James Brown

The Payback (1974)One Of JB's Coolest LPs"Originally released in 1973 as a sprawling two-LP set, The Payback was one of James Brown's most ambitious albums of the 1970's, and also one of his best, with Brown and his band relentlessly exploring the outer possibilities of the James Brown groove. Stretching eight cuts out over the space of nearly 73 minutes, The Payback is long on extended rhythmic jamming, and by this time Brown and his band had become such a potent and nearly telepathic combination that the musicians were able pull out lengthy solos while still maintaining some of the most hypnotic funk to be found anywhere, and on the album's best songs — the jazzy "Time Is Running Out Fast", the relentless "Shoot Your Shot", the tight-wound "Mind Power", and the bitter revenge fantasy of the title cut — the tough, sinuous rhythms and the precise interplay between the players is nothing short of a wonder to behold. Quite simply, this is remarkable stuff. The Payback turned out to be one of James Brown's last inarguably great albums before he hit a long fallow streak in the mid-to-late 70's, but no one listening to this set would ever imagine that this was the work of an artist (or a band) about to run out of gas." - The All Music Guide (@320) Link in Comments



The Payback (7:40)Doing The Best I Can (7:42)
Take Some... Leave Some (8:34)
Shoot Your Shot (8:09)
Forever Suffering (5:52)
Time Is Running Out Fast (12:48)
Stone To The Bone (10:15)
Mind Power (12:05)