It might’ve been enough if the Isleys were at the height of their powers either as a ferocious group of funkateers laying down a knockout anti-bullshit agenda, or as purveyors of a stunning run of slow jams that could be singlehandedly responsible for the health of the satin-sheet industry. But they wouldn’t really be the Isleys if they didn’t excel at both, and Go For Your Guns is the tightest, most flawless Exhibit A you can get. The ballads smolder like volcanic rock: it’s a humbling experience to give in to intense emotional longing Ron thrillingly commands on lead vocals — “Footsteps in the Dark,” my god — while “Voyage to Atlantis” plays like the ’70s R&B answer to Jimi Hendrix’s “1983… (A Merman I Should Turn To Be)” (though maybe that’s just Ernie’s guitar speaking). And the more upbeat, funkier jams — “The Pride,” “Tell Me When You Need It Again,” the double-whammy of the “Livin’ in the Life”/title-cut closer — could melt the chrome off your receiver.