Rest in Peace Apollo Legend: James Brown
If you haven’t heard it yet, James Brown died of congestive heart failure on Christmas morning in Atlanta. He was 73. He indelibly transformed 20th-century music re-inventing existing R&B and Soul rhythms to create Funk.
I like to remember him in his most creative period, from the mid sixties to the early seventies. I saw him the first time live at the now legendary Jazz Bilzen Festival in Belgium in 1978 in an edition with other artists such as Blondie, Japan (w. David Sylvain), The Jam, The Boomtown Rats and Lou Reed. I’d never heard about ‘The Godfather of Soul’ before that time, but I remember the impression he and his band left on me when arriving at the festival and he started to do his thing: no-one came ever closer on stage creating such an energy and positive vibe. Get a feeling of that period here in this video I found on YouTube (excerpt from a Dutch TV program on VPRO channel where Iggy Pop is asked about his favourite - recorded - memories)
James Brown’s body returned one more time to the historic Apollo Theater in New York City where his epic “Live at the Apollo” album streamed from the marquee speakers yesterday at his funeral.
Check out how he sounded in 1967 in this “Out Of Sight” excerpt, live from the Olympia in Paris.
If you’re not so familiar with his music, I recommend “Foundations of Funk: A Brand New Bag,1964-1969“.
There are several worthy James Brown compilations, but this is the one, more than any other, presents his most fertile and innovative soul and funk material. From 1964’s “Out of Sight” through 1969’s “Mother Popcorn,” this was Brown at the apex of his creativity, turning soul into funk in the mid-’60s, then pushing the rhythm even more to the forefront. Songs such as “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag”, “Cold Sweat”, “I Can’t Stand Myself (When You Touch Me)” , “I Got The Feelin’”, “Licking Stick - Licking Stick”, “Say it Loud - I’m Black and I’m Proud”, “Ain’t It Funky Now”, “Give It Up Or Turnit A Loose”, “Mother Popcorn”, “Super Bad”, “Make It Funky”, “Soul Power”, not to forget “King Heroin” mark a whole period of intense creativity linked to the social changes of that time in the US.
The BBC has a great documentary of that period, called “Dancing in The Streets“, a must see if you get the chance; it includes some remarkable footage and interviews with James Brown and many other unforgettable artists of that time. Check also the Ed Sullivan’s Rock ‘N’ Roll Classics DVD compilations for some of James’ early works.
Another extremely important and influential phase of Brown’s career in the early seventies is compiled on “Funk Power 1970: A Brand New Thang“, when he moved from soul-funk to hard funk, stretching out the grooves and putting more stress on the bottom than ever before (with Bootsie Collins).
TIP: dig up those old vinyls and take them with you for your next parties!
Rest in Peace, brother.
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