Funk Brothers Music

Beautiful Ballads is one of those cds that you will find in almost every guy's music collection. I didn't understand this little fact until I actually heard the album , and now it is in my collection. The thing about a guy that's actually a music head, he will know all the right things to have in his collection and trust and believe this album will sit in there with the best of them.

Make It Say It Again
Choosey Lover

And my favortite Voyage To Atlantis....Back then, who could even conceive a title to a incredible track.....

No matter how many times I listen to BB, I feel the same way all over
again...Thanks to those music heads and their quirks..

...And damn am I mad at the Amazon Fishbowl header on this page, 'cause I already had the title in mind! I just pulled this CD out of the racks after many years, for the purpose of uploading it onto my girlfriend's iPod. Man oh man, the memories! I'm not that old, but I remember when I bought this CD back in the early 90's. It was my first Isley Brothers CD. Let me just say that while I've since purchased many more I.B. CDs, there's just nothing like the first time. Don't get me wrong, there are other great compilations out there, 'Funky Family' comes to mind (although, as the title suggests, it covers the funkier dimensions of The Brothers' illustrious career); 'Ultimate Isley Brothers' is good if you're on a budget; you could probably even cop a decently priced copy of 'It's Your Thing: The Story of the Isley Brothers' at this point. But pound for pound, you just can't beat this CD. I think it has something to do with the sequencing - it seems as though whomever decided on the tracks to be included as well as the order in which they should be played spent a lot of time making out to the Isley Brothers! I mean sure, there are some glaring omissions ("Groove With You"? "Between the Sheets"? I could go on and on), but as the music progresses you couldn't care less. Starting its seductive journey with the beautiful testimonies to the early stages of love "Brown Eyed Girl" and "Hello It's Me", you're reeled in. Then you move into Stage 2 with "Let's Fall in Love (Parts 1 & 2 {isn't it amazing how R&B artists were so prolific back in the 70's that their genius needed TWO PARTS to encapsulate one song? Let's see Ne-Yo or Usher do that!}). By track 11 ("Voyage To Atlantis"), you've already gone from sweet courtship to a full declaration of love to a delicate plea for consumation of this union andletnoothermaneverputusasunder, thanks in no small part to this devilishly hypnotic music coming from your speakers in the background.

And this is why I feel the need to post a warning here: in the wrong hands, this music is potentially DANGEROUS. I hate the term "grown folks' music" but I do believe the title may apply here. If you're inexperienced with this sort of thing I'd advise listening alone a few times first before trying to unleash this on your mate (kiddies, stick with your Justin Timberlake records in the meantime). Don't slip this on as mere background music while you're trying to get your groove on if you're not really serious about the person you're with - there are far too many single unwed mothers out there already! But if you're with that special someone (or someone you're hoping might be that special someone), this is the music to 'seal the deal' with.

The only arguement I might make is with Track #7 - what the hell is "Caravan of Love" doing in this booty-call mixtape? It screws up the whole vibe right in the middle of the CD. If anything I'd recommend programming the tracks in advance and leaving that one out, or at least making it the last track. If you use the CD correctly, by then you should laying back smoking a cigarette or eating jellybeans or whatever you call afterplay. ;-)

These ballads can indeed be considered beautiful. The Isley Brothers definitely have talent as artists in general and musicians in particular. The lyrics of these songs as conveyed by the Isleys tug at the heart. That being said, it is still not to my taste.

This is definitely from the R&B/Soul part of the spectrum. My tastes run more towards artists like Sinatra and Humperdinck. I bought this album because of the title and it was no what I expected. Still, the quality of this album is such that I have no regrets.

LOVE THE ISLEYS! THEIR MUSIC STANDS THE TEST OF TIME AND IS MUCH BETTER THAN THE CDS THAT THEY ARE MAKING TODAY! THE EXCEPTIONS ARE MISSION TO PLEASE AND ETERNAL! BODY KISS DID'NT DO IT FOR ME OR BABY MAKIN MUSIC! IF YOU WANT CLASSIC ISLEYS, BUY THIS! IF YOU WANT MR. BIGGS, BUY THE LATTER CDS! CLASSIC ISLEYS ARE THE BEST !

I really enjoy listening to this cd. Like the Love Songs, most of the songs on the cd are great!

The only 2 songs I don't like on here is "You're beside me (Parts 1 & 2)," and "I once had your love (And I can't let go)". The great tracks on here are:

-Brown Eyed Girl

-Hello It's Me

-Let's Fall In Love

-Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight

-Make Me Say It Again Girl (Parts 1 & 2)

-Choosey Lover

-Lay Lady Lay

-Don't Say Goodnight (It's Time For Love) (Parts 1 & 2)

According to the sticker on the front cover, it says that this cd has 14 of the most romantic songs ever waxed! Therefore, you should get this cd!

the Isley Brothers are way up there on my all time favorite Musical acts period. they beat you with the Funk,but they also beat you with the slow jams and this Compilations covers years, decades and eras of slow jams by them that just are timeless. the Grooves, Melodys and Harmony have that signature Isley Brother sound which was established way back in the day. the songs live up to the title of this package indeed.

Curtis Mayfield is one of the Greatest Talents Ever.as a Writer,Arranger,Producer,Vocalist is one of the Baddest ever.the Material here Reflects a True Musical Trail-Blazer.His WOrds,Music&Vocals are Pure Genius.He really hit The Soul&Spirit.

huge Isley Brothers fan&I enjoy all eras,though the 85-92 was hit&Miss at best.but tracks such as "Smooth Saling" are still cool. nice 7 edit of "For the Love of you".Sensetive Lover" is cool. there are some good tracks here,but this collection on a whole is slightly better than Hit&Miss at best.trademark sound&Vocals.

The Isley Brothers' entry into Rhino's popular BEDROOM CLASSICS series is essential because it focuses on the Isley's underrated Warner Brothers period from 1985 to 1992. Big points for including four songs from the Isleys classy 1985 album "Masterpiece", an album that has yet to see a cd release in the US. However, this isn't a perfect compilation. R&B hits "Spend The Night", "You'll Never Walk Alone" and "Lost In Your Love" are absent, while the timeless "For The Love Of You" is presented here as a 7" single edit. And including the song "Key To My Heart" is pointless.

I totally agree with earlier reviewers; this is a great retrospective from one of the best funk groups of the 70s and 80s. This compilation has their greatest hits from their best-selling albums with producer and mentor Quincy Jones, and a handful from albums they later released without him. Although it's clear (especially from "The Real Thing", their first non-Q produced single) that they learnt a lot from Jones, especially with regards to production, vocal, horn and string arrangement, some of the magic was clearly missing.

Most of the hits are here, notably the international 1980 hit "Stomp", "Strawberry Letter 23" with that barnstorming guitar solo from Lee Ritenour and "Q", their tribute to Quincy Jones, which earned them a Grammy for best instrumental in 1977. Also noteworthy is the fact that Jones later remade three of the hits here (written or co-written by the brothers) on his own albums: "I'll Be Good To You", with Ray Charles and Chaka Khan, "Tomorrow" with Tevin Campbell & The Children's Choir and "Stomp", with Mr X, Melle Mel, Coolio, Yo-Yo, Chaka Khan, Charlie Wilson, Shaquille O'Neal, Luniz and the cast of "Stomp", the Broadway musical.

My only gripes are that "Ride-O-Rocket", the Ashford & Simpson penned hit from the album "Blam!" Is not on here and at least three of the singles as far as I can tell - "Strawberry Letter 23", "Ain't We Funkin' Now" and "Stomp", are edited or radio versions. The full-length album versions would've been much better, thank you very much.

Brothers Johnson CDs have been difficult to come by in recent years and with "Blam!" (their only album still missing from my CD collection) currently selling on here from $59.99, this was the next best bet. At least I can play the title tune off that album, one of my favourites, in my car until the powers that be decide to re-release the album - hopefully a remastered version. I can also now hear all these hits on one CD, which is also great.

All said and done, this is big value for money.

The Brothers Johnson are very Unique Brothers.they have a Style that Hasn't been Duplicated Since.a Great Mixture of Many,Many different Styles.The Playing is Incredible.Louis Johnson Thumps On Bass Like Nobodys Business.Finally a Set with kick it to the Curb.that was a Jam Back in 87.These Songs are Timeless.Strong Music&Production.Very Soulful&full of Quality.A Must Have.

Although there are several Best of / Greatest Hits, type of collections out there, this compilation probably (in my opinion) has the best selection of the hard core Funk that set Brothers Johnson apart from the pack of the day. These songs are full of hard Bass driven funky jazz cuts that were at once incredible music to drive, dance, or romance to. If you didn't hang with the kind of crowd that listened to The Brothers Johnson, Parlement, The Ohio players, or The Isley Brothers, chances are you never heard many of these songs. You should do yourself a favor. Unless, you are going to buy the entire catalogue of Brothers Johnson studio albums, this is the collection that you should own.

Not what I expected! The song selection look good, however the product menu would not let you sample the songs. The CD cover shows front & back. If you could magnify the back cover so you could read the information, you would fine every song has some Rap/Hip Hop artist talking over the Isley Brothers' songs. This was not in the product description or I wouldn't have purchased it. This is the most horrendous CD I have ever encountered and wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

Not what I expected! The song selection look good, however the product menu would not let you sample the songs. The CD cover shows front & back. If you could magnify the back cover so you could read the information, you would fine every song has some Rap/Hip Hop artist talking over the Isley Brothers' songs. This was not in the product description or I wouldn't have purchased it. This is the most horrendous CD I have ever encountered and wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

This isn't a critique of the CD. The CD rates 5 stars to start with. This typing is about how I got my copy! Read on...

As of this writing (09/10/2008), copies of Blam! are starting to become available in Japan. I scored mine for $20/US via ebay ($17/US + $3/US for shipping). The seller had a few copies available. This was clearly the best price I've seen for this outstanding effor by the Brothers Johnson. Go to EBAY and maybe you'll get lucky. If not, spend a few more dollars and let Amazon do the work for you!

Again, five stars for the music! For once, thank you EBAY!

This is the Brother's Johnson at their best, no if, ands or buts about it. The entire CD is off the richter scale. Fortunately, I found a copy of the CD at discount warehouse for $6 bucks and snapped it up because the CD has appreciated beyond belief and for good reason.

If you want to enjoy these bad brothers, there's plenty more of their material to be had, but if you want to get them raw and without the billboard chart influence, this CD is it!

I recently found a perfectly clean copy of BLAM!! on vinyl for $4 and couldn't believe my good fortune! This is a perfect middle ground for lovers of both commercial soul/R&B and hardcore funk. From start to finish this plays almost like a concept album with "Ride O Rocket" serving as the centerpiece. A Classic that should be released on CD again at a REASONABLE price. If you see it anywhere in any format, GRAB IT!

What a MASTERPIECE!
Louis' thumpin' bass was (and still is) unique. I don't think I'll hurt any other bass player's feelings when I say that Louis completely changed what people thought they knew about electric bass playing. The loops, the pops, but also the finesse for the ballads, wooow!
But this album is much more than "just" Louis. True Magic, that's what it is. If it doesn't make you dance and/or sing out, I don't know what will.
Like Look Out for #1 and Right On Time before and Light Up The Night after, this album was produced by Quincy Jones. Why did I pick this one to review? To me it's the most varied, the best of the lot. The production leaves the musicians all the space they need to get the fun into the groove. It never sounds over-produced nor raw.
A few of the world's best musicians? Here they are: Louis on bass and vocals. His brother George on guitar and lead vocals. Alex Weir, David Foster, Richard Tee, Wayne Vaughn, Harvey Mason, Steve Shaffer, Steve Khan, Steve Porcaro, Steve Foreman, Eddie Bongo Brown, Larry Carlton, Jerry Hey, Lawrence Williams, Kim Hutchcroft, Gary Grant, William Reichenbach, Michael Brecker.
I love the entire album, but my favorites are Ain't We Funkin' Now? a throbbin' piece that makes you shout along after a second.
Mista Cool - needs no explanation, just C.O.O.L.
It's You Girl, one of the best examples of Quincy's amazing talent as a producer. The Brothers stay the Brothers, creating their own terrific funkin' sound, yet at the same time it's pure Quincy. Incredible!!!
Streetwave, the last song, is an instrumental, but what a sound, so exciting, so beautiful.
Forget about all the Best Of's. Get this one as it came out. I have a Japanese cd. Maybe there is a chance of getting it through amazon.co.jp or used.
Just get it.

I once owned this album as an LP; it's great from start to finish, no question. I'd love to own it on Compact Disc, but it's too unreasonable to buy at a vendor cost of $99.00 minimum, used. This is capitalism at its worst. However, if a current owner who isn't trying to pay off gambling debts or fund a student's college tuition wishes to sell a good, or new, CD of "Blam," please do let me know.