James Brown - The Singles, Vols 4 & 5

 Pappa's post reminded me that I still had a couple more of these to do. I'm going to try to clean up those loose ends I've left hanging over the past year.

In the period covered by these 4 discs (1966-69) JB ascends to 'Soul Brother Number One'. No longer is he opening for others, he is a headliner now. Judging by the material, he seems to have been ceded a pretty free hand in what he records in his new relationship with King. The fascinating thing to me is that undeniable classics like Cold Sweat and It's A Man's, Man's World are side by side with covers of I Loves You Porgy, Mona Lisa, and Our Day Will Come.

By Vol. 5 Brown seems to have fully committed to his new sound however, and there are fewer forays into attempted crossover material. In fact, the only cover on the 2 discs of vol5 is a jazzy instrumental of Little Green Apples.

These four discs are an absolute chronicle of the James Brown bands' development of their brand of funk.