James Brown

James Brown - Cold Sweat (1967) {Universal Music Japan Mini LP UICY-9289 rel 2003}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 203 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 79 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 46 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1967, 2003 Polydor / Universal Music Japan | UICY-9289 | Cardboard Sleeve | 24bit remastering
Funk / R'n'B / Soul / Funky Jam

Limited to 5000 copies. Paper sleeve. COLD SWEAT, James Brown's fifth and last album release of the year was released Sept. 12, 1967 as KING KS-1020 in stereo. It was preceded by JAMES BROWN Plays The Real Thing and followed by JAMES BROWN Presents His Show Of Tomorrow. The album was released in England, Germany, Colombia and New Zealand as MR. SOUL with a different cover. The indelible title cut, with it's exhortations of "Maceo!" and "give the drummer some!" has also been sampled numerous times, for example PUBLIC ENEMY's "Welcome To The Terrordome."

James Brown - Say It Loud, I'm Black And I'm Proud (1969) {Universal Music Japan Mini LP UICY-9292 rel 2003}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 236 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 87 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 9 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1969, 2003 Polydor / Universal Music Japan | UICY-9292 | Cardboard Sleeve | 24bit remastering
Funk / R'n'B / Soul / Funky Jam

Limited to 5000 copies. Paper sleeve. SAY IT LOUD - I'M BLACK AND I'M PROUD was James Brown's initial album release for 1969, as KING 5-1047 in stereo within a gatefold jacket. It was preceded by A SOULFUL CHRISTMAS and followed by GETTIN' DOWN TO IT, his great jazzy album backed by The Dee Felice Trio. It was also released simultaneously in England, France, Germany and Spain. In 1990 it was available for the first time on CD from Japan, and later had a US release in 1996. That's the version I would recommend, I'm not sure that the Japanese imports have the track info and liner notes in English.

A lotta funk power, a lotta soul power-and some gems you won't find on other collections. Joining I Got You; Papa's Got a Brand New Bag; Get on the Good Foot; Cold Sweat; Soul Power; Prisoner of Love, and It's a Man's Man's Man's World are his early ballad Try Me; his often overlooked 1968 hit America Is My Home and more.

James Brown - Bodyheat (1976) {2014 Japan Rare Groove Funk Best Collection 1000 UICY-76591}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 269 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 88 Mb | Artwork | 5% repair rar
© 1976, 2014 Polydor / Universal Music Japan | UICY-76591
Funk / R'n'B / Soul / Funky Jam

'BODYHEAT' was originally released in December 1976 as Polydor-1-6093 in a striking jacket illustrated by Virginia Team. The title cut's single release was his last highest charting single (#13 R&B) until "Living In America" in 1985 (#4 Pop, #10 R&B). A clavinet based funk-er, it features a steadier beat somewhere between his usual funk and straight disco. In fact the back cover of the album announced "James Brown - Brand New Sound." Surprisingly, the rest of the original album's Side One consisted of two ballads, the almost four years stale "It's A Man's, Man's World" retread "Woman," and the much better "Kiss In '77" which deserved more than it's #35 R&B showing. Brown seemed to favor the atypically restrained ballad, featuring it in his concerts for years after it's release.

James Brown - Sings Raw Soul (1967) {Universal Music Japan Mini LP UICY-9288 rel 2003}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 198 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 80 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 36 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1967, 2003 Polydor / Universal Music Japan | UICY-9288 | Cardboard Sleeve | 24bit remastering
Funk / R'n'B / Soul / Funky Jam

Limited to 5000 copies. Paper sleeve. RAW SOUL, originally released as KING-1610 was James Brown's second of five album releases in 1967. The iconic "rainbow" cover was traded for a more "hip" line drawing when the album was reissued in 1970. The original 1967 UK release on Pye International had it's own unique jacket as well. All subsequent CD issues reverted to the original art. The album was the usual mix of recent single releases with two cuts (3 & 8) from the unreleased (at the time) OUT OF SIGHT and one rare (for Brown at the time) LP only track (10).

James Brown - The Amazing James Brown (1961) {Universal Music Japan Mini LP UICY-9282 rel 2003}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 187 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 74 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 38 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1961, 2003 Polydor / Universal Music Japan | UICY-9282 | Cardboard Sleeve | 24bit remastering
Funk / R'n'B / Soul / Boogie Woogie / Funky Jam

Long before he was the Godfather of Soul, James Brown was an artist that King Records struggled to fully understand or appreciate. His breakthrough hit Please Please Please was nearly not released, owing to the record company executive believing it to be rubbish and being perhaps as surprised as the public when it went on to become a major smash. King then tried to position him as a blues singer, only to see his body of work become revered on the R&B market. In time James would cross over to the pop field and register a series of hits that confirmed him as one of the biggest stars in popular music, irrespective of genre. This particular album was originally released in 1961 and whilst it failed to chart does contain no fewer than four hit singles.

James Brown - Papa's Got A Brand New Bag (1965) {Universal Music Japan Mini LP UICY-9285 rel 2003}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 192 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 69 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 36 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1965, 2003 Polydor / Universal Music Japan | UICY-9285 | Cardboard Sleeve | 24bit remastering
Funk / R'n'B / Soul / Funky Jam

Limited to 5000 copies. Paper sleeve. 'Papa's Got A Brand New Bag' was released as KING-938 in 1965 and in 1966 with some minor cover differences. During the '60's King Records released albums by Brown named after and containing whatever popular single was just a hit and filling the rest of the album with a variety of previously released singles that have no rhyme, reason or thematic continuity. As you can see below, the material here went back as far as 1959, with most coming from recording sessions between 1960 and 1962. It wouldn't be until the late '60's and early '70's before Brown released completely contemporary fare such as 'Sex Machine or 'There It Is.'