Customer Reviews

Ballads: James Brown

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Harry Weinger has once again assembled another awesome collection for fans and historians. Some incredible stuff was not used (I'll get to that below); some better versions not used; session notes and dates - not here. But considering the many first-time CD entries and the strength of the performances, it's still Grammy-worthy!
The CD kicks off with the Sammy Lowe production of "Prisoner of Love", recorded in New York City, December, 1962. The arrangement became a perennial on the James Brown show, captured for the ages on Live at the Apollo, Vol. Two. A more intense rendition could never be imagined. [Check out the import video "Special Collection: Music Biography - James Brown 1956 - 1976 for an incredible workout from a '67 Ed Sullivan Show]. I still enjoy reflecting on the fact that JB never sings the actual title in his unique version.
The popular heart ballad "These Foolish Things", cut at the same session, is fine, however, I prefer the live version from the King album "Live at the Royal", where the substandard recording does not detract from a powerful performance. The final offer from that '62 studio set is "So Long", not a classic, but worth hearing from time to time.
"Lost Someone" and "Try Me" ofcourse *are* classics, but are presented here with overdubbed strings. The original pressings are preferable, so the tracks become deep fan/completist-only offerings.
"I Loves You Porgy" is a true "classic-to-be", if you will. A sensational vocal over a cool jazz piano. Hopefully, this CD will facilitate its' discovery for the more casual listener.
"Georgia on my Mind", recorded in Cincinnati in January of 1970, has an interesting history. JB performed the tune on a Mike Douglas Show about a month before and the actual telecast version was considered for release with Mike's intro. For whatever reason, the tune was recut, but retained the host's opening words. [For this reviewer, a better effort is found on the King album "It's A New Day So Let a Man Come In"].
The one we have been waiting for holds the #16 spot - "I Cried", a tune recorded by another King artist back in '63 and finally released by Brown in '71. With some unusual chord changes and a brilliant production we have an emotional and musical masterpiece.
Another great highlight is the February, 1969 recording of "Sometime", a ballad materializing three times over three decades for JB, first as "It Was You". The huge production includes Dee Felice on percussion.
At this point I feel that (presumed to exist) previously unreleased live versions of some of the above, plus items like "Nothing Beats A Try But A Fail", "Love Me Tender", and "Something" would have solidified an already awesome CD. It's been written that about eight shows were recorded live at the Apollo in July of '71. I can imagine what a previously unissued take of "Bewildered" from that stage would have meant to this collection.

The man known for lowdown, horn-driven funk, pyrotechnic dance moves, lust-filled grunts, and ear-splitting screams is showcased in a different light here. These are some of James' most tender recorded performances. So find someone to get close to, go down to the basement, and turn on the blue light! You would expect to find the greatest of all the James Brown ballads, "It's A Man's World," and, of course, it's here. This collection also features the studio versions of some great songs James performed on his legendary first live set at The Apollo (Lost Someone; Bewildered; I Don't Mind; and his first R&B chart-topper, Try Me). James also put his soulful spin on standards such as "These Foolish Things," "Prisoner Of Love," "I Wanna Be Around," and "Georgia On My Mind." James was always mindful of songs that influenced him, especially during the 50s and 60s, when most of these songs were released. But this collection rates only 4 stars with me, mainly due to the songs it doesn't include. "Please, Please, Please" is a standard in its own right. It SHOULD be here. "Goodbye My Love" has been called "perhaps the first funk ballad" on another JB compilation, and as such, deserves inclusion. "World" was a top-ten ballad with a nice arrangement and a great vocal by James, but it is still waiting for its debut release on CD. I have to say Right On! for the long-awaited release of "I Cried," which hit #15 on the Soul chart. Also included are the ultra-rare tracks "I Guess I'll Have To Cry" and "If I Ruled The World." All-in-all, this is a very good James Brown collection. But I do feel it is incomplete. Polygram should have gone ahead and made this a double-set, and captured James in his romantic bag, in one comprehensive package.

James Brown lays something on these songs.the production&build up lead to great classic jams.James is a great shouter that pleads for love&understanding on songs such as it's a Man's World.his ballads are very underrated overall.this a great collection of material here.i got almost all of his material&this is selections from stuff he has done over the years.

Much as I admire JB, I cannot agree with the other reviewers here. To my ear, this album is a cynical effort, put together under the pretense of offering the fans a few things they may not have heard before, but really just to capitalize on "Mr. Brown's romantic side."
A - An album (a full 18 tracks) of nothing but ballads just doesn't work, even if the ballads have the unmistakable James Brown stamp on them. Among other things, sequencing is why producers are paid a lot of money: there have to be some diverse dynamics. Even JB will eventually put you to sleep if he insists on balladeering for over an hour, just as speed metal will drive you nuts if it doesn't change the tempo in the same amount of time (unless you are much younger than I am).
B - The man who sang "Say it Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud" was very conscious of racial barriers, and determined to break them down, but he was also an entertainer. In his very beginnings he sang a lot of white rock `n' roll, and he soon added hits from the big-band field to his repertoire in order to attract as wide an audience as possible. Musically, this was daring in the early sixties, especially since JB made the songs all his own (Sinatra usually did not shred his throat screaming when crooning), but today some of it sounds embarrassing to me. Those songs are a mixed bag: "Cottage for Sale", with its Eisenhowerian white-picket-fence sentimentality is so irrelevant to what was going on among the African Americans then that it's cringeworthy, but "If I Ruled the World" is poignant. "I Wanna Be Around" doesn't cut it - sounds like one of the Rat Pack at Sands - and while many love "These Foolish Things," I keep thinking of Dean Martin synching to this while doing his clownish drunk character. That's not dignified for the Godfather of Soul. Distinctly white female choruses in the background going "ooo ooo" are awful, although thankfully rare.
C - The Las Vegas feeling is made worse by the addition of strings on a couple of essential Brown songs: " Lost Someone" and "Try Me." "Lost Someone," in particular, is almost harrowing as one of the greatest expressions of loss I've ever heard, and what makes it so is its simple arrangement, with a spare guitar riff and dark horns. (The version on "Live at the Apollo," where the drop-out sound leaves nothing but bare bones of the song, is stunning in its intensity.) The strings change the mood entirely.
D - If you are a fan, you already own many of these songs, the bad and the brilliant: "Bewildered," "I Don't Mind," "Prisoner of Love," "It's a Man's Man's Man's World," "Georgia On my Mind," and so on. What, then, remains on this album that makes it worth having? Not much. I discovered "A Man Has Got to Go Back to the Crossroads" thanks to this album, and it's a major song, but otherwise, I don't think I have the time for the few curios and alternative versions: I'd rather spend that time listening to the originals, on early albums such as "Think," "Out of Sight," or the rare, excellent UK import, "Tell Me What You're Gonna Do."
If you're new to James Brown... well, I guess I'd have to wonder where you've been all these years, but besides that, this is certainly not an album representative of the young Brown. The albums listed above are, and they are, for the most part, in print. Start with "Think" - which, wonderfully, has none of the grand ballroom affectations: it's all good times and raw stuff that was going to give birth to funk. If your foot ain't tapping after the first minute, it's time to see a doctor.
E - Lastly, I was hoping that "Ballads" would at least be fabulously remastered, but I'm disappointed. The sound is mellower, less harsh, but it's also less clear and the instruments are receded. "Man's World" is an excellent remaster, so is "Prisoner of Love," but overall, I prefer the old harsh but clear.

This is where I found 'These Foolish Things' on disc. I appreciate everything the Godfather does but I needed this song. can someone please tell me what disc I can find 'Kansas City' on where he introduces the band? Help me Help me. Again five stars

Of all the James Brown albums I've listened to, this one is my favorite. The mood is consistent and all the songs invite you into a beautiful mood of romantic contemplation. I will admit when I hear "These Foolish Things" I get a little swept away.

James Brown's voice has such a depth of feeling and soul it is at times overwhelmingly beautiful. For someone to feel so deeply is in itself a thing of beauty and then to be able to express your desires and longings with such perfect clarity is stunning. This intimacy in his songs on this album invite you into a world you always felt you belonged to, but couldn't find on your own.

If James Brown's music has been a part of the soundtrack of your life, I think this album is especially meaningful. The selections not only capture the depth of the human emotional experience, the lyrics speak the soul's truth. In "Lost Someone" you can feel this complexity and heartache. James Brown's music is a comfort to the heart and I think this album is an especially beautiful legacy of love.

We already miss you beautiful soul...

~The Rebecca Review