James Brown – The Payback

 

1973 was a great year for heavy music – Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, Raw Power, Billion Dollar Babies, Tres Hombres, Razamanaz, Houses Of The Holy and the debut from Montrose among many others. And yet, James Brown’s massive 2LP set The Payback might just be the heaviest of the bunch. Recorded throughout the year as JB dealt with controversy over his endorsement of Richard Nixon and, more importantly, the tragic death of his son Teddy, The Payback is as heavy as it can get.

The massive title track was one of the first to be recorded after his son’s death. If you’ve ever wondered why this song is so intense, that’s why. James Brown is well known for his incredible grooves and this is one of the all time best. To literally add insult to injury, this song was submitted for use in a movie soundtrack but the director rejected it for not being funky enough! Can you believe that shit?! The two ballads of the album, “Doing The Best I Can” and “Forever Suffering,” were also recorded at this session and it’s obvious that James is trying to alleviate some grief. Even if you didn’t know the back-story the raw emotion is obvious.

James Brown always had the greatest bands and this is certainly no exception. His musical director at the time was the incredible trombonist Fred Wesley. It was Fred’s job to translate JB’s humming and grunting into something the musicians could understand. The core of the band includes the saxophones of Maceo Parker and St.Clair Pickney, Fred Thomas on bass, Jimmy Nolen and Hearlon Martin on guitars and John Starks on drums. Sweet jeezus, what a line up. These guys can play anything and James really puts them through the ringer. “Shoot Your Shot” contains a monster bass-led groove and everyone takes turns on some rapid fire solos. Total high energy and very spontaneous sounding.

“Take Some…Leave Some” is a slower one built around a funky wah-wah guitar lick with great counterpoint from the horns and a nice message from James about sharing what you have. “Time Is Running Out Fast” is a deep, deep swamp boogie complete with jungle call vocals and exotic percussion. “Mind Power” is another unbelievable groove with some excellent cowbell. “Stone To The Bone” was released as a single but in edited form. The LP version is 10 minutes long and an unedited masterclass of pure funk power.

The original double LP had two songs per side, each one ranging from about 7 to 12 minutes but not one of them ever seems too long. When the grooves are this strong you want them to go on forever. This is without a doubt some of the heaviest music JB ever committed to wax and it’s often overlooked in his discography because of the lack of multiple hit singles, but it’s long been a favorite of musicians and dope heads for decades. There’s been a massive energy crisis ever since JB left this planet. It’s up to the rest of us to replenish the fuel. So the question is are you ready for The Payback?

--Woody

James Brown – Live At The Garden (Expanded Edition)

Despite the title, this was not recorded at New York’s Madison Square Garden or any other venue with Garden in the name. It was in fact recorded at the Latin Casino in Cherry Hill, NJ over a stretch of dates in January 1967. When it was originally issued it was marred by fake crowd overdubs and edited jams. At long last, this classic album has finally been issued on CD with over an hour of unreleased music. If you’re a James Brown fan or a soul music enthusiast, it’s an essential purchase.


Disc one presents the original album but without the dubbed crowd. That alone right there is worth the price because you get a killer but compact taste of JB and his awesome band in full flight and an excited crowd. 1967 is also an important year for James Brown. After revolutionizing music with “Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag” in 1965 he was about to do it again in May 1967 with “Cold Sweat.” Both songs featured very little in terms of chord changes or musical sophistication but had incredible rhythms that had never been heard before. Musicians and record producers literally didn’t know how to respond to the challenge that James issued them. This live album catches JB in transition from more traditional R&B and creating what would be termed Soul and eventually Funk.


Older songs like “I Got You (I Feel Good)” and “Bring It Up” are done much faster than the recorded versions and ballads like “Prisoner of Love” are played slower. Without the fake crowd dubbed in, you can hear the interaction between JB and the audience. When the band goes into a fast vamp or solo section and the crowd roars you know James is doing some outrageous dance maneuver with The Famous Flames. When he says he feels so good he wants to scream, the audience goes nuts and screams with him. And this is at a swanky dinner club in suburban New Jersey, not the Apollo Theater in Harlem.


“Ain’t That A Groove” and “Hip Bag ‘67” (an excerpt of the jam during “Papa’s Bag”) are extended features for the supremely tight and talented band. Alfred “Pee Wee” Ellis (tenor sax) had recently become musical director of the band and had a strong jazz background. He got to work with the amazing Jimmy Nolen on guitar, the powerhouse drummers John “Jabo” Starks and Clyde Stubblefield and all the other top notch musicians. No deadweight in JB’s band!


Hardcore James Brown fans will wet their hot-pants over the extras at the end of disc 1 and all of disc 2. Everyone knows that James was a great singer and entertainer but most are unaware of his musical skills. Before the main event, James would come out and join the band and get down on the organ to help warm up the crowd. You can tell he’s already sweating all over the keys during the first song “The King” before a spirited take on Ramsey Lewis’ “Wade In the Water.” “Night Train” ends the warm up set and then James would take a break.


If you’re ready for STAR TIME, then pop in disc 2 and get ready for a full set of uncut energy exactly how it went down over 40 years ago. The energy level is unprecedented and remains unmatched to this day. James starts off the show with a fast medley of “Out Of Sight” and “Bring It Up” before drastically slowing things down with “Try Me” and “Come Rain Or Come Shine” (featuring Miles Davis bassist Ron Carter). “Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag” is much faster than the original record and clearly points to the direction he was about to unleash with “Cold Sweat,” “Mother Popcorn,” etc. The band stretches the groove out for almost 10 minutes and it never gets dull.


The ladies in the crowd audibly swoon when James and the Flames harmonize on the ballads “Prisoner of Love” and “It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World.” The Famous Flames were at one point 3 voices plus James, but at this point it was just Bobby Bennett and Bobby Byrd. Soon James would get rid of the Flames and drop songs like “Maybe The Last Time” from the show so it’s nice to hear James saying farewell to the past. Of course, Bobby Byrd would remain with James for years to come and his voice would be loud and strong on many hits to come.


The show wraps up with a triple whammy of “Ain’t That A Groove,” “Please, Please, Please” and a reprise of “Bring It Up.” You can hear the crowd go wild as James tries to leave the stage while his valet tries to put a cape on him and get him off the stage. They’re not having it. Even though James worked it into the stage act, he could make everyone believe he was exhausted and had to go but the crowd riled him up he had to come back and scream just one more time. You don’t get showmanship like that anymore.


If that wasn’t enough, after the crowd left James brought the band back on stage to record his next single “Let Yourself Go.” There’s an instrumental jam, a false start and finally the master take that was released. How many bands can you think of that would even attempt something like that now?


Ain’t that a groove? HELL YEAH!!

--Woody

Buy here: Live at the Garden