The Isley Brothers-The Heat Is On (1975)
Title: The Heat Is On
Country and Year of Edition: US 1975 gatefold promo
Sell Price: $11.99
Sell Date: 6/2/26
Condition: VG+/G original inner sleeve, sleeve has some back cover peel off and water damage
Discogs Last Sold: 10/31/25 VG+/VG $14.00
Low: $2.38
Median: $11.99
Average: $13.39
High: $32.50
Current low price: $24.95 VG+/VG+
Current Number on Sale at Discogs: 3
Have/Want: 249/268
Where Sold: APO, AE
Time It Took To Sell: 3 years
Where and When Bought: Facebook marketplace lot
Gwiz-gau Letter Grade: A-
Sad To See It Go: No
This great Isley Brothers is a tale of two sides. Side one is funky, side two is ballads. While a big part of the groups bread and butter are the ballads, I want to hear the funky stuff. Side one blows your mind for that and sounds great cranked up.
I got a copy of "Fight The Power" on 7" split over two sides in a stack of 45's I got randomly at a junk shop. That song ain't no junk, nosireee. It was a top 5 pop Gold Record hit single in 1975, but it didn't have top 40 radio legs in the 70's & 80's, despite it being great. It finally hit Platinum then Double Platinum in the 90's. Maybe because Public Enemy shone a light on it or maybe it was finally getting a proper audit, who knows? That song has one of the most insistent bass lines possible. Uh-uh-uh..uh-uh. He tries to play his music, they say his music's too loud. There's all this bullshit going down, but the Isley Brothers are going to give it to you straight. I appreciate that.
In the land of the Isleys, every track has a Part 1 and a Part 2 and nothing is under 5 minutes on their albums. 3 songs a side. On the title track we get the Heat of some rippin and I mean rippin guitar. Hendrix played for them early on and you can see how. It just goes on and stretches out until the chord rhythm fades. Ernie Isley is a guitar God and we get more of it on "Hope You Feel Better Love."
Side 2 is a wind down side with 3 ballads. They might have been better served mixed in with the upbeat tracks, but that would've taken away the power of the three funk tracks together. The best thing here is the insistant drumming on the middle ballad "Sensuality." "For The Love Of You" was the other top 40 hit on the record that kicks off the side. This is wind-down slow jam quiet storm Soul, all in one shot.
Undeniable, popular and underrated all at the same time.
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