I have generally considered the Isley's as a legendary Motown act ... but it surprised me to discover that they actually only released 2 albums and 4 singles on Tamla (that charted - I think they released about 8 singles in total) between 1966-68 and only one of these was a Top 20 pop hit (in US) - the classic 'This Old Heart Of Mine'. Their singles were more popular in UK than US as all of them reached higher chart positions (2 Top 10 and 2 Top 20).
Many of their Motown records are revered in Northern Soul circles, especially 'Tell Me It's Just A Rumour' never released as a 45 in US but released in UK in 1973 (but recorded in 1967) due to NS demand. Another, more recent, previously unreleased track, surfaced from a 1972 budget LP 'Tamla Motown Presents The Isley Brothers' - 'My Love Is Your Love (Forever)' written by Stevie wonder and Ivy Joe Hunter.
They were formed in the early 50s. Their first recording was in 1957 and their first hit was the legendary 'Twist And Shout' 1962, which was originally recorded by The Top Notes in 1961 and of course a #1 for The Beatles in 1964.
From 1969 through to 1983 they released material on their own T-Neck label (although it was established in 1963 prior to signing with Motown).
They were still recording in July 2017 with the release of a collaborative album with Carlos Santana 'Power Of Peace' - an unbelievable 7 decades after their first recording!
Featured in this post is a track completely overlooked in the UK at the time although it did reach #11 US R&B but did not appear on Billboard 100. It was possibly overlooked by radio stations due to the 4:14 length of Part 1 but to appreciate fully you need to play the full album version (Go All The Way) 7:34. It was only released on 12" as a promo and even then it was split over 2 sides with same running times as the 45 release.
This is a timeless gem still sounding fresh 40 years on!
The track has been given a new lease of life by the current UK soul chart entry by Jack Tyson Charles (son of Craig Charles) sampling it on his latest release 'Something'.
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