Isley Brothers - 3 + 3 (1973)

The local Columbia distributor used to run a record store on Penang island in the '70s that I used to hang out in almost every Saturday. I would walk in with ecstatic anticipation and scour the shelves like a ravenous groove rat for new releases I had heard on the John Peel Show or read about in NME. On one occasion, I remember hearing 'That Lady' and 'Summer Breeze' (the Seals and Crofts song) from this LP at the shop and deciding to buy it on the strength of just those two tunes. Only problem was, I could afford only one LP from my school pocket money, and I had already chosen Argent's 'In Deep'. Imagine my disappointment!

Anyway, I managed to borrow a copy of the album and was quite thrilled to discover neat soul-inflected versions of James Taylor's 'Don't Le Me Be Lonely Tonight' and the Doobie Brothers's 'Listen to the Music'. After all these years, the music still sounds fresh and stimulating.