Top 102 Albums. No 53.
Revolution of the Mind - James Brown
"Make it funky!"
James Brown's reputation relies to a huge extent on his live performances and live albums. And in my humble opinion, based on barely concealed ignorance, I think this is the best of the lot. From the hi energy schmaltz of Danny Ray's introduction to his final invocation to give it up one more time for Soul Brother No. 1 this is driving, passionate, funky music. The band are startlingly good, a sweat drenched machine, and they follow wherever Brown leads, starting, stopping, chopping it up and laying down an unholy groove. That this was a collective rebuilt in a few months makes their telepathic tightness all the more incredible.
Brown's music is famously the most sampled of all and it's easy to see why. The way the guitars. horns and drums lock down riffs, break them apart and bring them back even bigger than the last time is awe inspiring. Miles Davis talks about how James Brown influenced him. That says it all.
They say writing about music is like dancing about architecture. Time to dance. Time to Get Up and Get Into It.
It's Superbad!
Not familiar with this one...you have set it up nicely Seamus, is Bootsy on bass?
ReplyDeleteBrendan
Bootsy left a few months before this, along with his brother, but you'd never know this band was put together in a few months. There is another live album from 1971 released in 1992 with the original J.B.'s including Bootsy on bass. It was going to be released at the time but then the band jumped ship. It's on my to be listened to list.
DeleteI have that one... Love Power Peace.. it's very good.
DeleteI've got 'Live at the Apollo' with classic "Oooowwww" moment.
ReplyDelete"I feel so I good I wanna scream! I feel just like I wanna scream!".
"Go ahead and scream!", comes the reply.
"OOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!"
Which always reminds me of Bonehead Bono's 'Everytime I clap my hands a child in Africa dies' to which a wag with an Irish brogue replies:
"Well stop fecking clapping then ya cruel bastard..."