ALBUM OF THE WEEK # 270 THE ISLEY BROTHERS - 3 + 3 (1973)

[RJhog (Admin)]

Artist: The Isley Brothers

Genre: Funk/Soul/Rock/Pop

Nationality: American

Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Member: Yes (1992)

Album: 3 + 3

Producer: Ronald Isley/Rudolph Isley

Release Date: August 7, 1973

Running Time: 38:55

RIAA Certification: Platinum

Peak Billboard Chart Position: 8 (Pop Albums)/2 (Black Albums)

Singles: That Lady (Part 1) (#6)/What It Comes Down To (#55)/Summer Breeze (#60)

 

Disclaimer: All info that does not reside in my brain is gathered from wikipedia.com (mostly because Jon can't stand it). 

Stepping back off of the beaten path, The Isley Brothers are featured this week at CRB. Your Album of the Week is 3 + 3.  This is the first and only Isley Brothers album I've ever owned.  And I bought it for one song in particular.  That is their cover of Summer Breeze. I heard it and thought it was fantastic.  Still do think that.  The album has nine tracks and four of those are covers.  But that's not a bad thing as far as I'm concerned.  I'll post a review so you can get on to listening to the album.

Until the album 3 + 3 came out in 1973, people knew The Isley Brothers as a group like The Drifters or The Moonglows: smiling black guys in cool mohair suits. Listeners loved the Isleys' hits -- The Beatles covered their "Twist And Shout," and the group had a hit with the gospel-inspired R&B stomper "Shout" -- but their work for Motown proved frustratingly inconsistent.

3 + 3 announced their dramatic rebirth, starting with the cover, which showed photos by Don Hunstein of the five brothers, Ronald, O'Kelly, Rudolph, Ernie, and Marvin Isley, plus buddy Chris Jasper, self-confident and decked out in eye-popping threads. (The Isleys originally performed as a trio -- the album's title is a reference to the introduction of a younger generation.)

The album proved that the brothers from Teaneck, New Jersey, could play and sing with as much passion and pop appeal as any Seventies act from David Bowie to Al Green. Seventeen-year-old Ernie's long, legato lines on fuzztone Stratocaster (Hendrix was a direct influence -- he had played in the Isleys' backing band in the Sixties) fueled the brothers' move into rock-friendly territory. "That Lady," the opening track, became the big single, but "What It Comes Down To" and the epic "Summer Breeze" linger fondly in the memory. The vocals are light, melodious, and soulful -- and, on "Summer Breeze," Ronald's tenor is deliriously ecstatic.

A warm, romantic album, 3 + 3 is filled with danceable grooves (Marvin ranks with the best of funk's bassists), and the overall sound has a light, almost acoustic R&B-folk-rock feel that makes one years for the innocent days before disco.

- Michael Lydon, 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, 2005.

So get to it.  Give the album a spin.  Then, if you like it, cruise on over to Amazon and pick up your very own 2008 remastered copy for a slim $4.99. 

Side One:

1. That Lady (Part 1 & 2)

2. Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight

3.  If You Were There

4. You Walk Your Way

5. Listen To The Music

Side Two:

6. What It Comes Down To

7. Sunshine (Go Away Today)

8. Summer Breeze

9. The Highways Of My Life

[Niels (Mod)]

[Niels (Mod)]

1. The start sounds like Dobie brothers. The singing not really. Oh, shit, this will be a long 39 min!!! This is radio-music for me, well, at least from the 70's. Most music played on the radio, was the opposite of, what I bought on record. As I've said a thousand times: It's not bad-bad, but it's defintely not my scene/style/cup of tea. That soul/disco-rythm annoy the hell out of me.

2. Oh god, this is terrible!! Don't get me wrong: The music is fine, and they play and sing good, but I'm not the right person, to listen to this. My sister should had been in my place. Sounds like Lenny Krawitz was inspired by these dudes?!

3. This has a Stevie Wonder-start, which means it's the best one so far. I like a happy tune. It's not as good as SW's songs, and I'm pretty fast bored!!! WHY DO I HAVE TO LISTEN TO THIS SHIT!!!!

4. ......I though this was a ROCK-site!!!!!!!

5. Funky-funky-funk funk!! Crappy-crappy-crap crap!!!! What did I say about The Dobbie Brothers?! This version stinks, though.

6. 5 down, 5 to go!!!! Yeah yeah, very nice, but......a waste of my time!!!!

7. More of the same, just worse!!!

8. Nice quite start, and then he sings!!! Oh, it's that song. That's a great song!!! Are they "responsible" for that one? Yeah, it's good. But still "radio-muisc". A cool riff!! By FAR the best song here. Nah, it's not the original, is it?! There's something about it, I don't like. That funky-sound!!!

9. Good piano-start. I'm nearly there.......................................................................I'm DONE!!!! 

This was NOT interesting, Jeff!!!!

I WANNA ROCK!!!!!!!!!!

[RJhog (Admin)]

I thought you were willing to step outside of the box, but maybe I went a bit too far outside for your tastes.  Fair enough.  Next week we'll get back to straight up rock.

[RJhog (Admin)]

As a matter of fact, I don't think I have anything else that strays from classic rock left in this series.  That will probably, most definitely not hold true when I hit the sixties.

[Jon]

Ernie is a great geetarist. If you don't have it, check out his solo album "High Wire" from the early 80's. There's really a lot of cool geetar on this album, but you get so caught up in the funkiness, you might just miss it. I'm not a big fan of albums with more than one, or maybe two, cover songs, but that's quite the funkified version of "Listen To The Music". The beginning of their version of "Sunshine" reminds me a bit of "My Little Red Book", but it's still another nice cover.

Overall this was a pleasant listen. There needs to be more funk/R&B on this site, just because i say so.

[Scott]

Hmmm....

[Scott]

My soul obsession with EW&F is the stuff of legend around here (or so I've been told).  Lets just say I know this genre and I'm very picky about it....

Big nod to the geetar and percussion work right out of the gate.  I didn't care for Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight much, seemed a bit off to me, just remember I am the expert on this style so don't argue...  If You Were There is a nice mid tempo soul burner.  Love the keyboard work and while I like the geetar I hear on here as well, I am missing the jammin' that I was introduced to on track one, want more of that!!

Must say I didn't care for the treatment of the Doobie classic, not very interesting.  And its getting too heavy on cover tunes.  What It Comes Down To gets me back in the groove, this needs more of that!!  But then we head to more covers and a slow closer. 

Not sure about this one.  Definitely not in the same league as EW&F, but then again, no one is!