James Brown: The Singles Vol. 8 (1972-1973) auf 2 CDs

Get ready for another exiting round of genius grooves from James Brown in The Singles Vol. 8: 1972-1973, a new 2-CD set in the acclaimed series that illuminates when JB became “The Godfather Of Soul.”

By this era, Black music was shifting – fast. “Sixties veterans Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield managed to evolve with the changing times, but relative newcomers Isaac Hayes, Al Green and Barry White loomed as the last of a dying breed,” writes compiler and former James Brown staffer Alan Leeds in the set’s liner notes. “The era of the stage shaking, Gospel-based Southern soul man was all but over… Established stars, like Ray Charles, Solomon Burke, Wilson Pickett and Jackie Wilson, couldn’t buy a hit record. Somehow, James Brown was still standing.”

Standing he was, rocking the globe with “Get On The Good Foot,” “There It Is” and “I Got Ants In My Pants”; cautioning youth with the antidrug tale “King Heroin;” helping deliver hits for his super-funky band The J. B.’s with irresistible tracks “Pass The Peas” and “Doing It To Death,” now an all-time classic. He also experimented: a pop duet with Lyn Collins, “What My Baby Needs Now Is A Little More Lovin’”; a remake of his hit “Think”; a rare cover of The Beatles’ “Something”; working with bandleader Fred Wesley on the score to Black Caesar, resulting in the hits “Down And Out In New York City” and “Sexy Sexy Sexy.”

Several rarities give the package extra collectability: an unreleased vocal version of “Hot Pants Road”; the single version of “Honky Tonk”; the U. K.-only release “I Know It’s True”; the rare mono promo mix of “Ants”; the rare single cover version of “Watermelon Man” by Wesley that features JB on drums; and a second re-cut of “Think.”

All tracks have been newly remastered from the analog singles masters, sounding better than ever – and several of the original single mixes are now on CD for the first time. The set is accompanied, as with previous releases, by a booklet thick with detailed track annotations, track-by-track anecdotes that serve as a James Brown career timeline, rare photos and reproductions of memorabilia from back in the day, and a sessionography complete with recording dates and band personnel.