Thread by @CosmoBaker

GOOD MORNING TO NOBOY EXCEPT THE ISLEY BROTHERS. A THREAD

I woke up this morning to see The Brothers Isley were trending on Twitter and then I saw why so although I'm busy this Monday, you definitely messed up if you think I'm not gonna take the time to speak on this real talk.

Someone out there said Isley Brothers don't have 20 hits in regards to being on #VERZUZ going up against The Elements but I'm not even gonna talk on that cause that don't mean anything. What I am gonna talk about is how we have a living group that has done so much for so long

Just off the strength of longevity X relevance - not about impact, influence or legacy. There's nobody that is seeing The Brothers Isley. No. Body. Do Not. Get. Me. Started. Although. Search. My. Tweets. I've. Been. Saying. This. For. YEARS.

And yeah this will be a deep dive you know how I do please do not test or question my pedigree just sit back and you may learn a little something today real talk

Because we are talking about THE BROTHERS ISLEY. These are the guys who have hits - HITS - and who have made both incredible and relevant records over the course of 8 FUCKING DECADES. EIGHT. OCHO. DO NOT GET ME STARTED (although too late you done did get me started)

Cause of course we're gonna bookend this on the front with Shout FROM 1959 yo, I mean come on like it or not being the perennial wedding favorite this song not only changed R&B it changed ROCK & ROLL

And we have to start thinking in this way because of the way that the lines were blurred between R&B - RHYTHM & BLUES - and rock & roll at this era.

Is there a better example of that then when they dropped Twist & Shout 2 years later to only have The Beatles grab and run with that to become global phenomenons

So far not bad for a bunch of kids from Cincinnati (also further evidence that Ohio is the funkiest state in The Union no cap)

All through the 60s The Brothers Isley were able to both stay on the pulse of the current sound but also to discern themselves from everyone else with their signature harmonies. Great example is This Old Heart Of Mine on Motown

But also in the 60s they were already cementing their legacy. Case in point, they recorded "Who's That Lady" originally in 1964 a decade before it became a funk monster hit. Peep this one

Almost 2 decades before Footprints In The Dark they sung about Footprints In The Snow which was a monster jam come on son. The Isleys are COOKING BY THIS POINT. Listen to Ernie Isley's guitar starting around the 1:30 mark.

Who was playing guitar like this on R&B records at this point? Fuck - who was playing guitar on rock & roll records at this point? Maybe Ike Turner... and definitely not Jimi Hendrix.

And on that note it's important to note that The Isley Brothers were the people who put Jimi Hendrix on. He was part of their band in 1964 before going solo and moving to The UK. Here's Jimi on "Testify" in 1964

Son we haven't even left THE EARLY 60s yet. Real big Funk Flex voice here: "WE'RE IN THE SIXTIES NOW" you feel me? I'm not even opening up yo... Let's fucking ride cause late 60s is when The Isley story starts to get really interesting.

Cause even though they hail from Cincinnati most people associate them with Teaneck, NJ - which is the namesake of their own imprint T-Neck Records, which is where they really started to cook. And by COOK I mean like with this

It's Your Thing is easy one of the blueprints for funk music. But also it was a subtle message to Berry Gordy who wanted to keep control of Motown artists after they had left the label. Just the very beginning of Isley's infusing social & political messages in their music

It's Your Thing was a massive hit and was covered so many times I can't even count. Let's start with this Lou Donaldson cover

Let's move onto the Cold Grits version

Let's move onto the James Brown produced "It's My Thing" with Marva Whitney which is a funk / breakbeat staple. James heard The Isley's and said GIMME THAT.

Side note: James would do this with a lot of artists, people from BT Express to David Bowie. But James LOVE to grip from The Isley Brothers. in 1970 The Isleys dropped "Keep On Doin'" which is another FUNK monster

James said GIMME THAT for The JB's and made The Grunt.

But the Isley Brothers were STILL turning out fucking HITS. They followed up "It's My Thing" up with "I Turned You On" which cooks like a mother word to Positive K

YO - I JUST NOW LEFT THE 60s. WE HAVEN'T EVEN GOTTEN STARTED WITH THE ISLEY'S IN THE 70s. WE ARE HERE NOW.

Cause things were changing in the 70s - we'd gone though a period of great turmoil and upheaval in the 60s and The Isleys were not afraid to talk about it in their music. Let's talk about their 1971 album "Givin' It Back"

Cause after years of white acts covering their songs and making bank, The Brothers Isley decided to flip it up and record an album of rock & folk songs by white artists and put their own incredible spin on it.

They kicked off this incredible album with a nod to their native Ohio and a song about the killing of students by US soldiers at Kent State, the Neil Young penned "Ohio"

Which then segues into their own old bandmate Jimi's "Machine Gun" a Black man who by this time had become a legend in rock music but let's not forget that Jimi got his start and arguably his sound from The Isleys but most notably Ernie.

That may be a hot take but fuck it. And people DO NOT TALK ENOUGH about how Ernie Isley is A GUITAR GOD.

But the 70s had The Isleys continue their winning streak without even trying, with the total package of funk, soul, R&B, rock and folk music. Brother Brother Brother had one of my favorite Isley tunes Pop That Thang which is such a groove

But that album had a bit of a more important song on it. For my money Work To Do sonically is a perfect song. It is an R&B song but it's rootsy in a way that an acoustic soul or folk artist would create.

PEOPLE YOU ASKED FOR ME TO DO THIS WORK. YOU ASKED FOR IT

You know I got that work

And so did The Brothers Isley. Cause on 3 + 3 they decided to revisit their 1964 song and let Ernie infuse it with some cooking psychedelic funky guitar for YET ANOTHER HIT.

And also on that album they continued their streak of reclaiming their throne. After years of white artists taking their songs they flipped the script and raised the bar, like they did with "Summer Breeze" - and THIS is the only version you need

And YO - you know how much I love Todd Rundgren, my fellow native Philadelphian. But The Isleys ATE his song for breakfast the next year with their cover of "Hello It's Me"

We're living in 1974 right now. NINETEEN SEVENTY FOUR. We haven't even REALLY gotten started yet my friends. Cause THE BROTHERS were still creating the blueprint for R&B music. Like this

But let's not forget that The Brothers Isley never shied away from having a political & social message. Probably the best example is their 1975 funk anthem "Fight The Power" - oh wait... yes, it was THE ISLEYS who did that first as well.

And also in 1975 I am going to present "For The Love Of You" with no comment needed.

Okay I am gonna take a break for a few and eat some food cause I haven't even gotten started yet. Let's pause in 1975 and then I'll come back and we'll get to the rest of the 70s, then THE EIGHTIES. And then the 90s, 2000s and 2010s. Cause Isleys are all up in ALL THAT TOO.

OKAY I'M BACK

Let's finish off 1975 with "Make Me Say It Again Girl" - at this point I hope you smell what I'm cooking with. For not only do we see the architects of R&B but maybe now you'll see their impact on hip-hop.

Kicking off 1976 is a song that's on my "Funeral Playlist" meaning songs that will be played at my funeral. Here's the anthemic "Harvest For The World"

Now here's were it gets a little blurry / funny / weird cause full disclosure I am NOT gonna talk about the "Robert-adjacent" stuff as best I can from the 90s but understand that Aaliyah's "At Your Best You Are Love" is an ISLEY song from 1976

So let's not dwell on this. This skip ahead to 1977's "Go For Your Guns" and possibly my favorite song of theirs. The INCOMPARABLE "Voyage To Atlantis"

I HAVEN'T TALKED ENOUGH ABOUT ERNIE ISLEY. NONE OF US HAVE. WHO CAN DO A GUITAR THING LIKE ERNIE? NOT MANY. AND VOYAGE TO ATLANTIS IS A REAL GLIMPSE AT HIS GENIUS. LET PLUMBDOGG BREAK IT DOWN FOR YA

And oh yeah I forgot to mention that album also has this little ditty you may have forgotten about called Footsteps In The Dark

Now for the most part I am TALKING HITS cause that's where we are I'm not talking album cuts but Footsteps was an album cut not a single. Here's another one of my favorite album cuts

That 1978 album "Showdown" did have a big hit which was Take Me To The Next Phase which had them leaning into a more synth-driven funk sound

Oh wait did we forget "Groove With You" oh for fuck's sake no we did not

The Isley Brothers closed out the 1970s with "Winner Takes All".

OKAY NOW THAT WE HAVE THE 50S, 60s & 70S WRAPPED UP WE CAN NOW MOVE ONTO THE 80S, 90S, 00S & 10S.

Y'ALL READY FOR THIS?

(In my Funk Flex voice)

"WE'RE IN THE 80S NOW PEOPLE"

Let's start this ISLEY FLEX with 1980s "Here We Go Again". Again the sound was dead on what the landscape of what 80s R&B was gonna sound like

That same album has one of my favorite Isley tunes the joyful and triumphant "Say You Will" which is just hot fucking lava of a song

But it's safe to say that album's high point is the the sublime "Don't Say Goodnight (It's Time For Love)" which just kills me me every time

OH. Y'ALL WANNA TALK ABOUT HOW THE BROTHERS ISLEY DON'T HAVE 20 HITS?

I ALREADY LEFT SO MUCH OUT AND I HAVEN'T EVEN FUCKING GOTTEN STARTED.

OH SHALL I CONTINUE?

People sleep on the stuff that was before Between The Sheets but "Are You With Me" is direct high octane 80s funk with obvious P-Funk and Roger Troutman influences but still very much Isley Brothers

BUT OKAY NOW PEOPLE NOW WE ARE HERE IN 1983 WITH BETWEEN THE SHEETS. YOU HAVE WAITED LONG ENOUGH

Let's start with the album opener "Choosey Lover" and yeah of course it sounds like Devotion but you already know with the amount that people took FROM The Brothers they can take from The Elements and still make it their own. Also Ernie's guitar is 🔥

I NOW PRESENT THE SONG BETWEEN THE SHEETS WITH NO ADDED COMMENT BECAUSE IT DON'T NEED IT

Let's fast forward a few years to Masterpiece which is wildly underrated. It was also the last album with O'Kelly Isley before he passed away. It contains the sublime "The Most Beautiful Girl"

That was actually The Isleys flipping a country song by Charlie Rich and making it a baby making masterpiece (but the OG ain't bad either I'm not even into country music)

OH WAIT YOU THOUGHT I FORGOT CARAVAN OF LOVE COME ON NOW

Disclaimer: I am gonna cut this thread short cause I can keep going (cue Freewhat "What We Do" background vocal adlibs "KEEP GOING") but I have a bunch of things I gotta do today. Also FULL DISCLAIMER. I AM NOT GONNA TALK ABOUT THE 90S

We all know about Ron Isley's success working with robert so I don't need to point that out but if we talking HITS arguably some of their biggest hits DID come out in the 90s so that is addressing the original post about "HITS" so come on son

I will present THIS as 90s evidence though

LET'S MOVE TO THE 2000S THO!

WE CAN STAY IN THE 2000S FOR A SECOND TOO...

I guess my FAVORITE Ron Isley appearance in the 00s is Bigger Business I think this was a pretty big song for me in the club this song GOES

OKAY LAST SONG OF THE THREAD. Ron Isley makes an appearance on Kendrick Lamar's seminal "To Pimp A Butterfly" with How Much A Dollar Cost and listen to the way his voice floats on this song

Which is maybe my point. It's not just an appearance. Ron on this song ELEVATES this song. That's the power of Ron Isley. That's the power of The Isley Brothers. Their sound is TIMELESS

So thanks for coming to my Ted Talk and play some Isley Brothers today - and let's give the flowers to those legends who are still with us. LONG LIVE THE ISLEY BROTHERS! LONG LIVE THE MAJESTIC ISLEYS! THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME!