Ultimate Isley Brothers [Original recording remastered]

The Isley Brothers | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 17, 2000)
• Original Release Date: October 17, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B00004ZDOT
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #44,942 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

No Description Available
No Track Information Available
Media Type: CD
Artist: ISLEY BROTHERS
Title: ULTIMATE ISLEY BROTHERS
Street Release Date: 10/17/2000
Domestic
Genre: SOUL/R & B

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Coming Soon To A CD Player Near You?, November 13, 2001

By 

R. Mix "Funkingroovin" (Chicago) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ultimate Isley Brothers (Audio CD)

Compiling a best-of collection for the Isley Brothers is tough. Not only because there's so much substantial music, but because they've recorded for so many labels, their music is widely-scattered.

Which brings me to the lone fault of 'The Ultimate Isley Brothers'. Lacking only their two mid-sixties Motown hits ("Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me)" and "This Old Heart Of Mine (Is Weak For You)"), this is a near-perfect collection.

But Motown is notoriously selfish with its hits, preferring to keep them in the family and not lease them out to other label's collections, no matter how lovingly those collections are assembled.

Which 'Ultimate' is. Re-mastered, with insightful liner notes by Elvis Mitchell, and track information detailing chart positions, release dates, etc., this is another exemplary issue in Legacy's Rhythm And Soul series.

This is a steaming slice of spine-bending funk and soul that no Isley Brothers fan should be without.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Ultimate Collection, October 25, 2000

By 

Billboard fanatic (Epping, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ultimate Isley Brothers (Audio CD)

This is the first collection of hits from The Isley Brothers to contain their early hits from Tamla/Motown (Shout Part 1) and their ground breaking soul hits on T-Neck (top ten songs like It's Your Thing, That Lady and Fight The Power, which was later used in the Spike Lee movie "Do The Right Thing"). This collection shows how the Isleys were a formidable force in R&B music alongside acts like Earth, Wind & Fire and Parliament/Funkadelic, and they continued their success (in various incarnations through the 80s and 90s. This set also contains the anthemic "Harvest For The World", but the only thing that prevents me from giving this a five star rating is the omission of "At Your Best (You Are Love)" which was a #6 hit for Aaliyah in 1994.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Still Searching for The 'Best' of Isley Brothers!, January 15, 2004

By 

J. Cobb "prayzehymn" (Birmingham, AL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ultimate Isley Brothers (Audio CD)

Of course, compiling "greatest hits" albums is a serious burden. But of course, you are bound to miss one or two classics when putting them together. Spanning over fifty years, the Isley Brothers have undergone more transformations than any musical group - yet they have always been true to delivering brilliant cultural and social anthems along with their artistic mix of Southern funk and mellow pop/R&B.

This collection DOES give you a glimpse of their finest moments in music history...even going back to their 'first' hits such as "Twist And Shout" (before the Beatles made it a universal standard), "Shout" and "It's Your Thing". But what happened to their hits from their Motown days' such as "This Old Heart Of Mine (Is Weak For You"...or their infamous slow jams such as "At Your Best (You Are Loved)" or "Footsteps In The Dark" or how about "Choosey Lover". They ARE NOT on this album. We can't even begin to list the moderate hits they had in the 90s and even today! Of course, you cannot put all of the Isley Brothers' hits on one CD. And of course, I actually thought they could - but I was fooled. It cannot be done.

No, don't get the wrong picture, folk. The Isley Brothers are a breed of raw musicians that helped evolve the sound of funk and later established the thin link that connects R&B to pop. This album only gives you a glimpse of their awesome efforts. Sadly, it dosen't satisfy. Also, the song order is kind of depressing. You're hearing a hi-fi song from the 70s on "Groove With You" and all of a sudden, you're going back into time again in the 60s on the poorly, analog sounds on "Twist And Shout". One second you're jamming to the funk offered on "The Pride", and then you're back in the 60s with "Shout (You Know You Make Me Wanna)". You have to turn the volume knob back and forth just to make the musical experience pleasant for your ears. Maybe they should have put the songs in some chronological order. But even if the folk at Legacy/Epic did that, leaving out the other "Isley hits" would still stand as a poor judgement. Still to this day, there is no perfect "compilation" for this group; even the 3-CD "It's Your Thing: The Story of the Isley Brothers" isn't complete. Maybe some day they will get it together...until then, buy up all the individual albums of the Isleys and enjoy!