Question: Which is the only group in the history of recorded music to have had a hit single and a hit album in five consecutive decades?
The answer is… The Isley Brothers. They have been making music since 1954 and had their first hit, “It’s Your Thing,” in 1969. Their most recent hit was “Baby Makin’ Music” in 2006. To be sure, there have been times when the group was on hiatus and the line-up has changed over the years, although it has always included at least one of the Isley siblings. It has been a bumpy career for the group with lots of in-fighting, ill-health and legal problems. Along the way they were dumped by Motown, sued by Berry Gordy, fought off an attempt by Michael Bolton to buy their back catalog, had a young guitarist by the name of Jimi Hendrix in their backing group, oh and two of the brothers died. The life stories of the band members read like pulp fiction: live fast, get all screwed up. They did, however, manage to find the time and talent to produce some wonderful music.
The Isley Brothers’ style of music changed over time. They started off as gospel singers (one of the brothers, Rudy, eventually left to become a Baptist minister), went through doo-wop, rock ‘n roll, rhythm ‘n blues, soul and funk to urban contemporary (with a rather unfortunate emphasis on lascivious lyrics). Their R&B period was best exemplified by the superb 1973 album “3+3” which featured the original three brothers plus two younger brothers and a brother-in-law. Several of the tracks were released as singles and all were big hits.
The opening track, “That Lady, Pts 1&2” was written by the group and has a delicious beat and powerful vocals. It’s just the kind of song to get everyone dancing at a party or a wedding –
the lyrics are perfect and almost inoffensive. But the real surprise in this track is in the coda – a lengthy guitar solo by Ernie Isley. Did Hendrix teach him to play like this? It’s certainly in the same class as Hendrix but this performance seems like a throw-away or an after-thought instead of being the song’s centerpiece, yet it has to stand as one of the great rock guitar solos of all time. As you recover from the thrill of that experience, the album hits you with another surprise: the Isley Brothers’ version of folkie idol James Taylor’s “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight” which they infuse with soul and magnificent harmonies. They manage to stay true to the melody in the way they didn’t – with mixed results – on Dylan’s ‘Lay Lady Lay’ (included on a later album), and somehow they give the song new meaning.
Two tracks later, the brothers show their versatility with their interpretation of the Doobie Brothers’ “Listen To The Music” which, frankly, is head and shoulders above the original. The Isley Brothers can not only sing, they can improvise. The quality of their arrangement and the musicianship of the younger members of the band on guitar, bass and keyboards combine to make this rather trite song into a much more evocative but still danceable number.
The final track on the album is another cover song, this time borrowed from Seals & Croft who are best known as soft rockers. It is part of the Isley Brothers’ gift that they can hear more in a song than its writers possibly did. “Summer Breeze” in their hands is lush and filled with cunning and beautiful instrumentation; it’s long and drawn-out and every second is worth the listener’s full attention. The older brothers had been singing together so long that their interweaving harmonies had become as instinctive as the legendary Blind Boys of Alabama who can take an innocuous melody and send chills down your spine with their “barbershopping,” as they call it. With one exception, the other tracks on the album are credited to all the members of the band and they prove to be no slouches when in comes to putting soul into rock.
Unlike similar artists’ work, “3+3” needs to be listened to because there’s true artistry and skill here as well as really memorable tunes. It is not some musical wallpaper that you bob your head to, although you can do that too as you let yourself be absorbed by this compilation of prime R&B. Don’t judge the album by the cover, the Isley Brothers’ taste in music is much better than their taste in clothes!
