| The Real Deal | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 7, 1982 | |||
| Recorded | 1982 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | Funk, electro-funk, smooth soul | |||
| Length | 37:50 | |||
| Label | T-Neck Records | |||
| Producer | The Isley Brothers | |||
| The Isley Brothers chronology | ||||
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The Real Deal is an album by the Isley Brothers, released on August 7, 1982. The album is notable for the group's decision to alter their trademark funk rock sound in the 1970s with the then-current early 1980s electro funk scene dominated by Rick James, Prince, Zapp and the Gap Band.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
Following the releases of two 1981 albums, the gold-selling Grand Slam and the lesser-successful Inside You , the Isley Brothers were finding themselves in a rut following a successful nine-year run of gold and platinum albums and a succession of hit singles that had made them one of the top-selling R&B/funk bands of the 1970s. After hearing the sounds of the Gap Band and Rick James, The Isleys (Kelly, Rudy, Ron, Ernie and Marvin) and brother-in-law Chris Jasper, whose role in the Isleys had grown to the point where he was adding background vocals himself alongside longtime lead vocalist Ron Isley and also added in a vocoder co-lead while playing synthesizers, which sometimes was overdubbed atop Marvin Isley's bass guitar riffs.
For their next album, 1982's The Real Deal, the group went for a more minimalist funk sound with the title track, which hit the top 20 of the R&B charts, Ron Isley, Ernie Isley and Chris Jasper showcase "Stone Cold Lover", the vocoderized "Are You With Me", the mid-tempo "It's Alright With Me" (with Chris Jasper being the only other vocalist beside Ron Isley singing on the song) with the smoother pop rock ballad "All in My Lover's Eyes", which peaked at number sixty-seven on the R&B chart in 1983, while Ron and Ernie are showcased heavy on the Jimi Hendrix-inspired "Under the Influence", which showcased a more bluesier approach than the group was used to. Despite hopes that the album will bring the Isleys back to the top of the charts, it stalled at number 87 on the Billboard 200. A year later the group will bounce back with Between the Sheets , which became the last album to feature Chris Jasper. Though younger brothers Ernie and Marvin would also depart, forming Isley-Jasper-Isley with Jasper, they eventually returned to the Isley Brothers fold in 1992 following the death of eldest brother Kelly Isley and the exit of Rudolph Isley. Ronald Isley has since remained the group's most consistent of the members.
All tracks are written by Ernie Isley, Marvin Isley, Chris Jasper, Rudolph Isley, O'Kelly Isley and Ronald Isley
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Real Deal (Part I and II)" | 7:03 |
| 2. | "Are You with Me?" | 4:48 |
| 3. | "Stone Cold Lover" | 5:12 |
| Total length: | 17:03 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 4. | "It's Alright with Me" | 5:32 |
| 5. | "All in My Lover's Eyes" | 5:13 |
| 6. | "I'll Do It All for You" | 4:20 |
| 7. | "Under the Influence" | 5:42 |
| Total length: | 20:47 | |
| Chart (1982) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard Pop Albums [2] | 87 |
| Billboard Top Soul Albums [2] | 9 |
| Year | Single | Chart positions [3] |
|---|---|---|
| US R&B | ||
| 1982 | "The Real Deal" | 14 |
| "It's Alright With Me" | 59 | |
| "All In My Lover's Eyes" | 67 | |
69 Boyz sampled "All In My Lover's Eyes" on their song "Strip Club Luv" on their album The Wait Is Over in 1998.
The Isley Brothers are an American soul group originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, that began as a vocal trio consisting of the brothers O'Kelly Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley and Ronald Isley in the 1950s. With a career spanning over seven decades, the group has enjoyed one of the "longest, most influential, and most diverse careers in the pantheon of popular music".
"Fight the Power" is a song recorded by the Isley Brothers, who released the song as the first single off their landmark album, The Heat Is On. The song is notable for the usage of the word bullshit, which was censored during radio airplay.
"Live It Up, Pt. 1 & 2" is a funk/rock song released by the Isley Brothers, on their album of the same name in 1974 on their T-Neck imprint.
Winner Takes All is a studio album by the Isley Brothers, released on T-Neck Records on August 21, 1979. It was their first and only double album. The album included the number-one R&B hit, "I Wanna Be With You" and the top 20 UK disco hit, "It's a Disco Night ".
Brother, Brother, Brother is the tenth album released by American group The Isley Brothers on their T-Neck imprint on May 2, 1972. It was to be the Isleys' last studio record with Buddah Records before moving on to Epic in the middle of 1973.
Live It Up is the twelfth album by the Isley Brothers, released on September 7, 1974. It was their second major-distributed album with Epic Records under their T-Neck subsidiary.
The Heat Is On is the thirteenth studio album by American soul and funk group The Isley Brothers, released June 7, 1975, on T-Neck Records and Epic Records. Written and produced entirely by the group, the album was recorded in 1975 at Kendum Recorders in Burbank, California. The Heat Is On features musical elements of rock, and is divided between uptempo funk songs and soul ballads.
Harvest for the World is the fourteenth studio album released by The Isley Brothers on their T-Neck imprint on May 29, 1976.
Go for Your Guns is the fifteenth album by the Isley Brothers. Released on April 16, 1977, on their T-Neck label, it was also the band's fifth album to be distributed by their deal with Epic. Released in mid-April 1977, the album peaked a month later at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Soul chart, and at No. 6 on the Billboard 200.
Showdown is the sixteenth studio album by the Isley Brothers, released on April 22, 1978, on their T-Neck Records label. Singles released from the album include the #1 funk/disco hit, "Take Me to the Next Phase" and the top 20 R&B slower, "Groove With You". The album became another platinum album for the Isley Brothers. It was remastered and expanded for inclusion in the 2015 released CD box set The RCA Victor & T-Neck Album Masters, 1959-1983.
Go All the Way is an album by the Isley Brothers, released on their T-Neck imprint on April 19, 1980.
Grand Slam is the nineteenth album by the Isley Brothers, released on their T-Neck imprint via CBS Records on March 21, 1981. The album was recorded and mixed digitally.
Inside You is the 20th album by the Isley Brothers, released on T-Neck Records on December 1, 1981.
Between the Sheets is the 22nd album released by The Isley Brothers on their T-Neck imprint on April 24, 1983. The album is notable for the title track, the follow-up hit "Choosey Lover", and the ballad "Touch Me".
"Harvest for the World" is a 1976 single released by American musical group The Isley Brothers on their T-Neck imprint. It was the title track from their 1976 album Harvest for the World.
"Pop That Thang" is a 1972 funk song released by The Isley Brothers on their T-Neck imprint. Co-written by the three Isley brothers: O'Kelly, Rudolph and Ronald, Howard Kelly and Clive Otis, the song is an uptempo dance number that was featured on the group's 1972 album, Brother, Brother, Brother. A successful record, it reached No.3 on the national R&B charts and No.24 on the pop singles chart. Billboard ranked it as the No. 100 song for 1972.
"Choosey Lover" is a 1983 soul song by The Isley Brothers.
"The Pride" is a 1977 funk song by The Isley Brothers, released on their T-Neck imprint. The song, which was the first single released from their album, Go For Your Guns, was written as a warning to politicians to be the leader that the people need and to others who want change reminding them that "the pride makes (them) feel that (they) belong". The song was one of several socially conscious political songs the Isleys recorded throughout the 1970s including "Fight the Power Pts. 1 & 2" and "Harvest for the World". While the song peaked at sixty-three on the pop charts, it reached number-one on the R&B singles chart becoming the group's third number one on the chart.
"Lay Away" is a 1972 funk-rock single released by The Isley Brothers on their T-Neck imprint. Released as the first record off their Brother, Brother, Brother album, the song depicted the narrator's description of how his lover's love was so special that he wanted to have for keeps just in case. The song took the riff of Honey Cone's "Want Ads" especially in the bridges. The song was significant for showcasing brother Ernie on lead guitar for the first time on an Isley Brothers record. Written and produced by elder brothers O'Kelly, Rudolph and Ronald, the song charted at number fifty-four pop and number six R&B in the spring of 1972.
"It's a Disco Night " is a 1979 club hit for The Isley Brothers, released on their T-Neck label as the second single from their gold-certified album Winner Takes All. The song is notable for being one of the few disco-based songs the Isley Brothers released. Beforehand, the group were known for their mixture of funk, rhythm and blues and rock. The song was led by brother Ronald Isley while his brothers Kelly and Rudolph Isley chanted "rock don't stop" in the background. The song briefly charted on the Billboard Hot 100 peaking at number 90, hitting number 27 on the R&B chart. Outside the US, "It's a Disco Night" reached number 14 on the UK Singles chart.
