James Brown | GET ON UP-THE JAMES | CD

Personnel: Paul Jackson, Jr. (guitar); Alfred "Pee Wee" Ellis (saxophone, organ); Eldee Williams, Al "Brisco" Clark, Charles Carr, Dan Higgins , Eric Marienthal, Jimmy Parker , Clifford MacMillan, Peyton "PJ" Johnson, William "Po Devil" Burgess, Joel Peskin, Maceo Parker, Nat Jones, Robert McCullough, St. Clair Pinckney, Jeff Driskill (saxophone); Joe Dupars, Waymon Reed, Russell Crimes, Clayton Gunnels, Isiah "Ike" Oakley, Joe Davis , Hollie Farris, Gary Grant, Lewis Hamlin, Robert Schaer, Charles Davis , Roscoe Patrick, Darryl "Hasaan" Jamison, Teddy Washington, Richard "Kush" Griffith, Ron Harper, Wayne Bergeron, Mack Johnson, Jerone "Jassan" Sanford, Ron Tooley (trumpet); Levi Rasbury, Alex Iles, Wilmer Milton, Fred Wesley, Andy Martin , William Frank "Bill" Reichenbach Jr. (trombone); Bobby Byrd (organ); Alvin "Fats" Gonder, Jim Cox, Mike Lawler (keyboards); Clyde Stubblefield, Melvin Parker, Nate Jones, Clayton Fillyau, John Morgan , John Starks, Don Martin , Nat Kendrick, Johnny Griggs (drums, percussion); Teddy Campbell (drums); Alyssa Park, Serena McKinney, Katia Popov, Martha High, Bruce Dukov, Charlie Bisharat (background vocals).
Audio Mixers: Andrew Hey; The Underdogs .
Recording information: Dallas, TX (03/08/1971); New York, NY (03/08/1971); Paris, France (03/08/1971); Tampa, FL (03/08/1971); Dallas, TX (04/23/1966); New York, NY (04/23/1966); Paris, France (04/23/1966); Tampa, FL (04/23/1966); Dallas, TX (08/26/1968); New York, NY (08/26/1968); Paris, France (08/26/1968); Tampa, FL (08/26/1968); Dallas, TX (10/24/1962); New York, NY (10/24/1962); Paris, France (10/24/1962); Tampa, FL (10/24/1962).
Arrangers: James Brown; The Underdogs .
James Brown was arguably the most important African-American artist of his generation, a musician whose work helped define his time and place while creating a sound that was his and his alone. Brown's sharp, percussive style upended R&B, gave birth to funk, and would provide the blueprint for hip-hop, while echoes of his innovative music could be heard in free jazz, new wave, electronic, and many other musical avenues. If anyone in popular music deserves a big-screen biopic, it's James Brown, and the soundtrack to Get On Up, a feature film based on Brown's life starring Chadwick Boseman as the Godfather of Soul, is a reminder that Brown was a pathbreaker in the studio and a supreme showman on the stage. Opening with the taut groove of 1970's "Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine," this album is dominated by Brown's sinewy, hard funk from the late '60s and '70s, such as the ferocious "Mother Popcorn," the tough but passionate "Cold Sweat," and the ominous "The Payback, Pt. 1," though there are reminders of earlier and more soulful hits like "Please Please Please," "Try Me," and "Caldonia." Along with the familiar studio recordings of several of Brown's biggest hits, Get On Up also folds in a number of vintage live recordings (including a ferocious take of "Night Train" from 1963's justifiably legendary Live at the Apollo), and if the studio was where he hatched the ideas to take his music in new and exciting directions, the stage was where he most effectively put his theories into practice, and the triple-play of 1971 live takes of "Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine," "Super Bad," and "Soul Power" is devastating, especially considering they were performed in real time into open mikes while some of the players were doing dance steps. With the exception of a heavily overdubbed version of "Try Me," most of these tracks appear in versions that are recognizable to fans, and while some of this material may have been tricked up for use onscreen, the bulk of the album sounds like pure James Brown, delivered in potent form. 1991's 20 All-Time Greatest Hits is still the best one-disc overview of Brown's most vital work, and Star Time remains that rare box set that's practically devoid of filler, but if a new generation of music fans is going to be introduced to the Hardest Working Man In Show Business by the movie Get On Up, at least the soundtrack album delivers a satisfying taste of what made him a legend. ~ Mark Deming

• Format: CD
• Genre: Pop
• Released: 7/29/2014
• Released: 07/29/2014