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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brown's best?, November 4, 2000
James Brown's 1973 album 'The Payback' is arguably his most cohesive set, this is perhaps due to the fact that it was originally scored as the soundtrack for the sequel to "Hell Up In Harlem". When the film deal fell through at the 11th hour, Brown decided to release the new material as a double LP, the results going on to become a defining moment in funk and soul history. Not only is the material excellent, but the soulful performances of not only Brown, (check out the emotional ballad "Doing The Best I Can", which is considerably heart-wrenching when placed in context with the events surrounding son Teddy's death during the making of the album), but also from JBs Fred Wesley and Maceo Parker (trombone and alto sax respectively, both featured on the up-tempo "Shoot Your Shot" and the tense funk jam "Time Is Running Out Fast") help shape the album's overall dynamic. Brown even gets funky on Hammond Organ for a few cuts. From ultra-soulful ballads ("Doing the best.." and "Forever Suffering") to strident funk tracks ("The Payback" and "Take Some, Leave Some), "The Payback" covers it all. In my opinion this was Brown's last great Long-Playing effort, it's follow up "Hell" failed to reproduce the success of the varied-yet-cohesive formula with an over-eclectic mix. "Mind Power" is perhaps a let down track to an otherwise must-have.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Funkiest grooves around, October 26, 2001
This is one of the James Brown classics that I really could just listen to end to end non-stop for hours. Start in the morning to get the day off to a groovy start, have lunch to it so the steady funk helps your digestion, chill in the afternoon hearing them sit on the one, and then in the evening get everybody dancing, coz don't forget this is damn funky.
The sound here is very controlled, very tight, and sparse, but that's just what you want from JB at his peak (and I do consider this to be his peak). Maceo's playing here shines too - the rhythm, the motifs, the interplay with the rest of the band. In short, top stuff, and essential for anyone who thinks they ever might consider owning any James Brown (which really ought to cover everybody in the world).
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Got a good thing, September 20, 2000
I enjoy listening to the music on this CD, I respect the man who wrote and performed these songs. Think about what you might do if the film deal for your most recently assembled recordings fell through? In addition to that, you endorsed a president responsible for the worst political scandal in post-war US politics. If that were not enough, if that did not discourage you to the point of despair, in the same year these two set backs occurred, James Brown lost his son in a fatal automobile accident. Think about what you might do. If you are James Brown, if you are the Hitman, if you are the Godfather of Soul, you fight back with 4 hit records, 2 soundtracks while constantly touring including in Europe (5 weeks), and at the Apollo (1 week). Then, if that weren't enough, for a man who, in mid-year, understandably spent one week in Hill Crest Hospital to rest, he released the PAYBACK in January 1974. The album reached #34 on the Bilboard Pop Album Charts and went certified-gold. Two singles were released from the album: STONE(D) TO THE BONE (November 1973 #4 R&B / #58 Pop); THE PAYBACK (January 1974 #1 R&B / #26 Pop). I just have to respect a man who can fight like that. If you have not listened to James Brown, yet, this may not be the best CD to start with, however, it has some of the best grooves and mature soul funk. If you are interested in some of the best funk performed by a great band, or if you are interested in the music of James Brown in the early seventies, this CD will interest you.
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