stonefish9's Full Review: Brother, Brother, Brother by The Isley Brothers
The Isley Brothers have undoubtedly been musical chameleons in their musical careers. They did doo-wop and traditional R&B in the 50's, Catchy soul and a stint at Motown in the 60's, and now doing more hard-hitting funk by the 70's. Although the albums they did before hand were good (It's Our Thing, The Brothers Isley, Get Into Something, and Giving It Back) were undoubtedly good, they were looking to do one that reflected the mellowness of their previous efforts, but was edgy and had a burning groove. Well, this time they did it with the next LP I'm about to discuss.
Originally released on the T-Neck/Buddah label in 1972, Brother, Brother, Brother is another classic LP with originals mixed with covers (three of which are Carole King songs). The brothers (lead singer Ronnie, along with Kelly and Rudy) are joined of course by fellow siblings guitarist Ernie and bass guitarist Marvin respectively. They are also joined by pianist Chris Jasper (Rudy's brother-in-law), drummer George Moreland, organists Truman Thomas and Milton Westley, percussionist Karl Potter, and maracas player George Patterson. The Isleys produced the album themselves, as always.
The first side starts off with the first Carole King cover, Brother, Brother. This track is about showing love to a brother, celebrating his life and describing him a positive way with brotherly love. I like how Ronnie doubles his voice on the song, showing he can wheeze through the song with ease. I also like Karl's percussion driving the song, going for a more African feel than a Latin feel.
Next, the group does a cover of the Jackie DeShannon song, "Put A Little Love In Your Heart". Here, it's turned into a melange of folk, soul, and funk with some punchy basswork from Marvin, gospel-ish organ work from Truman, and great call-and-response vocals from Rudy, Ronnie, and Kelly. I heard the Al Green/Annie Lennox version of this song too, but I think that this version is 10 times better than this.
Next, we have the second of the Carole King covers. This one is "Sweet Seasons". They pretty much stick to doing the original way it was done, and it joined it's by original composition, "Keep On Walking", which is about walking with your woman on windy day. I how at the end it goes into James Brown style funk with Ernie doing some funky chicken-scratch guitar work, Karl does some cool fills on congas, and I like how Rudy and Kelly sing "Keep On Walking" while Ronnie does some improvised vocals. It makes you want to get up and walk in place.
Next, we get the track, "Work To Do". This is about a man who works endlessly to provide for his woman and family and is serious about taking care of business. Although it's a working-class anthem for black folks, anybody can relate to it. I like how this is a driving funk number with some strident piano work from Chris, punchy acoustic work from Ernie, and fat bass work from Marvin. It was also a sizable hit (#51 pop, #11 R&B, 1972).
Next, we have the track "Pop That Thang". It's a fun party song with nonsensical lyrics, but who cares? As Ronnie sings, Pop That Thang/Bang, Bang, Bang/Pop That Thang/Bang Bang Bang/Ding-a-ling-aling/Get On Up/Get On Down/Do Your Stuff", you want to get up and boogie! Music-wise, this is one of the group's more aggressive hard funk numbers with more punchy work on guitar from Ernie and Truman on organ. It also was another hit, hitting #24 pop and #3 R&B in the summer of 1972.
Closing out side one is the track "Lay Away", which about saving your love for another time. It sounds silly to me, because you want to have it now right? However, it's another great tough rock-influenced funk number, and I like how Ernie does a great Hendrix-like solo at the end of the song.
Side two is starts off with the other Carole King cover, this time it's the song "It's Too Late". It's perhaps the best cover I heard of this song. Why? Here it's turned into a slow blues number clocking in at 10.5 minutes, with rock and gospel influences. On it there's plenty of interplay between Truman's organ, Ronnie's vocals, and Ernie guitar. On here, Truman really plays some Billy Preston-style organ fills, but the real show case is Ernie's soloing. Although he's clearly influenced by Hendrix, his soloing on this track is highly reminiscent of Dave Gilmour of Pink Floyd and Joe Walsh. Then you got Ronnie scat-singing at the end, but done like a soul/blues man than a jazz singer. Then at the end, both the organ and guitar respond to Ronnie's improvised vocals, which makes it consistently interesting.
Closing out side two is a solemn ballad, entitled "Love Put Me On The Corner". Written by Chris and the Isleys, this about how somebody who got put out by their significant other, and now they are out looking for somebody else. I like how this is a breakup ballad without sounding so corny (I cried when my baby left me, etc.), but about about being strong and moving on. Musically, it's a folky soul ballad with gospel overtones. I like Chris' jazzy piano work, with Truman's gospel organ, and the high harmonies in the middle of the song. After hearing plenty of great funk on the album, I think it's quite cool to end the album with a solemn ballad.
This was the last T-Neck album credited to the original three brothers, as well as being the last under Buddah's distribution (not counting a live LP released a year later). Afterwards, T-Neck moved over to CBS for distribution, Chris, Ernie, and Marvin became full-fledged Isleys, and the rest is history.
Brother, Brother, Brother was a classic sleeper album that stood on its own merit. It showed great performances by the group not just by the covers, but when they did original material as well. I don't know why a lot of people ten to overlook this album, but give it a listen and you'll see the difference.
Editor's Note:
1.I forgot to mention that I also have this on C.D. too, and poet Nikki Giovanni does some interesting liner notes about how she knew and grew up with the brothers in Southern Ohio.
2.All songs written by Kelly, Ronnie, and Rudy Isley unless otherwise noted.
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