The song “I Got to Get Myself Together” contains an unusually direct acknowledgement of the need for self-criticism and improvement. David Ritz, who wrote the album notes for the re-release, says that he was a graduate student looking for truth in the English romantic poets but found it in this recording. On the cover packaging for the recording The Brothers: Isley, released in 1969 on T-Neck (re-released in 1997 by Sony), Ronnie, Rudy, and Marvin wear reddish monks’ robes but many of the songs are about sex and love (perhaps they anticipate Marvin Gaye’s idea of sexual healing). The Isleys give Carole King’s “It’s Too Late” a ten-minute workout: slowed-down, anguished, with mournful piano and screaming guitar. The collection, with notes by poet Nikki Giovanni about Cincinnati and Lincoln Heights (which she shared with the Isleys), contains “Work to Do,” a song written by the Isleys about the sacrifices (and understanding) required to accomplish a task, a song radio still plays. Brother was released in 1972 by T-Neck, and re-released in 1997 by Sony. The Isley Brothers, featuring Ronnie, Rudy, and Marvin Isley, with support from Ernie Isley and Chris Jasper, recorded Brother, Brother, Brother, an album in which three of the eight songs were written by Carole King, whose record-breaking Tapestry album had man an impression on many performers of the time. The group performs Neil Young’s “Ohio,” about the murder of student anti-war protestors, in a medley with Jimi Hendrix’s very descriptive “Machine Gun,” resulting in a very dramatic reading. On The Isleys Live, originally released in 1973 on their own label, T-Neck, and buttressed with bonus tracks from another 1969 T-Neck live recording, this 1996 Rhino release contains versions of “Love the One You’re With,” “Lay Lady Lay,” and “Ohio” and has album notes by David Nathan, who says that passion marked the live recording, noting Ronald Isley’s “emotive vocal stylings.” The song “It’s Your Thing,” with its echoes of James Brown and Wilson Pickett and even Stevie Wonder, and its affirmation of sexual independence, are also featured. The Isley Brothers, who wrote and produced most of their own music, is one of those groups one likes without giving that affection much thought. “For the Love of You” is a song by The Isley Brothers that never seems old.