james brown is dead

RIP forever.

rip, mr. brown.

godfather forever.

x-post i wasn't gonna say it, but otm

RIP

RIP Godfather.

Owwwwwwwwwwwwwww!

;___;

I lost someone, myyy love--Someone who's greater than a staaarararr ooh
Someone who I need, someone, who don't let my heaaaaraart bleeeeed
Someone, that someone, that's the somone, that's the someone that I lost...
I love you tomorrow, I love you today, Help me help meeeeEEeee, I'm so weak
Gee whiz I love you, I'm so weak...

----------------

"You got your rap and your disco,
You got your drum machine.
You got your R-rated gangster,
You got your grungy scene.
You got your state of the art,
You got your digital sound.

It doesn't matter where it's going to
I'll still be diggin' on James Brown.

You know the more things change, the more they stay the same. It may be a different age but I'm on the same page. 'Cause there's one thing I have found--I'll still be digging on James Brown." - Tower of Power
(I listened to this song randomly coming back from a midnight church service this morning. Coincidences can be odd.)

RIP. Time to get out the Star Time box.

The single most important musician of the 20th century, I'd say.

RIP

i'll be playing his xmas album tomorrow for sure.

aaahhhhh

Rest in Peace God of Soul.

-- Stephen Bush (theonlyguyeve...), December 25th, 2006 10:36 AM.

"edgy"

Worst xmas trawl ever.

So did I.

Stephen Bush, fuck you.

http://www.xanga.com/VivaChe/558539953/rip-james-brown-may-3-1933--dec-25-2006.html

I'm sure there are many many others who can do the man more justice than I can, but I was grieving and wanted to give it a try.

Gonna snort a line and get funky in tribute then.

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Seriously though, RIP.

(I refrain from making any comments other than this is a sad day for his family and friends)

Likely, yes, although Johnny Cash got quite a bit of media coverage too. Obviously, even though personally I think he brought it in the wrong direction, Brown had an enormous impact on today's popular music. Obviously more so than the aformentioned Johnny Cash.

that sucks

I got to see him in action, at least. About ten years ago - I know I've talked about this before, but surely if there's any time that it bears repeating, it must be now.

It was a big three-day outdoor festival called "One World" at some country-club type venue that I don't think was ever used for live music before or since. He played Friday night, and was the only performer of any note on that day's bill - Saturday and Sunday were stacked high with a lot of great acts late and some truly atrocioius ones early. His band was actually pretty tight, running through several medleys of hits, but I have no idea who any of them were. I guess it could have been some real pro pickup guys he rehearsed the shit out of or his actual touring group - I'd guess the latter. JB seemed pretty game to perform, but clearly already too old, stiff and feeble to be dancing and singing with the incredible athleticism that all his nicknames imply. The saddest thing was that he appeared to have abdicated the role of showman in the band to his bassist, a white guy with a beard, specs and combover that gave him the appearance of the stereotypical cube-dwelling wageslave, an impression he dressed up to balance against with a costume featuring a cape, frogged and epauletted jacket and gold rope. The overall impression was Johnny Fever ready to go trick-or-treating as Shazam. The guy was a pretty good player, though, and clearly on top of the world to be playing in the band of a living legend. Anyway, even though they didn't take the stage till after dark, we're still talking about Texas in summer here (it's been long enough that I can't recall which month - could've been any from late May through August, though I'm thinking most likely June) so it was HOT AND MUGGY AS FUCK and I can't blame an old man for not wanting to overexert himself in the bug soup that passes for evening air down here at that time of year. Furthermore, either because he was really the only thing to see on Friday - unlike the other days of the festival, or because a lot of the audience didn't arrive until the second day on account of coming in from way the fuck out of town, or some shit like that, the crowd for that night was much, much too small for the area furnished for it - only a few hundred people in a field that could easily many, many more. By the end of the night Saturday and Sunday, for example, I'd guess the crowd was around ten thousand.

Overall, what can you say? The show was just okay and fairly short at an hour and a half or so, but on the other hand, it was James Motherfucking Brown! A stand was set up to sell fake roses with electric lights in 'em to throw on the stage, and a ribbon attached reading "James Brown, the Hardest Working Man in Show Business." They were $5 apiece, I think, and a lot of people did it, with most buying one to throw and one to save. I didn't (cheapskate, broke) but kind of wish I did, now. I've missed my shot with Johnny Cash, Nina Simone, and Miles Davis, but no-one can take JB away from me.

And Bush, if I catch you talking that shit around town, you better have friends with you.

kinda surprised George Clinton has outlived him.

He is a bit younger, isn't he?

When you are 73, dying from natural causes isn't all too unexpected, really.

Also, Matt on the money.

You did ... I always saw it listed as either '28 or '33. I thought nobody knew his true birth year with any real certainty?

Rest in peace, Godfather

Also a vote of thanks to Geir for his comments.

fucking awful. :-(

RIP. Time to get out the Star Time box.

Currently down south at home, otherwise I'd join you. When I get back, though.

Death took way too many people this year :(:(:(:(:(

I just said elsewhere this really is the last bloody kick of this year's passings. At least fate saved the best for last.

None of us knew him as a person, just as an icon -- and sometimes that's enough, and it was so here. RIP.

I don't know what to say.

-- Bimbler (Bimble87...), December 25th, 2006.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cr_6q9DcSiM

Laura and I are saddened by the death of James Brown. For half a century, the innovative talent of the "Godfather of Soul" enriched our culture and influenced generations of musicians. An American original, his fans came from all walks of life and backgrounds. James Brown's family and friends are in our thoughts and prayers this Christmas.

SOURCE White House Press Office

Indeed. How much music that we listen to and like wouldn't be there without him? Can we get a percentage?

i know he had a pretty horrific 80s, but wasn't JB clean for most of the 50s/60s/70s? fining his band for drugs, etc? i certainly never saw him as a 'snorting any powder, smoking any stick' kinda dude. wheras george was born high, and has mostly stayed there.

i had a girlfriend once who refused to listen to JB's music or acknowledge his genius, because of how he abused his wife. i respect that position, but the music he made was just so insanely brilliant. Star Time is awesome. a lot of his albums are awesome. nearly all of his live albums are insanely awesome.

really very sad about this... and i still feel, despite all the terrible things he did, that he was ultimately a 'good' man - albeit flawed, terribly so. just thinking about his 1968 boston set the night Martin luther King died (struggling to find the DVD of this somewhere in the house tonight), or a song like 'i don't want nobody to give me nothing (just open up the door i'll help myself)" - he was just such an inspiration.

Yeah, but you know that the only JB on Bush's ipod is Jimmy Buffet.

plus 'i feel good', off the good morning vietnam soundtrack.

Well of course. In the grand cosmic balance of things, he hurt himself and his loved ones with drugs, and he beat his wife. But he also made many millions of people happy, made them dance, inspired them artistically, and made their lives better places to live in. The man's music, for all his personal flaws, is nothing less then completely essential.

RIP, Mr. Brown. Nothing but the most enormous, almost unspeakable respect. You blew my fucking mind.

James Brown is never far from my mind nor my stereo. I'm at my mother's house in Norfolk, Va., waiting for my lost suitcase from yesterday's flight -- in part so I can change clothes, and in part so I can play the copies of "Foundations of Funk" and "Santa's Got a Brand New Bag" I packed.

"The long-haired hippies and the Afro blacks, they all get together across the tracks -- and they *party*." Rest in peace, Mr. Brown.

I think he's a bit too laidback (and literary) for W's taste, even if he's occasionally reactionary. plus, the fact that he hates Bush.

RIP
IT'S A MAN'S WORLD

R.I.P.

Sweet Thing … you're dead now… you're *dead*… yeah -- you're out cold… but live on -- now, now at Christmastime, and the whole year around… right on? Right on.

Look here, Sweet Thing, let me explain myself baby… when I say… you're dead… I mean, you know, I mean you're really outtasight, out of sight, totally together. But you, you let me down now… you didn't even defend yourself… you didn't *defend* yourself… now I mean… and you left me like, like.. Oh. No. I can't say this on record, but I'm gonna try to write this little ol' letter and let you dig my litte ol' rap. It starts like this… listen to it. For what it's worth, for what it can mean to you and I both… later on.

Dear Sweet Thing… Fox… All the beautiful things, all the little names that I give you… I sit here so aggravated, and bewildered, because you didn't… you know you didn't come home… you didn't come straight back to me… last night… no fussin', no fightin', *no nothin'*… you just up, and split… with another cat.

Of course, I found out later he was your friend… and this much, this morning, I was able… I was able to understand that… after a *very* *hectic* *NIGHT!* You can dig the night was *long*. Now I made it *clear* as possible, as possibly I could say it… baby, don't go to strangers… come on home to me.

Now it's true. It's true, this is a man's world, but it wouldn't be nothin'… without your kind. That I see now, after 24 hours of sufferin'… tears, cold sweat… "Why does my girl always have to be… the one to go south and go away from me..." and leave me stringin' on a tree… dinglin' on a string, that's alright… I'm gon' be there when you come back… but I'm gonna give you this little old rap, so you can get this together.

Since you gonna… you know… smoke it in a pipe… it's just... shoot… but understand what I'm sayin'… I want you to know where I'm comin' from… now, like, I have a right, you know, to like come on with this old aggravated, uh-uh-antagonizing rap… because I feel a little down… but I think you gonna make it alright because… you just together that way.

Now baby… can’t you just be conscious of, like, every moment in the day and the night… and let all of our moves be for… each other, *together*… you know… and completely. Out of sight. Completely out of sight, in every way… and how can I explain it, when we live, and concentrate, on being happy one hundred percent, in mellow tone, however…

Yes, I know sometime that you aren't mellow… but, you know, uh, deep down inside I know you're mellow people… but at least… not as mellow as I hope you would be sometime… but you know how to do somethin' 'bout that too… 'cause you just to good to be… anything but you…

Now I'm still, I'm still willing to, to… help... for, for… let's say… help each other… and I don't care what it take, even if we have to sleep in a tent, as long as I know that we are close together… and that vibrations… of, of your love and affection… and the warmth of you… is there.

"Can't you see that this opportunity… comes once in a lifetime…" Sometimes my one and all you livin' in the past time… past time thinks right before your eyes, you know… uh. Well, and sometime it just seems that it's impossible for you to *see*…you're not blind, you know… you just hard-headed stubborn, but that's alright… those are the sweet things that makes you you. And I wouldn't take nobody else but you.

"You let my flame go out… last night. You let my flame go out…" You know, I-I don't expect… like, you just, you can sleep James Brown… or you can sleep your man… but, uh, since I'm your man, you can even sleep me, James Brown… you know, 'cause that's what we talkin' about, we're not not talkin' 'bout John Doe… maybe Johnny Taylor or somebody…. or Bobby Byrd. We're talking about me and you, or you and I… if you wanna be, you know, correct, but I think to say me and you makes it close, you know I can feel you that way… that's alright… just take your time.

Respect.

RIP JB

Fixed.

When I started listening to music, I listened to my parents' music from the '50s and '60s. My mom's domain was '60s R&B and so I remember her entertaining me by dancing along to "I Feel Good", one of the few times she actually would dance. Then there was "Living In America", which was unavoidable for me when it was released due to the fact that it was connected with a Rocky movie (much-adored by my dad and must-watch territory for the family as a whole), and then there was "This Is A Man's World" and the other songs in the "greatest hits" catalog.

Even though his music is no longer in sync with what I like to listen to, I do suppose he did have at least an indirect influence on what I listen to today by virtue of being one of my primary musical contacts. RIP, JB. You absolutely earned that "hardest working man in showbiz" moniker.

I can't speak for Ned, and I'm not anxious to declare anything the Best Music Of All Time anyway. But Best Box Set? Come on. Name a better one.

I'll give you top-3 for Star Time.

Oh come on, but not today.

RIP JB

You know sometimes a man
Or a woman makes a mistake
Try to find a reason for making a mistake
But there's no reason to make a mistake
The only thing you do when
You make a mistake is say, "I'm sorry."
It takes a man or a woman to say, "I'm sorry."
It takes a fool to walk away

So right here I want to say, "I'm sorry."
I don't know where you are
But you know I need you
Now there's one more thing I'd like to say right here
I could say, "Maybe, you just don't understand."
I could say, "Baby, I believe you got another man."
And then I could say, "I just can't help myself."
But I wouldn't be a man
And then I could say, "Maybe you don't have nothing left."
But I want you to know: I still love you
Oh no matter where you go, I still love you
Whoa, oh! [Take it down Jimmy]
Goodbye my love, throwing me away!
Goodbye my love

There's one more thing: you know to have
Someone to worry when you worry
To feel the need of a real person
When your friends drop you behind
To kill your anger just by being nice and kind
I could say if you leave, "It wouldn't bother me ."
But I know that would be a lie
Cause Baby, deep down inside you part of me
But I want you to know and I don't care who knows
I still love you!
Whoa, oh, I still love you!
Whoa, oh! [Take it down Jimmy]

Now looky here,
You always been in my corner
Never let me me be a loner
There's one more thing I'd like to say right here
You told me
That no one would ever be able to take my place
That every time the feeling was nice and you fall in my embrace
You said everything would be alright
You had no other love
No other, no other person in your sight
You said there would be another
There would never, never, never be another
And I believed you
I believed you
Yes, I believed you
Cause I want you to know
I still love you!
Whoa, oh!
I still love you!
I don't care who knows!
No, whoa! [Take it down Jimmy]

Goodbye my love
You're throwing me away
Goodbye my love
You're throwing me away
You're throw, You're throwing me away!
You walked away from me
Tell me where I
You walked away from me
There's one more thing
There's one more thing I got to say right here
There's one more thing I got to say right here

I still love you!
Whoa, oh, yeah!
I still love you!
Whoa, oh, oh!!!! [Take it down Jimmy]

Goodbye my love!
So long baby!
Goodbye my love!
You're throwing me away!
You're throwing me away!
You're throwing me away!

as if a butchered lyrics sheet could capture it...
m.

In my hometown, where I used to stay
The name of the place is Augusta, G-A
Down there we have a good time -- we don't talk
We all get together in any type of weather, and we do the Camel Walk

And I've always thought this:

Right on people
Let it all hang out
'Cause if you don't, brothers and sisters
Then you won't know [pause] what it's all about

in his voice, with those inflections and *that* music, kind of says it all.

Who feels it knows it, as the saying goes.

Bobby: What you gon' play now?
James: Bobby, I don't *know*. But whatsever I do . . . it's got to be *funky*.
Bobby: *Yeah*.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeOSZryERqo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-cbiYzlHOk&eurl=

^ best live album ever

http://media.bestprices.com/content/music/00/86001.jpg

RIP Godfather and Thank You For All The Music.

xpost

RIP JB. yr the first dead musician i've heard about in my lifetime that actually made me tear up a little bit.

xp oh man that book is great!

saw JB play live at a club in Ann Arbor around 1979-80. Sort of a low ebb in his career but no matter, after the endless warm-up from the band and teasing announcements of the Godfather's imminent arrival he came onstage and got off on the good foot. guest Bootzy Collins played a little space bass and made it xtra special.

interviewed "Mr Brown" in 1986 at the time of "Living In America" and it was the stone highlight of my career. definitely felt the presence of genius. he radiated some kind of intense near-spiritual authority, wasn't sure if I should genuflect, kiss his ring or what. and without disrespecting the man, he was deifinitely out there as well. this was right after the Sun City boycott so I asked if he would play in South Africa. "Only if the president sent me!" at one point his wife (who sat with us in the room) said something to try and prompt a memory and JB just lashed out at her: THIS MAN DIDN'T COME FROM THE ROLLING STONE TO INTERVIEW YOU HE CAME TO TALK TO THE GODFATHER OF SOUL...seriously I thought he was gonna smack her.

but how many great artists had messy/less than admirable personal lives? it surely doesn't detract from the work.

JB pwned the 20th century.

Matthew Perpetua at musically inclined Fluxblog gives HER take on the enormity of James Brown's talent. "James Brown's greatest gift to the world was his ability to express an undiluted yet highly stylized sexuality via a funk so intense and visceral that it served as the foundation for entire genres of music, but that was not the limit of his talent, only just the summit of his achievements."

* James Brown
* Sufjan Stevens
* The Knife
* TV On The Radio
* Hot Chip
* Beck

-- bill sackter (joycevanputi...), December 26th, 2006.

(joke about having tits)

/dying

King was a big influence on Blowfly, and I wound up meeting him while writing an article on King eight years later. The fly and I have toured eight times and made two albums since.

Best boxset ever.
Thanks star time! And thanks James Brown - for being the greatest.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0fn-xyaGHE

NY Post headline strikes again:

http://www.nypost.com/seven/12272006/news/regionalnews/hardest_working_man_in_repose_regionalnews_.htm

I think I heard the Apollo viewing hours are noon to 7:30 tomorrow? Anyway, too mobbed for me.

-- scott seward (skotro...), December 27th, 2006 5:15 AM. (121212) (link)

Holy crapppp, you're right, it is!

Ha. At the Library of Congress showing in November they were asking folks to fill out forms to get it nominated. I had not seen the film since we showed it at the U. of Maryland back in 1980 or so. The Library of Congress has shown it periodically (for FREE) over the years but they do not always seem to get the word out. It would be nice if they worked out the rights to it and it was available on dvd.

More importantly, who plays Al Sharpton?

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Vn218Tizqgc

"It's too funky in here"

yes!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000MGUZDY/103-6252111-3442212

did the jb poll results happen before ilx died?

No, I guess the good foot will be got back onto, when it does.

yeah...this thread reminding me WHEN he died makes me think it might be cool if the results can get rolled out on or around the 5th anniversary of his passing

maybe it'd be a good idea for strongo to start a sandbox thread encouraging more voting since we ended up with kind of an extended window?

Strongo mentioned Lyfe Implosion a couple of days ago, so the poll results may be dependent on more than ILX coming back. Best wishes to strongo on whatever's going down.

is this really mostly unheard stuff?
http://www.dustygroove.com/item.php?id=zv4grqnm9j&ref=index.php
Pinch us, we're dreaming – a lost album from The JBs! The set's a treasure for any fans of the funky James Brown sound of the early 70s – and it features material originally recorded for release as the first full length album by The JBs in 1972 – but never issued at the time! A few cuts here made it onto other records and singles in different versions, but others are completely fresh – and heard here for the first time ever – really helping expand our understanding of the group at this point in their career. Dave Matthews did a lot of the arrangements for the set, and there's a surprising amount of jazz in the mix, too – lots of full horn passages that show Fred Wesley leading the group with a damn hard-swinging sound – mixed in with just the right degree of soul you'd expect, but in ways that are different than some of the later JBs jams. Titles include "Transmograpification", "Use Me", "Everybody Plays The Fool", "Sweet Loneliness", "Watermelon Man", "Secret Love", "You've Got A Friend", and "Seulb". CD also features 4 bonus non-LP singles – "Funky & Some", "JB Shout", "Back Stabbers", and "Alone Again Naturally" – all killer funky 45s

hmmm probably... altho I'm aware of a bunch of those covers being issued as People Records 45s. Involvement of Dave Matthews is a little bit of an eyebrow raiser.

Transmograpification - this has definitely been released

yeah, and I'd heard this before, tho I can't remember where now. maybe on the JBs comp?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygPjj--0A_A

Involvement of Dave Matthews is a little bit of an eyebrow raiser.

it's not that dave matthews.

this dave matthews is the one that gets a shout out on 'love power peace' for leading the additional horns & strings, probably arranged them too.

yes. would be impressive if five year old dave matthews (so bad and so hated) was doing arrangements for james brown back then.

I have the Grodeck Whipperjenny album, I know which Dave Matthews it is

and while he's an interesting dude (and that album is pretty odd) I don't think the stuff he did with JB really played to JB's strengths

ha sorry. any examples of his jb arrangements you don't like?

well there's this which is not terrible per se, but the acid-fried electric guitar thing is sort of incongruous, it's not what James and the JBs do best.

Man, I remember my dad waking me up on Christmas morning with this news. I had him in the Dead Pool that year.

your ... dad?

worst thread i ever started

adults sometimes visit their parents on Christmas iirc

think he misunderstood and thought you had your dad in the dead pool that year.

lotta misunderstandings in this thread.