JAMES BROWN — The Singles, Volume 1: The Federal Years: 1956-1960 (review)

JAMES BROWN — The Singles, Volume 1: The Federal Years: 1956-1960 album cover

Boxset / Compilation · 2006 · RnB

4.5/5 · 2011-10-30
Matt

If you want to know about the Godfather of Soul or The Hardest Working Man In Show Business really there is no better place to start than with this compilation of "The Singles" which would be the first of another ten to follow. Double cd comprising 41 tracks with A and B sides as well as stereo and mono issues and a demo all included no matter what the song quality, if they were put on a single they are all here.

James Brown so the story goes was brought up in a Carolina whorehouse, chucked in jail and when he was released meet up with Sarah Byrd singing Gospel which led him to Bobby Byrd, Sarah's brother who was leading a band called The Gospel Starlighters and the rest is RnB history at this phase in the early days of James Brown with the Funk still a little way off with perhaps the first seeds in his hit single "Night Train" but that is 1962 and still six years from his debut single "Please,Please,Please" going to number 5 on the RnB charts. The band were named "The Famous Flames" and recorded the first session on Febuary the 4th 1956 at Federal Records who were a subsidary of King. It would take another five sessions for another decent hit to be yielded from James Brown and The Famous Flames and that would not be till late 1958 with "Try Me" but that is where this beautiful compilation is indespensable because with these singles this is the only place where you will hear many of them and although there are many that went nowhere there are still some great listens to be had and yes there are some not so great as well but if you are like me you want it all. The notes in this series of cd's are simply stunning with every song covered extensively with all the little details,session dates, album inclusion, personnel, recording history and chart positions all included. "The Singles" are the way to go as that is how for this reviewer and many others who always heard "The Hardest Working Man In Show Business" coming through your radio.

"Please ,Please,Please" is the starter with the flip being "Why Do You Do Me" with the flip actually not being put on James Brown's first album but "Try Me" the follow up. This same session also yielded "I Don't Know" and "I Feel That Old Feeling Coming On" with all being RnB with Wilbert "Lee Diamond" Smith and Ray Felder contributing some great tenor saxophone. "I Don't Know" has James singing his lungs out on this slow burner with a narration within the tune but all the songs from this session have that raw energy that James Brown inserted into his music. "No,No,No,No is a shuffle with"Hold My Hand" being a Blues ballad and James does it all by dropping the backing vocalists but as they say in the notes, "nobody noticed" but this was the first where James took it all on."I Won't Plead No More" is good old rock and roll and Chonnie-On-Chon is an blues style number and these went nowhere too but one thing at this time James had just hooked up with Little Richard appearing with him in New Jersey. The compilation continues with many more good ones and not so with "Baby Cries Over The Sea" being in the later and did James rip a little off "My Bonnie" being the low point. There is demo of "Try Me" to finish of the disc and to be honest I have heard better condition 78's from the dawn of music but Hipo Select has rightfully included it here for all us completists.

"Try Me" the next big one for James Brown is where disc two commences being a Blues ballad but this is where another change occurred with James Brown changing the band and in this first session which yielded his first number 1 in the RnB and 48 in the Pop charts we have Kenny Burrell on guitar and Ernie Hayes on tenor saxophone. "I Got To Change" more great slow blues from James and "It Hurts To Tell You" come in mono and both stereo but really the stereo version is the mono with overdubs included by Federal but marketed as Stereo with a marked difference in the song to say the least. There is another little story included and that is with the first of the instrumentals of only the band "Doodle Bee" and "Buckethead" that James wanted but Federal did not want them marketed under his name as not to confuse fans which was just an aggravation to James as the record was issued under the sax players name J.C Davis but James suggested (lied) to use his full name James but as James said he had half his name on the record but obscurity was were the single went. My pick of them goes to "BucketHead" with great sax work from JC Davis. He did do a Bootleg down South called "The Mashed Potatoes" with quite a different succes story making it a hit but not included here on this compilation. "Think" is the next big chart climber for James Brown with that bounce and bop that it contained and the flip which charted as well was the duet with Bea Ford, "You've Got The Power" with a myriad of other songs included before and after the song in this collection being all RnB and Blues as well as essntial for any James Brown fan.

Compulsory if you are serious about music and one fascinating listen on the development of one of the greatest Afro American artists to appear on stage as well as record. Four point five stars, yeah the music is maybe not quite there all the time but the education is if you are interested.