Papa don't, papa don't, papa don't*.
It is no surprise, given the sheer vastness in scale of the output from the late Godfather of Soul, that there remain some overlooked gems in the back catalogue. But one album which it always astonishes me is not held up as more of a classic is James Brown's brilliant 1974 double-album release "Hell". Now, there are many reasons why this album deserves to be heralded as a classic, even amongst an oeuvre as outstanding as Brown's. For one it is among the last albums which features perhaps the best JB's line-up, led by the brass of Fred Wesley, Maceo and St. Clair Pinckney, and including Jimmy Nolan on guitar, "Jabo" Starks on drums and John Morgan's percussion.
And then there is the album artwork, a brilliant package of colour and cartoon imagery, centred on the arch-funkster himself being pursued by the devil whose superhuman powers aren't even enough to stop the Godfather from spreading the funk. But most importantly are the tunes, culminating in the sidelong opus "Papa Don't Take No Mess", clocking in at just shy of 14 minutes. And what a 14 minutes it is. This jazzed-out funk rap is one of Brown's all-time classic cuts, and for me is an archetype of James Brown at his absolute peak. Musically tighter than tight, the guitar lick is absolutely irresistible as Brown gives us a lyrically funky insight into his daddy's parental style. Just brilliant.
And the rest of the album is equally great, except perhaps for the bizarre rendition of "When The Saints Go Marching In" and a latin reworking of "Please, Please, Please", but even these have some kitsch appeal. "Hell" also features a stunning array of ballads which, though not everyone's favourite type of JB music, for me is an under-rated element of his work generally. There are few people, to my mind, who could inject a ballad with more soul and dramatic realness than JB, and on this album "A Man Has To Go Back To The Crossroads" is a true case in point. And then there is the heavy, heavy funk sound of classic cuts "Coldblooded" and "Sayin It and Doin It", and even they seem like light relief compared to the ridiculously hard-hitting and hard-driving "My Thang", an absolutely belting tune.
"Hell" was the follow-up release to the equally brilliant and yet much more-heralded "Payback" album, which perhaps explains why it is something of a forgotten classic, but for me it encapsulates much of his genius, and much of what I love about his music. Indeed, if I were ever asked to introduce an alien to the work of the Godfather of Soul, for who else but an extra-terrestrial would be unaware of Brown's work, I would have little hesitation in sending him directly down the highway to hell. At times his music is so damn funky you think he must have been in league with the devil anyway. But no, he was just in a league of his own.
And then there is the album artwork, a brilliant package of colour and cartoon imagery, centred on the arch-funkster himself being pursued by the devil whose superhuman powers aren't even enough to stop the Godfather from spreading the funk. But most importantly are the tunes, culminating in the sidelong opus "Papa Don't Take No Mess", clocking in at just shy of 14 minutes. And what a 14 minutes it is. This jazzed-out funk rap is one of Brown's all-time classic cuts, and for me is an archetype of James Brown at his absolute peak. Musically tighter than tight, the guitar lick is absolutely irresistible as Brown gives us a lyrically funky insight into his daddy's parental style. Just brilliant.
And the rest of the album is equally great, except perhaps for the bizarre rendition of "When The Saints Go Marching In" and a latin reworking of "Please, Please, Please", but even these have some kitsch appeal. "Hell" also features a stunning array of ballads which, though not everyone's favourite type of JB music, for me is an under-rated element of his work generally. There are few people, to my mind, who could inject a ballad with more soul and dramatic realness than JB, and on this album "A Man Has To Go Back To The Crossroads" is a true case in point. And then there is the heavy, heavy funk sound of classic cuts "Coldblooded" and "Sayin It and Doin It", and even they seem like light relief compared to the ridiculously hard-hitting and hard-driving "My Thang", an absolutely belting tune.
"Hell" was the follow-up release to the equally brilliant and yet much more-heralded "Payback" album, which perhaps explains why it is something of a forgotten classic, but for me it encapsulates much of his genius, and much of what I love about his music. Indeed, if I were ever asked to introduce an alien to the work of the Godfather of Soul, for who else but an extra-terrestrial would be unaware of Brown's work, I would have little hesitation in sending him directly down the highway to hell. At times his music is so damn funky you think he must have been in league with the devil anyway. But no, he was just in a league of his own.
posted by Twelve Bar at 10:44 AM
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