The Isley Brothers

As Shakespeare (or was it James Brown?) once said, the groove's the thing. Whether white
America appreciates them fully or not, the Isley Brothers -- in their numerous
permutations, with varying commercial success -- have long been musical giants, masters of
the groove whose career has spanned more than five bumpy decades. This family outfit
with a gospel background made "Twist and Shout" a hit before the Beatles did, s... More >

Not counting them Beefheart digs, this triple is the single-artist box of the year by acclamation, and why not? It does an honorable job on a significant band whose catalog cries out for landscaping. And compared to the completist monoliths on the Isleys from UA and RCA, it distinguishes hills from dales pretty nice. But folks, this is only the Isley Brothers. They gave us "Twist and Shout" and "It's Your Thing" and, um, "That Lady," they hired Jimi Hendrix young and learned a few things, they formed their own label and held on like heroes. They have a great single disc in them. But who's up for canonization next? Frankie Beverly and Maze? (Grade: A-)