The legendary Isley Bros have achieved a long and sustained recording career since the early sixties. Unlike the majority of artists on the label who started their career at Motown the Isley’s actually recorded a number of pop and r’n’b hits around 1962-64 and actually recorded and wrote the Beatles hit ‘Twist and Shout’. Other hits followed around that period with ‘Stagger Lee’ and ‘That Girl’ being issued on UK Stateside and RCA.

It was, in 1965 when the three brothers (Ronald, Rudolph, & O’Kelly) signed to Berry Gordy’s Motown empire that they were assigned Holland Dozier and Holland who were the labels hit making songwriters who at that time had wrote and produced million sellers for the likes of the Supremes, Four Tops, Jnr Walker and Martha & the Vandella’s but to name a few. Enter the Isley Bros in March 1966 with a HDH composition ‘This Old Heart of Mine’ a superb slice of sixties upbeat Motown which became the groups debut hit song and understandably received heavy plays at dance halls and youth clubs across the UK.

The song was particularly popular amongst the mod movement and whilst the group were not the only act on the label to record this song, it was, without question the best version. Suddenly the group were catapulted into the limelight alongside the other artists at Hitsville and a follow up single was required to continue the momentum. The next single Take Some Time Out For Love’ whilst not being quite as strong as the aforementioned certainly kept the fire burning and the single reached #6 pop (US) although failed to chart initially her in the UK.

The noticeable aspect of the Isley’s repertoire is that nearly all of their single ‘B’ sides are equally as strong as the issued side (a fact born out during my interview with Martha Reeves who claims that many of the mid sixties singles were in fact double sides) and whilst it is difficult to pinpoint exactly who recorded which songs originally, there is no question that the group recorded some fabulous versions of known Motown hits. Check out their version of ‘Put Yourself In My Place’ and compare it to the Elgins’ version – which do you prefer?

‘I Guess I’ll Always Love You’ MUST rate as one of the all-time Motown greats from 1966. A superb harmonious piece of Motown history that still to this day will devastate any dancefloor and I am amazed at the amount of punters (who were not even born when this song was issued) approach me and ask me where they can buy it. It still has that charm and appeal all these years on. While the group never quite got the exposure and promotional push that some of the other artists enjoyed at the time there is no doubt that the Isley’s remain one of the most potent acts on the label during the glory years.

Other notable songs on this album include ‘Take Some Time Out For Love’ ‘There’s No Love Left’ ‘Nowhere To Run’ and Eddie Holland’s ‘Just Ain’t Enough Love’ making this album for the label one of the strongest one ever seen. The album cover did not show a picture of the trio but a white couple sat on a beach of which it is rumoured was done to attract a wider white and pop audience at a time when race and prejudice were major issues in the US. Whilst the original album is relatively easy to find these days (and it has also been re-issued at one point) there is no question that this CD package is a very worthwhile investment.

‘Soul On The Rocks’

This album issued in 1967 contains much material included on the aforementioned EMI Starline LP of 1971 but out of the two albums it is this title that is the more collectable of the two. The quality and standard of the songs are equally as good as their previous album and again there are a number of uptempo gems that shouldn’t be missed. ‘Got To Have You Back’ brings back many memories of the late sixties all night club scene but there is one track on this album that rates as one the greatest Motown dance tracks EVER issued – ‘Tell Me It’s Just A Rumour Baby’ a 100 mph piece of Motown’s history that incidentally has just seen the instrumental version of this song featured on the recent CD ‘A Cellar Full Of Motown’. I remember being given this song on an EMI acetate during 1971 and played at an all-nighter in Bolton one night and the crowd went wild. The song whilst being an album track only at that stage eventually became a UK 45 during 1973 after EMI decided to issue Motown tracks that had become popular via the northern soul explosion of the seventies.

All Motown fans will have their favourite Isley’s song and their interpretation of Jackie Wilson’s ‘hit song’ ‘Whisper’s Getting Louder’ is one of the better on this album and one that was included on a 1971 UK Starline budget LP from EMI which has become highly collectable ever since. ‘Why When The Love Is Gone’ is also one of the stronger sides but as with all of these Motown 2 on 1’s there are bonus tracks and mixes included for connoisseurs and the original 45 mix for their cover of Kim Weston’s ‘Take Me In Your Arms’ is included as a bonus track although I can’t really tell the difference. The same applies for the excellent ‘All because I Love You’ but it is the previously unissued mix of ‘My Love Is Your Love’ that IS different to that featured on other CD’s.

Interestingly, both versions sound just as good as each other with a slightly different arrangement.

After this release of this album the group left Motown to pursue a career away from Berry Gordy and in 1969 saw the release of two singles in ‘Warpath’ and ‘Love The One Your With’ (UK Stateside). Whilst they had some impact amongst the record buying public they never quite had THAT sound that they had enjoyed in Detroit and it is fair to say that their career took a nose dive for a couple of years. In much the same way that HDH has done around that time the trio launched their own record label
T-Neck and as the seventies soul, funk and disco boom emerged enjoyed a number of hits selling more records than they had done the decade before.

Whether you enjoyed the group during this period or during their glory years spell with Motown one thing is for sure is that the group will go down in musical history as one of the all-time r’n’b acts of this century. It is a statement that they should be justifiably proud of.

Rating 10/10

Click here to hear the Isley Bros in action.

NB if anyone reading this review has any 60’s video material of the Isley’s at Motown that they would be willing to sell/swap then please e-mail me.