Star Time

This is a truly excellent compliation covering the remarkable career of “The Godfather of Soul”. It covers his early rock’n’ roll/doo-wop influenced era with tracks such as “Please Please Please”, his first hit from 1956, “I Know It’s True”, “Try Me”, with its glorious fifties sax sound and “Out Of The Blue”, through the sixties horn-driven funk/pop of classics like “I Got You (I Feel Good)” and “Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag”. There is also the pure blues of “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World”.Also present is the Atlantic-style, churchy, organ-powered soul of tracks like “Lost Someone”. Brown covered several different genres of soul in his long career. Check out the Stax-y groove of “Licking Stick-Licking Stick”, a lyrically simple song but in possession of an absolutely intoxicating funky riff. "I Got A Bag Of My Own" is also impossibly funky. Brown just owns tracks like this. Listen to how he controls "Get Up, Get Into It And Get Involved", like a crazed revivalist preacher.Then we get the copper-bottomed essential seventies funk era with wonderful cuts like the shuffling, insistent funk power of “Funky Drummer” (check out that Fela Kuti-esque sax) , “The Payback”, “Stone To The Bone”, “Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine” and the cookin’ and riffy “Hot (I Need To Be Loved, Loved, Loved)”, which uses David Bowie’s “Fame” riff (yes it was this way round, Bowie was first). “Get Up Offa That Thing (Release The Pressure)” is a classic Brown funk number too. He liked a bracket or two in his song titles (too). He did these funk numbers so well, so intuitively and effortlessly. Great stuff. a highly recommended box set. The sound quality is superb throughout, even on the early numbers.

When first released in 1991, this historical box set basically wiped out any debate: James Brown was the most important musician of his generation. DJ Shadow once went so far to thank him for inventing modern music. But more than his influence, what really shines through here is his genius. This is most notable on disc 3, where he pushes wildly intricate rythms to places where no one had taken them before or since. The other three discs are similar shades of genius. Don't bother with a single disc collection, they don't do him justice, and whilst it does take the modern listener a few listens to wrap their head around his complexities, once you've cracked it you'll be a fan for life. £15 for 5 hours of the greatest music ever recorded? Are you going to find a better deal anywhere else?

This excellent 4 disc set does a great job of collecting all the best work of James Brown into one easy package.A man always at the forefront of musical trends it charts his career from `50s R&B singer through soul and his development of the funk sound. Brown was a true original and a great innovator, as well as being a skilled performer who ran a very tight crew. The two aspects come together to provide track after track of superb soul/funk underpinned by Brown's self assured powerful vocals.The set collects all the essential recordings, from the early big hits that made his name to the likes of funky drummer and Mother Popcorn with which he redefined black music. Being 4 discs it has space to include so much more material, which shows off the range of the man's talent, and give the listener the chance to hear some great music you would never hear on a 1 disc collection.The 4 discs have been nicely mastered and have a decent clear sound. There are 4 CDs in normal size cd cases collected into a sturdy car outer about the size of 2 cd cases tall. It's a well put together and worthwhile set.

The greatest box set by the greatest, funkiest person who ever lived. Probably the greatest box set of all time, no, definitely the greatest. Each time you press play, you will not sit still & you will want to play it all. The best medication you can listen to because you will forget about your problems & smile & smuggly think, " I'm glad I got this! "

I claim no JB expertise,I saw this,and thought,good price,music to exercise by.It was that,and so much more.Get on up,get down,it's been a long time since I dug soul.Now I'm going to have to revisit my youth,and reacquaint myself with Otis,Stevie,Wilson,and all the others.

This package does full justice to James Brown's amazingly influential career. All the classics and more, painstakingly compiled by Cliff White. Other reviews have covered the 4 discs but it's also worth mentioning the detailed book which has a great selection of b/w photos plus reproduced posters and record sleeves. Aside from a full discography and session details of every song in the set, the essays from Nelson George and Alan Leeds provide cultural context and a music business perspective. Great value.

I'm not a James Brown expert but so far as I can tell this has all the good stuff on four CDs and a small book (not booklet!) all for a reasonable price-bargain! (I noticed what seems to be the same package but with a different cover on Amazon for more; i'm not sure if that one has the same book). What more needs to be said? If you want to get on the good foot then I don't think you can go wrong with this.

i'm not the biggest jb fan ,so after reading the reviews i took the plunge and bought this epic box set i knew a lot of the tracks and a lot i didn't which were a pleasent surprise how good they were ,i have to agree with the other reviewer's it is an essential purchase ,the title needs changed though to JAMES BROWN - LEGEND ,the only tracks you need .