from the LP 3 + 3, Epic Records, 1973Driven by a heavily phased and distorted guitar riff that literally makes people want to tear their clothes off, this absolute masterpiece by longtime groove-masters the Isley Brothers is perhaps the zenith of their extensive career, in my opinion anyways; the brief occupancy that Jimi Hendrix had with them in the mid ‘60s was clearly a transformative experience for the young Ernie Isley, going from three-piece suits & curl relaxers to crush-velvet bell bottoms & a wild afro in the blink of an eye…and a tab or two under the tongue… This family unit comes from Cincinnati, Ohio, and they managed to record music in some form or another in every single decade from the 1950s forward, zig-zaging their way through doo-wop, soul, R&B, funk, rock, disco and boogie; this mix of soulful harmonies, funky breaks, and Ernie’s blazing guitar work, clearly motivated by Hendrix and Hazel, simply transcends genres altogether, which garnered them a wider audience than ever before.
