Funky Christmas

James Brown | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 3, 1995)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Polydor / Umgd
• ASIN: B000001EFD
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #185,221 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The strangest Christmas album I own -- and one of the best., December 7, 2001

By 

slomamma (San Luis Obispo, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Funky Christmas (Audio CD)

The first few times I listened to this album, I couldn't decide if it was interesting or just plain weird, and to be honest, the first year I didn't play it very much. I like unusual Christmas records and I love James Brown, but shouts, moans and calls to Maceo Parker just didn't seem to cut it as Christmas music, even for me.

But I've had this album in the house for a couple of years now and I've noticed that a lot of the more traditional albums I own have moved to the bottom of the CD pile, while this one is getting a lot of play. It has really grown on me. A few of the songs have become personal "classics" -- songs I couldn't do without at Christmas. Santa Claus Go Straight To The Ghetto and Hey America are classic funky James Brown. Sweet Little Baby Boy is gorgeous -- proof (if anyone doubts it) that James Brown can sing deep as well as fun and funky. Santa Claus, Santa Claus is so heartfelt it raises the hair on the back of your neck. And Soulful Christmas is right up there with Charles Brown's Merry Christmas Baby and Clarence Carter's Back Door Santa among the greatest r&b Christmas songs of all time.

Take out the embarrassing Christmas Song (James Brown was not born to sing Mel Torme songs) and you'd have a perfect Christmas album -- assuming your taste is not perfectly mainstream.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Right On for James Brown, March 2, 2004

By 

Danielle Bennignus - See all my reviews

This review is from: Funky Christmas (Audio CD)

God, I love this album. Like some of my fellow reveiwers, I wasn't quite sure what to make of it at first, and didn't play it too much for a time. However, on the second round, I got completely hooked. It has such a great blend of deep soul, as well as outright cheer, that it's incredibly catchy. When I first started to "get" it, I was floored by the orchestration and musicality, and then, upon second glance, I was amazed by the messages James Brown puts across. Very eye-opening. Now, this is ALWAYS on the shuffler at my Christmas parties, and very often during summer picnics, too. It shouldn't fall under any category - it's completely playable year-round. I love it, love it, love it. Don't know how to put it better.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Godfather of Christmas, December 4, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Funky Christmas (Audio CD)

Not content to just sing other peoples' Christmas songs, the Hardest Working Man in Show Business wrote original songs in the 1960s and 1970s for the holiday season. Tunes like "Let's Make Christmas Mean Something this Year" showcase James' gospel roots while reveling in a weirdnes of spoken dialog, screams, and yelps that would make "the artist formerly known as" jealous. The other standout is "Soulful Christmas" where the JB backbeat is applied to the yuletide log along with JB's patented shout-outs to sax man Maceo Parker. People either love this disc or hate it. For years out of print, it was only re-issued about 2-3 years ago. Not recommended to listen to while driving, as the strangeness of the album can provoke disabling fits of laughter.