James Brown - Make It Funky - The Big Payback: 1971-1975 (CD)

The finest funk by the master

By Benjamin  Oct 7, 1999

There's Just something about Funk when it's done well. It gets you movin', and there ain't nothin' you can do about it. And the fact of the matter is no one does it better than the Godfather of Soul, James Brown. I've had other compilations of James... Brown's works, but none of them are as consistent in getting at that magic he had with his band, the JBs. Sure, they have the classics such as "I Got You (I Feel Good)" and "Think". But when it comes to the superfunk of cuts like "Make it Funky" and "Get on the Good Foot", these compilations cut after three or four minutes, almost invariably just as the solos are really starting to get hot. That's the strength of Make it Funky: It gives you you the whole deal. The version of the title track included, at 12:45, is long enough to really get at that magic. You get all of St. Clair Pickney's brilliant tenor sax solo, the interplay between JB and Fred Wesley on Wesley's fun trombone solo, and a nifty lead by Robert Coleman on guitar. You can really get the feel for how Brown leads his Band. At the heart of the funk is the tight rhythm section. Jabo Starks provides solidly funky backbone to every track on which he appears (which is most). Fred Thomas plays a thumping bass, with simple parts that are amazingly funky despite (or perhaps because of) their simplicity. And Coleman and Cheese Martin bring to the table nicely interlocking and complementary guitars. On top of this strong foundation you have a great horn section led by Wesley on the slide. Notably absent from most tracks is Maceo Parker, who split from the band in 1973. And of course, coordinating all this talent is the irrepressible James Brown. There is never any doubt as to whose band this is or who has the vision to hold it together. High points include the title track, the live excerpt "Make it Good to Yourself", the slinky "Don't Tell It", "Stoned to the Bone", and the unrelenting "Turn up the Heat and Build Some Fire". It's not a perfect collection. I would have prefered to have more live tracks, and the inclusion of "King Heroin" and "Down and Out in New York City", both good songs, is inappropriate to the theme of the whole. However, the rest is just right on, and hits that spot that only the Funkiest Funk can reach.Benjamin Hinkleywww.infodrivethru.
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