If I had to choose the baddest Isley Brothers jam ever, it would be "Livin' In The Life/Go For Your Guns". This jam used to have wall to wall asses shakin'. You simply have to let it continue on into "Go For Your Guns" after "Livin' In The Life" ends or you ain't got the complete jam.

Anybody into this one?
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[Edited 11/4/05 3:37am]

vainandy said:

The songs "Go for your Guns" and "Voyage to Atlantis" from said album, are two of my all time fave songs. The whole album is perfection from start to finish.

DavidEye said:

Bfunkthe1 said:

Hell yeah! The Isley Brothers used to have some funk for days all throughout the 1970s and on up till around 1983.

That R. Kelly bullshit does have one good side though....it gave me a chance to take a piss break at the concert after I had been drinking all night.

It is good from start to finish. I've been listening to a track a lot lately that I used to skip over all the time....."Tell Me When You Need It Again".

It is good from start to finish. I've been listening to a track a lot lately that I used to skip over all the time....."Tell Me When You Need It Again".

vainandy said:

That groove has a Sly Stone vibe.....

funkpill said:

Yeah, it does. Look, PLEASE don't get me started about The Isley's! From 72-80, they were untouchable. The Isley's would go for 15 minutes straight on one cut and then throw in some hellified Hendrix inspired guitar solo to boot. I've championed "Voyage To Atlantis" on here several times. Ernie Isley is my ni**a, right alongside Eddie Hazel. HUGE, HUGE influences on me, those two. Good pick, Vain!

..B pretty much said everything I was gonna say (lol). This was the 1st Isley LP I ever heard..This was my 1st black rock LP (before Jimi, before P-Funk, before any of them). "The Pride" is a bad ass song..Ernie plays drums on that cut and "Footsteps". "Tell Me" is a smooth, rockin' song and so is "Climbin' Up The Ladder". Ernie's guitar work on this LP is stellar.

blackguitaristz said:

You have championed that song a few times, and I love it when you do. Ernie is one of the (all too unappreciated) greats on guitar, but And I wouldn't quite describe him that way!

SPYZFAN1 said:

Ernie played drums on all of their 70's, early 80's, lps...

I'm sorry, with the exception of the 3 + 3 album....
[Edited 11/4/05 14:55pm]

funkpill said:

Yep. See, what was so beautiful about the Isley's, was that they as a family, dug Jimi. You know? So many of their cuts were basically tributes to Jimi. Ronald just had the "smooth" and "polished" voice that got black folks diggin' it, as opposed to Jimi's rough Dylan inspired vocals. But the Isley's knew that. Like Spyz said, the Isley's were the first black rock band that I had ever heard. I heard Ernie doing Hendrix BEFORE I heard Jimi doing it. It was completely natural for me to hear Ernie play a 3 minute solo when I was little. I "understood" it.

funkpill said:

Yep. See, what was so beautiful about the Isley's, was that they as a family, dug Jimi. You know? So many of their cuts were basically tributes to Jimi. Ronald just had the "smooth" and "polished" voice that got black folks diggin' it, as opposed to Jimi's rough Dylan inspired vocals. But the Isley's knew that. Like Spyz said, the Isley's were the first black rock band that I had ever heard. I heard Ernie doing Hendrix BEFORE I heard Jimi doing it. It was completely natural for me to hear Ernie play a 3 minute solo when I was little. I "understood" it.

funkpill said:

Yep. See, what was so beautiful about the Isley's, was that they as a family, dug Jimi. You know? So many of their cuts were basically tributes to Jimi. Ronald just had the "smooth" and "polished" voice that got black folks diggin' it, as opposed to Jimi's rough Dylan inspired vocals. But the Isley's knew that. Like Spyz said, the Isley's were the first black rock band that I had ever heard. I heard Ernie doing Hendrix BEFORE I heard Jimi doing it. It was completely natural for me to hear Ernie play a 3 minute solo when I was little. I "understood" it.

I'm also glad Ernie stopped wearing that funny looking toupee also (lol).

I have his fantastic soul music compilation, entitled "express yourself - soul in the 20th century". It's in book form with notes on all song on the four discs ("the roots of soul", "believe in miracles - the dancefloor", "soul and civil rights" and "thinking of you - the love song") and the history of soul music. There's everyone on there, from Nina Simone, Jame Brown, Stevie, Al Green, Curtis, Sly to the O'Jays, Smokey Robinson and others.
But one of my very favorite cuts is "Fight the Power" by The Isley Brothers.

That groove is deep! Which album is this on? Is there a compilation that includes most of what you'd need?




too dumb to write edit
[Edited 11/5/05 10:30am]
[Edited 11/5/05 10:31am]

blackguitaristz said:

Co-sign, BG. One of my fave memories as a young boy was hearing the intro to "That Lady" and that phased-out, kick-ass guitar solo! I'll never forget seeing Ernie tear it up on Letterman's old NBC show. He did "Back to Square One" and had the audience (and Paul Shaffer and the boys) in the palm of his hand. "Voyage to Atlantis" is just a perfect a song as you can get. The intro, Ernie's screamin' guitar, Ron's silky smooth vocals, and those haunting background vocals. That song is all about mood. The only other song that gives me that same type of experience is "Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)". Coincidence, huh?