James Brown. It would probably take every spare MB of space on the internet to accurately reflect everything good about the man who over the years has earned himself the tag of ‘The Godfather of Soul’ His success was no overnight wonder and those who can remember his pre Sex Machine recordings of the 1960’s will agree that his soul pedigree is the envy of every black artist (past and present) this world has has ever known.
There cannot be a song of Brown’s that hasn’t been sampled during the last twenty years and indeed his late eighties recording of ‘I’m Real’ with Full Force was a kick back at the groups who were using his recordings/voice to sample on their own records. From 1964 onwards James Brown WAS the business and evidence of that statement is contained within this superb collection of songs taken from 1958-1975 (arguably his best period) and by checking out our review of his legendary ‘Live At The Appollo’ CD on this site.
Hit songs were a regular occurrence for Brown on the national billboard chart in the US, but number one hits on the R & B charts were even more so, where his presence at the top were simply a formality. Listen to his 1965 recording of ‘Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag’ to capture the raw and exciting sound that Brown generated, and listen to that awesome bass-line and tight production. It is no wonder that Otis Redding recorded the song for his ‘Whisky A Go-Go’ LP in 1968. ‘I Feel Good’ captures the same excitement from the same era and now features heavily as a TV advertisement in the UK. I have in my collection three separate full length video clips of James performing these songs an his performance is nothing short of breathtaking. This is where Michael Jackson learnt his dance routines.
‘It’s A Mans World’ from 1965 is now considered as one of the all-time soul ballads of that period and is so far removed from the James Brown of the seventies, as this is one of the few songs from his repertoire that features an orchestra. Delivered in spine tingling perfection. If the recording buying public thought that these songs were good then nothing could prepare then for what was about to happen in 1970 with the issue of ‘Sex Machine’ which transpired to be the first official funk record of that era. The opening rap is a stone killer, the groove is something else!!!
It was to be a massive hit across the world and the whole world was suddenly using a new ‘buzz word’ – FUNK - all thanks to this new brand of dance music pioneered into commercialism by the man himself. After the success of Sex Machine he could do no wrong and the next 7 years saw him rarely out of the charts, and dancefloors across the globe grooved to his music. ‘Hot Pants’ cashed in on the fashion craze of the early seventies, with ‘Soul Power’ delivering that ultimate guitar riff that would kill at 100yards. ‘Body Heat’ would attract the same commercial appeal as Sex Machine and this song was one of the most played soul/dance records of 1975. A chart placing in the UK followed.
The continued success of his music rolled on and ‘Get Up Offa That Thing’ became another dance anthem with James’ call and response style that had made him a superstar across the world. ‘Funky Drummer’ went on to become one of the most sampled piece of soul music the world had ever seen and remains to be used in 2002.
Readers of this review will NOT be disappointed with this collection and with so many James Brown CD’s available in the world today this is a damn good starting point for anyone wanting to sample the delight’s of the Godfather Of Soul’ – essential purchase.
Rating 10/10