Composer
Jim Seals   Composer
Dee Allen   Composer
L. O. Levitin   Composer

Editorial Reviews

In effect, The Ultimate Isley Brothers is the definitive single-disc compilation of the Isleys' T-Neck years -- when they reinvented themselves for the '70s as a jam-happy funk-rock outfit. Still, there are a few extras -- the Isley/Jasper/Isley hit "Caravan of Love," which fits this material pretty well, and the old-school Isley classics "Shout, Pts. 1-2" and "Twist and Shout," which don't. Yes, it's nice to have this all on one disc, but the latter two hits are just sort of tossed into the middle of the track listing (and if you're going to license those, why leave off the group's other absolutely necessary early single, the Motown hit "This Old Heart of Mine"?). That flaw aside, though, the focus of the collection is really on the group's terrific funk phase; it's clear by the end of the disc that the Isleys were equally capable of delivering smoking funk workouts, socially conscious anthems, and slick, romantic ballads. It's the best introduction to the group that's currently available, and its consistently high-quality material demonstrates why they've been able to sustain a career for so long.

All Music Guide - Steve Huey