James Brown
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As the world's hippest musical icon, James Brown has only just begun to outlive and outshine Elvis and whomever else one may name. Time will prove, if it has not already, that our old neighbor from Augusta has been the single greatest influence on contemporary dance music. Of course he is also the venerated, dues-paying, quintessential, "real thing" soul singer the state of Georgia never could evict. Heunh! James Brown & the Famous Flames recorded the classic soul sides on the King label, including the most famous, such as "Cold Sweat" and "I Got You." But his last years on King and early years on Polydor/People were even richer times. Funk was developed and essentially exhausted by Brown and his People. Dozens of classic LPs and singles still hold up beautifully against almost everything funky produced since. For many of his hits, some of the many compilations will suffice. But the number of alternate takes, secondary "parts," rare single sides, guest appearances, and so on is staggering. With a compilation LP and the original 45, it is possible to mix multiple segments and versions of the same great track. Add all the productions of the James Brown family of related artists, and the Godfather of Soul's music becomes an idiom unto itself. Buying: Nearly all late King (1968-1970, King #s 1030 & up) and Polydor/People LPs are essential. Smash and early King LPs are good for completists; singles and compilations suffice for others. Skip 1980s recordings. For real class, nothing beats a James Brown 78. |
James Brown [Solo] LPs
| Rating | |
| 7 | Please Please Please; King 610; 1959/1956-58 (reissued w/different jacket as King 909; 1964) |
| 7 | Try Me; King 635; 1959 (The Unbeatable James Brown; King 919; 1964) |
| 7 | Think; King 683; 1960/1959-60 (reissued w/different jacket in 1964) |
| 7 | The Amazing James Brown & the Famous Flames; King 743; 1961/1960-61 |
| 8 | Various: Twist Around; King 771; 1961 (James Brown, Hank Marr, the Wobblers, Herb Hardesty, Henry Moore, Clifford Scott; jacket: "James Brown Presents his Band featuring 'Night Train'"; reissued as Jump Around--same #) |
| 7 | Shout & Shimmy; King 780; 1962/1957-61 (Good Good Twistin', Excitement--same #) |
| 8 | James Brown & his Famous Flames Tour the U.S.A.; King 804; 1962 |
| 8 | At the Apollo; King 826; 1963 (live; several reissues) |
| 7 | Prisoner of Love; King 851; 1963/1962 (3 cuts older, reissued) |
| 7 | Mr. Dynamite; King 883; 1964 ("Pure Dynamite!"; rec. live at the Royal in Baltimore, except 2 w/overdubbed applause) |
| 6 | James Brown: Showtime; Mercury/Smash SRS-67054; 1964 ("live"--overdubbed applause) |
| 5 | Grits & Soul; Mercury/Smash SRS-67057; 1964 |
| 6 | Out of Sight; Mercury/Smash SRS-67109; 1964 (minus 1 cut as JB Sings Out of Sight; Mercury/Smash SRS-67109; 1968) |
| 8 | Papa's Got a Brand New Bag; King 938; 1965 (reissue except title cuts) |
| 6 | James Brown Plays James Brown Today & Yesterday; Mercury/Smash SRS-67072; 1965 |
| 8 | I Got You (I Feel Good); King 946; 1966 (reissues single 6015 & other single/LP tracks) |
| 8 | Mighty Instrumentals; King 961; 1966/1960-65 (compilation) |
| 7 | James Brown Plays New Breed; Mercury/Smash SRS-67080; 1966/1965 |
| 7 | "Soul Brother #1" James Brown: It's a Man's Man's Man's World; King 985; 1966 (reissues single 6025 & other single/LP cuts except title song) |
| 7 | James Brown & the Famous Flames: Christmas Album; King 1010; 1966 (jacket: James Brown & his Famous Flames Sing Christmas Songs) |
| 6 | James Brown at the Organ: Handful of Soul; Mercury/Smash SRS-67084; 1966 |
| 6 | The James Brown Show; Mercury/Smash SRS-67087; 1967/1966 (live) |
| 7 | James Brown Sings Raw Soul; King 1016; 1967/1964-67 |
| 7 | James Brown Plays the Real Thing; Mercury/Smash SRS-67093; 1967/1966 |
| 7 | At the Garden; King 1018; 1967 (live) |
| 8 | Cold Sweat; King 1020; 1967/1964-67 |
| 7 | Live at the Apollo Vol. 2; King 1022; 1968/1967 (live; 2-LP/2-vol. version shares this number) |
| 8 | I Can't Stand Myself When You Touch Me; King 1030; 1968/1967 |
| 8 | I Got the Feelin'; King 1031; 1968/1967-68 |
| 6 | [James Brown Plays] Nothing But Soul; King 1034; 1968/1967-68 (soul-jazz instrumental) |
| 8 | Thinking About Little Willie John & a Few Nice Things; King 1038; 1968 (1/2 vocal tribute; 1/2 instrumental) |
| 9 | Soulful Christmas; King 1040; 1968 (some great non-Xmas breakbeat/vibes instrumentals) |
| 7 | Say it Loud--I'm Black & I'm Proud; King 1047; 1969/1967-68 |
| 7 | Gettin' Down to It; King 1051; 1969/1968-69 (w/Dee Felice Trio) |
| 8 | James Brown Plays & Directs the Popcorn; King 1055; 1969/1968 ("JB Directs & Dances the Popcorn"; instrumental) |
| 8 | It's a Mother; King 1063; 1969/1967-69 |
| 7 | Ain't It Funky Now; King 1092; 1969/1966-69 (mostly instrumental) |
| 8 | Soul on Top; King KS-1100 (w/Louis Bellson Orchestra conducted by Oliver Nelson); 1970/1969 |
| 9 | It's a New Day So Let a Man Come In [& Do the Popcorn]; King 1095; 1970/1969 |
| 7 | Sex Machine; King 1115; 1970/1969-70 (2-LP; [pseudo-] live; Sex Machine Live; Polydor PD-2-9004; 1976) |
| 7 | Hey America It's Christmas; King 1124; 1970 (see 45s for additional instrumentals) |
| 8 | Super Bad; King 1127; 1971/1970 ([pseudo-] live; Vicki Anderson sings "Let it Be Me") |
| 7 | Sho is Funky Down Here; King KS-1110; 1971/1968-70 (psyche-rock instrumentals, like early Hendrix, w/David Matthews Trio) |
| 8 | Hot Pants; Polydor PD-4054; 1971 (Gema 2425-086) |
| 8 | Live at the Apollo; Polydor 823-001-1 (2-LP reissue of King LPs) |
| 6 | Revolution of the Mind (Live at the Apollo Vol. 3); Polydor PD-2-3003; 1972 (2-LP, live) |
| 9 | Soul Classics; Polydor SC-5401; 1972 (compilation reissuing King) |
| 8 | There It Is; Polydor PD-5028; 1972/1970-72 |
| 8 | Get on the Good Foot; Polydor PD-2-3004; 1972 (2-LP) |
| 7 | Black Caesar ST; Polydor PD-6014; 1973 |
| 8 | Slaughter's Big Rip-Off ST; Polydor PD-6015; 1973 |
| 9 | Soul Classics Vol. 2; Polydor SC-5402; 1973 (compilation reissuing King) |
| 9 | The Payback; Polydor PD-2-3007; 1974/1973 (2-LP) |
| 8 | Hell; Polydor PD-2-9001; 1974/1973-74 (2-LP) |
| 6 | Reality; Polydor PD-6039; 1975 |
| 7 | Sex Machine Today; Polydor PD-6042; 1975 |
| 7 | Everybody's Doin' the Hustle & Dead on the Double Bump; Polydor PD-6054; 1975 |
| 6 | Hot; Polydor PD-6059; 1976 |
| 5 | Get Up Offa That Thing; Polydor PD-1-6071; 1976 |
| 5 | Bodyheat; Polydor PD-6093; 1976 | 5 | Mutha's Nature; Polydor PD-6111; 1977 | 9 | Solid Gold (30 Golden Hits, 21 Golden Years); Polydor 2679-044; 1977 (2-LP compilation) |
| 5 | Jam/1980's; Polydor PD-1-6140; 1978 |
| 5 | Take a Look at Those Cakes; Polydor PD-1-6191; 1979 |
| 5 | Gravity; Scotti Bros. |
| 5 | People; Polydor PD-6258; 1980 |
| 5 | Hot on the One; Polydor PD-2-6290; 1980 (2-LP, live in Tokyo) |
| 4 | Soul Syndrome; T.K. 615; 1980 |
| 8 | The Best of; Polydor 422-823275-1; 1981 (compilation; probably all monaural despite stereo label) |
| 8 | The James Brown Story--Ain't That a Groove 1966-1969; Polydor 422-821231-1; 1984/1966-69 (compilation; all monaural despite stereo label) |
| Doing it to Death; Polydor (compilation) | |
| 8 | The Fabulous James Brown; HRB DD-1004 (2-LP compilation) |
| 9 | In the Jungle Groove; Polydor 829-624-1-Y-2; 1986/1969-70 (2-LP compilation--unreleased/remix/reissue) |
| 8 | Motherlode; Polydor/PolyGram 837-126-1; 1988/1969-72 (compilation--unreleased/rarities) |
| 8 | Santa's Got a Brand New Bag; Rhino R1-70194; 1988 (compilation from Christmas LPs & 45s) |
| 8 | Star Time 4-CD Box; 1991 (overpackaged but comprehensive singles compilation w/book; best for several previously unreleased versions--undubbed, full-length, live, mono, stereo) |
Partly James Brown LPs
| Rating | |
| 7 | Various: Heavy Hits; Adam VIII A-8010; 1974 ("The Payback"--voiceover/announcement version--"This one is for Atlanta...") |
| 7 | Various: Rare Funk Vol. 5--Afro Funk; Cobalt COBLP-1008 ("Don't Tell It") |
| 8 | Various: Soul Train--Hits that Made it Happen; Adam VIII ("Good Foot") |
| 8 | Various: Superbad is Back; K-Tel |
James Brown 45s
| Rating | |
| 7 | James Brown with the Flames: Please, Please, Please/Why Do You Do Me; Federal 12258; 1956 (same as the 78, which credits "the Famous Flames") |
| 6 | James Brown & the Famous Flames: I Don't Know/I Feel that Old Feeling Coming On; Federal 12264; 1956 |
| 6 | James Brown & the Famous Flames: No, No, No, No/Hold My Baby's Hand; Federal 12277; 1956 |
| 6 | James Brown & the Famous Flames: Just Won't Do Right/Let's Make It; Federal 12289; 1956 |
| 7 | James Brown & the Famous Flames: Chonnie-on-Chon/I Won't Plead No More; Federal 12290; 1957 |
| 6 | James Brown & the Famous Flames: Can't Be the Same/Gonna Try; Federal 12292; 1957 |
| 7 | James Brown & the Famous Flames: Love or a Game/Messing with the Blues; Federal 12295; 1957 |
| 6 | James Brown & the Famous Flames: You're Mine, You're Mine/I Walked Alone; Federal 12300; 1957 |
| 6 | James Brown & the Famous Flames: That Dood It/Baby Cries Over the Ocean; Federal 12311; 1957 |
| 6 | James Brown & the Famous Flames: Begging, Begging/That's When I Lost My Heart; Federal 12316; 1958 |
| 8 | James Brown & the Famous Flames: Try Me/Tell Me What I Did Wrong; Federal 12337; 1958 |
| 6 | James Brown & the Famous Flames: I Want You So Bad/There Must be a Reason; Federal 12348; 1959 |
| 6 | James Brown & the Famous Flames: I've Got to Change/It Hurts to Tell You; Federal 12352; 1959 |
| 7 | James Brown & the Famous Flames: Good Good Lovin'/Don't Let it Happen to Me; Federal 12361; 1959 |
| 6 | James Brown & the Famous Flames: Got to Cry/It Was You; Federal 12364; 1959 |
| 7 | James Brown Presents his Band: Suds/Sticky; King 4585; 1961 (mod instrumentals) |
| 8 | James Brown & the Famous Flames: Night Train/Why Does Everything Happen To Me; King 5614; 1962 (rec. 1961 & 1957) |
| James Brown Presents his Band: Feel It Parts 1 & 2; King 5767; 1963 | |
| 9 | James Brown & the Famous Flames: Papa's Got a Brand New Bag Parts 1 & 2; King 5999; 1965 |
| 8 | I Got You (I Feel Good)/I Can't Help It (I Just Do-Do-Do); King 6015; 1965 |
| 7 | Ain't That a Groove Parts 1 & 2; King 6025; 1966 |
| 7 | It's a Man's Man's Man's World/Is It Yes Or Is It No?; King 6035; 1966 |
| 6 | Mashed Potatoes-"66"/same; King [11221]; 1966 (vocal) |
| 7 | Don't Be a Drop-Out/Tell Me That You Love Me; King 6056; 1966 (live B side) |
| 6 | James Brown & the Famous Flames: The Christmas Song Versions 1 & 2; King 6064; 1966 (ballad) |
| Let's Make This Christmas Mean Something Parts 1 & 2; King 6072; 1966 | |
| 7 | Kansas City/Stone Fox; King 6086 |
| 9 | Cold Sweat Parts 1 & 2; King 6110; 1967 |
| 7 | Funky Soul #1/The Soul of J.B.; King 6133; 1967 |
| 9 | I Can't Stand Myself (When You Touch Me)/There Was a Time; King 6144; 1967 |
| 8 | James Brown & the Famous Flames: I Got the Feelin'/If I Ruled the World; King 6155; 1968 |
| 7 | Shhhhhhhh (for a Little While)/Here I Go; King 6164; 1968 (instrumental soul jazz) |
| 9 | Licking Stick--Licking Stick Parts 1 & 2; King 6166; 1968 |
| 7 | Shades of Brown/Goodbye My Love; King 6198; 1968 |
| 8 | Tit for Tat (Ain't No Taking Back)/Believers Shall Enjoy (Non-Believers Shall Suffer); King 6204; 1968 |
| 8 | In the Middle (Part 1)/Let's Unite the Whole World at Christmas; King 6205; 1968 (A-side funk instrumental, both from LP 1040) |
| 7 | A Man Has to Go Back to the Crossroads/The Drunk; Bethlehem 3098; 1970 |
| 8 | Funky Drummer Parts 1 & 2; King 6209; 1970/1969 |
| 8 | Give It Up or Turnit-A-Loose/I'll Lose My Mind; King 6213; 1970 (both vocal) |
| 9 | The Popcorn/"The Chicken"; King 6240; 1970 |
| 8 | Lowdown Popcorn/Top of the Stack; King 6250; 1970/1969 |
| 8 | Let a Man Come in & Do the Popcorn Part 1/Sometime; King 6245; 1970 |
| 8 | Let a Man Come in & Do the Popcorn Part 2/Gittin' a Little Hipper Part 2; King 6275 (jazzy B-side); 1970 |
| 6 | It's Christmas Time Parts 1 & 2; King 6277; 1970 (ballad) |
| 8 | Brother Rapp Parts 1 & 2/Bewildered; King 6310; 1970/1969 |
| 9 | Get Up [I Feel Like Being a] Sex Machine Parts 1 & 2; King 6318; 1970 |
| 9 | Super Bad Parts 1-3; King 6329; 1970 |
| 8 | Hey America [It's Christmas]/instrumental; King 6339; 1970 (picture sleeve w/lyrics) |
| 6 | Santa Claus is Definitely Here to Stay/instrumental; King 6340; 1970 (picture sleeve) |
| 9 | Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved Parts 1 & 2; King 6347 (vocal duet w/Bobby Byrd); 1970 |
| 9 | Soul Power Parts 1-3; King 6368; 1971 |
| 8 | Hot Pants Parts 1-3; People 2501; 1971 |
| Talkin' Loud & Sayin' Nothing Parts 1 & 2; Polydor (rock version) 1972/1970 (withdrawn; vocal duet w/Bobby Byrd) | |
| 8 | Talkin' Loud & Sayin' Nothing Parts 1 & 2; Polydor PD-14109; 1972/1970 (vocal duet w/Bobby Byrd) |
| 7 | Honky Tonk Parts 1 & 2; Polydor PD-14129; 1972 ("live") |
| 8 | Public Enemy #1 Part 1/I Got a Bag of My Own; Polydor PD-14153; 1972 |
| 8 | I Got Ants in My Pants [and I Want to Dance] Parts 1 & 15-16; Polydor PD-14162; 1972 |
| 8 | Think ['73]/Something; Polydor PD-14185; 1973 (non-LP & heavy!) |
| 7 | Stone to the Bone Parts 1/Stone to the Bone (Some More); Polydor PD-14210; 1973 |
| 6 | Hustle!!!/Dead on It Parts 1 & 2; Polydor PD-14210; 1975 |
| 8 | Funky President (mono)/Coldblooded; Polydor PD-14258; 1974 |
| 6 | Get Up Offa That Thing/Release the Pressure (Get Up Offa That Thing Part 2); Polydor PD-14326; 1976 |
| 7 | The Spank/Love Me Tender; Polydor PD-14487; 1978 (B-side tribute to Elvis) |
| 5 | Living in America/same; Scotti Brothers ZS4-05682; 1985 (picture sleeve, promo for Rocky IV ST) |
| 7 | The Payback Mix...; Urban URBX-17; 1988 (12" EP w/2 remixes, 2 reissues) |
| 8 | Ain't it Funky Now Part 1/Funky Drummer Part 1; Collectables COL-4415; 1992 (reissue) |
James Brown 78s
| Rating | |
| 7 | James Brown with the Famous Flames: Please, Please, Please/Why Do You Do Me; Federal 12258; 1956 (same as the 45, which credits "the Flames") |
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