#54 James Brown, 'Star Time' (1991)
Previously #75
“Let’s hear it, ladies and gentlemen, for Mr. Dynamite, Mr. Out Of Sight, the young man that became a legend in his own time. Soul Brother No. 1, James Brown, ladies and gentlemen. The hardest working man in show business, James Brown. The king of show business, the king of rhythm and blues, James Brown.” What a start! The almost 5-hour long, 71-track box set begins with the signature song, ‘Please Please Please.’ When performing this live, Brown would drop to his knees in “exhaustion” before being helped off the stage by one of his bandmates would would drape him in a cape. Suddenly he’d throw the cape off and charge back to the microphone to continue the song. This was the epitome of James Brown, the ultimate showman (Michael Jackson used this exact same device in his shows influenced by Brown). ‘Star Time’ is a career-spanning boxset covering practically every aspect of Brown’s career. Often hailed as the finest boxset ever created, ‘Star Time’ takes us on a journey from 1956 to 1984. Besides for changing the face of live performance, Brown took Soul music to the next level, practically invented Funk and would go on to become one of the biggest influences on Hip Hop.
During his career, Brown would enjoy the success of 103 charting singles. Pioneering songs such as ‘Think,’ ‘Night Train,’ ‘It’s A Man’s, Man’s, Man’s World,’ ‘Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag,’ ‘I Got You (I Feel Good),’ ‘I Got The Feelin’’ (this is the song that the Jackson 5 performed at their Motown audition), ‘Say It Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud,’ ‘Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine,’ ‘Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved,’ ‘I Got Ants In My Pants,’ ‘Funky President (People It’s Bad),’ and ‘Get Up Offa That Thing.’ I mean, that’s a handful of his incredible tracks. And then, of course, there’s ‘Funky Drummer,’ one of, if not THE most sampled pieces of music of all time. And more specifically, the drum break towards the end. It’s been sampled roughly about 1,700 times. As drummers often don’t receive a songwriting credit for their beats, Clyde Stubblefield has not received a cent for its use. It’s been sampled by artists the likes of Eric B. and Rakim, Public Enemy, N.W.A., The Beastie Boys, all the way through to Ed Sheeran and George Michael. A lot of the sound of Hip Hop has been based on James Brown, and indeed, that famous beat (also, did he introduce the concept of a hype man?). Brown influenced a generation of performers and beyond. But to stay consistent with my opinion throughout, as much as I enjoyed this, 5 hours of one artist is too much. It’s a list of greatest albums, not greatest songs, and to cover the entire career of an artist is ridiculous. 5 hours is a big investment when you’re listening to 500 albums. But I did it, I made it through the other side and I enjoyed the hell out of it. The hardest working man in show business, the star of the show, James Brown.
#rs500albums