Record of the day: James Brown, “Star Time”

James Brown
Star Time (4 Cd Polydor 849108-2)

Today I want to give myself a birthday present with this succulent and definitive compilation of four CDs dedicated to the greatest artist (along with Stevie Wonder) in the history of Soul music. The authentic musical equivalent of Muhammad Ali, the greatest, the Master who influenced all those who came after him but never managed to equal him, let alone come close; James Brown is funk in person, without discussion.

Author of a flurry of masterpieces that continue to ignite dance floors around the world, from “Sex Machine” to “Funky President,” from “Get up Offa That Thing” to “Soul Power,” “Doin’ It to Death,” “Ain’t That Funky Now,” “Mother Popcorn,” “Stone to the Bone,” “Funky Drummer” and many others, Brown was the voice of the African-American people in a historical period marked by continuous violence and oppression.
His calls for tolerance (a virtue that he didn’t seem to want to practice in his marriage, given his arrests for assaulting his wife) helped to avoid bloody riots in the ghettos, and his insistence on the pride of belonging to the black community (just think of “Say It Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud” from 1968) was an example for dozens of artists, giving birth to phenomena such as Blaxploitation and hip-hop itself, which plundered Brown’s records in every possible way.

This wonderful box set also covers the glittery R&B period of the early ’80s with gems like “Please, Please, Please” and
“Try Me” without forgetting the most fiery period of JB’s production, the 70s, which saw Brown churn out a fantastic series of hits (“Super Bad”, “Talkin’ Loud and Sayin’ Nothing”, “Papa Don’t Take No Mess” and we could go on and on).
The participation of his disciples such as Bootsy Collins, Fred Wesley, Maceo Parker and Bobby Byrd is fundamental and contributes to creating the dynamite sound that these immortal recordings convey in all its power.

The full-bodied box will take you into orbit from start to finish, distributing four hours of perfectly remastered funk ecstasy thanks to which you will not be able to stay still even if they try to block you but you will absolutely have to jump all over the room, shake yourself, clap your hands, scream, in short go completely crazy. Get up!

Carlo Boccadoro, composer and conductor, was born in Macerata in 1963. He lives and works in Milan. He collaborates with soloists and orchestras in different parts of the world. He is the author of numerous books on musical subjects.

This text is taken from “Lunario della musica: Un disco per ogni giorno dell’anno” published by Einaudi, courtesy of the author and the publisher.