Thursday, November 01, 2007

Talkin' BS With the Isley Brothers


The Isley Brothers - Fight the Power (Pts. 1 & 2)

I don't think anyone reading this blog needs any introduction to the legendary Isley Brothers, whose career has spanned six decades thus far. Today's feature was a #1 R&B hit for the group in 1975. "Fight the Power" is an aggressive rant, notorious for its chorus, which included the word "bullshit" - the Isleys have interviewed that when they went to record the song they did have reservations at first, but then decided that they were keeping it real by saying the word. Obviously, it got bleeped on most radio stations, but it got its message across. Of course, looking at today's radio, where bleeping (particularly with rap music) is very common, the controversy over "Fight the Power" seems pretty minimal! Airplay-friendly language aside, "Fight the Power" features a nice bumping groove and growling vocals that really sell the song's message.

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