James Brown: I can has some?

December 2, 2008 10:21 PM

Where should I start with James Brown? Best recording.

I don't have any of his recordings and I want to find the best definitive James Brown. Amazon has like 20 suggestions.

To give you background...I'm not the girl that wants the greatest hits...I want the equivalent of "What's Going On" or at least the equiv of the Bob Dylan Greatest Hits of my youth (ie not the adult contemporary).

Just tell me what to buy to get my funking grooooooooove on...

posted by slo to media & arts (17 comments total)

I own
Live at the Apollo
and
Star Time (Box Set),
enough to last a lifetime
posted by doncoyote at 10:39 PM on December 2, 2008

His masterpiece is "Live At The Apollo" (the 1962 recording, remastered and expanded.) It'll definitely get your groove on. I know it's unusual to recommend a live recording as the answer to this sort of question, but this one's pretty widely considered his masterpiece.
posted by Dee Xtrovert at 10:40 PM on December 2, 2008

If you want a single recording then yes, Apollo; he was young, energetic and righteous. However, his later works were great as well. Grab a greatest hits compilation to see what you like. One of his great songs not on Apollo is "Payback."
posted by caddis at 10:53 PM on December 2, 2008

Since the man never made a bad recording in his life, the clear answer is: buy any of them, because you will end up with all of them anyway.
posted by flabdablet at 11:05 PM on December 2, 2008

If you are wanting to find out whats worth digging about JB, with a 'performer' like James Brown if you are just listening to the music you are only getting one aspect of him. He was a singer and a dancer. Check out some videos on youtube for the complete package. Then you will truly understand the funk.
posted by GleepGlop at 11:56 PM on December 2, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Everybody mentions "Live At The Apollo," but I'm not a big fan of that period. Maybe I'm a snob, but for my money the first step should be "Love Power Peace" from 1971.
posted by rhizome at 12:30 AM on December 3, 2008

Beware. There is another "Live at the Apollo" version you can get, recorded in the eighties, if memory serves, when he was on his uppers and features rather more synthesisers than would usually be advised. I know because I wrote the liner notes.

I was young and needed the money

His best performance that I ever saw was "Do It To Death" in the film "When We Were Kings". I don't believe you can get it on CD, but it is on the Choob
posted by Jofus at 1:41 AM on December 3, 2008

I want the equivalent of "What's Going On"

I think you should try »The Payback« (the album that is).
posted by soundofsuburbia at 2:43 AM on December 3, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Nth-ing Payback, but I would add that you may want to look at JB's albums and work your way deeper into James Brown. You could start with the JB's Anthology put out in the 1990's and work your way through the albums.

You might order two of them as you will burn a hole in the anthology.
posted by Pollomacho at 5:14 AM on December 3, 2008

for my money the first step should be "Love Power Peace" from 1971.

No one can go wrong with "Love Power Peace".
posted by ersatz at 5:16 AM on December 3, 2008

Without knowing whether you'd prefer the Live at the Apollo or Love Power Peace eras, I'd say Star Time--one of the best box sets in pop music. And JB's more a singles artist than an album one, so you're not giving up much.

Or, if you insist on a single disc, either In the Jungle Groove, Love Power Peace or Sex Machine (note: I myself am most partial to the original-JBs lineup, and starting with that group will allow you to move in both directions afterward). I'm not sure I'd say there's a What's Going On in there--like I said, he was more of a singles artist.

And now, the weirder suggestions: a compilation of international James Brown covers called Jump Back was released recently. Alternately, DJ Premier, J-Rocc, DJ Platurn and others have done JB tribute mixes (there was a big boom in them after he died). James Brown is a towering figure--one way to get a sense of his stature is by looking at the shadow he cast.
posted by box at 7:59 AM on December 3, 2008

You have to understand that James Brown was never an album-oriented artist. He came from a singles-oriented R&B tradition, and never really left it. Marvin Gaye left that behind to make "What's Going On," but JB never really did. So you shouldn't really feel too bad about comprimising artistic vision by not buying an album. His LPs were basically compilations of (typically spectacular) singles throughout his career.

That said, the albums that *are* actually albums are the live records, and James Brown was and remains the king of live albums. The 1963 Live at the Apollo mentioned above is pretty much a perfect record, though it is very much an R&B/soul album, not a funk album, if that makes a difference to you. James is generally credited with inventing funk with "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" in 1965 or so. (The technical difference being an emphasis on the first beat of the measure, rather than the second and fourth as is typical in R&B). There's also a 1968 Live at the Apollo which is pretty great, too. If you're into the funk specifically, probably the best live album for that is Revolution of the Mind (Live at the Apollo V. 3).

As others have said above, the "Star Time" four-disc set is probably pretty cheap used on Amazon or something, and it's very well chosen. Also, the JBs two disc anthology is a spectacular compilation of the mostly-instrumental work put out under his band's name. If you're looking for a single LP, "In the Jungle Groove" is pretty spectacular.
posted by YoungAmerican at 8:08 AM on December 3, 2008

Like others have said, if you want a single album then 'The Payback' is the place to start. I would also get 'In the Jungle Groove' with the caveat that it's a compilation album.
posted by ob at 8:56 AM on December 3, 2008

another vote for the payback...easily his best non compilation album.
posted by saul wright at 9:32 AM on December 3, 2008

ditto on Payback as a studio album..... but Live At The Apollo is a must-have, as well.
posted by peewinkle at 9:57 AM on December 3, 2008

Live at the Apollo II, dynoMITE!
posted by 4Lnqvv at 7:54 AM on December 6, 2008

Great double-disc set: Foundations of Funk - A Brand New Bag 1964-1969.

First disc has hits, shows his evolution. Second disc is the deep funk I listen to when I want to listen to JB - "Licking Stick Licking Stick" "Say It Loud I'm Black & I'm Proud" "Funky Drummer" etc.

Followed by Funk Power 1970 and Make it Funky - The Big Payback 1971-1975.
posted by barjo at 8:27 AM on December 9, 2008