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On September 2, "The Great Lost Isley Brothers Album" is coming to CD from Second Disc Records and Real Gone Music! In 1980, Ronald, Rudolph, O'Kelly, Ernie and Marvin Isley and Chris Jasper were riding high with their singular, electrifying fusion of rock, funk and soul. After having transformed in 1973 from a three-man vocal group to a self-contained six-man band, The Isleys cranked out hit after hit. Original powerhouses like "That Lady," "Fight the Power" and "For the Love of You" were joined in the Isleys' repertoire by dramatic covers of pop songs introduced by the likes of Seals and Crofts, Carole King and Todd Rundgren.
1980's quiet storm ballad "Don't Say Goodnight (It's Time for Love)" had given the Isleys their longest stay atop the R&B charts since 1969's "It's Your Thing," and savoring its success, they decided to follow in the footsteps of The Commodores, Parliament and Earth Wind & Fire to record a live album. Rather than bring a mobile truck to a concert venue, however, The Isley Brothers chose to cut Groove with You...Live! at Bearsville Sound Studio in Woodstock, New York. The resulting recordings were faithful to The Isleys' contemporary stage performances, and had all of the incendiary thrills of a live show in pristine studio fidelity. The band overdubbed an audience's frenzied reception and the energetic introduction of MC "Gorgeous" George Odell to create an in-studio live album as captivating as the real thing.
The completed album was presented to CBS for release on the band's T-Neck imprint, but the label opted to wait for an original studio record. As a result, Groove with You...Live! was shelved. Fast forward to 2015, and the Bearsville sessions were remixed, sans crowd ambiance, for inclusion as Wild in Woodstock, one disc of The RCA Victor and T-Neck Album Masters (1959-1983), Legacy Recordings' massive, acclaimed Isleys CD box. Later that year, Groove with You...Live! was restored and released in its originally-intended "live" version on limited edition vinyl for Record Store Day's Black Friday event...and we're now bringing this album, with overdubs as the Isleys envisioned it, to CD! Those of you who own the box set can now complete your Isley Brothers collection with this disc - a very different listening experience than Wild in Woodstock.
We're incredibly excited and proud to bring this sizzling, swooning and immersive double-album document of The Isleys at the peak of their powers to CD for the very first time! Featuring powerful renditions of classic hits like "Take Me to the Next Phase," "Summer Breeze" and "Livin' in the Life," Groove with You...Live! has been mastered by Mark Wilder and Chris Le Monde. Our CD premiere boasts an expanded package including my liner notes based on fresh interviews with both Ernie Isley and Chris Jasper! Ernie reflected upon hearing the album for the first time in decades: "We said, 'Wow, man! How did we overlook this?' The very first time I heard it [again], I said, 'that's really good stuff! It's an excellent representation of what we do.'"
We hope you'll agree: This must-have release due on September 2 will, without a doubt, make you want to shout! You can pre-order the CD at the links below!
The Isley Brothers, Groove with You...Live! (Second Disc Records/Real Gone Music, 2016) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada TBD)
- Introduction (Spoken Word)
- That Lady
- Here We Go Again
- Don't Say Goodnight (It's Time for Love)
- Medley: Hello, It's Me/Footsteps in the Dark/For the Love of You
- Take Me to the Next Phase
- Fight the Power
- Groove with You
- Summer Breeze
- Say You Will
- Voyage to Atlantis
- It's a Disco Night (Rock Don't Stop)
- Band Introductions
- Livin' in the Life/Go for Your Guns
- Outro
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So, I'm confused...is this CD release the same as the one In the box set (no audience) or the RSD version (with audience)?
Hi Rob, our CD is of the completed album WITH audience overdubs as The Isley Brothers originally envisioned it for release! This edition was previously available on vinyl only, as part of last year's Record Store Day festivities. Hope this helps!
So the recent box set, which I own, has a not-endorsed, or not-envisioned version of this record?... which is now being rereleased with an "as envisioned" overdubbed audience (?!)
Personally, I never understood why anyone would want to release, or to listen to, something with an overdubbed audience on it.
It's got nothing to do with the music itself, or the moment in which it was made, you can't even say it's some sort of "postproduction", really... and once you know it's fake, it's simply annoying..
"So the recent box set, which I own, has a not-endorsed, or not-envisioned version of this record?"
Absolutely not, Andrea. Chris Jasper, Ernie Isley, and the amazing team at Legacy beautifully restored the original album sessions for the box set as "Wild in Woodstock." It is fully endorsed and fully wonderful. However, as described in the box set and above, the "stripped down" presentation was not how the group originally planned, or envisioned, the album. The tracks were recorded for the purpose of a "live" album using the technology of the studio to achieve superior quality. (Both Chris and Ernie spoke to me about the decision for the liner notes to our upcoming release.)
Last year, Legacy released GROOVE WITH YOU...LIVE! on vinyl, with the originally-intended overdubs. If you never understood why anyone would want to release, or listen to, something with an overdubbed audience on it...listen to this album. It cooks. It sizzles. It's The Isley Brothers at their best. It's also a faithful and yes, authentic document of the band's onstage performances of the era. Don't knock it until you've given it a chance. If you listen, and still prefer the unadorned tracks on "Wild in Woodstock," that's great, too. I equally love both presentations, but each one has a feeling and a sound all its own despite being crafted from the same basic performances. It's an honor and a privilege to be able to give a CD release to this version of the album.