Customer Reviews

Doing Their Own Thing

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It is UNBELIEVABLE that this album has languished in obscurity for so long! It is UTTERLY FANTASTIC and will appeal to music fans of any genre ranging from funk to jazz to pop. Maceo and "All the Kings Men" revolted and ditched James Brown to "Do Their Own Thing" and what they did was great! Apparently JB suppressed the album, and the rumour goes that he payed DJs not to play it. Makes sense, because I don't know how else it couldn't have made a huge, influential splash in the music scene.

Maceo leads the band with James Brown precision, but the tunes feel better crafted and less redundant (don't get me wrong; I love JB) because the pieces get to JAM.

Buy this album and be the first to turn your friends on to it. Everybody will love it, guaranteed. It is FUNKY, FUNKY, COOL and FUNKY. GROOVY too.

If you love James Brown's singles but are annoyed that they trail off just when Maceo is starting to work his sax solo, get this album. If you like Soul Pride (the collection of James Brown instrumentals) and/or The JB's Anthology, get this album. If you like Maceo's solo albums (especially Life On Planet Groove, which contains two songs from this album), you won't be disappointed here. It is a great, mostly instrumental album. As Maceo says, it's 2% Jazz, 98% FUNKY STUFF...But beware, it may take a while to actually get the album in the mail--but it is worth the wait.

after temporarily leaving james brown's band in the early 70s, maceo parker put this group together with his brother, drummer melvin parker, and a mess of james brown's ex-players. the kings men were comprised of two trumpeters - joe davis and kush griffith, another tenor sax - eldee williams, two guitar players - chank nolen and country kellum, a bassist - bernard odum, and melvin on the kit. the music they created was insanely soulful and not all that unlike maceo's work as part of the jbs. it has lots of wah-wah guitar, tight drumming, funky bass and, of course, excellent horn playing. not surprisingly, maceo gets 99% of the solo time, but you'll still be drawn to the rest of the band - they're on the ball for every track. doing their own thing is a mostly instrumental release, but a few of the cuts have some chanting ("maceo"), storytelling ("funky women") and straight-up singing, like on "got to getcha", the james brown-like "shake it baby" and the soulful ballad "don't waste this world away".

Anyone who likes the funk will dig this album. I don't think I've ever heard Maceo play any better. The first track 'Maceo' is so deadly; there's no way to sit still when you listen to it. This is one of those albums that you listen to from start to finish. Easily Maceo's finest album.

Look no further. Simply put this is THE funk Bible.

long lost, this was made when maceo, and other members of james brown band got sick of the godfather's crap and walked out, maceo proved he could hold his own, then james brown playa hating had this record removed from the shelves back in the day, but still this is the bomb, if you love maceo get this.