James Brown's 1st UK album + some pre-Stax Eddie Floyd
583023
This CD combines two LPs released by the Ember label in the UK in 1964, one by James Brown and one by Eddie Floyd.

The Amazing James Brown was released in America on King in 1961. It was his fourth LP and showed him making the transition from doo-wop to soul and rhythm'n'blues. Like most of his earlier albums it comprised some recent singles, some new tracks and a few old B-sides, in this case all recorded between September 1960 and September 1961 with the amazing Famous Flames. It was his first studio LP to be released in the UK when it came out in 1964 on Ember under the title Tell Me What You're Gonna Do. James Brown songs such as I Don't Mind and Just You And Me Darling are mixed with proven winners like Bullmoose Jackson's I Love You Yes I Do, Clyde McPhatter's The Bells (with Billy Ward and the Dominoes), Roy Brown's Love Don't Love Nobody and Johnny Moore and the Three Blazer's So Long.

The Eddie Floyd LP is a collection of 1964 singles for Lu-Pine and Safice, recorded in between his leaving the Falcons and joining Stax Records, and are less essential, though Robert Ward guests on guitar.
1674866
MUST HAVE JAMES BROWN  THE LATE LYNN COLLINS  MAMA FEELGOOD  OF THINK ABOUT FAME A GREAT SOUNDTRACK ALBUM  FOR BLACK CAESAR MOVIE
1617836
"Jamming with Edward" is often catalogued/reviewed as a Rolling Stones release, with the result that listeners are often disappointed.  It's actually a Nicky Hopkins/Ry Cooder jam session with backing by the Stones' rhythm section and a little vocalizing by Mick.
That said, it is a rare gem from the peak era of British blues-rock.  It's tasteful, laid-back, funky/bluesy jamming by some of the best sidemen in the business.  It also has the energy and interplay that you only get on great live-in-the-studio recordings.
Don't expect the Rolling Stones, but you may be pleasantly surprised by what you get instead.
1423417
I was very impressed with this CD - and from reading the liner notes, what is presented on this album is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Jamaicans who immigrated to Canada and recorded soul and funk music.  And it's not bad either!  I am not from Canada, and the heyday of these recordings is before my time anyway - but these tunes sound like they wouldn't feel out of place at all on any Black music station in the 1970s.

Despite the "Reggae" reference in the album title, this is mainly a soul/funk collection.  The two tracks that technically are reggae;  "African Wake" by Johnnie Osbourne and "Memories" by Noel Ellis (a rare chance to hear the son of the great Alton Ellis) are excellent.  Eddie Spencer and Jo-Jo and the Fugatives (names pretty much unknown today) both contribute two foot-stomping tunes a piece.  The Cougars are also presented twice, where I especially like their cover of the Motown classic, "I Wish It Would Rain."  In addition to the real funky stuff, you have some mellow tunes such as "Love is the Answer" by RAM and "I Believe In Music" by Bob and Wisdom (to today's crowd, both songs may sound hopelessly green - but put yourself in that time and place please!).  But my favorite track in the collection is "Mr. Fortune" by The Hitch-Hikers f/The Mighty Pope;  which is an excellent speciman of underground Black soul music.

The CD is very listenable and it's good to see that someone has choosen to shine some light on the music created by Jamaican immigrants in 1960s-1970s Canada.  G-d knows, people were not really demanding anyone for it.  It may be a little too much of an odd niche however;  and may find it's way into the hands of unappreciative listeners on the basis of it's title.  But hopefully, if anything, it will turn them on to the diversity present in Jamaican music.
3431271
Long before James Brown was dismissed by many as a bad joke, these rare tracks demonstrated just how good the Godfather was at getting on the good foot! These are mostly unreleased tracks from the peak of his career (1968-1973). The live version of "There It Is" is spectacular even without the visuals of JB doing his thing. The section where JB himself jams on the organ is worth the price of admission alone. The Untitled Instrumental became the basis for the late 1980s all-star rap Anti-violence tune "We're All In the Same Gang." One can only wonder why a great tune like "Can I Get Some Help" was not released at the time. But the real MOTHER LODE here is the 9 minute version of "People Get Up and Drive your Funky Soul" (the chorus is where the title of this review comes from). This is a TOUR DE FORCE of funk and not a minute is wasted. Fred Westly (according to his bio) doesn't think much of his work with JB, but this song is the trombonist's masterpiece in my opinion. Either way, your JB collection is not complete without this and I would strongly recommend it for you.
435838
This is a great anthology of music from the first era of Deep Purple which lasted from 1968 until 1975 when guitarist Ritchie Blackmore left to form Rainbow with Ronnie James Dio.  It features 2 CDs with 150 minutes of great music.  EMI certainly gives you a lot of music for your money.  It was originally released in 1991, so is somewhat old at this point, but I think it is still a good choice for people looking for a good sampling of Deep Purple's music from this era.  Note that it does not provide any songs from the band's second and third eras when the band reunited in various combinations starting in 1984.

While it is true that some great songs are missing, the liner notes by Deep Purple authority Simon Robinson make it clear that EMI's goal was to provide a balanced cross section of the band's first era.  So, you won't hear "Kentucky Woman" from Book of Taliesyn, but you do get "Shield" and "Wring that Neck".  The latter is an outstanding instrumental which you'll never hear on the radio.  You also don't get "Space Truckin'" from Machine Head, but anyone who likes Deep Purple at all really needs to buy Machine Head even if they don't buy any of their other studio albums.  I think EMI did the right thing by not giving too much weight to Machine Head and providing 2-3 songs from later albums even if they are weaker.

The 24 page booklet is excellent, featuring a history of the band in this era with lots of pictures and album covers.
2219168
Most music fans over 40 will start barking "I AM THE GOD OF HELLFIRE!!" when you mention the Crazy World Of Arthur Brown. Beyond that, you'll get a shrug and a blank stare if you ask them to elaborate about Arthur Brown's subsequent career. Brown had dropped the "Screamin' Jay Hawkins" stage act (for the most part) by 1974 and reinvented his "Crazy World" as "Kingdom Come", with a nod toward proggy "spacerock" (a la Hawkwind). As fate would have it, Brown found himself minus a drummer while recording "Journey". No worries-he had a new-fangled "drum machine" to play with! The repetitive rhythms, coupled with synthesizers, created a sound that was quite alien and "weird" to most listeners at the time (remember, this pre-dates Kraftwerk by several years). Of course, we can now point to this album as the birth of electronica, in hindsight. The album is largely instrumental, although the anthemic, poppy "Spirit Of Joy" stands out with some of Brown's finest vocal work. Castle does an outstanding job on the remastering, and throws in a couple interesting bonus tracks. Keep in mind, this doesn't sound quite like the Orb or DePeche Mode, but it certainly helped lay the groundwork.
1693163
This a great album from one of my favorite bluesmen. I was steered towards Albert King by a friend in Chicago,so I bought his double album: The Ultimate Collection, which has some of his greatest hits, picking up both his earlier years and later periods.  I bought this and I'll Play the Blues for You at the same time.  Both albums resonate with classic blues, somewhat updated.  You can hear the 70's influence in the lyrics, comments and music. Probably my favorite track on this album is Walking the Streets..., classic AK making his guitar wail and cry, with a great backup horn section.  His take on Eddie Floyd's 'Til My Back Ain't Got No Bone is surprising mellow, with a very long intro.  Kind of a real different take from that of most other artists.  Put on the headphones and enjoy.
2978850
Released in 1976,"Black And Blue" was a different sort of Stones album,kicking off with a disco-funk number "Hot Stuff",instead the usual uptempo rocker which probably threw some fans off at the time, and then includes other musical detours into reggae("Cherry Oh Cherry")slow jazzy blues("Melody"with Billy Preston)and ballads(the gorgeous "Mermory Motel and the lovably sappy "Fool To Cry").Only "Hand Of Fate" and "Crazy Mama" are the straight-up Stones rockers of the bunch. It takes a while to get used to,but once you do you'll love it. The 2009 UMG remaster blows the 1994 Virgin remaster out of the water-the rock and funk numbers have a real kick and zesty punch to them now that wasn't there on the previous edition and the slow songs sound very clear and detailed. Definitly worth upgrading!
265775
I recently saw this movie on the FLIX cable channel. Buying the soundtrack was an easy choice. I've been buying a lot of James Brown lately. I recommend the compilations "Motherlode" and "In a Jungle Groove" (both remastered!).
There are a lot of excellent JB compilations and remastered albums available. Few of them are bad. The majority are great.
This is a great album.
It's not real long, but damn it's FUNKY.  Enjoy.
880914
I heard this set before I was exposed to the legendary 1959-1968 Stax/Volt volume one box set. With the exception of Otis Redding, I am more impressed with music here than in volume one. The loss of Otis Redding and the fallout of the distribution deal with Atlantic clearly sent the label into a tail spin. However this forced (or allowed) other talents to rise up, like Isaac Hayes, and the label sought acts like the Staple Singers, who found their sound in Memphis. This is also when the black power/black consciousness movement starts to influence the music. There's more message music -- some of the best and funkiest message music recorded -- and apart from a few tracks, you're not really beat over the head with it. (One exception may be John KeSandra's "(What's Under) The Natural Do," ... it's a bit cheesy with 30 years of history from the time it was recorded, but it's a song with a sense of humor that also makes a statement.) The volume 1 set chronicles a label trying to find its sound and put together a string of hits. That music can't be denied in any way, shape or form. But this set is when the hits start coming fast and furious ... yes, they're largely hits on the R&B chart, they're hits none the less. And plenty of artists crossed over into the pop chart as well, the detailed track listings make that clear.

For what it's worth, this is when Albert King put together a string of hits, and they're all represented ... a bit odd for a straight-up blues guitar player to find a home at Stax, but that's the beauty of this label, they made it all work.

Of course, you've really got to be into soul music, and this era of R&B, in particular, to invest in a set like this. If you've already paid for any of the Motown "complete" sets or some of the philly soul compilations, then I would highly recommend this (and volume 1) without reservation.
2514443
James Brown deserves to be ranked with Beethoven, Bach, Coltrane, Miles, Hendrix, the Beatles, the Temptations and the Stones as cornerstones of music as we know it.

Even though I prefer "Sex Machine"/Live At The Apollo Vol. II as his best live disc, this one is tremendous!  One should own all three to cover his prime period(s).

At the height of very early funk, there was only one band who could even approach truly matching him.  I used to deliver beer in the Philly area to black taprooms in the late 60's/ very early 70's.  They all had top flight soul music jukeboxes.  By far the most played song was James Brown's "There Was A Time".

But coming in number two was Dyke & The Blazers' "Funky Broadway".  If you love JB as much as I do, check out Dyke.  His funk was dirtier than James.  His band was looser and not as polished.  But those in the know are aware that Dyke & The Blazers was the only band that James even remotely feared.
66266
Issued in late 1969, "Fat Mandolin" was Johnny Young's sole LP on the now legendary UK cult label Blue Horizon. This CD is based around that album. Listed at 80 or more in most UK price guides, I've only ever seen one original copy of the LP in the 15 years I've been mail-ordering rare records. "Fat Mandolin" (Blue Horizon 7-63852) was reviewed by the specialist publications in the UK Blues Press at the time, received precious little airplay, let alone distribution, and is therefore reckoned to have sold less than 500 copies! This 2007 reissue finally gives this legendary and expensive rarity a full-on CD remix & remaster and adds on four previously unreleased tracks from the album sessions bumping its 12-track run up to 16.

The band consisted of:
JOHNNY YOUNG - Vocals/Mandolin/Lead Guitar
PAUL OSCHER - Harmonica
OTIS SPANN - Piano
SAMMY LAWHORN - Bass/Second Guitar
S.P. LEARY - Drums

All songs were written by JOHNNY YOUNG excepting:
Track 5 "Jackson Round" is a Sonny Boy (John Lee) Williamson cover
Track 11 "Prison Bound" is a Leroy Carr cover
Track 13 "Mean Black Snake" is a Victoria Spivey/Jesse Johnson cover
Track 14 "Stealin'" is a William Shade cover

The four previously unreleased tracks are 7, 14, 15 and 16. There are also extended versions of some songs; Track 5 features a false start followed by the master version; Track 8 is the same; Track 9 features 3 false starts & then the master take (take 4, the master take, starts 2 minutes in); Track 11 has 2 false starts and then the master take.

Using iTunes editing on 5, 8, 9 and 11 - you can sequence the original 12-track LP track run as follows; 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13.

The tapes have been supervised and transferred by Mike Vernon, Sean Lynch and Graham Sharp at Sound Mastering and a typically fabulous job they've done too - muscular, clean and in your face. There's an in-depth booklet, pictures of the UK and US album artwork, discussion of his career and the album session itself, the Blue Horizon logo's on the label and there's even a nice card wrap on the outside giving the whole package a classy feel. With way too many inches on his waistline and his preferred instrument being the mandolin (unusual for Blues players), it's also not difficult to work out how the album got its name!

Born in 1918 in Mississippi, Johnny Young had a voice similar to Little Walter. And yet, like Big Joe Turner too, there was also a sly sense of fun about him. He played both guitar and mandolin and was of the hard-hitting Chicago Blues tradition - mean, miserable and magnificent! Young hung out with and played with Muddy Waters and Sonny Boy Williamson in the mid Forties, Snooky Prior in the Fifties and also had stints with Walter Horton, James Cotton, Otis Spann and even Mike Bloomfield in the Sixties. The band on "Fat Mandolin" as you can imagine is tight, seasoned pros and just so up-for-it! Fans of OTIS SPANN in particular will adore this release - his piano fills and runs are just fantastic and brilliantly complimentary to PAUL OSCHER'S mean harmonica playing throughout. From the original master tapes, it looks like most tracks were accomplished in one-to-four takes and the entire album recorded in New York in one day - 5 June 1969! (The remaster has been waiting around since 1998 for a release).

Young made some more albums for ABC in the States, but died of cardiac arrest in 1974 (his huge weight having contributed). He remains something of an unknown compared to the huge names he played with through the years - and hopefully this superb CD reissue will bring him back into the hearts of those who love their blues low-down and dirty.  Another top release from Blue Horizon and one I urge you to buy!
2327518
From his work with the Myna Birds to staff writing at Motown? It always seemed as if Rick James was destined to have a career there. He had spent much of the 70's a musical gypsy-recording a few records and performing with a few different rock bands during the decade before decamping back to Buffalo and forming the Stone City Band. He then returned to the record label that had seemed to provide a strong sense of security for him as an artist/band leader in 1977. And they dropped this debut album the following April of 1978.

  "Stone City Band,Hi" opens the album with a live recording that adds a strong P-Funk horn based hump to it. "You And I" starts off with a rhythm guitar groove that swings into a full blown orchestrated female vocal gospel/disco chorus before going into a 7+ clavinet driven fast funk groove with some harmonically fluid jazz guitar accents by final refrains. "Sexy Lady" deals with a polished and precise jazz-funk number with a strong West Coast vibe about it. "Dream Maker" hearkens back to Rick's doo-wop days with it's spoken intro and piano based soul ballad shuffle.

  "Be My Lady" is another melodically bright mix of bass/guitar/horn oriented funk with the disco beat and "woo hoo" chants. "Mary Jane" begins with an arena style guitar thump and orchestral synthesizer before going into a stripped down jazzy soul-pop ballad with a lyric that could be taken (in it's time) in two different ways. "Hollywood" starts out as a tender ballad about Rick saying goodbye to his family while leaving behind the ghetto environment he feels might destroy him before ending on a reggae style coda. The album concludes with a reprise of the title song.

  Back when I first had this album on vinyl? Remember not really caring for it that much. Hearing it fresh today on CD helps me realize what a strong debut this really is. The steely punk funk sound Rick James would develop isn't at all as evident on this album. He's very much a total funk/soul brother on this album-with little concern for crossover anymore than doing so on his own musical terms. Stone City Band are a strong and fluid outfit too-with a big band funk style that can switch years between monster humps and orchestrated disco friendly sounds. An excellent debut from an artist and band still getting their groove legs on.
2976008
This is a very good reissue of the first Bad Company album, which was originally released on vinyl LP in 1974. The re-mastering is good, the overall sound is good and the liner notes have some decent information.

CD1 is just the material originally released on the vinyl LP version, clocking in at about 38 minutes playing time. That's a bit disappointing; a vinyl LP only held about 40 minutes of music (20 minutes per side) while CDs were designed to hold at least 75 minutes. IMHO this re-release should have filled up the rest of CD1 with bonus tracks.

CD2 is a B-side (Little Miss Fortune) and demo tracks from the original recording sessions and clocks in at just over 60 minutes total playing time. There's some good material here, although the demo tracks aren't as good as the final tracks that appeared on the album release. But it's still interesting to hear the gradual studio development of the final tracks on the album release. Two of these songs, Easy On My Soul and the B-side of Little Miss Fortune, didn't appear on the final album release but are well worth having. Easy On My Soul actually appeared on the last Free album before Paul Rodgers and Simon Kirke left Free to form Bad Company.

Overall, a very good re-release of a great 1970s album. My only criticism is that the full playing time of both CDs should have been utilized. But, at the time I'm writing this (July2015), the price of this 2CD set is under $15 and at that price I can overlook that critique.

Bottom line: this is a great 1970s album and this re-release is currently my recommended version to buy.
4525869
This is a mix of acoustic and electric musical cuts. I believe there is a song that Stills gets a hand from Jimi Hendricks as thay play an extended break together. His acoustic work, where it's just his guitar and one of a kind gritty gravel voice are what make this collection worthwhile to me. Just get this for 'Black Queen' alone ... I can't imagine anyone being disappointed.
3415201
One of James Brown's key creative characteristics was self possession. Even in song he stated "I don't want nobody to give me nothing/open up the door,I'll get it myself". By the mid 70's, JB was at his official peak as an American icon-especially from within the black community. He had just played one of his most iconic shows in Zaire at the famous Muhammad Ali/George Foreman fight. And the now mustachioed Brown was starting to look for a way to reinvent his funk. With his relationship with the JB's (as in Fred,Maceo and company) about to come to a head, JB began to pick up with more session musicians to back him on in the studio. This 1974 double album (on one CD of course) catches him right at that crossroads.

On "Coldblooded" and the title track,JB's funk is getting a somewhat faster tempo than usual-closer in some ways to the heavier funk based disco of early BT Express and such. "My Thang","Sayin And Doin It" and "Don't Tell A Lie About Me And I Won't Tell The Truth On You" all fall into the classic slower tempo funk grooves of JB that come into focus on the albums concluding classic "Papa Don't Take No Mess"-the most heartfelt tribute to a strict but loving father I've ever heard come from James Brown. Of course,there are many more surprises here that reflect JB's new musical directions as well.

Ballads such as the mid tempo "These Foolish Things Remind Me Of You","Sometime" and the faster wah wah powered "Stormy Monday" tend to be feature a more cinematic sound with string arrangements added to the mix. Another thing he does on this album is continue his unique "live band remixes" (as I call them) of his classics. "Please Please Please" becomes a hot,70's Salsa/Latin soul number where "I Can't Stand It 76" (a remake of "I Can't Stand Myself") adds heavier wah wah guitar. He adds that same guitar/percussion sound with the string arrangements to a theatrical funky soul take on the ragtime classic "When The Saints Go Marching In". That same orchestral flavor also permeates a remake of his classic ballad "Lost Someone".

When James Brown started getting heavy into these double albums in the early/mid 70's, the conceptualization of his music really got going. This particular album,particularly with its cover art,indicates JB at that moment when all the funky seedlings he'd symbolically planted earlier in the 70's were starting to blossom. Bands and artists inspired by his music such as Kool & The Gang and Earth Wind & Fire were beginning to hit their stride by this point. And in a lot of ways,this was the album where JB reached his peak of funkiness in the studio. Even his reinventions of his old songs had far more different arrangements even that usual. The further addition of the studiocentric arrangements also showcased JB's music entering a period that might not be so certain for him. But his energy level would never be diminished. It certainly not here.