Soul on Top

James Brown | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 13, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Verve
• ASIN: B0001KAA7W
• Also Available in: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #99,118 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

BROWN JAMES SOUL ON TOP

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Long overdue!, August 23, 2004

By 

B. J. Lane "jazzbo" (Levittown, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Soul on Top (Audio CD)

James Brown with a big, BIG band...OUCH!!!

We all know what a gifted performer the Godfather of Soul has been through the years. So, by listening to this CD (recorded in 1969 and long out of print), I've come to realize that Mr. Soul has a lot of jazz sensibilities in him.

Backed by the screaming Louis Bellson big band, James tears his way through a collection of standards, jazzed-up covers of his own hits, and two original tunes, "The Man in the Glass" (forgot the composer), and "I Need Your Key to Turn Me On," for which Mr. Drums (Bellson) wrote the words, music, and Brown's right-on monologue.

"September Song" is best performed the way Kurt Weill wrote it (as a plaintive ballad), but Brown tears this classic apart as only he can. Ditto "Your Cheatin' Heart." Brown's hits "It's a Man's, Man's World," "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" and "There Was a Time" (not part of the original LP - shame) get added horsepower from Bellson and company.

All in all, this project was a welcome surprise to these ears, thanks to the contributions of Mr. Soul, Mr. Drums, and the rock-solid big band charts of the sorely missed Oliver Nelson.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Jazz Snobbery?, December 15, 2004

By 

Take it to the Bridge "Sam" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Soul on Top (Audio CD)

I don't get the other reviewers here. Is this album somehow superior becase it's ostensibly a jazz album rather than funk or R & B? Don't get me wrong, I'm a big jazz fan, but does the presence of a BIG BAND make James more acceptable as a "real musician?" Indeed, does a big band or having primarily jazz musicians make something "jazz?" I don't think so. This is a synthesis that doesn't always work, where JB sounds great DESPITE the weighty band backing him. At other times, there's a restraint that befits a big band setting, but doesn't show off "The Pride of Atlanta's supreme talent.

I like the album for the variety, and because I simply love James Brown. He could take "Happy Birthday" out of the banal and into the funkified. But please, let's watch how we label this music. By the way, this is NOT the first time that JB released "There was a Time." Check out Disk 1 (Volume 1) of JB's "The Foundations of Funk," it's right there. Other recommendations: "Love, Peace, and Power," his increible live recording that rivals his great "Apollo" work.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars j.b. collector no.1 from holland, September 30, 2004

By 

Y. Van de Velde "realtwinsouls" (funkspace) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Soul on Top (Audio CD)

a release on c.d. that i was waiting for for years. a one time project james brown with big band orchestra. a fine album that shows the "other" more jazzy side of the godfather of soul.
mr. brown gives classic tunes his own j.b. twist and even brings in some of his own classics. master saxman maceo parker is there to. this c.d. version has extra tracks to the original and a beautiful picture of j.b. that was not on the original vinyl release. what can a say ?? a "must have" to my opinion.

ron roelofsen (www.greatest-jamesbrown-videotradinglist.com)