James Brown: Double Dynamite!

Oww! Good Gawd, y'all!! The man had many nicknames—”The Godfather of Soul,” “Mr. Please Please Please,” “Soul Brother #1,” “Mr. Dynamite,” “The Hardest Working Man in Show Business”—and James Brown (1933-2006) lives up to every one of them in these two concert dates from the 1980s. At the time of the first, filmed at New York's Studio 54 in 1980, Brown's career was not at a high point, but the trendy dance emporium was a perfect spot for him, and he balances the deathless funk of “Sex Machine,” “Get On the Good Foot,” “Cold Sweat,” and the uber-classic “Papa's Got a Brand New Bag” with ballads like “Try Me” and “It's a Man's, Man's, Man's World” (replete with shout-outs to Elvis, Otis Redding, Jimi Hendrix, Wes Montgomery… and Van “Do the Hustle” McCoy?). Of course, it was never just about songs with Brown: melody, harmony, and lyrics were all in the service of the music's relentless rhythmic attack. Everything—the urgent, chanted vocal lines (he uses a kind of jazz scat approach here), the pure funk of the bass lines, the short and punchy horn riffs, the inimitable rhythm guitar (here played by the great Jimmy Nolen in the “chicken scratch” style)—is totally in the pocket from note one. And while Brown might have been reportedly hard to work for, he had the world's tightest band, regardless of who was currently in it. The second show, recorded at an outdoor park in Atlanta five years later, is even better, with a few different songs, considerably crisper sound and visuals, and Brown and his musicians even more on fire (if that's possible). By the time he goes into his signature bit at the end, collapsing in exhaustion only to drag himself out for one more go-round, viewers will feel equally and wonderfully wasted. Presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and stereo, DVD extras include a bio, discography, and slideshow. Highly recommended. Aud: P. (S. Graham)