Givin' It Back is the ninth album released by The Isley Brothers on their T-Neck imprint on September 25, 1971.[1] After years of having other acts covering their most famed material, particularly, "Shout" (1959) and "Twist and Shout" (1961), the Isleys decided to do the same to music made famous by artists such as Stephen Stills, Eric Burdon and Neil Young. Among the songs they covered were "Spill the Wine", "Love the One You're With", the social commentary medley of "Ohio" and "Machine Gun" (from Jimi Hendrix), "Fire and Rain" by James Taylor and Bob Dylan's "Lay Lady Lay". The Isleys' perseverance paid off when their covers of "Love the One You're With", "Lay Lady Lay" and "Spill the Wine" became charted hits.[2] Bill Withers plays guitar on the Isleys' version of his "Cold Bologna".[1]

Givin' It Back
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 25, 1971
Recorded1971
StudioMediasound, New York City
Genre
Length41:47
LabelT-Neck/Buddah Records
ProducerRonald Isley, Rudolph Isley
The Isley Brothers chronology
Get Into Something
(1970)
Givin' It Back
(1971)
Brother, Brother, Brother
(1972)
Singles from
Givin' It Back
  1. "Love the One You're With"
    Released: May 1971
  2. "Spill the Wine"
    Released: September 1971
  3. "Lay Lady Lay"
    Released: November 1971

The album was remastered and expanded for inclusion in the 2015 released 23CD box set The RCA Victor & T-Neck Album Masters (1959–1983).[3]

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic      [4]
Christgau's Record GuideB [5]
Pitchfork8.3/10 [6]
Uncut     [7]

Track listing

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Side One
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Ohio" / "Machine Gun"Neil Young / Jimi Hendrix9:13
2."Fire and Rain"James Taylor5:29
3."Lay Lady Lay"Bob Dylan10:22
Total length:25:04
Side Two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
4."Spill the Wine"Charles Miller, Howard E. Scott, B.B. Dickerson, Lonnie Jordan, Harold Ray Brown, Thomas "Papa Dee" Allen, Lee Oskar6:32
5."Nothing to Do But Today"Stephen Stills3:42
6."Cold Bologna"Bill Withers3:03
7."Love the One You're With"Stephen Stills3:40
Total length:16:57

Trivia

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The only other recording of "Cold Bologna" is found on the 1973 Bill Withers live album, Live at Carnegie Hall as "Harlem/Cold Baloney".[8]

Personnel

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Technical & arrangements
  • Produced by Ronald Isley & Rudolph Isley
  • Hal Wilson – photography
  • George Patterson – musical arrangements
  • The Isley Brothers – musical arrangements

References

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  1. ^ a b The Isley Brothers - Givin It Back (1971) album releases & credits at Discogs
  2. ^ "Givin' It Back > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles" at AllMusic. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  3. ^ The Isley Brothers - The RCA Victor & T-Neck Album Masters, 1959-1983 (2015) 23CD Box Set review by Andy Kellman, credits & releases at AllMusic
  4. ^ Eder, Bruce. The Isley Brothers - Givin It Back (1971) album review, credits & releases at AllMusic. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  5. ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: I". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved February 27, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  6. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (September 11, 2015). "The Isley Brothers - The RCA Victor and T-Neck Album Masters, 1959-1983 (2015) 23CD Box Set review". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
  7. ^ Stubbs, David (October 1, 1997). "REISSUES: Freak beats". Uncut. No. 5. p. 92. ProQuest 1771210800.
  8. ^ Bill Withers – Bill Withers Live at Carnegie Hall (1973) album releases & credits album releases & credits at Discogs
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