When the four-disc Star Time box was released in 1991, James Brown's catalog sorely needed an overhaul; much of it was out of print, and what was available was hardly befitting of his magnitude. Star Time got everything right: it put Brown's hugely influential career into striking perspective, helping to complete his critical renaissance, and the richness of its music set a standard for box sets in general. It was no easy task to balance Brown's lengthy, multi-part funk workouts with the need to include all of his most significant tracks, and the compilers did an excellent job in deciding when and when not to truncate ("Cold Sweat," for example, must be heard in its entirety). There's nothing from Live at the Apollo (which should be experienced start to finish), and his last hurrah on the pop charts, "Living in America," is missing, but these 71 tracks cover all the other high points, and make an eloquent case for Brown as the greatest R&B artist of all time. Disc One covers Brown's early R&B years, when his pleading intensity helped lay the groundwork for soul music. Disc Two, however, is where his genius truly crystallizes -- it basically chronicles the birth of funk, as Brown gradually discards song structure in favor of working hard grooves; it also offers a picture of Brown's emergence as a bandleader and spokesman for black pride. Disc Three features Brown's hardest funk, including his much-revered material with the Bootsy Collins band. Disc Four traces Brown's later creative decline, yet he duplicated his former glories often enough to make this disc a surprisingly solid listen; plus, his massive impact on hip-hop is underlined on the last track, the Afrika Bambaataa duet "Unity." Star Time paved the way for several other excellent compilations which highlighted different parts of Brown's vast legacy, but as the definitive retrospective of one of the most important musicians of the 20th century (black or otherwise), it has yet to be equaled.
If I had to pick a single song to demonstrate the magic of James Brown's live performances, I'd choose "Cold Sweat" from the album "Say It Live And Loud: Live In Dallas 08.26.68". It's 13 minutes of pure funky joy - much superior to the (shorter) versions on the Apollo albums ("Live At The Apollo (1962)", "Live at the Apollo (1968)"). JB even slips in quotes of Sam & Dave's "Soul Man" and Lee D...
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*To post this song.* James Brown has been covered on MOG well beyond my scope of knowledge. What is important is, I liked the man and many of the things he stood for ('cept abuse, robbery, and other criminal activity). His music makes me dance. And if you really knew me, that's a tough thing to do. Round my house, It's against all of the rules to talk louder than Mr. Charles and Mr. Brown is si...
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diggin, through my stax of wax, and found this. i dedicate this song to my wife because she truly is mother popcorn.
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I put together this set of a few of the hip hop tracks that sample James Brown's "The Payback". Enjoy!01. "I Wanna be Down Remix" - Brandy ƒ. MC Lyte, Yo Yo, & Queen Latifah02. "Just Rhymin' With Biz" - Big Daddy Kane ƒ. Biz Markie03. "Mic Checka" - Das EFX04. "They Want EFX" - Das EFX05. "Jackin' For Beats" - Ice Cube06. "Black Coffee" - Heavy D & The Boys07. "Payback Is A Grandmother" - Comm.
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If I had to pick a single song to demonstrate the magic of James Brown's live performances, I'd choose "Cold Sweat" from the album "Say It Live And Loud: Live In Dallas 08.26.68". It's 13 minutes of pure funky joy - much superior to the (shorter) versions on the Apollo albums ("Live At The Apollo (1962)", "Live at the Apollo (1968)"). JB even slips in quotes of Sam & Dave's "Soul Man" and Lee D...
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 "Star Time")
