A very important album for
the Isley Brothers, 1969's
It's Our Thing found
Ronald,
O'Kelly and
Rudolph Isley reviving their T-Neck label and marked the beginning of their association with Buddah (where they would remain until moving T-Neck to Epic/CBS in 1973). Creatively, this excellent LP put the siblings in the driver's seat -- they did all of the producing and songwriting themselves -- and they enjoyed the type of artistic freedom that they could only dream about when they were with Tamla/Motown from 1965-1968. At Tamla/Motown,
Berry Gordy's team of producers and songwriters called the shots, but at T-Neck/Buddah,
the Isleys' own vision was allowed to flourish. And that creative freedom made
It's Our Thing a commercial triumph as well as an artistic one. The funky title track soared to number two on the R&B charts, and equally invigorating gems like "Give the Women What They Want" and "I Know Who You Been Socking It To" also went down in history as soul classics. Nor are tough, gritty album tracks like "He's Got Your Love" and "I Must Be Losing My Touch" anything to complain about.
It's Our Thing made it clear that Tamla/Motown's loss was Buddah's gain.