Between the Sheets (Isley Brothers album)

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". The song also appeared in the 2007 comedy film, Norbit.

Between the Sheets
Studio album by
The Isley Brothers
ReleasedApril 24, 1983
RecordedNovember 1982 – February 1983
StudioBearsville Studios, Bearsville, New York
GenreFunk, R&B, funk rock, smooth soul
Length46:16
LabelT-Neck Records
ProducerThe Isley Brothers
The Isley Brothers chronology
The Real Deal
(1982)		 Between the Sheets
(1983)		 Greatest Hits, Vol. 1
(1984)
Singles from Between the Sheets
  1. "Between the Sheets"
    Released: March 9, 1983
  2. "Choosey Lover"
    Released: 1983
  3. "I Need Your Body"
    Released: 1983
  4. "Let's Make Love Tonight"
    Released: 1984

Background
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic [1]

The Isley Brothers recorded songs for the album to react to disappointing sales of their albums, Inside You and The Real Deal, albums that failed to sell and produced no hit singles. The group returned to Bearsville Studios in November 1982 to work on the album. Like previous albums, all the instrumentation and composition was handled by Chris Jasper, Ernie Isley and younger brother Marvin. Some songs were initially devised as songs for a splinter project the trio were working on. Eventually, however, lead singer Ronald Isley sought interest in a few of the tracks, including the title song, which was composed by the trio of Jasper and the younger Isley brothers in response to Marvin Gaye's hit, "Sexual Healing".

Adding additional composition, Ronald helped to compose "Choosey Lover" with the younger brothers with the melody based on Earth, Wind & Fire's "Devotion". Other songs reflected on social commentary included "Slow Down Children", aimed at inner city youth, and the anti-war song, "Ballad for the Fallen Soldier". Much like The Real Deal, Jasper and the other Isleys began adding background vocals to the tracks, whereas in previous Isley records, the vocals had been handled primarily by Ronald and older brothers Kelly and Rudolph. Lead vocals in some songs were often shared by one or two of the brothers. But throughout the entire album, most of the album was vocally led by Ronald.

Release

Released the following April, the album returned the Isleys to the top of the R&B album charts and also peaked at number 19 on the Billboard 200. Both "Between the Sheets" and "Choosey Lover" became top ten hits on the R&B charts with "Between the Sheets" performing below the Hot 100. "Ballad for the Fallen Soldier" and "Let's Make Love Tonight" were released as promotional singles. Although it was not a single, the ballad "Touch Me" was also a hit. Eventually the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipments of one million copies alone in the United States.

The following year, due to tax problems the three elder Isley members were dealing with at the time, Ernie, Marvin and Chris Jasper left the group and formed Isley-Jasper-Isley.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Ernie Isley, Marvin Isley, Chris Jasper, Rudolph Isley, O'Kelly Isley and Ronald Isley.

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Choosey Lover"4:41
2."Touch Me"5:11
3."I Need Your Body"4:39
4."Between the Sheets"5:39
5."Let's Make Love Tonight"4:48
Side two
No.TitleLength
6."Ballad for the Fallen Soldier"5:18
7."Slow Down Children"4:21
8."Way Out Love"4:11
9."Gettin' Over"3:44
10."Rock You Good"3:34
2011 reissue bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
11."Between the Sheets" (Instrumental Version)4:56
12."Choosey Lover" (Instrumental Version)4:42
13."I Need Your Body" (Instrumental Version)4:36
14."Let's Make Love Tonight" (Instrumental Version)4:46
15."Between the Sheets" (Single Version)4:54

Personnel
  • Ronald Isley - lead and background vocals
  • O'Kelly Isley, Jr. - background vocals, co-lead on "Slow Down Children"
  • Rudolph Isley - background vocals, co-lead on "Way Out Love" and "Slow Down Children"
  • Ernie Isley - guitars, drum programming, percussion and background vocals (tracks 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9)
  • Marvin Isley - bass, percussion and background vocals (tracks 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9)
  • Chris Jasper - piano, keyboards, synthesizers, percussion, vocoder and background vocals (tracks 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9), lead vocals on "Rock You Good", co-lead on "Way Out Love", rap on "I Need Your Body" and "Ballad for the Fallen Soldier"

Charts
Chart (1983) Peak
position
Billboard Pop Albums[2] 19
Billboard Top Soul Albums[2] 1

Singles
Year Single Chart positions[2]
US
R&B
1983 "Between the Sheets" 3
"Choosey Lover" 6

Samples and covers
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References
  1. Lytle, Craig. The Isley Brothers: Between The Sheets > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved September 3, 2011.
  2. "The Isley Brothers US albums chart history". allmusic.com. Retrieved September 3, 2011.
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