Welcome to another new edition of our bi-weekly record-diving sampling extravaganza!
Thank you all for joining in another week of sampling goodness! Before we get into our artist and track in focus, and in case you aren’t already aware, there are some other Mission Briefs/Challenges currently taking place that you may also fancy spending some time on here:
- @Yabba is hosting Elektronauts Hip HopBattle #29 The Doors
Here is a track from a lesser-known work from a legend/group of legends who’s influence has undoubtedly left an unforgettable mark on the world. This week we’ll glance into the works of the Godfather of Soul, James Brown, together with the J.B.'s., and their song “Don’t Tell A Lie About Me And I Won’t Tell The Truth On You.” It is the thirteenth track on Brown’s album titled, “Hell,” which was released in June 28, 1974 on Polydor Records (Polydor - 2679 032).
Here is some information about James Brown, and the album, from Wikipedia and Albumism:
James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer and musician. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by various honorific nicknames, among them “the Hardest-Working Man in Show Business”, “Godfather of Soul”, “Mr. Dynamite”, and “Soul Brother No. 1”.[1] In a career that lasted more than 50 years, he influenced the development of several music genres.[2] Brown was one of the first 10 inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on January 23, 1986.
Brown began his career as a gospel singer in Toccoa, Georgia.[3] He rose to prominence in the mid-1950s as the lead singer of the Famous Flames, a rhythm and blues vocal group founded by Bobby Byrd.[4][5] With the hit ballads “Please, Please, Please” and “Try Me”, Brown built a reputation as a dynamic live performer with the Famous Flames and his backing band, sometimes known as the James Brown Band or the James Brown Orchestra. His success peaked in the 1960s with the live album Live at the Apollo and hit singles such as “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag”, “I Got You (I Feel Good)” and “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World”.
During the late 1960s, Brown moved from a continuum of blues and gospel-based forms and styles to a new approach to music-making, emphasizing stripped-down interlocking rhythms that influenced the development of funk music.[6] By the early 1970s, Brown had fully established the funk sound after the formation of the J.B.s with records such as “Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine” and “The Payback”. He also became noted for songs of social commentary, including the 1968 hit “Say It Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud”. Brown continued to perform and record until his death from pneumonia in 2006.
Brown recorded and released 17 singles that reached No. 1 on the Billboard R&B charts.[7][8] He also holds the record for the most singles listed on the Billboard Hot 100 chart that did not reach No. 1.[9][10] Brown was posthumously inducted into the first class of the Rhythm & Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2013 as an artist and then in 2017 as a songwriter. He also received honors from several other institutions, including inductions into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame[11] and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.[12] In Joel Whitburn’s analysis of the Billboard R&B charts from 1942 to 2010, Brown is ranked No. 1 in the Top 500 Artists.[13] He is ranked seventh on Rolling Stone 's list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time[14] and at No. 44 on their list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.
Hell is the 38th studio album by American musician James Brown. The album was released on June 28, 1974, by Polydor Records.
-Taken from Wikipedia.org
"By the time James Brown recorded Hell, his thirty-eighth studio album, he’d already invented soul music as we know it and was delving deep in the growing genre of funk. While it would be understandable for most artists to slow their roll by this point in their careers, Mr. Brown was hitting his stride. One of the man’s many nicknames is, of course, “The Hardest Working Man Show Business,” and with Hell, released 45 years ago, The Godfather of Soul put in some serious work to craft one of the best albums in his mammoth catalogue.
Hell was a follow-up to the successful The Payback (1973), a funk-heavy release that’s considered by some (including myself) to be the best full-length of Brown’s career. The double album featured massive groove-heavy jams that were frequently over seven minutes in length. The famous story is that it was originally intended as the soundtrack to the Blaxploitation film Hell Up In Harlem, but was rejected by the film’s director. The Payback had a unity in theme that was absent on my of James’ Brown earlier works. Hell builds off of the success of The Payback. There are fewer marathon jams, but there is a strong sense of cohesion throughout the album, even as Brown leads the album in many different musical directions.
Whereas most of Brown’s albums released during this era fully embrace the funk and soul sound, The Godfather and the JB’s stretch their musical legs a bit on Hell. The album incorporates styles from other genres and incorporates innovative musical arrangements for many of the songs. The varied song structure and sound makes Hell a unique album in Brown’s catalogue.
One thing that remains constant is that Brown puts together some monster grooves, and Hell is front-loaded with a pair of them. Things kick off with “Coldblooded,” where the JB’s throw in everything but the kitchen sink, as it begins with a funky guitar line, backed by almost novelty percussion and whistles, before becoming a hard-charging, horn-driven jam. The frequent changes in tempo and sound further reflect the musical complexity present throughout Hell.
Meanwhile, “My Thang” is one of the funkiest concoctions that Brown ever recorded. The song begins with some of his finest intro banter, and is followed by layered horns, sinister guitars, and a heavy bassline that are all overpowering in their delivery. The percussion (complete with cowbell) as well as the impassioned yells and screams, ties everything together to make it one of the best entries on Hell.
Following Hell, James Brown continued to record albums at an impressive rate, often releasing a pair of albums a year. Unfortunately, rather than innovating, Brown began to chase trends, rather than set them. Like most musical acts in the ’70s, he began to embrace disco far after its heyday and recorded essentially flavorless albums. After releasing solid albums like Reality (1974) and Sex Machine Today (1975), the quality of his releases began to noticeably dip.
Hell still belongs in the pantheon of great funk and soul albums. There’s very little Brown couldn’t do as an artist, but even so, creating a monstrously funky album that also features credible efforts at Salsa and gospel is impressive. Brown’s mind was as creative as ever, and even with his thirty-eighth album, he knew how to make music that would endure nearly half a century later."
- Review for Albumism.com by Jesse Ducker
Here are two versions of the track available on YouTube, in case anyone experiences regional playback issues:
Here is a link to the FLAC version of the track and a version that has been converted to 16bit/44.1KHz wav, please delete it after using:
JAMES BROWN - DON’T TELL A LIE ABOUT ME AND I WON’T TELL THE TRUTH ON YOU (FLAC)
JAMES BROWN - DON’T TELL A LIE ABOUT ME AND I WON’T TELL THE TRUTH ON YOU (WAV)
JAMES BROWN - DON’T TELL A LIE ABOUT ME AND I WON’T TELL THE TRUTH ON YOU (STEMS)
links are active for one week from today (02/17/24)
Album Photos:
images from google search
THE BRIEF
YOU have been selected by the notorious Global Sound Syndicate for a top-secret operation. Not really, please, share with your friends, family, and even the kind souls knitting sweaters in February.
Mission:
-Sample any part(s) of the track we’ve nominated
-Spend no more than 1 week turning it into music
-Post your creations here for us all to enjoy
Deadline: Sunday, February 25, 2024
Submit your entry no later than 11:59 PM, Sunday, February 25, 2024, or be faced with a brief moment of self-loathing for not participating. Submissions entered on later dates are also welcome!
Compensation:
Hearts and compliments from the community
(not guaranteed)
You can use as much or as little of the sample track as you like, you just have to use it. No winners, no losers, just good times!
Every two weeks we will post a track from our record collections, ideally something you’ve not heard before. Jams, full tracks, noodles - share whatever you like!
404 is looking lovely man did you change the knobs to orange or is that stock?
