992 - The Isley Brothers '3 + 3' (1973)

My Rating: 3.11 out of 5
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die:
Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums: X
The Mojo Collection:

Chart Peak (UK/US): --/8

Favourite Tracks: That Lady Pt. 1 & 2, The Highways Of My Life
Least-Favourite Tracks: Listen To The Music

So I was lucky enough to see Prince on the opening night of his Dome concert-athon a few days ago & I was thinking what an original, innovative performer he was. That was until I stuck this album on. It kicks off with That Lady, all Ernie Isley & his bonkers rock guitar licks over a slick funk backing (hmmm, now where have I heard that recently?) Of course I'd heard the track many times before, but this was the first time I'd ever sat down & listened to it (full blast) & it was just stunning. The record closes with another accomplished Isleys' original composition Highways Of My Life and it made me wonder why they relied so much on rather pithy cover versions inbetween, because it just diluted the whole album. Apart from that there's really not a lot to complain about here though - it has crisp, clear production and strong musicianship & vocals and that makes it stand out compared to most of the top 1000 albums I've heard so far.

1 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yeah, this is a great record. Givin' It Back is another great album. The Isley Brothers are probably the most underrated R&B group of all time.

-John

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