James Brown - Hell

[Matt Till]

The Greatest Funk Album ever? Me thinks, yes.


What's your favorite James Brown album? I can't stop listening to "Hell." It's perfect, I heard some of James later material and didn't like it. But this album is perfect, came out in 74 I think, so everything sounds tonally 70s, which is when tone (IMO) reached it's pinacle... bass, drums, guitar, production. Everything sounded the best in the 70s, once again, IMO.

The Grooves are some of the best James ever had, and the man was at the top of his game. Fred Thomas and Chuck Rainey on bass, not sure who plays when... but my favorite James Brown bass playing as well. There isn't a bad track on this album, it's perfect. Tons of congas and extra percussion too, which I love.

[darkblack99]

I'll add Charles Sherrill and Gordon Edwards to that sidemen list, too.
Leaving off compiliations, I'd put Sex Machine and There It Is up there with Hell, for me.

But I could do without that gong between songs...I keep expecting Chuck Barris to pop up and clap his hands together.