The Isley Brothers - Beautiful Ballads

The Isley Brothers were known for their ability to rock the house, but in truth they were an accomplished vocal group before they were anything else. Beautiful Ballads collects some of their sweetest, most soulful slow songs from the '70s and '80s, reaches over into the rock world for Todd Rundgren's "Hello It's Me," James Taylor's "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight," and Bob Dylan's "Lay Lady Lay," and adds originals such as "Don't Say Goodnight" and "Caravan of Love." Beautiful Ballads goes beyond being a mere soundtrack for seduction (though that works, too): this is healing music, good for the heart as well as the soul. --Daniel Durchholz Amazon.com essential recording

Timeless

Beautiful Ballads is one of those cds that you will find in almost every guy's music collection. I didn't understand this little fact until I actually heard the album , and now it is in my collection. The thing about a guy that's actually a music head, he will know all the right things to have in his collection and trust and believe this album will sit in there with the best of them.

Make It Say It Again
Choosey Lover

And my favortite Voyage To Atlantis....Back then, who could even conceive a title to a incredible track.....

No matter how many times I listen to BB, I feel the same way all over
again...Thanks to those music heads and their quirks..

July 20, 2008

SERIOUS baby makin' music...

...And damn am I mad at the Amazon Fishbowl header on this page, 'cause I already had the title in mind! I just pulled this CD out of the racks after many years, for the purpose of uploading it onto my girlfriend's iPod. Man oh man, the memories! I'm not that old, but I remember when I bought this CD back in the early 90's. It was my first Isley Brothers CD. Let me just say that while I've since purchased many more I.B. CDs, there's just nothing like the first time. Don't get me wrong, there are other great compilations out there, 'Funky Family' comes to mind (although, as the title suggests, it covers the funkier dimensions of The Brothers' illustrious career); 'Ultimate Isley Brothers' is good if you're on a budget; you could probably even cop a decently priced copy of 'It's Your Thing: The Story of the Isley Brothers' at this point. But pound for pound, you just can't beat this CD. I think it has something to do with the sequencing - it seems as though whomever decided on the tracks to be included as well as the order in which they should be played spent a lot of time making out to the Isley Brothers! I mean sure, there are some glaring omissions ("Groove With You"? "Between the Sheets"? I could go on and on), but as the music progresses you couldn't care less. Starting its seductive journey with the beautiful testimonies to the early stages of love "Brown Eyed Girl" and "Hello It's Me", you're reeled in. Then you move into Stage 2 with "Let's Fall in Love (Parts 1 & 2 {isn't it amazing how R&B artists were so prolific back in the 70's that their genius needed TWO PARTS to encapsulate one song? Let's see Ne-Yo or Usher do that!}). By track 11 ("Voyage To Atlantis"), you've already gone from sweet courtship to a full declaration of love to a delicate plea for consumation of this union andletnoothermaneverputusasunder, thanks in no small part to this devilishly hypnotic music coming from your speakers in the background.

And this is why I feel the need to post a warning here: in the wrong hands, this music is potentially DANGEROUS. I hate the term "grown folks' music" but I do believe the title may apply here. If you're inexperienced with this sort of thing I'd advise listening alone a few times first before trying to unleash this on your mate (kiddies, stick with your Justin Timberlake records in the meantime). Don't slip this on as mere background music while you're trying to get your groove on if you're not really serious about the person you're with - there are far too many single unwed mothers out there already! But if you're with that special someone (or someone you're hoping might be that special someone), this is the music to 'seal the deal' with.

The only arguement I might make is with Track #7 - what the hell is "Caravan of Love" doing in this booty-call mixtape? It screws up the whole vibe right in the middle of the CD. If anything I'd recommend programming the tracks in advance and leaving that one out, or at least making it the last track. If you use the CD correctly, by then you should laying back smoking a cigarette or eating jellybeans or whatever you call afterplay. ;-) January 17, 2007

GREAT MUSIC

LOVE THE ISLEYS! THEIR MUSIC STANDS THE TEST OF TIME AND IS MUCH BETTER THAN THE CDS THAT THEY ARE MAKING TODAY! THE EXCEPTIONS ARE MISSION TO PLEASE AND ETERNAL! BODY KISS DID'NT DO IT FOR ME OR BABY MAKIN MUSIC! IF YOU WANT CLASSIC ISLEYS, BUY THIS! IF YOU WANT MR. BIGGS, BUY THE LATTER CDS! CLASSIC ISLEYS ARE THE BEST ! January 11, 2007

The Isley Brothers- Beautiful Ballads

I really enjoy listening to this cd. Like the Love Songs, most of the songs on the cd are great!

The only 2 songs I don't like on here is "You're beside me (Parts 1 & 2)," and "I once had your love (And I can't let go)". The great tracks on here are:

-Brown Eyed Girl

-Hello It's Me

-Let's Fall In Love

-Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight

-Make Me Say It Again Girl (Parts 1 & 2)

-Choosey Lover

-Lay Lady Lay

-Don't Say Goodnight (It's Time For Love) (Parts 1 & 2)

According to the sticker on the front cover, it says that this cd has 14 of the most romantic songs ever waxed! Therefore, you should get this cd!
June 29, 2006

No Regrets

These ballads can indeed be considered beautiful. The Isley Brothers definitely have talent as artists in general and musicians in particular. The lyrics of these songs as conveyed by the Isleys tug at the heart. That being said, it is still not to my taste.

This is definitely from the R&B/Soul part of the spectrum. My tastes run more towards artists like Sinatra and Humperdinck. I bought this album because of the title and it was no what I expected. Still, the quality of this album is such that I have no regrets.
July 5, 2005

More reviews at Amazon.com ...