Ultimate Isley Brothers

1	It's Your Thing 2:47
2	That Lady, Pts. 1 & 2 5:34
3	Harvest for the World 3:53
4	Work to Do 3:09
5	Spill the Wine 6:31
6	Summer Breeze 6:11
7	Caravan of Love / Isley/Jasper/Isley 5:41
8	For the Love of You, Pts. 1 & 2 5:37
9	Groove with You 4:48
10	Twist and Shout 2:27
11	Live It Up, Pt. 1 3:06
12	Fight the Power, Pt. 1 3:17
13	The Pride 3:21
14	Shout, Pts. 1-2 4:27
15	Love the One You're With 3:39
16	Between the Sheets 5:37
17	Don't Say Goodnight (It's Time for Love), Pt. 1 4:31

Barnes & Noble

The Isley Brothers have been an R&B force to reckon with since the late '50s, and The Ultimate Isley Brothers is the most extensive single-CD collection of their songs ever assembled. Spanning their hit-making years from 1959 to 1983, the compilation includes such early hits as "Twist and Shout" (also a smash for the Beatles) and "Shout." The lion's share of the hits here were recorded on the group's self-owned T-Neck Records label, including the No. 1 R&B singles "It's Your Thing," "Fight the Power," and "The Pride." Fueled by Ronald Isley's soaring falsetto, Ernie Isley's Jimi Hendrix-inspired guitar licks, and Chris Jasper's gritty organ playing, the Isleys took creative dares that found them interpreting distinctly non-R&B songs, including Stephen Stills' "Love the One You're With" and Seals & Crofts's "Summer Breeze." Balancing out these whimsical remakes and party favorites are a number of slow jams that have become quiet storm classics, including "Between the Sheets" and "Don't Say Goodnight." With their influence carrying over to a generation of contemporary R&B artists (Vanessa Williams had a hit with her remake of "Work to Do") and hip-hop giants (Salt-N-Pepa revamped the Isleys' "It's Your Thing" with the go-go-inspired "Shake Your Thang"), the Isleys continue to spread their "Caravan of Love." Dave Gil de Rubio

All Music Guide

In effect, The Ultimate Isley Brothers is the definitive single-disc compilation of the Isleys' T-Neck years -- when they reinvented themselves for the '70s as a jam-happy funk-rock outfit. Still, there are a few extras -- the Isley/Jasper/Isley hit "Caravan of Love," which fits this material pretty well, and the old-school Isley classics "Shout (Pts. 1 & 2)" and "Twist and Shout," which don't. Yes, it's nice to have this all on one disc, but the latter two hits are just sort of tossed into the middle of the track listing (and if you're going to license those, why leave off the group's other absolutely necessary early single, the Motown hit "This Old Heart of Mine"?). That flaw aside, though, the focus of the collection is really on the group's terrific funk phase; it's clear by the end of the disc that the Isleys were equally capable of delivering smoking funk workouts, socially conscious anthems, and slick, romantic ballads. It's the best introduction to the group that's currently available, and its consistently high-quality material demonstrates why they've been able to sustain a career for so long. Steve Huey