With summer now in full swing, it's time for summer tunes. I guess everyone has a different interpretation on what constitutes "summer music" but for me, it's got to be laid back and upbeat. Having some "summer" reference in the lyrics doesn't hurt, either. So, in coming up with a summer-themed song for One Track Mind, it didn't take long to draw a bead on Seals & Crofts' 1972 megahit "Summer Breeze." Culled from the album of the same name, "Summer Breeze" was a perfect blend of pop craftsmanship, jazzy arrangements and seamlessly blended harmonies. But anyone who was around during that time or listens to classic soft-rock even casually today knows all that; no need to be redundant, here.
Instead, I'm thinking more about another version of this song. True, it's been covered so thoroughly throughout the years from Aladdin 5 to Percy Faith to Ramsey Lewis to Type O Negative... and by who knows how many hotel lobby bars. But one of the first covers, and perhaps the best, came barely after Seals & Crofts' hit single started sliding back down the charts. And by no less an act than the Isley Brothers.
During their early seventies era, the Isley Brothers covered a lot of popular songs of the day from a variety of artists from rock, folk and r&b; even their blockbuster "That Lady" is a remake of their own original from 1965. A bit of irony coming from the same musical act who originally made "Twist And Shout" a hit back in 1962 and then watched it become a staple among the Beatles' early hits and live setlist.
True to their form of that time, the Brothers' landmark 3 + 3 from 1973 contains many contemporary covers like the Doobie Brothers' "Listen To The Music" or Jonathan Edwards' "Sunshine (Go Away Today)," but it's also the album where the younger brothers Ernie (guitar, drums), Marvin (bass) and brother-in-law Chris Jasper on keyboards joined with vocalists Ronald, Rudolph, and O'Kelly full-time, making the Isleys a complete band for the first time.
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