James Brown Month: James Brown Says It Loud pt. 3 - Tell Me That You Love Me

Wrapping up our series on the loudest, craziest, least-in-control James Brown numbers ever (which, as you may recall, I have designated a subgenre all its own, "Free James Brown"), we arrive at the top of the heap, the apex of insane, the single wildest track JB ever laid down on wax. It's the B-Side of "Don't Be a Drop Out", "Tell Me That You Love Me".

It's a live cut, and if you lop off the 10 second intro, it's about a minute and a half long. A wild two guitar duel opens the show, and then the band and James come in, playing as fast and screaming as loud as they can possibly muster. There is no structure, a sudden stop in the middle eats up another couple of seconds, and the track fades out on just about the craziest scream JB or anyone ever screamt, which I believe might just be a loop of the crazy scream he screams right before the stop.  All in all, crazy. 

Apparently cobbled together from some live tapes by Bud Hobgood, Teo Macero style, this track is guaranteed to clear the floor of all but your bravest dancers while everyone else runs away holding their ears in pain.  SO GREAT.

Play it three times in a row one time for me!

James Brown Month - Last Minute Entry

         

Florence Farmer - "Living Legend (Parts One and Two)

     I've been swamped with various nonsense this month, to the extent that I've been unable to participate in our celebration of James Brown. But I'm not going to let the month end without bringing you something...  but you may wish that I hadn't after hearing this rare gem!
     There's not a lot of information to be had about Ms. Farmer, but she lived with JB for a time in 1966-67 (one source suggests that she lived with him later, after he and his second wife Deirdre split up), and she only ever made one record, which debatably is one too many. This page on a seemingly-defunct message board has some anecdotes about her, and a batch of cool photos of James, from which I've stolen the photo below. Go check it out!

(L to R: "Jeannie" (last name unknown), Florence Farmer, JB, Terry Brown, Teddy Brown

The Mal Thursday Show: 1966 A to Z - B pt. 2

 Playlist:
The Birdwatchers: I'm Gonna Love You Anyway
The Black Sheep: It's My Mind
Lindy Blaskey & the Lavells: You Ain't Tuff/Let It Be
The Blue Stars: Social End Product
The Blue Things: Doll House/Orange Rooftop of Your Mind
The Black Sheep: Arthur (bed)
Blues Inc.: Get Off My Back
The Blues Magoos: We Ain't Got Nothing Yet/Gotta Get Away (mono)
The Blues Project: Back Door Man (mono)
Marc Bolan: The Third Degree
The Bold: Gotta Get Some
The Bootmen: Ain't It the Truth Babe
The Boots: You'll Never Do It Baby
Michael Blessing (Nesmith): A Journey with Michael Blessing (bed)
The Blues Magoos: Great Shakes radio spot
The Boss Tweads: Goin' Away
Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! trailer
The Bosstweeds: Faster, Pussycat!
David Bowie: Do Anything You Say/I Can't Help Thinking About Me
Tommy Boyce: Let's Go Where the Action Is
Booker T & The MGs: Booker Loo (bed)
The Big TNT Show trailer
Los Bravos: Going Nowhere
The Brigands: Would I Still Be Her Big Man
James Brown: Ain't That a Groove Pt. 1
The Bruthers: Bad Way to Go
The Brymers: Sacrifice
The Bucaneer's: You're Never Gonna Love Me Anymore
The Buckinghams: Don't Want to Cry (mono)
James Brown: James Brown's Boo-Ga-Loo (bed)
The Buffalo Springfield: Sit Down, I Think I Love You/Burned
The Bugs: Slide/Pretty Girl
The Burgundy Blues: I'll Get You Back Again
The Bush: To Die Alone
The Buzz: You're Holding Me Down
The Byrds: Eight Miles High/I See You
B. Bumble & The Stingers: Green Hornet Theme
The Black Cat trailer

Mal Thursday's Texas Tyme Machine:
Amos Boynton & The ABCs: The Ballad of Bertha Glutz
The Briks: Foolish Baby
The Brimstones: It's All Over Now But the Crying
The Brothers & Sisters: And I Know
The By Fives: I Saw You Walking

Byron & The Mortals: Do You Believe Me

James Brown - Public Servant

Before - James Brown says "Stay In School!" PSA
After - James Brown on drugs (PSA + interview)

James Brown Thinking About Little Willie John and a few Nice Things

James Brown - Cottage For Sale
James Brown - Talk To Me, Talk To Me

JAMES BROWN'S future shock Pt. 4

James Brown had a television show in the '70s called Future Shock.  This is the last episode I have.  Legend has it that the master tapes reside in an underground storage facility in Arizona.   Someone did find a box of 100 Future Shock T-Shirts in a storage space outside Atlanta last year.   Get down like James Brown!!

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

James Brown Month: Fans of James Brown

Malick Sidibe's photographs of dancers, partiers, stylin' youngsters, and vinyl culture in Bamako, Mali in the mid 60s are some seriously inspirational and funky viewing material.  Great galleries of his stuff are all over the internet, especially this one and this one.  

This photo is called "Fans of James Brown 1965" although I doubt that date is accurate, considering Live at the Apollo Volume II wasn't even recorded until 1967.

Still - killer photo!

James Brown Month: THINK

Of all the songs James Brown covered, he returned to none as many times in so many different ways as he did the "5" Royales 1957 classic "Think", written by the great Lowman Pauling.  Tracing versions of the songs gives us a window into the ever evolving Brown sound.

It's not hard to hear why this was such a fine tune for JB - the performance is mesmerizing, Pauling's guitar is great, the lyrics are fantastic both rhythmically and thematically - so many wonderful lines that shoulder and deflect responsibility for a broken relationship in such a smart way. And deflecting blame in a smart way was a JB specialty! "Think of all the bad things I tried not to do!" is just one of those lines that says it all.

Brown's initial single version, recorded in 1960, removes much of the melody and the finger-snapping stop-and-start rhythms from the tune and adds a great horn chart/riff, turns up the drums, and speeds it way up. The result is to my ears his first step towards creating funk - complete with Maceoesque sax solo.

The next version appears on Live at the Apollo, and is as wilder than the single version as the single version is from the "5" Royales, even as it interestingly reincorporates some of the elements from the Royales version JB's initial version jettisoned. Guitar returns to the mix to scratch out the rhythm (Les Buie really chanks it up), and the Flames clap along for dear life, since the speed of the thing is almost ridiculous. 

Next up came a single version in 1967, this time recorded in a duet with Vicki Anderson - slowed down and funked up, with a bit of "Money Won't Change You" in the horn part and drum beat.

Although Vicki Anderson was out of there by the time it came to record Live at the Apollo V. 2, Marva Whitney came in and took on the duet role to keep the arrangement "current". The tempo is back up to "live appopriate" velocity. Think Link

Can't stop thinkin'!

The song came out again in 1973. This time the arrangement is full on mid-tempo funk, with the 5 Royales background "thinks" being brought into a JB version. In fact, this version in some ways, with its relaxed drive and reflective mood, is maybe closest to the original of all the versions JB cut.

And although it's technically not the same tune, there are definite lyrical similarities between the JB penned/produced Lynn Collins almost-a-hit "Think (About It)" and the mighty "Think", particularly in the outro vamp.

James Brown Month: Can I Get Some Help? - Give It Up or Turnit Loose

Here's a (to me) previously unknown, "Funky Drummer"-ish, instrumental version of "Give It Up Or Turnit Loose". I found it on an Iranian three song EP on the Top 4 label, and it's credited to the James Brown Band. The EP also has the standard versions of Sly and the Family Stone's "Thank You Falettin' Me Be Mice Elf Again" and Bill Moss's "Sock It to Me Soul Brother", so I assume that it was a fairly standard licensing deal, if there was any deal at all, that resulted in this record's release.  I have been unable to find any reference to it elsewhere. I don't, however, have absolute knowledge of every obscure Brown-involved cut ever recorded, and as far as I know this might just be tucked away on the corner of some obscure or not-so-obscure album or 45 I have overlooked, maybe under a different name.  The sound on this is slightly dim, typical for a 45 with about six minutes on a side. Would love to find a fuller sounding version. Anyone out there know of this version's appearance on a record other than this one?

Atomic Jukebox with Jon - 12 April 2021

 

(photo : Jack Benny chats with the Blues Magoos on his TV show)

 

Jimmy Fraser - Of Homes And Dreams And Tombstones : a public-service record created for the Youth Opportunity Program, a national program to keep teens from dropping out of high school, under the direction of vice-president Hubert Humphrey, and pressed by Columbia. today it's in the box of northern soul djs.

James Brown PSA from the same program.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Piece Kor - All I Want Is My Baby Back

Mojo Men - She's My Baby

Blues Magoos - Gotta Get Away

John English III and the Heathens - I Need You Near

World of Milan - One Track Mind

 

Guitar Jeff And The Creoles - Jump And Shout

Arlie Miller and the Bullets - Lou Ann

Grover Cleveland - Why Not

Dick Dale - Jessie Pearl

Ray Pate & The Rhythm Rockets - My Love Is Gone

 

Feminine Complex - I've Been Workin' On You

Wrongh Black Bag - I Don't Know Why

She - Outta Reach

Continental Co-ets - I Don't Love You No More

 

Sugar Pie Desanto - A Little Taste Of Soul

Sunny & The Sunliners - Hip Huggin' Mini

Chuck Jackson & Maxine Brown - Hold On I'm Coming

James Brown - Youth Opportunity Program PSA

Jimmy Fraser - Of Homes And Dreams And Tombstones

King Coleman - Hang It Up

 

Cords - Too Late to Kiss You Now

Shillings - It's Up To You

Sound Barrier - Hey Hey

Harold & Bob & The Spitfires - Jungle Beat