Luther Vandross' amazing cover of Stephen Stills' Love The One You're With(from the Songs album) was inspired by The Isley Brothers classic reinterpretation.Even before "Lutha" recorded a covers album,Giving It Back was the brothers re-interpreting songs associated with rock musicians,and turning them into R&B classics.
Their melding of Crosby,Stills,Nash,and Young's Ohio and the Isley's former sideman Jimi Hendrix's Machine Gun is nothing short of amazing as well as their observation to the times.The sensuous treatment of Lay,Lady Lay is a far cry from Dylan's contrified original,and where Eric Burden 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 and Rain brings to listeners.
If this album has any flaws,is that it took too long to be reissued,thus nearly burying this creative phase of the Isley Brothers music.Where most would pick 3+3 or The Heat Is On as classic studio recordings,Givin' It Back and Brother,Brother,Brother are just as essential.

Luther Vandross' amazing cover of Stephen Stills' Love The One You're With(from the Songs album) was inspired by The Isley Brothers classic reinterpretation.Even before "Lutha" recorded a covers album,Giving It Back was the brothers re-interpreting songs associated with rock musicians,and turning them into R&B classics.Their melding of CSNY's Ohio and former sideman Jimi Hendrix's Machine Gun is nothing short of amazing as well as their observation to the times.The sensuous treatment of Lay,Lady Lay is a far cry from Dylan's contrified original,and where Eric Burden 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 and Rain brings to listeners.If this album has any flaws,is that it took too long to be reissued,thus nearly burying this creative phase of the Isley Brothers music.Where most would pick 3+3 or The Heat Is On as classic studio recordings,Givin' It Back and Brother,Brother,Brother are just as essential.

This was an album to show of things to come. By this time The Isley's were megastars again, but with this album, you can tell that they were striving to become album artists, which was a very good thing. Man, that version of "Ohio", plus you add "Machine Gun with it, Priceless!!!!

I have searched for this "album" for years. Should have come to amazon.com first.

I love this album. One song that is not talked about is their version of OHIO. I really love the entire album. Notice I said "album". I really love "Ohio". Living during that time of The Vietnam War protest, The Civil Right movement, Women's Liberation movement was so heady and intoxicating. I was in the Marines and did not know if I was going to war so I lived for the moment. This album reflected the times and I identified with it. I nearly worn the groove of this album. I have always wanted to own it again after it was stolen. Now I have the chance to not only own it but to hear it in a way the vinyl records could not bring out.