Givin' It Back
| Untitled | |
|---|---|
Givin' It Back is the ninth album released by The Isley Brothers on their T-Neck imprint on September 25, 1971.[1] After years of having white rock acts covering their most famed material, particularly, "Shout" and "Twist and Shout", the Isleys decided to do the same to music made famous by white artists such as Stephen Stills, Eric Burdon and Neil Young. Among the songs they covered were "Spill the Wine", "Love the One You're With", the social commentary medley of "Ohio" and "Machine Gun" (from Jimi Hendrix), "Fire and Rain" by James Taylor and Bob Dylan's "Lay Lady Lay". The Isleys' perseverance paid off when their covers of "Love the One You're With", "Lay Lady Lay" and "Spill the Wine" became charted hits.[2] Bill Withers plays guitar on the Isleys' version of his "Cold Bologna".[1]
The album was remastered and expanded for inclusion in the 2015 released CD box set "The RCA Victor & T-Neck Album Masters, 1959-1983".
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [3] |
| Robert Christgau | B [4] |
| Pitchfork | 8.3/10[5] |
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ohio" / "Machine Gun" | Neil Young / Jimi Hendrix | 9:13 |
| 2. | "Fire and Rain" | James Taylor | 5:29 |
| 3. | "Lay Lady Lay" | Bob Dylan | 10:22 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4. | "Spill the Wine" | Charles Miller, Howard E. Scott, B.B. Dickerson, Lonnie Jordan, Harold Ray Brown, Thomas "Papa Dee" Allen, Lee Oskar | 6:32 |
| 5. | "Nothing to Do But Today" | Stephen Stills | 3:42 |
| 6. | "Cold Bologna" | Bill Withers | 3:03 |
| 7. | "Love the One You're With" | Stephen Stills | 3:40 |
Trivia
The only other recording of "Cold Bologna" is found on the 1973 Bill Withers live album, Live at Carnegie Hall as "Harlem/Cold Baloney".[6]
Personnel
- Ronald Isley: lead and background vocals
- O'Kelly Isley, Jr. and Rudolph Isley: background vocals
- Ernie Isley: guitar, drums
- Marvin Isley: bass
- Chris Jasper: piano, keyboards
- Chester Woodard: guitar
- John Mosley: flute
- Gary Jones: congas
- Buck Clarke: congas
- Bill Withers: guitar
References
- ^ a b Isley Brothers, The – Givin' It Back at Discogs
- ^ "Givin' It Back > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles" at AllMusic. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
- ^ Eder, Bruce. The Isley Brothers - Givin' It Back at AllMusic. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
- ^ Christgau, Robert. "The Isley Brothers - Givin' It Back". Robert Christgau. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (September 11, 2015). "The Isley Brothers: The RCA Victor and T-Neck Album Masters". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
- ^ Bill Withers – Bill Withers Live At Carnegie Hall at Discogs
