Looking for the best single disc James Brown comp, any suggestions?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Jason Pumphrey, Jul 24, 2017.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Jason Pumphrey

    Jason Pumphrey Forum Resident Thread Starter

    I was looking at 20 All Time Greatest Hits, is that one worthy?
    It is only $4.99 on Amazon and at Barnes and Noble.
    Does it use the correct mono and stereo mixes (when applicable) I am usually not a fan of reprocessed stereo or remixes.

    I also remember there being a release called The CD of JB, but that is now OOP.

    I am open to all suggestions.
     
  2. The Panda

    The Panda Forum Mutant

    Location:
    Marple, PA, USA
  3. Jason Pumphrey

    Jason Pumphrey Forum Resident Thread Starter

  4. The Panda

    The Panda Forum Mutant

    Location:
    Marple, PA, USA
    Maybe this wasn't a single, I thought it was............

     
  5. GregM

    GregM The expanding man

    Location:
    Bay Area, CA
    For me it's Motherlode -- no contest.
     
  6. Monosterio

    Monosterio Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Florida
    I second that 20 Hits recommendation. It's got his best songs, mastering is by Ted Jensen (like the Star Time box). That's definitely the way to go, IMO.
     
    dalem5467 likes this.
  7. JamieC

    JamieC Senior Member

    Location:
    Detroit Mi USA
    Started off with The CD Of JB, which I liked a lot, then went straight to the Star Time box.
     
    McLover likes this.
  8. Monosterio

    Monosterio Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Florida
    Same here.
     
  9. Grant

    Grant Life is a rock, but the radio rolled me!

    If you want an overall hits CD with the mono single versions, this one fits the bill:

    [​IMG]
     
  10. Jason Pumphrey

    Jason Pumphrey Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Thanks, ordered 20 All Time Greatest Hits this afternoon from Amazon.
    Will be receiving it Wed, they also threw in a free Autorip copy that is already on my Amazon music library for portable listening.
    A killer deal for $4.99!
     
    905, telepicker97, SOONERFAN and 2 others like this.
  11. Jason Pumphrey

    Jason Pumphrey Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Thanks again, really enjoying the disc, nice sound and selection of tunes.

    Hopefully I can find a collection with all (or most) his two parter singles in full in the future.
     
    905 likes this.
  12. John Bliss

    John Bliss Forum Resident

    What is the best JB CD for stereo mixes of his hits? Was Super Bad and/or I Got You ever issued officially in true stereo? I have the above mono singles 1s cd, it's great, but looking for a nice CD with as much stereo hit tracks as possible.
     
  13. samthesham

    samthesham Forum Resident

    Location:
    Moorhead MN
    20 All Time Greatest

    Its a flat transfer & can be cranked

    The way JB needs to be enjoyed
     
    tubesandvinyl likes this.
  14. Daryl M

    Daryl M Senior Member

    Location:
    London, Ontario
    I love `Gold' because it has `Living In America' on it.
     
    Galley likes this.
  15. McLover

    McLover Senior Member

    The CD of JB has Mono when only Mono is available, Stereo when true Stereo is available, and excellent mastering. Same for the CD of JB II.
     
    Grissongs, John Bliss and Dave like this.
  16. McLover

    McLover Senior Member

    Also, remember many James Brown hits are mono only. He recorded in a lot of mono only studios in the day.
     
    John Bliss likes this.
  17. uphoria6

    uphoria6 Senior Member

    Location:
    Ont. Canada
    Just go all in with the Star Time box. It is simply one of the best box sets ever released.
     
  18. John Bliss

    John Bliss Forum Resident

    Thanks for the suggestions. I'll look into them.
     
  19. kevin5brown

    kevin5brown Analog or bust.

    This is a really good thread. I have been telling myself for years, that I want to get some James Brown. One thing I did was to put the 3 albums mentioned here into a spreadsheet, and look for overlap. It sort of rapidly dawned on me that I should just skip the 20 All Time Greatest Hits & The CD of JB, and just get the Star Time Box. The Star Time box has every song from those 2 CDs, sometimes in a longer form. Motherlode looks interesting by itself. And then I also realized that the Mother Popcorn medley on Live Bootleg by Aerosmith, all of that is by James Brown, I knew they were old songs, but I didn't know they all were by James Brown (You got to have a Mother for Me too.) Cool. :)

    One small bummer, I came across his song The Boss at some time recently, and that one's not on the box, and then the one the person above mentioned, I Don’t Want Nobody to Give Me Nothing, isn't on the box either.

    Funny, I Don't Want Nobody To Give Me Something (Once Up The Door I'll Get It Myself) is in the box. Missed the difference there ....
     
    Last edited: May 16, 2018
  20. Roland Stone

    Roland Stone Offending Member

    What's nice is that as poorly as James Brown was served during the age of LPs, he was exquisitely reissued during the CD era.

    I would advise neophytes that comps -- both hits and themes -- are where it's at for JB on CD, with the grand exceptions of the live albums. Like many pre-Beatles artists, JB didn't put a lot of thought into his LPs until the '70s, treating them as market fodder, not artistic statements. In contrast, the comps are intelligently programmed and generous with alternate takes and edits, minimizing duplication between sets.
     
    guppy270 and SOONERFAN like this.
  21. Carl Swanson

    Carl Swanson Senior Member

    I think trying to fit a 40+ year career on one disc is a compromise.
     
  22. kevin5brown

    kevin5brown Analog or bust.

    There is a little bit of a rabbit hole here too. :D

    Motherlode was mentioned, but then I discovered that that's sort of a companion release to In the Jungle Groove.

    And then I discovered that there is a the CD for JB II, and there are some versions of those songs longer than on Star Time: Say It Loud — I’m Black And I’m Proud (pts 1 & 2?), I'm a Greedy Man, Make it Funky, and Get On The Good Foot.

    And then Wikipedia mentions this set as an alternate to Star Time:

    Roots of a Revolution (2 CD; covers 1956-1964)
    Foundations of Funk - Brand New Bag: '64-'69 (2CD)
    Funk Power 1970: A Brand New Thang (1 CD)
    Make It Funky - The Big Payback: 1971-1975 (2 CD)
    Dead on the Heavy Funk, 1975-1983 (2 CD)

    Ugh. ;)
     
    PhantomStranger and SOONERFAN like this.
  23. telepicker97

    telepicker97 Got Any Gum?

    Location:
    Midwest
    I have this one :
    Make It Funky - The Big Payback: 1971-1975 by James Brown (R&B) (CD, Jul-1996, 2 Discs, Chronicles) | eBay

    It is absolutely essential.
     
    jwoverho and SOONERFAN like this.
  24. Rfreeman

    Rfreeman Senior Member

    Location:
    Lawrenceville, NJ
    Funk Power 1970.
     
    SOONERFAN and HappyFingers like this.
  25. SOONERFAN

    SOONERFAN Forum Resident

    Location:
    Norman, Oklahoma
    James Brown was much more than "a little bit" of a rabbit hole for me. I started with the 20 Greatest Hits (If you truly are going to limit yourself to a single disc comp than this is the one to get). I eventually moved onto the 4 disc Star Time box. Star Time really is the comp to own. The OP really should re-think the single disc comp question and go straight to Star Time IMHO. Star Time was all I had for years before I fell fully down into the James Brown Rabbit hole. Below is my James Brown collection now.

    Live At the Apollo
    Live At the Apollo Volume II (Original CD release and 2001 two disc Deluxe)
    Revolution of the Mind: Apollo Volume III
    Say It Live & Loud: Live In Dallas 8/26/68
    Love, Power, Peace: Live At The Olympia, Paris 1971
    Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud
    Gettin' Down To It
    Soul On Top
    Sex Machine
    Hot Pants
    There It Is
    Get On The Good Foot
    Black Caesar
    Slaughter's Big Rip-Off
    The Payback
    Hell
    Reality
    Sex Machine Today
    The Original Disco Man
    In The Jungle Groove (original and remastered CD)
    The Motherlode (original and remastered CD)
    Roots of a Revolution
    Foundations of Funk - A Brand New Bag: 64-69
    Funk Power 1970: A Brand New Thang
    Make It Funky - The Big Payback: 71-75
    Dead On The Heavy Funk 1975-1983
    Soul Pride: The Instrumentals 1960-1969
    Messing with the Blues
    Star Time 4 Disc box
    Greatest Hits of the Fourth Decade
    Hip-O Select Singles Volumes 1-11
    Funky Good Time: The Anthology
    James Brown's Funky People Vol. 1
    James Brown's Funky People Vol. 2
    James Brown's Funky People Vol. 3
    James Brown's Original Funky Divas

    I warn you, start down the James Brown rabbit hole at your own financial risk.:D Seriously though, the OP really should consider just getting that Star Time box. I cannot recommend it enough.
     
    Last edited: May 16, 2018
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine