Comments on: ISLEY BROTHERS / “For The Love Of You” http://www.kalamu.com/bol/2008/02/18/isley-brothers-%e2%80%9cfor-the-love-of-you%e2%80%9d/ a conversation about black music Thu, 04 Dec 2008 01:40:28 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=1.5 by: Big E http://www.kalamu.com/bol/2008/02/18/isley-brothers-%e2%80%9cfor-the-love-of-you%e2%80%9d/#comment-44519 Mon, 18 Feb 2008 09:35:27 -0600 http://www.kalamu.com/bol/2008/02/18/isley-brothers-%e2%80%9cfor-the-love-of-you%e2%80%9d/#comment-44519 <p>I've always said that some of the best music is the stuff that doesn't get played on the radio. I think you guys forgot that &quot;Winner Takes All&quot; double lp. One that sticks out is &quot;How Lucky I Am&quot;.</p> <p><b><font color="#ffffff"><span style="background-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Mtume says:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</span></font></b> </p> <p> What'd you want us to do, E? Post the whole <i>Winner Takes All</i> album? We already have a <i>Winner Takes All</i> mini-suite in there with four consecutive songs: &quot;Let's Fall In Love,&quot; &quot;You're The Key To My Heart,&quot; &quot;You're Beside Me&quot; and &quot;Love Comes And Goes.&quot; Thinking about your comment and Jarvis', the real problem is, the Isleys have way too many good slow jams. You can't really try to make a list because something good is going to get left out.</p><p>&nbsp;</p> I’ve always said that some of the best music is the stuff that doesn’t get played on the radio. I think you guys forgot that "Winner Takes All" double lp. One that sticks out is "How Lucky I Am".

          Mtume says:           

What’d you want us to do, E? Post the whole Winner Takes All album? We already have a Winner Takes All mini-suite in there with four consecutive songs: "Let’s Fall In Love," "You’re The Key To My Heart," "You’re Beside Me" and "Love Comes And Goes." Thinking about your comment and Jarvis’, the real problem is, the Isleys have way too many good slow jams. You can’t really try to make a list because something good is going to get left out.

 

]]> by: Jarvis http://www.kalamu.com/bol/2008/02/18/isley-brothers-%e2%80%9cfor-the-love-of-you%e2%80%9d/#comment-44522 Mon, 18 Feb 2008 10:38:15 -0600 http://www.kalamu.com/bol/2008/02/18/isley-brothers-%e2%80%9cfor-the-love-of-you%e2%80%9d/#comment-44522 <p>How neither one of y'all ranked &quot;Make Me Say It Again Girl&quot; higher I'll never know. That there's the prettiest one. For the sheer poetry of it: &quot;Oh, I believe you are a rainbow -- all the heaven I need to see.&quot; And that's the opening line!! </p><p>And don't get me started on the end: &quot;I am not worthy of love from an angel, princess imperial of my soul / Don't really matter if you choose not to answer / hoping that what I reveal / you already know.&quot; </p><p>Now, ladies, how you gon' NOT give a man some after that? Hunh? </p> <p><b><font color="#ffffff"><span style="background-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Mtume says:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</span></font></b> </p><p> You know you're right already, don't you? I did my list too damned fast. &quot;Make Me Say It Again Girl&quot; has to be top three, at least. Probably, if you want to maintain any credibility among Isley Brothers slow jam fans, you'd have to do a Top Ten. Top Five just won't cut it. &quot;I believe you are a rainbow.&quot; That's right up there with &quot;I want to know what you're like in bed,&quot; except a lot less risky. Good call, Jarvis.</p><p>Oh. And do notice Kalamu put it at #5. It definitely should be higher, but at least he didn't forget it altogether like I did. </p><p><b><font color="#ffffff"><span style="background-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Kalamu sez:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></font></b> </p><p>my list was not in any particular order and certainly not by preference. my number eleven, &quot;love comes and goes,&quot; is one of my all time favorite songs, regardless of genre, era or style. </p><p>the isley brothers are simply put the most successful male singing group of all time but they generally fly below our radar when we think of greatest groups. most people over forty would definitely say the temptations, as would probably many younger fans of the music but when we lay the tracks side by side over the years, the isleys are easily the best. nobody has as many beloved slow jamz. nobody. </p><p><br /> &nbsp; </p><p>&nbsp;</p> How neither one of y’all ranked "Make Me Say It Again Girl" higher I’ll never know. That there’s the prettiest one. For the sheer poetry of it: "Oh, I believe you are a rainbow — all the heaven I need to see." And that’s the opening line!!

And don’t get me started on the end: "I am not worthy of love from an angel, princess imperial of my soul / Don’t really matter if you choose not to answer / hoping that what I reveal / you already know."

Now, ladies, how you gon’ NOT give a man some after that? Hunh?

          Mtume says:           

You know you’re right already, don’t you? I did my list too damned fast. "Make Me Say It Again Girl" has to be top three, at least. Probably, if you want to maintain any credibility among Isley Brothers slow jam fans, you’d have to do a Top Ten. Top Five just won’t cut it. "I believe you are a rainbow." That’s right up there with "I want to know what you’re like in bed," except a lot less risky. Good call, Jarvis.

Oh. And do notice Kalamu put it at #5. It definitely should be higher, but at least he didn’t forget it altogether like I did.

            Kalamu sez:           

my list was not in any particular order and certainly not by preference. my number eleven, "love comes and goes," is one of my all time favorite songs, regardless of genre, era or style.

the isley brothers are simply put the most successful male singing group of all time but they generally fly below our radar when we think of greatest groups. most people over forty would definitely say the temptations, as would probably many younger fans of the music but when we lay the tracks side by side over the years, the isleys are easily the best. nobody has as many beloved slow jamz. nobody.

 

 

]]> by: Jarvis http://www.kalamu.com/bol/2008/02/18/isley-brothers-%e2%80%9cfor-the-love-of-you%e2%80%9d/#comment-44594 Mon, 18 Feb 2008 22:03:01 -0600 http://www.kalamu.com/bol/2008/02/18/isley-brothers-%e2%80%9cfor-the-love-of-you%e2%80%9d/#comment-44594 Mtume, in reference to the "I want to know what you're like in bed" line, I think the lesson to be learned here is, a falsetto covers a multitude of foolishness. It would certainly be foolish for a brother with an ordinary voice to try pulling that line off, give that brother a heavenly falsetto and, well, he might have a shot. A woman once forced me to listen to the lyrics of "Hello, It's Me." I did, as if for the first time, and I was like, wait, he isn't promising love, he isn't promising devotion, he isn't promising a damn thing. He just wants to get some every now and again and is telling the woman that she needs to be cool with that because, you know, "it's important to me that you know you are free." And lest we forget this gem of a line: "I'll spend the night if you think I should." That falsetto is like a super power, I tell you. A super power! Woe is he who with a mere mortal voice tries to tell a woman the things Ron Isley does. He may get more than his feelings hurt. Mtume, in reference to the “I want to know what you’re like in bed” line, I think the lesson to be learned here is, a falsetto covers a multitude of foolishness. It would certainly be foolish for a brother with an ordinary voice to try pulling that line off, give that brother a heavenly falsetto and, well, he might have a shot. A woman once forced me to listen to the lyrics of “Hello, It’s Me.” I did, as if for the first time, and I was like, wait, he isn’t promising love, he isn’t promising devotion, he isn’t promising a damn thing. He just wants to get some every now and again and is telling the woman that she needs to be cool with that because, you know, “it’s important to me that you know you are free.” And lest we forget this gem of a line: “I’ll spend the night if you think I should.” That falsetto is like a super power, I tell you. A super power! Woe is he who with a mere mortal voice tries to tell a woman the things Ron Isley does. He may get more than his feelings hurt.

]]> by: floodwatch http://www.kalamu.com/bol/2008/02/18/isley-brothers-%e2%80%9cfor-the-love-of-you%e2%80%9d/#comment-44704 Tue, 19 Feb 2008 21:47:22 -0600 http://www.kalamu.com/bol/2008/02/18/isley-brothers-%e2%80%9cfor-the-love-of-you%e2%80%9d/#comment-44704 For the record, I happen to LOVE "Footsteps in the Dark," but where softer, pulsing, slow-jam tempos are concerned, it's too upbeat for me to fall into that category. I feel the same way about "Between the Sheets" - great songs, but I wouldn't consider them "slow jams." I second "Make Me Say It Again Girl" as well - that would probably be my #6. Great post - it's nice to see someone else's take on the Isleys' sexier material. For the record, I happen to LOVE “Footsteps in the Dark,” but where softer, pulsing, slow-jam tempos are concerned, it’s too upbeat for me to fall into that category. I feel the same way about “Between the Sheets” - great songs, but I wouldn’t consider them “slow jams.”

I second “Make Me Say It Again Girl” as well - that would probably be my #6.

Great post - it’s nice to see someone else’s take on the Isleys’ sexier material.

]]> by: Ken http://www.kalamu.com/bol/2008/02/18/isley-brothers-%e2%80%9cfor-the-love-of-you%e2%80%9d/#comment-45030 Fri, 22 Feb 2008 17:37:32 -0600 http://www.kalamu.com/bol/2008/02/18/isley-brothers-%e2%80%9cfor-the-love-of-you%e2%80%9d/#comment-45030 Y'all hit 'em all! Mtume, how about "Let Me Down Easy" as a challenger for prettiest Isley slow jam?! Peace, Ken Y’all hit ‘em all!

Mtume, how about “Let Me Down Easy” as a challenger for prettiest Isley slow jam?!

Peace,

Ken

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