Givin' It Back - THE ISLEY BROTHERS**

Ohio-Machine Gun/Fire & Rain/Lay Lady Lay/Spill The Wine/Nothing To Do But Today/Cold Bologna/Love The One You're With

On Givin’ It Back the soul outfit The Isley Brothers perform some unlikely covers of singer-songwriter soft rock hits. As might be expected they differ quite considerably from the originals. (US:71)

“I am very wary about cover versions and don't see the point in putting your own spin on a song. There are exceptions though and The Isley Brothers deserve a break. This is the Isleys doing to white music what white musicians did to black music. Not one song here is an original but it doesn't matter when the results are this good.”

“Self-produced, Givin' It Back was an interesting change of pace for The Isley Brothers. More than willing to adapt to changing public tastes, the album found the Isleys jumping aboard the popular bandwagon, turning in a series of 'Isleyized' versions of popular rock songs.”

“An interesting interlude - the Isleys go a kind of folk-soul-rock hybrid. It comes across like CSN get on their funky good foot - though it is considerably better than that sounds. It's acoustic guitars and bongos all the way. Better harmonies and all, what with it being the Isleys.”

“Souled up rock/pop covers aren't actually a break from the soul tradition as anyone who owns a 60s Motown album will know. The ten minute version of Lay Lady Lay is a bit unnecessary but there's the definitive version of Spill The Wine to make up for it.”

“Having complete creative control, the Brothers could do whatsoever they pleased. It is telling that they produced a record such as Givin' It Back - instead of resting on their laurels the trio opted to create an LP filled with cover material. Most times this is a bad idea, but in the case of the Isleys, it works brilliantly. In all, a remarkable record that despite its variety in styles sounds amazingly consistent and funky.”

“Their melding of Ohio and Machine Gun is nothing short of amazing as well as their observation on the times. The sensuous treatment of Lay Lady Lay is a far cry from Dylan's countrified original, and where Eric Burdon spoke the words to Spill The Wine, Ronald Isley sings it in his signature tenor, transforming it into an altogether new song. He also nails the deep sadness that James Taylor's Fire & Rain brings to listeners.”