We had to put sponge rubber corners on them because people kept banging their heads on them. [ laughs] That was our quad playback. We used playback at a tremendously high level. Each monitor had two fifteen inch speakers in it angled at each other. So we had a total of eight 15-inch speakers pumping out the bass into that tiny room.
The Isley Brothers - It's Our Thing - The Brothers: Isley. In this case,it happens to be about breaking into music.On “ I Got To Get Myself Together.
I distinctly remember the brothers wearing outfits exactly like those on the cover of ‘It’s Your Thing’. Thanks for resurrecting the early Isley Brothers albums I grew up with. Much respect you and your most excellent blog.
All In My Lover's Eyes 9. Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight 10.
He got some really good vocals out of Ronnie and Rudy. We pulled our weight in different ways. When it came to mixing, we did what we could.
How much will it cost us?” So we quoted them the same price as Stevie, which was really low money for the time. In retrospect, it was a stupid thing we did because we didn’t know the material would still be getting played forty or fifty years later. At the time, I didn’t care, and I was trying my best to help them get their message out. The experience of working with them was much different than working with Stevie.
The Real Deal 2. Are You With Me 3. Stone Cold Lover 4.
But at your best you are love You're a positive motivating force within my life Should you ever feel the need to wonder why Let me know, let me know No no no no Tell me what it is There's no need to make believe Make believe, no need to make believe Look beyond your world Try to find a place for me Try to find, find a place for me 'Cause at your best you are love You're a positive motivating force within my life And if you ever feel the need to wonder why Let me know, let me know Let me know, let me know Let me know, oh Love Oh, baby Stay at your best baby, yeah Please do it for God's sakes.
There were four speakers that we had specially put in. The back two stuck out into the corridor. We had to put sponge rubber corners on them because people kept banging their heads on them.
Were they splitting recording time with Stevie Wonder in the same studio or were they recording at a separate studio? We did everything in Studio B at the Record Plant. I think Stevie might have been on tour for most of this recording process, but it is possible that he was around for a session or two. There were a lot of interactions. We may have worked with a Stevie for a day or two between working with the Isley Brothers. It is highly possible that the group walked in when Stevie was recording “Don’t You Worry Bout a Thing.” We worked every day with them for six weeks. There were other people we were recording around the same time: Joan Baez, James Taylor, Stephen Stills, Dave Mason from Traffic, George Harrison, and Minnie Riperton.
Technology has been affecting music since the beginning of the recording process. It was nothing new to us. As you look back on the impact this album made on popular culture, what are your feelings about the vital role you had in shaping the classic songs on it? Well, I’m very pleased to see and hear that these songs are still being played. Does it really matter if people know or don’t know if I was involved in making this music?
At the backend of the studio, there were some glass doors. Behind the glass doors, there was TONTO and two more speakers! And that was it. This is where Bob and I lived for that entire period. We did the same for everybody. We would record them to the best of our abilities.
He had everything worked out before coming to the studio. They always conducted themselves in a professional manner. They were all about getting the music done in the least amount of time because they were paying for studio time. They never argued with us if we wanted to change something. Their focus was on getting it done. O’Kelly was laid back, soft spoken, and all the brothers listened to him. There were no questions, arguments, or theatrics in the studio with them, but there was excitement, mainly from the younger guys.
Tonight Is The Night(And I Had You) 2. I Once Had Your Love(And I Can't Let Go) 3. Hurry Up And Wait 4. Young Girls 5. Party Night 6.
If you listen to the album or even the CD, they kept the order of the songs and the pacing between the songs the exact way we did it. That was done very purposefully. We didn’t stop until the whole album was finished.
Hope You Feel Better Love 4. For The Love Of You 5. Sensuality 6. Make Me Say It Again Girl 7. Fight The Power (Live) The Isley Brothers - Harvest For The World - 1976 1.
It didn’t care who played what instrument. Was their desire of using TONTO one of the main reasons why the group reached out to you and Robert Margouleff to begin working with you all?
Contents • • • • • Reception [ ] Professional ratings Review scores Source Rating B 8.3/10 Track listing [ ] Side one No. Title Writer(s) Length 1.
I looked at the keys, sentiments, tempos, and the energy of the song. When you’re cutting for vinyl, you wanted to have a ballad at the end of each side because you lose high end toward the center of the vinyl disc. It’s just a physical fact we had to deal with, so trying to put on a really heavy duty rocking track at the end of a side was not going to work.
This was the intent. The idea was to make it like a bass sound. It didn’t care who played what instrument.
Many of their songs dealt with personal things such as breakups and cover versions of songs, quite nice versions. It afforded us the opportunity to use the synthesizer on a couple things, but we weren’t looking at it like it was going to be this earth shattering thing because they were one of many dozens of people we recorded during that period.
Go All The Way (Parts 1&2) 2. Say You Will (Parts 1&2) 3. Here We Go Again (Parts 1&2) 4. Don't Say Goodnight (It's Time For Love) (Parts 1&2) 5.
The Isley Brothers – 1969 – It’s Our Thing & The Brothers: Isley A stone classic from the Isleys – the album that kicked off their successful T-Neck label, and established that mighty Isleys sound that would have such a huge influence in the 70s! The title cut of the set – “It’s Your Thing” – is a well-known classic that really sets the tone for the rest of the record – mixing guitar and chunky rhythms into a righteous funky style of soul that was miles away from the Brothers’ earlier work on Motown and RCA. And believe it or not, the rest of the record’s even better than the title cut – filled with sinister, sexy numbers that bristle with energy that’s still heard best here at the point of its creation! Tracks A1 It’s Our Thing 2:47 A2 I Know Who You Been Socking It To 2:42 A3 Save Me 3:30 A4 I Turned You On 2:34 A5 I Got To Get Myself Together 3:31 A6 Holding On 2:32 B1 Girls Will Be Girls, Boys Will Be Boys 2:38 B2 Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out 2:55 B3 Black Berries 5:47 B4 Was It Good To You 2:40 B5 Bless Your Heart 2:52 B6 If He Can, You Can 3:08 Bonus Highlights From “It’s Your Thing” Box Set The group’s signature hit “It’s Your Thing” has remained popular for over forty years. What has been largely forgotten are the other worthwhile tunes that make the entire album worth hearing. The album’s title carries a touch of irony, as “their thing” was clearly an amalgam of the styles of other pioneering artists of the day.
Well, I’m very pleased to see and hear that these songs are still being played. Does it really matter if people know or don’t know if I was involved in making this music?
They put a complete top on the control room. They extended the control room exactly eight feet higher in the air. It went from 8 feet to 16 feet. The only thing up there were bass traps. It was full of bass traps. There were four speakers that we had specially put in. The back two stuck out into the corridor.
Bob provided mostly support. I was responsible more for the recording when there was more than one musician.
So we had a total of eight 15-inch speakers pumping out the bass into that tiny room. That’s why we had to have the bass traps.
The only place where he could shoot it off was at a FBI shooting range. When we were in the studio, he’d tell me countless stories of how he bumped into these FBI agents and all these convoluted spy type of things, but I didn’t believe a word of it. [ laughs] What was the regular studio routine during the recording process of this album? Their process was very professional.
Their focus was on getting it done. O’Kelly was laid back, soft spoken, and all the brothers listened to him. There were no questions, arguments, or theatrics in the studio with them, but there was excitement, mainly from the younger guys. Ernie was the real excitement in the room. He was bubbling over with energy and joyfulness. He finally had a guitar that sounded like Jimi [Hendrix].
We hired a drummer named George Moreland to come in and play on the songs. They worked everything out beforehand. This is the reason why they didn’t want to give us any production credit because they had spent months rehearsing the songs in their small rehearsal space. They just needed the songs recorded properly and produced professionally. Their story is very different from the stuff we did with Stevie.
Showdown Vol. Keep It Flowin' 8. Prize Possession 9. Take A Ride 10. I Want That 11. What Would You Do Pt. 2 The Isley Brothers - The Essential Isley Brothers CD 1 - 2004 1.
That’s how it was. I did my best to make them sound as good as possible. Ernie’s guitar sounded terrible when he first came to the studio, so I took him to Roger Mayer who was a very old friend of mine. He was the guy I used to hang out with in London at radio surplus stores when we were in our teens. We had to be thirteen or fourteen years old at the time. He had become Jimi Hendrix’s guitar tech, but not only did he tweak his Stratocaster, he also built a little box called the Octavia, which made the instrument sound notches higher than normal. It could go to a screaming sound in addition to the feedback Hendrix used.
This Old Heart Of Mine (Is Weak For You) 17. Move Over And Let Me Dance (with Jimi Hendrix) 18. Shout (Parts 1 & 2) The Isley Brothers The Essential Isley Brothers CD 2 - 2004 1. It's Your Thing 2.
That Lady (Part 1 and 2) 5. Summer Breeze 6. Who Loves You Better 7. The Pride (Part 1 and 2) 8. Caravan of Love 10. All in My Lover's Eyes.
We did the same for everybody. We would record them to the best of our abilities. Take me into the collaboration process that existed between you, Robert Margouleff, and the group inside the studio. We would spell each other at the board once things were set up. Patch adams best scene. Usually, I did most of the setups, and I did most of the engineering.
Make Me Say It Again Girl 11. Voyage To Atlantis 12.
They heard our records and the power and sound of TONTO. They told us, “We want to sound like Stevie, but we have our own music.” They weren’t just after the synthesizer, they were after the whole TONTO production principle. It included the way we went from song to song.