“It’s important to meeeeeeeeee…that you know you are freeeeeeeeeeee…” “Hello, It’s Me” is dedicated to someone who wants to be a free spirit. I can appreciate the lyrical sentiment; wanting to love and enjoy someone for the time you share as opposed to thinking of them as belonging to you. It was the first song… Read More “Hello It’s Me” by Todd Rundgren (1972)/The Isley Brothers (1974)
Hey! It’s the first instance I can think of in which the “A” and the “B” side of a 45 single appear on this list. “Footsteps In The Dark” was the flip side of “Groove With You”. I played the ever loving junk out of this 45 as a teenager. Isley Brothers ballads went two… Read More “Groove With You” by The Isley Brothers (1978)
“Footsteps In The Dark” has an intriguing title, a rock-solid drum part (provided by Ernie Isley) and a unique guitar riff (also provided by Ernie Isley) that pitches this Isley Brothers track just about smack dab in the middle of the rock/soul fusion they pioneered with their “3 + 3” lineup in the ’70s. It’s… Read More “Footsteps In The Dark” by The Isley Brothers (1977)
Most of my early memories of The Isley Brothers center around their slow jams. And truthfully, slow jams are what Ronald Isley’s voice is most suited for. “For The Love Of You”? “Voyage To Atlantis”? “Don’t Say Goodnight”? All big “yes”ses in my personal library. “Fight The Power” finds The Isleys in unusually aggressive funk/rock… Read More “Fight The Power” by The Isley Brothers (1975)
Enough of this singin’…let’s make luuuuuuuv! This line, delivered (uttered? mumbled?) by Ron Isley 2/3 of the way into “Between The Sheets,” sums up the purpose of this song without the extra five minutes and thirty-five seconds attached to that line. But you NEED that extra five minutes and thirty-five seconds. Recorded as a response to… Read More “Between The Sheets” by The Isley Brothers (1983)
Five Star Jamz 