Hello, as the Worldcup finished the first round no real surprises perhaps Algerians keeping the Russians at bay but they like the Koreans and Japanese lack creativity, so it's goodbye to them. Ronaldo can lick his wounds and those Ghanians really fell apart, quiet unnecessary. Meanwhile some withdrawal symptoms today--no matches, thankfully tomorrow starts another cycle with 8 matches in 4 days, by that time there will be 8 teams left. Gone already is Luis Suarez whose streetwise character overtakes him at times, and as was to be expected his minimal byte cost him dearly as the screaming british press draws blood once more, talk of sore losers...
These weeks it's all about "Soul Brother Number One," "the Godfather of Soul," "the Hardest Working Man in Show Business," "Mr. Dynamite" -- those are mighty titles, but no one can question that today's artist earned them more than any other performer. James was a guy who had self motivation written all over his back and front. And it came out of every pore of his music. His rhythms,the conversational way his band interacted with himself and each other and the way each one of them was able to make music that made people move. At this time dancing wasn't a mere gut reaction to rhythmic music. It was a political statement. So when we're dealing with funk and dancing it's on a level somewhat closer to jazz and swing. It's movement connected with a CULTURAL movement itself. So when you hear something like this,the grooves make you want to move. Than the movement will get your mental juices going. A big undertaking for one man to carry but than he wasn't alone, he had some great musicians backing and sometimes leading him the JB's was one of those supporting casts ......N'joy
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The J.B.'s were the legendary supporting cast of musicians behind James Brown, earning a well-deserved reputation as the tightest, best-drilled instrumental ensemble in all of funk. The name J.B.'s is most often associated with three hornmen in particular -- saxophonists Maceo Parker, Alfred "Pee Wee" Ellis, and trombonist Fred Wesley, all of whom originally joined Brown's backing band at various points during the '60s. As a recording entity unto themselves, however, The J.B.'s enjoyed a distinctly defined heyday from 1970-1975, under the musical directorship of Wesley (though Brown, naturally, remained a strong presence). The J.B.'s were billed under a variety of alternate names on their own singles and albums -- Fred Wesley and the J.B.'s, Maceo and the Macks, Fred and the New J.B.'s, the James Brown Soul Train, the Last Word, the First Family, and more. The core group of personnel, despite some turnover on the periphery, remained fairly steady from 1971 on, at least until Brown's creative downturn precipitated several important defections.
The first official version of The J.B.'s was formed in 1970, after the notoriously demanding Brown's regular band (excepting organist/vocalist Bobby Byrd) walked out on him. Caught in a pinch, Brown recruited a Cincinnati-based R&B band called the Pacemakers, who'd already toured behind Brown favorite Hank Ballard. Brothers Phelps "Catfish" Collins (guitar) and William "Bootsy" Collins (bass) anchored the lineup, as well as the first J.B.'s single, 1970's "The Grunt." The Collins brothers, of course, would play a crucial role in Brown's transition to heavy, groove-centered funk. One by one, some of Brown's previous bandmembers returned to the fold, including Fred Wesley, who accepted Brown's offer to become musical director of The J.B.'s in December 1970. However, the lineup splintered with the departure of the Collins brothers just a few months later, leaving Wesley with only guitarist Hearlon "Cheese" Martin, drummer John "Jabo" Starks, and tenor saxman St. Clair Pinckney. This nucleus was quickly fleshed out with bassist Fred Thomas and saxophonist Jimmy Parker (who'd never played alto prior to joining the band); soon, there was also a trumpet section, usually featuring Jerone "Jasaan" Sanford, Russell Crimes, and Isiah "Ike" Oakley.
Brown began to release recordings by the newly constituted J.B.'s on his own People label with some frequency beginning in 1971, and the group scored a couple of Top 40 R&B hits with "Pass the Peas" and "Gimme Some More." By 1972, previous Brown guitarist Jimmy Nolen had returned alongside Cheese Martin, and conga player Johnny Griggs was back in tow as well. That year saw the release of the first J.B.'s full-length, Food for Thought. Wesley was still the band's only real soloist, so in early 1973, Brown convinced legendary alto man Maceo Parker to rejoin. His first record back with the group was "Doing It to Death," a long jam with guest vocals from Brown that topped the R&B charts in edited form; it was also the title track of their second album, and the first single credited to Fred Wesley & the J.B.'s, affirming that Wesley was still without question the leader. Still, The J.B.'s also began to cut sides under the name Maceo & the Macks, including the Top 20 R&B hit "Soul Power '74" and the 1974 album Us!!. Meanwhile, under their original name, the Wesley-led J.B.'s released another successful LP that year in Damn Right I Am Somebody, which spun off three Top 40 R&B hits in "Same Beat," "If You Don't Get It the First Time, Back Up and Try It Again, Party," and the title track. The follow-up album, Breakin' Bread, issued later that year, was credited to Fred and the New J.B.'s, even though the band's personnel remained essentially the same (although John Morgan was easing into Starks' slot as the regular drummer).
By late 1974, however, Brown's commercial momentum was beginning to slow, and that carried over to The J.B.'s as well. The First Family single "Control (People Go Where We Send You)," which featured Brown, Lyn Collins, and other vocalists, failed to perform up to expectations. By the time of 1975's Hustle With Speed album, band morale was low, and Wesley was growing frustrated with Brown's sudden loss of direction. On the Fourth of July, Wesley quit the group to join up with George Clinton, and Maceo Parker soon followed. Bassist Thomas, drummers Starks (who'd joined B.B. King's band) and Morgan, guitarist Martin, and saxophonist Jimmy Parker all drifted away, leaving Jimmy Nolen and Russell Crimes the only consistent members left on the final J.B.'s single, 1976's "Everybody Wanna Get Funky One More Time." Polydor subsequently shut down Brown's People imprint, effectively ending the myriad side projects he'd managed during the first half of the decade. He continued to tour with differing versions of The J.B.'s, including a late-'70s outfit dubbed the J.B.'s International, but for all intents and purposes, the true J.B.'s no longer existed.
Periodic J.B.'s reunions ensued in the years to come; Wesley, Parker, and Alfred Ellis (who actually only played on a couple of J.B.'s sessions) toured Europe with Bobby Byrd in 1988, and cut a reunion album, Pee Wee, Fred and Maceo, the following year. They continued to tour and record together off and on during the '90s under the name the JB Horns. A more extensive J.B.'s reunion took place in 2002 on the album Bring the Funk On Down, which also included Bootsy Collins, Bobby Byrd, and Jabo Starks, among others. A reunion of the original J.B.'s rhythm section, with Bootsy and Phelps Collins, Clyde Stubblefield, and Jabo Starks, and supplemented by Bernie Worrell, recorded the Superbad movie soundtrack. They went on to perform the first tribute concert remembering James Brown. And released Funk Your Ass (A Tribute to The Godfather Of Soul) in 2008.
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This album came out in 1973 with James Brown and the JB's at a significant peak. This was the era of Soul Train,which I'm pretty sure is where this cover photo is from. That song and most of what James was doing in this period was associated with the salad days of all that. James was entering what Ricky Vincent calls the "united funk era",a time when the funk music he helped innovate was the primary and most successful form of soul music at that time. James and The JB's were very lucky to be still at their peak together when the genre they helped to create was at it's most successful point. And I'm glad to report,whatever format you have this album in (mine is vinyl actually) again you just want to turn it on and have it never end.
The title song is.....well for James Brown fans what more can I say?It drives "the one" directly into the subconscious. For the most part this album is more slow grinding, non stop JB funk such as "More Peas",again same deal as the title song yet slower even in the groove. "La Di Da La Di Day" has the band working full throttle again-all playing off each other like the well oiled funk music machine they are. "Sucker" has them working out on an eight minute bop jazz style jam. You hear Maceo and Fred interacting with each other in this pointed musical conversation,proving the old point the JB's were really "playing jazz with a raw rhythm attitude". "You Can Have Watergate,Just Gimme Some Bucks And I'll Be Straight" is sort of a glue that holds the album together via interludes. But the full version that closes the album is some pointed, topical funk that's still relevant now even with the somewhat dated historical reference. Money talks,BS walks basically.
The J.B.'s - Doing It To Death (flac 211mb)
01 Introduction To The J.B.'s 0:24
02 Doing It To Death - Part 1 & 2 10:01
03 You Can Have Watergate Just Gimme Some Bucks And I'll Be Straight 0:14
04 More Peas 8:25
05 La Di Da La Di Day 5:38
06 You Can Have Watergate Just Gimme Some Bucks And I'll Be Straight 0:14
07 Sucker 8:09
08 You Can Have Watergate Just Gimme Some Bucks And I'll Be Straight 6:28
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
Damn Right I Am Somebody captures the J.B.'s at the apex of their extraordinary powers. This James Brown-produced set is both their most fiercely polemical and their most musically daring, incorporating otherworldly electronic elements, eccentric time and rhythm shifts, and idiosyncratic studio effects to brilliantly articulate the increasing turmoil and insanity of the times. It's quite possibly the most challenging record ever released under the Brown aegis, favoring open-ended grooves and epic solos rooted in avant-jazz. The rhythms remain surgically precise and hypnotically intense, however, and every cut here, from the funk juggernaut "I'm Payin' Taxes, What Am I Buyin'?" to the righteously mellow "Same Beat," is a marvel. This is funk at its heaviest -- musically, yes, but intellectually as well.
The JBs - Damn Right I Am Somebody (flac 264mb)
01 Damn Right I'm Somebody 6:01
02 Blow Your Head 5:06
03 Im Payin' Taxes, What Am I Buyin '? 9:48
04 Same Beat (Part 1) 3:19
05 If You Don't Get It The First Time, Back Up & Try It Again, Parrty 3:56
06 Make Me What You Want Me To Be 3:58
07 Going To Get A Thrill 6:22
08 You Sure Love To Ball 4:38
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
In addition to backing Brown on stage and on record during this era, the J.B.'s also recorded albums and singles on their own, sometimes with Brown performing on organ or synthesizer. Their albums were generally a mixture of heavy funk tracks and some more jazz-oriented pieces. Nearly all of their recordings were produced by Brown and most were released on his own label, People Records. Like most of James Brown's music, the J.B.'s recorded output has been heavily mined for samples by hip hop DJs and record producers. Groove Machine this 1979 trend-setting disco funk album steps way outside the box, as the James Brown produced J.B. s lay down a disco groove that will make you get up off that thang and dance like a white boy. Don't miss out on this thumping disco classic!
The J.B.'s - Groove Machine (flac 260mb)
01 Rock Groove Machine 9:00
02 Georgia Peach Disco 10:16
03 Just Wanna Make You Dance 8:08
04 Rock Disco #1 7:23
05 Rock 4:30
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
These weeks it's all about "Soul Brother Number One," "the Godfather of Soul," "the Hardest Working Man in Show Business," "Mr. Dynamite" -- those are mighty titles, but no one can question that today's artist earned them more than any other performer. James was a guy who had self motivation written all over his back and front. And it came out of every pore of his music. His rhythms,the conversational way his band interacted with himself and each other and the way each one of them was able to make music that made people move. At this time dancing wasn't a mere gut reaction to rhythmic music. It was a political statement. So when we're dealing with funk and dancing it's on a level somewhat closer to jazz and swing. It's movement connected with a CULTURAL movement itself. So when you hear something like this,the grooves make you want to move. Than the movement will get your mental juices going. A big undertaking for one man to carry but than he wasn't alone, he had some great musicians backing and sometimes leading him the JB's was one of those supporting casts ......N'joy
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
The J.B.'s were the legendary supporting cast of musicians behind James Brown, earning a well-deserved reputation as the tightest, best-drilled instrumental ensemble in all of funk. The name J.B.'s is most often associated with three hornmen in particular -- saxophonists Maceo Parker, Alfred "Pee Wee" Ellis, and trombonist Fred Wesley, all of whom originally joined Brown's backing band at various points during the '60s. As a recording entity unto themselves, however, The J.B.'s enjoyed a distinctly defined heyday from 1970-1975, under the musical directorship of Wesley (though Brown, naturally, remained a strong presence). The J.B.'s were billed under a variety of alternate names on their own singles and albums -- Fred Wesley and the J.B.'s, Maceo and the Macks, Fred and the New J.B.'s, the James Brown Soul Train, the Last Word, the First Family, and more. The core group of personnel, despite some turnover on the periphery, remained fairly steady from 1971 on, at least until Brown's creative downturn precipitated several important defections.
The first official version of The J.B.'s was formed in 1970, after the notoriously demanding Brown's regular band (excepting organist/vocalist Bobby Byrd) walked out on him. Caught in a pinch, Brown recruited a Cincinnati-based R&B band called the Pacemakers, who'd already toured behind Brown favorite Hank Ballard. Brothers Phelps "Catfish" Collins (guitar) and William "Bootsy" Collins (bass) anchored the lineup, as well as the first J.B.'s single, 1970's "The Grunt." The Collins brothers, of course, would play a crucial role in Brown's transition to heavy, groove-centered funk. One by one, some of Brown's previous bandmembers returned to the fold, including Fred Wesley, who accepted Brown's offer to become musical director of The J.B.'s in December 1970. However, the lineup splintered with the departure of the Collins brothers just a few months later, leaving Wesley with only guitarist Hearlon "Cheese" Martin, drummer John "Jabo" Starks, and tenor saxman St. Clair Pinckney. This nucleus was quickly fleshed out with bassist Fred Thomas and saxophonist Jimmy Parker (who'd never played alto prior to joining the band); soon, there was also a trumpet section, usually featuring Jerone "Jasaan" Sanford, Russell Crimes, and Isiah "Ike" Oakley.
Brown began to release recordings by the newly constituted J.B.'s on his own People label with some frequency beginning in 1971, and the group scored a couple of Top 40 R&B hits with "Pass the Peas" and "Gimme Some More." By 1972, previous Brown guitarist Jimmy Nolen had returned alongside Cheese Martin, and conga player Johnny Griggs was back in tow as well. That year saw the release of the first J.B.'s full-length, Food for Thought. Wesley was still the band's only real soloist, so in early 1973, Brown convinced legendary alto man Maceo Parker to rejoin. His first record back with the group was "Doing It to Death," a long jam with guest vocals from Brown that topped the R&B charts in edited form; it was also the title track of their second album, and the first single credited to Fred Wesley & the J.B.'s, affirming that Wesley was still without question the leader. Still, The J.B.'s also began to cut sides under the name Maceo & the Macks, including the Top 20 R&B hit "Soul Power '74" and the 1974 album Us!!. Meanwhile, under their original name, the Wesley-led J.B.'s released another successful LP that year in Damn Right I Am Somebody, which spun off three Top 40 R&B hits in "Same Beat," "If You Don't Get It the First Time, Back Up and Try It Again, Party," and the title track. The follow-up album, Breakin' Bread, issued later that year, was credited to Fred and the New J.B.'s, even though the band's personnel remained essentially the same (although John Morgan was easing into Starks' slot as the regular drummer).
By late 1974, however, Brown's commercial momentum was beginning to slow, and that carried over to The J.B.'s as well. The First Family single "Control (People Go Where We Send You)," which featured Brown, Lyn Collins, and other vocalists, failed to perform up to expectations. By the time of 1975's Hustle With Speed album, band morale was low, and Wesley was growing frustrated with Brown's sudden loss of direction. On the Fourth of July, Wesley quit the group to join up with George Clinton, and Maceo Parker soon followed. Bassist Thomas, drummers Starks (who'd joined B.B. King's band) and Morgan, guitarist Martin, and saxophonist Jimmy Parker all drifted away, leaving Jimmy Nolen and Russell Crimes the only consistent members left on the final J.B.'s single, 1976's "Everybody Wanna Get Funky One More Time." Polydor subsequently shut down Brown's People imprint, effectively ending the myriad side projects he'd managed during the first half of the decade. He continued to tour with differing versions of The J.B.'s, including a late-'70s outfit dubbed the J.B.'s International, but for all intents and purposes, the true J.B.'s no longer existed.
Periodic J.B.'s reunions ensued in the years to come; Wesley, Parker, and Alfred Ellis (who actually only played on a couple of J.B.'s sessions) toured Europe with Bobby Byrd in 1988, and cut a reunion album, Pee Wee, Fred and Maceo, the following year. They continued to tour and record together off and on during the '90s under the name the JB Horns. A more extensive J.B.'s reunion took place in 2002 on the album Bring the Funk On Down, which also included Bootsy Collins, Bobby Byrd, and Jabo Starks, among others. A reunion of the original J.B.'s rhythm section, with Bootsy and Phelps Collins, Clyde Stubblefield, and Jabo Starks, and supplemented by Bernie Worrell, recorded the Superbad movie soundtrack. They went on to perform the first tribute concert remembering James Brown. And released Funk Your Ass (A Tribute to The Godfather Of Soul) in 2008.
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
This album came out in 1973 with James Brown and the JB's at a significant peak. This was the era of Soul Train,which I'm pretty sure is where this cover photo is from. That song and most of what James was doing in this period was associated with the salad days of all that. James was entering what Ricky Vincent calls the "united funk era",a time when the funk music he helped innovate was the primary and most successful form of soul music at that time. James and The JB's were very lucky to be still at their peak together when the genre they helped to create was at it's most successful point. And I'm glad to report,whatever format you have this album in (mine is vinyl actually) again you just want to turn it on and have it never end.
The title song is.....well for James Brown fans what more can I say?It drives "the one" directly into the subconscious. For the most part this album is more slow grinding, non stop JB funk such as "More Peas",again same deal as the title song yet slower even in the groove. "La Di Da La Di Day" has the band working full throttle again-all playing off each other like the well oiled funk music machine they are. "Sucker" has them working out on an eight minute bop jazz style jam. You hear Maceo and Fred interacting with each other in this pointed musical conversation,proving the old point the JB's were really "playing jazz with a raw rhythm attitude". "You Can Have Watergate,Just Gimme Some Bucks And I'll Be Straight" is sort of a glue that holds the album together via interludes. But the full version that closes the album is some pointed, topical funk that's still relevant now even with the somewhat dated historical reference. Money talks,BS walks basically.
The J.B.'s - Doing It To Death (flac 211mb)
01 Introduction To The J.B.'s 0:24
02 Doing It To Death - Part 1 & 2 10:01
03 You Can Have Watergate Just Gimme Some Bucks And I'll Be Straight 0:14
04 More Peas 8:25
05 La Di Da La Di Day 5:38
06 You Can Have Watergate Just Gimme Some Bucks And I'll Be Straight 0:14
07 Sucker 8:09
08 You Can Have Watergate Just Gimme Some Bucks And I'll Be Straight 6:28
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
Damn Right I Am Somebody captures the J.B.'s at the apex of their extraordinary powers. This James Brown-produced set is both their most fiercely polemical and their most musically daring, incorporating otherworldly electronic elements, eccentric time and rhythm shifts, and idiosyncratic studio effects to brilliantly articulate the increasing turmoil and insanity of the times. It's quite possibly the most challenging record ever released under the Brown aegis, favoring open-ended grooves and epic solos rooted in avant-jazz. The rhythms remain surgically precise and hypnotically intense, however, and every cut here, from the funk juggernaut "I'm Payin' Taxes, What Am I Buyin'?" to the righteously mellow "Same Beat," is a marvel. This is funk at its heaviest -- musically, yes, but intellectually as well.
The JBs - Damn Right I Am Somebody (flac 264mb)
01 Damn Right I'm Somebody 6:01
02 Blow Your Head 5:06
03 Im Payin' Taxes, What Am I Buyin '? 9:48
04 Same Beat (Part 1) 3:19
05 If You Don't Get It The First Time, Back Up & Try It Again, Parrty 3:56
06 Make Me What You Want Me To Be 3:58
07 Going To Get A Thrill 6:22
08 You Sure Love To Ball 4:38
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
In addition to backing Brown on stage and on record during this era, the J.B.'s also recorded albums and singles on their own, sometimes with Brown performing on organ or synthesizer. Their albums were generally a mixture of heavy funk tracks and some more jazz-oriented pieces. Nearly all of their recordings were produced by Brown and most were released on his own label, People Records. Like most of James Brown's music, the J.B.'s recorded output has been heavily mined for samples by hip hop DJs and record producers. Groove Machine this 1979 trend-setting disco funk album steps way outside the box, as the James Brown produced J.B. s lay down a disco groove that will make you get up off that thang and dance like a white boy. Don't miss out on this thumping disco classic!
The J.B.'s - Groove Machine (flac 260mb)
01 Rock Groove Machine 9:00
02 Georgia Peach Disco 10:16
03 Just Wanna Make You Dance 8:08
04 Rock Disco #1 7:23
05 Rock 4:30
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
Hello Rho
ReplyDeleteCan you please re-up these J.B.'s albums?
Thank you