Inspired by the pretty good "Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown" doc.

Was explaining to my Mrs that he has a particularly convoluted discography and that there isn't a classic album as such; so it took the JB40 comp, then Star Time for me to become a convert.

Got me wonderin' what would be the ONE JB record if we were desert island disc-ing. I can't list them all, so vote if it's studio or live but PLEASE specify.

I get the feeling many will say Live at the Apollo vol 1, but I am not a big fan of his pre-'Cold Sweat' material and I refuse to believe that I am alone.

NO COMPILATIONS ALLOWED

Love power peace-Live in Paris 1971. This was supposed to come out as a triple album in the early 70s showcasing the entire JB revue but since he Bootsy band quit/got fired, he cancelled it and put out Revolution of the mind (also excellent) with his next band instead. The Paris show was finally released sometime in the early 90s with only the JB tracks (songs by Bobby Byrd etc were removed) and it's my favourite; the band is *shit-hot* with Catfish Collins playing awesome guitar throughout.

Btw, the original album as JB intended it with the other artits brief sets/intermissions included came out on vinyl a few years ägo but I haven't heard it and can't imagine it being as good.

That said, various comps are my faves.

He's what we call a "singles artist", and there is no shame in that. I don't think he knew how to make an album. By the 70's, when Sly and the Family Stone and Marvin Gaye were making concept albums, he was hardly even writing songs, it was just side-long extended grooves about fucking. And what's wrong with that? He was certainly not alone in not fitting the mold (no pun intended). Everybody knows Elvis, but he didn't have a Revolver.

jakethesnake wrote: Wed Mar 20, 2024 4:34 am Love power peace-Live in Paris 1971.

Thank you, I'm adding that to today's playlist.

Like others, the comps and collections are what I know best, because he was a singles guy. 20 greatest hits was my intro, and the one I know best, but I dunno if that's a good representation, it's just what I had at the time.

jakethesnake wrote: Wed Mar 20, 2024 4:34 am Love power peace-Live in Paris 1971. This was supposed to come out as a triple album in the early 70s showcasing the entire JB revue but since he Bootsy band quit/got fired, he cancelled it and put out Revolution of the mind (also excellent) with his next band instead. The Paris show was finally released sometime in the early 90s with only the JB tracks (songs by Bobby Byrd etc were removed) and it's my favourite; the band is *shit-hot* with Catfish Collins playing awesome guitar throughout.

Btw, the original album as JB intended it with the other artits brief sets/intermissions included came out on vinyl a few years ägo but I haven't heard it and can't imagine it being as good.

That said, various comps are my faves.

Yeah, if I have to pick one, this is it. If comps are allowed, I'm going with In the Jungle Groove. In terms of regular ol' studio records, Hell is close to perfect.

Clyde wrote: Wed Mar 20, 2024 9:43 am

Yeah, if I have to pick one, this is it. If comps are allowed, I'm going with In the Jungle Groove. In terms of regular ol' studio records, Hell is close to perfect.

Jungle groove was the one that got me into James Brown in the late 80s and it was actually the first comp that focused on the stuff that got sampled in Hip-hop rather than the earlier, more crossover friendly "I feel good" stuff. The later comp "Funk Power 1970" is the ideal comp for the Bootsy-era though.

I love the complete singles comps as well and have the 4 volumes that covers the 67-72 era. Oh yeah, Startime is a perfect boxset of course

For "regular" studio-albums, my faves are "It's a mother" (1969) , "There it is" (72) and I guess "the Payback" but comps cover all the best songs and more (many classics slipping between the cracks and not being on any album "proper"); the (mostly) instrumental albums by the JBs from the same era are probably stronger though but even there, the double "Funky good time" cover almost all bangers as well as killer non-album tracks...

In general I prefer studio over live performances on record. Not sure if there's any science to back me up on that, but to my ears everything sounds more pointed and compact. I'm not intimately familiar with the entirety of Brown's library to make a confident judgement call, but I'm currently listening to There It Is and enjoying the hell out of it. Never heard "King Heroin." The five-note guitar theme running throughout it sounds crazily like the same theme that run's through "It's a Man's Man's Man's World."

rsmurphy wrote: Thu Mar 21, 2024 10:34 am Never heard "King Heroin." The five-note guitar theme running throughout it sounds crazily like the same theme that run's through "It's a Man's Man's Man's World."

King Heroin is awesome and one of his best "curveballs" though I find it strange that he put it on the same record as the VERY similar "Public Emmy #1"; I guess a Good example of why he's not considered an album artist. Otherwise, "There it is" is a rare example of a JB album where the majority of songs were singles; It's kind of a comp of his singles on Polydor from 71-72 even if it has a *few* songs that I don't think were singles, killer collection of tunes either way...

LOVE POWER PEACE may be the greatest live album of all time. The on-a-dime downshift from "Brother Rapp" into "Ain't It Funky Now" is one of the greatest moments in recorded sound, period.

Studio-wise, there's no one album. STAR TIME is a ludicrously overstuffed treasure chest, but if one disc is the rule here, LPP wins.

adriansnergleman wrote: Thu Mar 21, 2024 5:09 pm The on-a-dime downshift from "Brother Rapp" into "Ain't It Funky Now" is one of the greatest moments in recorded sound, period.

It sure is.

Not sure what disc I'd take to my desert island, but honestly I think I'd be perfectly happy just listening to funky drummer on repeat forever.