Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Out Of Sight
2. Papa'a Got A Brand New Pig Bag
3. I Got You (I Feel Good)
4. Money Won't Change You
5. Introduction/Out Of Sight/Bring It Up
6. Let Yourself Go
7. There Was A Time
8. Cold Sweat
9. Get It Together
10. Goodbye My Love
11. I Can't Stand Myself (When You Touch Me)
12. I Got The Feelin'
13. Popcorn
14. Cold Sweat (2)
15. Cold Sweat (3)
16. Lickin' Stick
17. Say It Loud I'm Black And I'm Proud
18. Give It Up And Turnit A Loose
19. You Got To Have A Mother For Me
20. I Don't Want Nobody To Give Me Nothing (Open Up The Door I'll Get It Myself)
21. Let A Man Come In And Do The Popcorn
22. It's A New Day
23. Ain't It Funky Now
24. Brother Rap
25. Funky Drummer
26. She's The One
27. Mother Popcorn

Disc 2:

1. Lickin' Stick
2. Say It Loud I'm Black And I'm Proud
3. Give It Up And Turnit A Loose
4. You Got To Have A Mother For Me
5. I Don't Want Nobody To Give Me Nothing (Open Up The Door I'll Get It Myself)
6. Let A Man Come In And Do The Popcorn
7. It's A New Day
8. Ain't It Funky Now
9. Brother Rap
10. Funky Drummer
11. She's The One
12. Mother Popcorn

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #104150 in Music
• Released on: 1998-07-09
• Number of discs: 2
• Format: Box set
• Dimensions: .32 pounds

Amazon.co.uk Review
Funk 101, for sure. We may never totally understand how James Brown took his music from the earlier styles of R&B he assimilated to the feverish development of the harder, more modern sound of records ranging from "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" to "Say It Loud-I'm Black and I'm Proud", but here's another chance for us to listen in awe. In addition to long versions of the period's cornerstones, Foundations of Funk offers an alternate take of "Cold Sweat" and live versions of "Licking Stick-Licking Stick" and "Mother Popcorn"--the latter achieving a meltdown that puts the Brown band on the same side of the street as Funhouse-era Stooges. Hah! --Rickey Wright

CD Description
Has there ever been a more aptly-titled collection than James Brown's FOUNDATIONS OF FUNK? Probably not. Before 1964, when the first of these innovative, vamp-driven R&B excursions was dropped upon the world, the blueprint for what came tobe known as Funk wasn't even drawn up. FOUNDATIONS is that blueprint, constructed by a band-leader driven by an improvisational vocal grunt (as in "Huh! Give it to me!"), an edictthat the groove is far more important than the melody, and a band that could become an unstoppable rhythm machine at the drop of a hat. Compiling 27 tracks, most of which haven't seen the light of day in such seemless, extended form and lovingly remastered sound (guarantee: the snap in Clyde Stubblefield's snare will jump out atcha), this, as they say, is the muthaload.
Highlights can be found in every corner. The live medley of "Out Of Sight" and "Bring It Up" shows thatnot only funkateers, but the new generation of acid-jazz fiends owe their all to Brown. Not so much a song as a vamp over which Brown commands his troops to new heights of booty-shakin' madness, "Bring It Up" illustrates many of the group's strengths. With full-band breaks, a rhythm section that seems bent on tearing the roof off, and a closing groove on which the horn section drives the point home while quoting Bobby "Blue" Bland's "Turn On Your Lovelight", it is a remarkable snapshot of one artist rewriting the rule book and sending an audience towards delirium. It exemplifies what FOUNDATIONS OF FUNK is all about.

Customer Reviews

How James got the Funk
Simply put, this is the musical journey James Brown took as he developed Funk as a genre. Yes, others were working in the same direction, and they all have a place, but listen here and you will see the Foundations of Funk - the title is, in this case, exactly what you get.

From the early instrumental workouts, it is possible to see how JB arrived at "Cold Sweat", with its "on the one" opening. In all it's 7+ minute glory, you also get to hear the way a track developed under JBs direction - "give the drummer some" for example, and this track is not unique in that.

This set takes you up to the point where the original band members were replaced, by, among others, Bootsie Collins and his brother, so there is no "Sex Machine", for example. You do get "Say It Loud.." as well as "Funk Drummer", the track that has been sampled on innumerable Rap and Hip Hop tracks.

For the more casual listener there are a huge variety of compilations which will probably fit the bill better(try "In The Jungle Groove" for example), but this is recommended for completists and enthusiasts, who will also love the detail brought out of the archives by the CD booklet - you get to see who played what on every track !!!

undiluted, uncut Godfather of Soul - genius makes history
There are untold hordes of James Brown compilations available, many worth avoiding. This is not only one of the very best, but also demonstrates how JB developed the funk from soul with a killer groove (Out Of Sight) to full-blown funk (Cold Sweat) and what he did with it once he'd invented it (most of this compilation).

It features various line-ups of his great 60s band (NOT The JB's, who replaced this lot when most of them mutinied in early 1970) and in most cases contains the longest available version of each song - some not otherwise available - in order to fully experience the power of the groove; there isn't a song on here which outlives its welcome by being 6 or 7 minutes long instead of the 3 minute edit.

The songs are arranged in chronological order, there are a few previously unissued live tracks, the odd obscurity and a couple of early takes of Cold Sweat, but basically it's a stellar collection of JB's early funk classics from Out Of Sight and Papa's Got A Brand New Bag through to Ain't It Funky Now and Funky Drummer.

The grooves contained within these 2 CDs are some of the greatest, most important and just deliriously enjoyable music of the 20th century and they still sound as powerful as they did 40 years ago, helped by the excellent mastering.

If you want a James Brown record that concentrates on the funk, there isn't a better place to start than here, though there's plenty more worth investigating as well.

Possibly the best JB Collector's set
I purchased this double-CD at the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame back in '96 - my head was spinnin' from the visual, then back home my head was spinnin' from the aural: I feel that his most exciting years are from '64 to '74 and this collection pretty much covers 'em. We get greatest hits mixed in with rarities ("Good-bye, My Love", a partly spoken, partly screamed ballad classic), extended versions (the totally unbelievable live in Augusta "Mother Popcorn"), pre-overdub/edit takes ("Brother Rapp" - hats off to the engineers who fashioned a more listenable version for release back in '70), previously unreleased (the second show from The Latin Casino extracts - remember the "Live at the Garden" album? Well, here is the original sound from Camden, New Jersey).
Research reveals that there is possibly a remaining motherlode of polished and unpolished gems in the King/Polydor vaults which could support a "Part Two" of this offer. It's been written that the "Revolution of the Mind" album itself was drawn from several live shows. But this music is to be appreciated *now*, so let's enjoy what we have: start with six minutes of "Money Won't Change" and an early (and much different) "Cold Sweat". S-O-U-L!