Masterpiece (Isley Brothers album)
Encyclopedia
Masterpiece is a 1985 record released by The Isley Brothers
on Warner Bros. Records
. For the first time since 1973, the Isley Brothers were once again a trio composed of the original members O'Kelly
, Rudolph
and Ronald Isley
. It was to be the last album with O'Kelly Isley; he died a year after the album's release from a heart attack. The album is dedicated to their late brother Vernon Isley and parents Sally & O'Kelly Isley Sr. The album liner notes were written by Elaine Isley.
The album charted at #140 in the US Billboard 200
while only charting at #19 on the R&B album chart
. "Colder Are My Nights" peaked at #12 on the R&B charts, while "May I?" charted at #42 in 1986.
The Isley Brothers
The Isley Brothers are a highly influential, successful and long-running American music group consisting of different line-ups of six brothers, and a brother-in-law, Chris Jasper...
on Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
. For the first time since 1973, the Isley Brothers were once again a trio composed of the original members O'Kelly
O'Kelly Isley, Jr.
O'Kelly Isley, Jr. , better known as Kelly Isley, was an American singer and one of the founding members of the legendary family group, The Isley Brothers.-Biography:...
, Rudolph
Rudolph Isley
Rudolph Bernard Isley , better known as Rudy Isley, is an American singer-songwriter and is one of the founding members of the legendary family group, The Isley Brothers.-Biography:...
and Ronald Isley
Ronald Isley
Ronald Isley is an American singer and is known as the lead singer and founding member of the family music group The Isley Brothers.-Career:...
. It was to be the last album with O'Kelly Isley; he died a year after the album's release from a heart attack. The album is dedicated to their late brother Vernon Isley and parents Sally & O'Kelly Isley Sr. The album liner notes were written by Elaine Isley.
The album charted at #140 in the US Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
while only charting at #19 on the R&B album chart
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...
. "Colder Are My Nights" peaked at #12 on the R&B charts, while "May I?" charted at #42 in 1986.
Track listing
- "May I?" (Isley Brothers, Elaine Jasper Isley) (5:11)
- "My Best Was Good Enough" (Skip ScarboroughSkip ScarboroughSkip Scarborough was a Grammy Award-winning songwriter, best known for romantic ballads.-Biography:Born Clarence Alexander Scarborough in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, he lived in Los Angeles most of his life....
) (4:21) - "If Leaving Me Is EasyIf Leaving Me Is Easy"If Leaving Me Is Easy" is a song by Phil Collins from his 1981 album Face Value. Released as the third single from the album, it reached #17 in the UK, but was never released as a single in the United States. It is notable mainly for Collins' high falsetto lyrics in its chorus.-Involvement of Eric...
" (Phil CollinsPhil CollinsPhilip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for British progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist....
) (6:30) - "You Never Know When You're Gonna Fall in Love" (Rex Salas, Mont Seward) (4:20)
- "Stay Gold" (Stevie WonderStevie WonderStevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
, Carmine Coppola) (4:11) - "Colder Are My Nights" (David Williams, Pat Leonard) (6:00)
- "Come to Me" (Robert Brookins, Tony Haynes) (4:57)
- "Release Your Love" (David Ritz, Kelly MC Nulty) (5:29)
- "The Most Beautiful GirlThe Most Beautiful Girl"The Most Beautiful Girl" is a song recorded by Charlie Rich and written by Bill Sherrill, Norris Wilson, and Rory Michael Bourke. The country & western ballad reached #1 in the United States in 1973 on three Billboard music charts: the pop chart ; the country chart ; and the adult contemporary...
" (Billy SherrillBilly SherrillBilly Sherrill is a record producer and arranger who is most famous for his association with a number of country artists, most notably Tammy Wynette...
, Rory Michael BourkeRory Michael BourkeRory Michael Bourke is a country music songwriter born July 14, 1942 in Cleveland, Ohio.Bourke moved to Nashville in 1964 and worked for a period in the promotional department of Mercury Records....
, Norris WilsonNorro WilsonNorris "Norro" Wilson is an American country music singer, songwriter and producer, and member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame....
) (6:59)
Personnel
- Ronald IsleyRonald IsleyRonald Isley is an American singer and is known as the lead singer and founding member of the family music group The Isley Brothers.-Career:...
: lead vocals - O'Kelly Isley, Jr.O'Kelly Isley, Jr.O'Kelly Isley, Jr. , better known as Kelly Isley, was an American singer and one of the founding members of the legendary family group, The Isley Brothers.-Biography:...
and Rudolph IsleyRudolph IsleyRudolph Bernard Isley , better known as Rudy Isley, is an American singer-songwriter and is one of the founding members of the legendary family group, The Isley Brothers.-Biography:...
: background vocals - Concert Master - Harry Bluestone
- Arranger & Conductor - Gene Page
- Keyboards - Robbie Buchanan
- Acoustic Piano - Randy Kerber
- Percussion - Paulinho da CostaPaulinho Da CostaPaulinho da Costa is a Brazilian percussionist born in Rio de Janeiro, considered one of the most recorded musicians of modern times. Playing over two hundred percussion instruments, he has participated in thousands of recording sessions, Grammy Award-winning albums, hit songs, soundtracks, radio...
- Saxophone - Ernie WattsErnie WattsErnest James "Ernie" Watts is an American jazz and rhythm and blues musician. He plays saxophone and flute. He might be best known for his work with Charlie Haden's Quartet West and his Grammy Awards as an instrumentalist...
, Gary Herbig - Bass - Neil StubenhausNeil StubenhausNeil Stubenhaus is an American bass guitarist.-Career:He started his musical training playing drums and switched to bass guitar at the age of 12. He studied at the Berklee College of Music where he graduated in 1975...
, Freddie WashingtonFreddie WashingtonFreddie Washington was an American jazz pianist.Washington moved to California around the year 1918, where he joined Kid Ory's band in 1921. He recorded with Ory's band, and it is for his role in these sessions that he is primarily known. He led his own band in the 1920s and 1930s, in addition to... - Guitars - Paul Jackson Jr., Don Huff, David T. WalkerDavid T. WalkerDavid T. Walker is an American guitarist born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In addition to numerous session musician duties since the early 1970s, Walker has issued over twelve albums in his own name.-Career:...
- Drums - John Robinson, Ed Green
- Flute - Bill Green, Gary Herbig
- Tenor Saxophone - Plas JohnsonPlas JohnsonPlas John Johnson Jr. is an American soul-jazz and hard bop tenor saxophonist, probably most familiar as the lead on Henry Mancini’s "The Pink Panther Theme"....
- Trombone - George Bohannon, Slyde Hyde
- Trumpet - Chuck FindleyChuck FindleyChuck Findley is an American session musician. Most widely-known as a trumpet player, he also plays other brass instruments such as flugelhorn and trombone...
, Gary Grant, Bill Green - Horn - Jerry HeyJerry HeyJerry Hey is an American trumpeter, flugelhornist, horn arranger, string arranger, orchestrator and session musician who has played on hundreds of commercial recordings, including Thriller and the distinctive flugelhorn solo on Dan Fogelberg's hit Longer....