"Shout (Parts 1 & 2)"

The Isley Brothers - "Shout (Parts 1 & 2)" (1959)

Otis my man!



Parts 1 & 2? When originally released it was spread out over both sides of the single. Where was the break you ask? "/Now wait a minute/" (Isley). Right there, before the organ chords. That organ was the first sound you heard when you flipped the 45 over and played side 2. The organ playing in the background, while the the lead singer sings a sweet solo and you can hear the clapping and shouting of the "audience" is a deliberate call back to the gospel style of singing that the Isley Brothers started out singing.

Later on in their career they would record "Twist and Shout" which would be covered by The Beatles,  later they would be early Funk pioneers with their track "It's Your Thing", many hits and misses later they collaborated with R. Kelly for 2001s  "Contagious", making them a six decade success.  This song remains their most requested, most played and most well known, due to its use in commercials, by sports teams, and in movies, from the recent Wedding Crashers to the classic Animal House.

The record doesn't list any of the performers besides the three brothers on vocals. Obviously we've got church organ that really makes the second half of the song. Percussion wise, the tambourine is so loud and distinctive, that until the /a little bit softer now/ section, you can barely hear the full drum set playing. There is a guitar playing two quick chords on the and a of the beat, but the bass hitting on every beat is far more prominent in the mix.