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Isley Brothers - Their Best Tracks

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Hope I'm not duplicating or treading on any toes re artist of the week etc. but I have always loved the Isley Brothers and was wondering what people rated as their best tracks

Don't collect Motown labels :ohmy: But of the decent Isley's Northern/Rare Soul style 45s which ones shoud I break the habit and buy?

Cheers

Richard

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  • ricticman
    ricticman

    SOOOO RIGHT And if you can only afford one - then no home anywhere ever should ever be without 'this old heart of mine' .....poetry put to a dance beat ?

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    Premium Stuff

    Hope I'm not duplicating or treading on any toes re artist of the week etc. but I have always loved the Isley Brothers and was wondering what people rated as their best tracks Don't colle

  • 45cellar
    45cellar

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CEFepfYKYA

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All of them for me Richard, love all there stuff, really like there T neck stuff as well :thumbsup:

SOOOO RIGHT

And if you can only afford one - then no home anywhere ever should ever be without 'this old heart of mine' .....poetry put to a dance beat ?

i.m.h.o. of course

pete

Edited by ricticman

  • Author

https://www.youtube.c...72.1j5j1j1.8.0.

Pick the bones out of that lot.

Please guide me :D

Coming at it this with an open mind

Always loved the Isleys but never collected Motown

Did have that MFP LP with them in the lovely orange suits though as a kid - their version of 'Nowhere To Run' is definitive IMO and 'Got To Have You Back' etc.

Keep 'em coming folks

Cheers

Richard

Edited by Premium Stuff

Hope I'm not duplicating or treading on any toes re artist of the week etc. but I have always loved the Isley Brothers and was wondering what people rated as their best tracks

Don't collect Motown labels :ohmy: But of the decent Isley's Northern/Rare Soul style 45s which ones shoud I break the habit and buy?

Cheers

Richard

Just a roumer.....stormer

my total fave singer of all time.... Ron Isley . I love their stuff, from every era they covered. The Motown recordings are amongst the 'better' stuff on the label.

favourite track? hmmm, too difficult to pick one, but 'thats the way love is' ranks very highly for me, so im going for that (for the time being)

  • Author

God! they were awesome weren't they :ohmy:

'Little Miss Sweetness' - forgotten that one -,'That's The Way Love Is' - both of them just fabulous :D

Cheers

Richard

Who's That Lady 1964 version is also a great record on United Artists in USA

Please guide me :D

Coming at it this with an open mind

Always loved the Isleys but never collected Motown

Did have that MFP LP with them in the lovely orange suits though as a kid - their version of 'Nowhere To Run' is definitive IMO and 'Got To Have You Back' etc.

Keep 'em coming folks

Cheers

Richard

Another one , which was on that MFP LP you had !

Cheers

Swifty :thumbsup:

another great 70s track from them is their version of summer breeze. Also, "I turned you on".

Their earliest hit in chicago was the two-sider "your old lady" / "write to me" on atlantic. I really like that record. "who's that lady" on UA also got play here.

Absolutely love the Isley Brothers...a quote from my mentor Jock Oconnor back at Allanton/Shotts circa 88/89 " the Isley Brothers were Motowns Magnetics"....genius indeed......Always thought " Seek and you shall find " from their -This Old Heart Of Mine LP... was one of there best......I played it out at Allanton/Shotts 88/89 with a couple of knowlegeable chaps by the names of Ady Harley and Gilly clambering to see what it was, pretty much unknown at the time.

Edited by Dennisoul

Hope I'm not duplicating or treading on any toes re artist of the week etc. but I have always loved the Isley Brothers and was wondering what people rated as their best tracks

Don't collect Motown labels :ohmy: But of the decent Isley's Northern/Rare Soul style 45s which ones shoud I break the habit and buy?

Cheers

Richard

I remember hearing This Old Heart Of Mine as a new release like it was yesterday, there was just nothing like it out at the time. I did hear a rumour that The Originals backed Ronnie isley? However, I particularly like Live It Up on TNeck/UK Epic. What a great groove by the band and Jasper's guitar but the vocals by Ronnie & the bros are awesome.

Of their later non-Motown style stuff, I've always liked 'Work To Do'...

i was gonna pick this myself, awesome track, good choice....phil

"Out of the question" from their Soul on the Rocks/Behind a painted smile album. :thumbsup:

Edited by Chris L

This sounded fantastic on Saturday night in the main room at Essence! Thanks to our Spanish friends for this one.

Dave

Agreed! blew me away when Alex finished his excellent set with this after Dee Irwin. I didn't know this and had to get me one soon as I got back from Essence :thumbsup:

steve

I guess my all time favorite from them will be SHOUT! That record got me in the first five seconds. The vocal and track was smoking with the old time gospel feel. I love it when you all put the records here, some of these I have never heard.

Tis' nothing like this library! :no:

Lorraine

their version of "Whispers getting louder" from this album used to be a firm fave in Oz - time for a reactivation - it's a great PLAY LOUD tune.

Denny

please answer me this question.....WHY OH WHY, has their brief fling with atlantic records NOT been addressed and quite simply, air brushed from history?. did they not cut at least FOUR singles on the label?. anyway, "the last girl" is a truly amazing beat ballad and deserves recognition in that catagory. the budget priced albums were a cheap & quick way of aqquiring the group's motown output and to be honest, there isnt a bad track on them. fast forward to 3 years ago and the long awaited anthology, just when you thought the vaults had been swept clean, you get the ultimate jewell in their crown..."SURE IS A LOTTA WOMAN"....can you imagine the response to this at station road?....i would stake my money on this blowing everything previously, clean out of the water and that includes "why" & "rumour",...storming tracks in their own right.

would everyone here agree, that in terms of output, the isley brothers ARE the most prolific when it comes to the northern soul scene?

one final note: the original interpretation of "who's that lady", i find quirky.....but is it relevant to the dancefloor?, i dont think it stands up to their motown output but then, they hadn't encountered H-D-H, prior to 65.

Edited by AGENTSMITH

The whole of the "Soul On The Rocks" album:

It's Out Of The Question, Catching Up On Time, etc etc

well I also like their versions [ first versions ? ] of 2 other ' northern ' crackers

nobody but me........and.......she'll never leave you

please answer me this question.....WHY OH WHY, has their brief fling with atlantic records NOT been addressed and quite simply, air brushed from history?. did they not cut at least FOUR singles on the label?. anyway, "the last girl" is a truly amazing beat ballad and deserves recognition in that catagory. the budget priced albums were a cheap & quick way of aqquiring the group's motown output and to be honest, there isnt a bad track on them. fast forward to 3 years ago and the long awaited anthology, just when you thought the vaults had been swept clean, you get the ultimate jewell in their crown..."SURE IS A LOTTA WOMAN"....can you imagine the response to this at station road?....i would stake my money on this blowing everything previously, clean out of the water and that includes "why" & "rumour",...storming tracks in their own right.

would everyone here agree, that in terms of output, the isley brothers ARE the most prolific when it comes to the northern soul scene?

one final note: the original interpretation of "who's that lady", i find quirky.....but is it relevant to the dancefloor?, i dont think it stands up to their motown output but then, they hadn't encountered H-D-H, prior to 65.

I mentioned the atlantic 45 that was a hit in Chicago. I agree with you about "the last girl", it actually sounds way ahead of his time, almost like a 70s philly record.

I'm not on the "northern scene" but I don't think they have that many records that are played as northern records compared to, say, the impressions. Maybe you meant the most prolific soul artists in general?

The Isley Brothers are my favourite ever vocal group. Rons lead vocal is superb, but I believe them being brothers and having sung together since they were young is a big key to their sound, they are in complete harmony with each other. They also never lost that Gospel edge to their sound.

I don't think they ever made a bad track, and so many of my faves have already been picked, but my all time fave would be:

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

I also really like this:

And if you haven't heard this, I defy you not to be knocked out by the pairing of Bobby Womack and Ron Isley

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90c80YD0Ht8

Ronald Isley has the voice of an angel, no doubt about that.

Their "my love is your love" is a tour de force, and probably one of the most perfectly constructed songs ever written. Never fails to lift my spirits and make me smile.

If you want your heart ripped open then this is my fave.

  • Author

Great stuff - thank you to all have posted

Some fabulous track there - mindblowing tracks

All great - but I particularly liked Pikey's posting of the whole of the "Soul On The Rocks" LP - cheers mate :hatsoff2:

Richard

Great stuff - thank you to all have posted

Some fabulous track there - mindblowing tracks

All great - but I particularly liked Pikey's posting of the whole of the "Soul On The Rocks" LP - cheers mate :hatsoff2:

Richard

Is my memory playing strange tricks or is Soul On The Rocks the same as Behind a Painted Smile album ?

One of my favourites and i'm still playing the same 45 my older brother bought when it came out and i was 10 years old sticking it on his Dansette.

The Isley Brothers are my favourite ever vocal group.

I definitely don't think of them as a vocal group. They were pretty much a band, and they rarely sang harmony (or even had backup vocals).

Is my memory playing strange tricks or is Soul On The Rocks the same as Behind a Painted Smile album ?

Almost but not quite - it duplicates the tracks in a different order, plus B.A.P.S LP has a couple more on...so i'll say go for that one instead...

The additions on Behind A Painted Smile:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGZ07VWZEUI

Obviously re-packaged as a cash-in, since "Take Me..." was their last 45 for Motown prior to them leaving for pastures new.

Edited by pikeys dog

"Out of the question" from their Soul on the Rocks/Behind a painted smile album. :thumbsup:

love that, checkout the flip of the US release........

Another one , which was on that MFP LP you had !

Cheers

Swifty :thumbsup:

yep, this is great and I think the budget MFP album was the only way to get this track until a recent 7" boot..?

yep, this is great and I think the budget MFP album was the only way to get this track until a recent 7" boot..?

Well, it did appear on a mid-80's "Best of" compilation as well...sitting on my shelf all the while it was getting spins. Doh!

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