After the legendary Live at the Apollo and the even better Love Power Peace: Live at the Olympia, James Brown could be forgiven if this 1970 live set disappoints. But this is Brother James, so skip the forgiveness. Sex Machine is the bomb, capturing a thrilling moment in Brown's funky revolution. The disc features 12 hot and sweaty, and sometimes slinky, live cuts recorded with the James Brown Band in 1969, plus three more studio jams (including a 10-minute title track) with his next band, the great JB's. "Can I get into it?" James shouts at the top. Oh man--does he even have to ask? (Amazon)



Although the CD was supposedly "Recorded live at home in Augusta, Georgia with his bad self," these recordings come from two different sources: a live concert recorded at Augusta's Bell Auditorium in 1969, and a series of studio recordings that were doctored with audience noises and applause. The record, long considered a soul classic, actually features two different bands. The concert recordings feature Brown's band from the 1960s, while the studio songs feature Brown's then-new band, powered by Bootsy Collins on bass and Pelps "Catfish" Collins on guitar.

Whether these recordings are "live" or not is really not the point; Brown has never sung a calculated note in his life, and one would be hard-pressed to distinguish whether one of Brown's trademark howls was recorded in a studio or onstage. His scat singing on "Brother Rapp" sure sounds live. As the furious, barely one-minute-long "I Got the Feelin'" segues into the pure funky adrenaline rush of "Give it Up or Turnit A Loose," it is nearly impossible to keep still. The groove is that infectious. Surprisingly, the title track is not the hit single version of "Sex Machine," but rather an extended, more leisurely rendition. (cd Universe)



01. Get Up I Feel Like Being A Sex Machine (10:48) (Piano - James Brown  Vocals - Bobby Byrd )
02. Brother Rapp (Parts I & II) (5:09) (Guitar [Wah Wah] - Kenny Poole  Percussion - Art Lopez) 
03. Bewildered (6:09) 
04. I Got The Feelin' (1:07)
05. Give It Up Or Turnit A Loose (6:26) 
06. I Don't Want Nobody To Give Me Nothing (Open Up The Door I'll Get It Myself) (4:31) 
07. Licking Stick - Licking Stick (1:19) 
08   Lowdown Popcorn (3:25) (Organ - James Brown) (Saxophone [Alto] - Pee Wee Ellis) 
09   Spinning Wheel (4:02) (Organ - James Brown) 
10   If I Ruled The World (4:03) 
11   There Was A Time (4:04) 
12   It's A Man's Man's Man's World (3:42) 
13   Please, Please, Please (2:26) 
14   I Can't Stand Myself (When You Touch Me) (1:28) 
15   Mother Popcorn (5:50)



Bass - 'Sweet' Charles Sherrell (tracks: 2, 6 to 15) , Bootsy Collins (tracks: 1, 3 to 5) 
Congas - Johnny Griggs (tracks: 3 to 5) 
Drums - Clyde Stubblefield (tracks: 2, 6 to 15) , John Jabo Starks (tracks: 1, 6 to 15) , Melvin Parker (tracks: 6 to 15) 
Guitar - Catfish Collins (tracks: 1, 3 to 5) , Jimmy Nolen (tracks: 2, 6 to 15) 
Organ - Bobby Byrd (tracks: 1, 3 to 5) 
Saxophone [Baritone] - St-Clair Pinckney (tracks: 6 to 15) 
Saxophone [Tenor] - Eldee Williams (tracks: 2, 6, 7, 9 to 15) , Maceo Parker (tracks: 2, 6 to 15) , Robert Chopper McCollough (tracks: 1, 3 to 5) 
Trombone - Fred Wesley (tracks: 2, 6 to 15) 
Trumpet - Clayton Gunnells (tracks: 1, 3 to 5) , Darryl Hassan Jamison (tracks: 1, 3 to 5) , Joseph Davis (tracks: 2, 6 to 15) , Richard Griffith (tracks: 2, 6 to 15) 

Producer - James Brown
Engineer - Ron Lenhoff

Originally released in September 1970 by King Records. 
Tracks 1, 3 to 5 recorded in Cincinatti, July 23, 1970. 
Track 2 recorded in Cincinatti, October 14, 1969. 
Track 8 recorded in Miami, June 12, 1969. 
Other tracks recorded live in Augusta, October 1, 1969.

Label: Polydor 
Released: 1970


Codec: Flac
Compression Level: 3
Quality: High


My cd-rip (EAC and Flac)
Covers Included





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