Customer Reviews

In the Jungle Groove

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Once the anxious collector accepts the fact that the extras are singular and not plural and that this set is basically a reissue (albeit remastered) with an extended version of an instrumental from a movie soundtrack tacked on, it's an enjoyable and enlightening offer - thanks to a *superb* job of remastering. The '70 "Give It Up Or Turnit A Loose", sans added audience sounds, and with the *band* now featured - the first vinyl issue does not have half the instrumental presence - is surely one of the most intense cuts in JB's catalogue. The original '70 release has more excitement, as the star's vocal is more prominent, but by '03 the contributions of Clyde and Bootsy, et. al, deserve full attention.
It's always good to hear "It's A New Day", an uptempo tune reflecting his gospel roots a bit more than usual. "Talkin' Loud & Sayin' Nothing" is a highly successful rapp, one of the best Brown-Byrd collaborations, with an interesting stop-time section. It sure sounds like an instantaneous direction by Brown, and once again we get the gospel *feel*.
The same idea is used on the decidedly worldly "Hot Pants..." - suddenly the music stops while the singer chants a cappella. (This is not the hit single version).
"I Got To Move" is a '70 groove withheld until '86 and it was 16 years too long. It's assumed that there just wasn't room back in the "Popcorn"-"Sex Machine" era. It's a soaked-in-soul stream of consciousness effort from JB. Although sounding highly improvised, and appears to be based on a dance number "There Was A Time", it emerges as a deep reflection.
All distortion is removed on the landmark "Funky Drummer", yes that static heard on the tail end is gone. Alot of "adult" content here but what a cut!
The aforementioned instrumental, "Blind Man Can See It", is about five minutes longer than on the "Black Caesar" soundtrack, and now James' voice appears, in a short rapp. This is one of his happiest riffs, a fine selection for this reissue.
Yes, at first the fan/collector who wants unreleased songs from the theatre on 125th Street as "Bonus Tracks" will be disappointed, but a listen to all 7:19 of this track will bring a smile.

I bought this on vinyl when it came out in '86 and wore the groove right off it. Good thing CDs last forever. "Funky Drummer" must be the single most sampled song on the planet. Everybody in the world has used it, even Sinead O'Connor! The version of "Give it up or turn it loose" that appears on this is so good, it will make you want to slap your momma down! (In Southern parlance, that's damn good) If you listen to this CD, the "Star Time" box set and one or two of the "Live at The Apollo" CDs, you'll know that God exists, because James Brown was no accident.

Yeah, I know that title is from the intro of "Get On the Goot Foot"
which isn't on this CD, but it certainly fits this excellent collection.

This is simply the BEST of JB from about 1969 to 1971. All killer no filler! I DEFY anyone to sit still while songs like "It's A New Day," "Hot Pants" (this tune introduced me to JB when I was 7 in 1971), "Talking Loud and Saying Nothing" (among the most danceable and profound of his sermon songs) and the bonus beat of "The Funky Drummer" which rappers beat to the ground in the 80s and 90s. Oh yeah, brace yourself for "Give It Up and Turn it Loose" (Clap your hands-stomp your feet-in the jungle brothers!).

It's easy to be overwhelmed by the funk power of what JB puts down on this. Listen and see why!

When the establishment bemoans the advent of gangsta rap and takes the moral (b.s.) highground in trying to say that rebellious music of their time was not so bad, this is a CD you can shove up their noses just to remind them that the joy of music and the despair of oppression has been around since J.B., since gospel, since plantation songs...but J.B. never made it all sound sooo funky.

I am amazed at what James Brown can pull off. This disc has some long jams, with little more than a single riff while James screams intermittently over it, and yet...that's all a great J.B. song needs. And this is some heavy J.B., something with a little edge to it, soul comign up like steam from the sewer, a little angry, but James isn't going to let all that bring the funk down. Just like the spliff he's putting together on the back cover, he's going to roll his own version and make it funky.

Obviously, a classic track on this is "Funky Drummer," a track that has been sampled from PE to LL Cool J to (no lie) Sinead O'Connor, but you'll be grooving to "Give It Up Or Turn It Loose" and "Hot Pants."

But don't think you'll just be getting down mindlessly. Well, you may, but J.B. is too smart for that. He's just got too much soul, and it stretches way back and way forward, putting himself square in the river of music man, and this album is genius for that.

This is my favorite James Brown album - arguably my favorite funk album, too. It's basically a collection of remixes and single-only tracks, with a couple well-known album cuts ("Hot Pants"; "Talkin' Loud and Sayin' Nothin'") reprised. So who needs it? Everybody! For one, the remixes aren't just anyone's remixes, they're James Brown's remixes! This sure isn't Black Eyed Peas doing their 8,000,000 remix of "My Humps (Jimmy Hoffa Mix)" or whatever. This is JAMES BROWN! The Godfather of Soul! And when he remixes, he REMIXES - you'd expect a song titled "Give it up or Turnit Loose" to be loose, and while the original sure was, this is even more so. It's almost out-of-control. And I love it! By the way, if you listen closely you can also hear a few licks from my one of my favorite James Brown tunes, "Sex Machine". So that's where they came from... I always thought the groove was made up on the spot, but I guess not.
Anyway, this has a lot of the best of the Bootsy Collins band. Bootzilla is all over "Soul Power", a total classic with memorable vocal tradeoff between Brown and Bobby Byrd (Who plays an impressive organ, too!) This also contains my favorite Brown track ever - "Funky Drummer". For one, JB plays some awesome organ on it; for another, Maceo plays a classic solo; and of course there's the Clyde Stubblefield drum break, which I believe makes it the most sampled song of all time. You gotta hear that one! And you gotta hear the full "Hot Pants", too. That is excellent stuff. A more overlooked track is "Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved". Why is it always forgotten? That heavy rhythm guitar part is stunning, and as usual the vocal hook and bass part is marvelous. It also contains the powerful Nixon indictment "Talkin' Loud and Sayin' Nothin'" - a fantastic song, be it this remixed version or on There It Is (my second-favorite James Brown album). "I Got to Move" is one of the weaker songs here, but removed from its company and spliced onto another album, it would've been the high point. It's a lot like "There Was a Time" (actually, I think they have the exact same lyrics), only longer and funkier. And Brown puts a lot of soul on "It's a New Day".
This is JB how I like him! No saccharine ballads; no misfired covers; just givin' up the funk. The recordings here are some of the most influential in R&B history, paving the way for both funk and rap, and you'd be doing yourself a disservice in missing out on them.

funky..Funky..FUNKY!! I love this cd and I don't know why radio stations aren't(I don't know if they are or not;just guessing)playing these excellent tracks..Maybe they're too long? No filler.Every up and coming band and artist should learn this and study it.Every artist/group now should make this required listening....James Brown kicks ass!!

This is my all time favorite album right ahead of "Motherlode." Listen to, "Give It Up Or Turnit A Loose" to understand the true incredibleness of James Brown. He's a maniac. Brilliant. And so is the band.

I expected this disc to be off the hook and boy was it, me being a musician I put this disc on pull out my instument and I'm in another world. I'm amazed at this mans mind set and the times when came up with such a funky sound compare that to the artists of today and the so called freedom in the music industry, not just something, but a whole lot of something is missing.

Fast Delivery the item like descript in very good condition and this time i had no pay a Italian Dogana.... and at the end James Brown is The King ::::::::::::: Thank-U Amazon!!!!! Andrea.

first of all everybody owes the Godfather His due.Arguably the Most Influential Artist over the past 50 years&everybody in Rap/Hip-Hop Owe this Brother a dime for every Grunt,stop on the Groove&4/4 Beat He&His Crew came up with.this Set contains Jams that many Hit-Makers&Groove Beats Oriented Cats have Jacked&nicked over the Years.this Set is the Re-Mastered Version&depending on your JB Collection this is Fresh to alot of ears&in some cases not enough offered that could&should be.but no matter where you sit on the topic of Material offered here it truly represents a Genius who was still adding another layer to His Legacy of Grooves&A Voice that Commanded as Much attention as any Political Figure.JB truly spoke to the People then&Now.