Masterpiece is the 23rd album released by the Isley Brothers on Warner Bros. Records on April 29, 1985. For the first time since 1973, the Isley Brothers were a trio composed of the original members O'Kelly, Rudolph and Ronald Isley. It was the last album with O'Kelly Isley; he died a year after the album's release from a heart attack. The fall of 1985 also saw the elder Isleys release Masterpiece.[2] The album is dedicated to their late brother Vernon Isley and their parents Sally & O'Kelly Isley Sr. The album liner notes were written by Elaine Isley.
| Masterpiece | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 29, 1985 | |||
| Recorded | 1984−1985 | |||
| Venue | Devonshire Sound Studios (North Hollywood, Los Angeles) | |||
| Length | 47:49 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Producer | The Isley Brothers | |||
| The Isley Brothers chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "May I?" | Ronald Isley, Rudolph Isley, O'Kelly Isley, Elaine Jasper Isley | 5:07 |
| 2. | "My Best Was Good Enough" | Skip Scarborough | 4:20 |
| 3. | "If Leaving Me Is Easy" | Phil Collins | 6:30 |
| 4. | "You Never Know When You're Gonna Fall in Love" | Rex Salas, Monty Seward | 4:19 |
| 5. | "Stay Gold" | Stevie Wonder, Carmine Coppola | 4:11 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Colder Are My Nights" | David Williams, Pat Leonard | 6:00 |
| 7. | "Come to Me" | Robert Brookins, Tony Haynes | 4:53 |
| 8. | "Release Your Love" | David Ritz, Kelly McNulty | 5:32 |
| 9. | "The Most Beautiful Girl" | Billy Sherrill, Rory Bourke, Norris Wilson | 6:57 |
Personnel
edit- The Isley Brothers
- Ronald Isley – lead vocals; harmony vocals on "If Leaving Me Is Easy"
- O'Kelly Isley, Jr. – harmony and background vocals; lead vocals on "If Leaving Me Is Easy"
- Rudolph Isley – harmony and background vocals
- with
- Paul Jackson Jr., Dann Huff, David T. Walker – guitar
- Robbie Buchanan – keyboards
- Randy Kerber – acoustic piano
- Ernie Watts, Gary Herbig – saxophone
- Neil Stubenhaus, Freddie Washington – bass guitar
- John Robinson, Ed Greene – drums
- Paulinho da Costa – percussion
- Bill Green, Gary Herbig – flute
- Plas Johnson – tenor saxophone
- Chuck Findley, Gary Grant, Bill Green – trumpet
- George Bohanon, Slyde Hyde – trombone
- Jerry Hey – horn
- Technical personnel & arrangements
- Produced by The Isley Brothers (Ronald, Rudolph and O'Kelly Isley)
- Arranger, conductor: Gene Page
- Concertmaster: Harry Bluestone
- Engineer: Michael Mancini
- Additional engineers: Bill Spungin, Russell Schmidt
- Assistant engineers: Dean Burt, Joe Travers
- Mixed by The Isley Brothers
- Mastered by Brian Gardner
- Art direction by Jeri McManus
- Photography by George Holz
- Design by Mary Ann Dibs
Chart performance
editThe 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.
Charts
edit
Weekly chartsedit
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Year-end chartsedit
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References
edit- ^ Elias, Jason. "The Isley Brothers - Masterpiece (1985) album review, credits & releases". AllMusic. Retrieved June 22, 2014.
- ^ A Touch of Classic Soul 2: The Late 1970s Marc Taylor - 2001 - Page 173 They got off to a good start with "Colder Are My Nights" reaching number 12 on the R&B charts. The brothers followed with "May I?", a pleading love song that was mildly successful in the spring of 1986. However, any joy from the album was negated when Kelly Isley died of a heart attack on March 31, 1986 at age 48.
- ^ "The Isley Brothers Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
- ^ "The Isley Brothers Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
- ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1986". Billboard. Retrieved July 13, 2021.