Customer Reviews

Heat Is on (Exp)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Heat Is On!! Made in 1975, every male artist since this album has tried to duplicate it. Every R. Kelly song you can hear a taste of "The Heat Is On". This album has everything. The obvious best love song of all time "For The Love Of You" ( the quentesential two-step cha-cha song) the for lovers only Sensuality Parts 1 & 2 an oten overlooked song by the Isley Brothers but arguably their best slow Jam after For The Love Of You. Then there is "Make Me Say It Again Girl" which picks up where For The Love of You and Sensuality left off. And then the main song of the album which is not even a slow jam. It is the militant yet funky dance groove "Fight The Power" I have had two 70's Old School parties and "For The Love of You" and "Fight The Power" are often the most requested songs. Whenever you here the beginning of For The Love of You you know it's time to GROOVE and everyone gets up on the floor and starts to do the original cha-cha or two step and it just makes you feel good even to this day. You can find the songs above on other albums such as Greatest Hits compliations but you will rarely find all of these songs together. Either one or two but not all. So buy the original if you already don't have all of these songs. I am doing a complilation of THE GREATEST SOUL/R&B Albums ever made and "Heat Is On" is right up there in the top 10 if not #1. A must have for any classic R&B connesiuer like myself.

The Isley Brothers have gone through many different styles. From the early rock 'n' soul of songs like "Twist & Shout" * "Shout" to the Motown years of "This Old Heart Of Mine" to the funk of the mid 70's, they have constantly & consistently produced great and influential music. The Heat Is On was the band's only number one album and is well deserving of the ranking. From the opening sounds of the fiery "Fight The Power", the album moves into funk, rock and smooth soul. Hip Hop fans may not know their names, but they know the beats as the Isleys are among the most sampled bands. This reissue improves on the subpar sound of the first cd release and brings the thumping grooves out in full force.

It's about time this album got properly reissued. The Heat Is On still brings the funk and soul even after all these years, showing that the old school sounds of yesteryear has and will continue to endure as long as there are people left who appreciate good music in general. Fight The Power and the title track are classic Isleys funk. Hope You Feel Better Love rocks and grooves at the same time. For The Love Of You and Make Me Say It Again Girl are classic soul jams that only the Isleys could make happen. And Sensuality is a late-night, slow-grinding masterpiece.

In addition, there is a live version of Fight The Power included that makes this particular reissue all the more worth getting. Definitely one of the best R&B/Soul albums of the 70's so don't miss out on it!

Ammong peers such as James Brown,Rufus Thomas,Stevie Wonder
and the many arcitectsof funk the Isley's HAVE IT!!Of course
"Fight The Power" is a monster jam no matter how you cut it-
lyrically it holds nothing back and musically it JAMS!!!The tital
track doesn't change a thing while "Hope You Feel Better Love"
adds alot of melody into the groove.Side B is a "Let's Get It On"
-styled bedroom suite-three Wonder-like synthesized slow,sexy
grooves like "For The Love Of You","Make Me Say It Again Girl"
and the fabulous "Sensuality" which NEVER fails to get me going.
Let me put it this way-I first heard this during a massive ice
storm in Maine in 1998 and not only did it melt the ice for me
but in the end I was SWIMMING in it.This record is truly HOT!!!!!

Equally divided between funk-rock and ballads, and the funk-rock is tops: "Fight the Power" is a gritty protest; the title track has some fine heavy guitar; "Hope You Feel Better Love" mixes that guitar with funk rhythms. The ballads are a bit more problematic. Other than "For the Love of You". Anyone who thinks that song is problematic should be arrested or something, because it's just so lovely and so melodic and so sensual. Unlike "Sensuality", which trudges along for seven minutes. Not much of a song at all. And while I do like the first half of "Make Me Say It Again Girl", I don't see why the band was so eager to stretch it out to eight minutes: I love the popular radio edit, of course, but it ends up as an unimaginative repetition of the refrain. Quite tedious. Thankfully, the whole is more than the sum of its parts. Or whatever.

This is one solid set. "Fight The Power" has a great groove and chorus. There is impressive guitar work throughout, notably the solo at the end of "Hope You Find Better Love". My favorite song off this one continues to be "For The Love Of You". This is an R&B classic that never gets old. The Isley Brothers really put it together on this disc and I never get tired of it.

Nobody made slow jams quite like the Isley Brothers and the Isleys never made them any better than on this album. I don't have the expanded version and I can only hope that the "Fight the Power[Live]" track does not diminish this CD. "For the Love of You", "Sensuality" and "Make Me Say It Again" may be the best 1,2,3 combination of love songs to ever appear on any album. If the mood is right this one's guaranteed to put your lights out.

CLASSIC!! Played this again and again, and it's a constant reminder of what music has been missing for years. In fact, we'll never get music like this again. The funky family of R&B hit their stride with this recording, and if I may say so, the ballads are slammin! All memorable and timeless, these brothers knew how to keep it crunk before crunk was a word (kinda sorta) and their contribution to the genre will remain in it's archives forever.

Without any doubt, this spectacular album is perhaps the Isleys most essential. From "fight the power" to "make me say it again girl", this album is perfect from start to finish. The title tract and "fight the power" are socially concious pieces,. The ever classic "for the love of you" is heaven sent!!. somehow "senseuality" is overlooked and underplayed,it is one of the smoothest ballards ever made!!. "Hope you feel better love" is smooth yet uptempo cut, and "Make me say it again girl" is the ultimate song of romantic compliment. This fine work of art is 100% hot and 100% cool,this album is just dandy!!.Do you realy love excellent music? music that touches you deep inside? If yes is your answer, then i urge you to get this one, you will be very pleased and you will treasure it for your lifetime!!!.

In my humble opinion this is the best R&B Album/CD ever recorded. The talented Isleys do it all on this CD, Not only playing all the instrument's and singing all the vocals but writing and producing this whole project, What a complete band. The love song's on this CD blow you away and the up tempo tune's have you up dancing and singing along. Five stars all the way.