To observers of the contemporary American musical scene, the Isley Brothers are generally regarded as the most significant contributors to twentieth century Western culture. Their two albums, Shout (RCA Victor, #LMP-2156) and Twist and Shout (Wand Records, #653) have rescued a sinking Rock and Roll culture in America and reshaped it; the Isley Brothers make Bill Haley look adolescent, Buddy Holly untalented, and Ray Charles pathetically tame.

The supreme four minutes and 25 seconds of thse albums are (of course) the trio's immortal "Shout." To the casual listener this is the greatest song ever recorded, but many aspects of its greatness are quite subtle. With the tenderness and power of Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde, the Isley brothers portrays lover's implorings:

Come on now,

Come on now,

Don't forget to say you will;

Don't forget to say yay yay yay

Say you will,

Say it right now baby,

Say you will,

Come on, come on...

Yvor Winters' criticism of the "Waste Land"--that it "exhibits no progression"--could not be levelled at "Shout": it exhibits a dynamic, organic development, from doubt to certainty, from melancholy to exaltation. Contrast the preceding passage with

Now that I got my woman

I feel all right;

Everytime I think about you,

You been so good to me,