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James Brown productions on Warner Bros.

johmbolayajohmbolaya 4,472 Posts
edited April 2005 in Strut Central
How long did he work with WB, and how much was released? There are loads of compilations of his work on King, Polydor, and People, but I received a compilation CD featuring some works I hadn't heard before:Loma 2014...Baby Lloyd-There's Something On Your Mind (Parts 1 & 2) (April 1965)Loma 2016...Bobby Bennett & The Dynamics-Soul Jerk (Parts 1 & 2) (July 1965)Loma 2018...Walter Foster-Your Search Is Over (August 1965)Judging from the liner notes, it seems that these three records may have been the only ones recorded for Loma, when James Brown was having some issues with Smash Records.

  Comments

  • motown67motown67 4,513 Posts
    I haven't heard anything about his work for WB, but I know about the Smash records he released.

    In 1964 he thought his contract was up with King so he signed with Mercury subsidiary Smash. King sued him and got an injunction which stopped Brown from releasing any vocal recordings. Brown went ahead and recorded a few instrumental LPs with him on organ such as Handful Of Soul and Plays The Real Thing.

    According to one source I read they claimed that Mercury actually wanted to put King out of business. Brown got pissed and went back to King. He supposedly saved the label with the release of Try Me which was an R&B hit. At the same time he came out with Out Of Sight and Papa's Got A Brand New Bag and we all know where that led.

    Perhaps his work with WB was during this same period where he thought he was out from King and could start doing some work with other labels.
  • soulrezsoulrez 565 Posts
    i love me some Loma 45's
  • johmbolayajohmbolaya 4,472 Posts
    I haven't heard anything about his work for WB, but I know about the Smash records he released.

    In 1964 he thought his contract was up with King so he signed with Mercury subsidiary Smash. King sued him and got an injunction which stopped Brown from releasing any vocal recordings. Brown went ahead and recorded a few instrumental LPs with him on organ such as Handful Of Soul and Plays The Real Thing.

    According to one source I read they claimed that Mercury actually wanted to put King out of business. Brown got pissed and went back to King. He supposedly saved the label with the release of Try Me which was an R&B hit. At the same time he came out with Out Of Sight and Papa's Got A Brand New Bag and we all know where that led.

    Perhaps his work with WB was during this same period where he thought he was out from King and could start doing some work with other labels.

    Interesting. Yeah, I placed the release dates up above for each record, so... that "I Ain't Got Nobody" 45 on Smash by Bobby Byrd has something to do with all of this too?
  • funkyexamplefunkyexample 915 Posts
    i think the loma sides he produced are similar to other sides he produced but just on another label. maybe the king situation acted as a catalyst. JB produced tracks for artists on other labels. none come to mind really, but there are cases he did so. as a producer i am not sure the label had full control over the situation. i think polydor and king were just very liberal with giving jb what he wanted to keep him happy and he put on the people he wanted to.
  • SoulOnIceSoulOnIce 13,027 Posts
    i think the loma sides he produced are similar to other sides he produced but just on another label. maybe the king situation acted as a catalyst. JB produced tracks for artists on other labels. none come to mind really, but there are cases he did so. as a producer i am not sure the label had full control over the situation. i think polydor and king were just very liberal with giving jb what he wanted to keep him happy and he put on the people he wanted to.

    I got James Crawford on Mercury with that "Produced by James Brown" logo with flames...or is Mercury connected to Polydor?
  • johmbolayajohmbolaya 4,472 Posts
    i think the loma sides he produced are similar to other sides he produced but just on another label. maybe the king situation acted as a catalyst. JB produced tracks for artists on other labels. none come to mind really, but there are cases he did so. as a producer i am not sure the label had full control over the situation. i think polydor and king were just very liberal with giving jb what he wanted to keep him happy and he put on the people he wanted to.

    I just found it funny that here he was, on Loma, and he's having some of the Famous Flames doing a record, or his driver (Walter Foster). Which was cool because he was able to release all of these records, all for the sake of hoping one or more would be a hit, and he could bring in that publishing money. With the late 60's/early 70's stuff he played on or produced, it's easier to track down but some of the early 60's stuff has always been of interest, to hear the direction he was heading before he got funky.
  • johmbolayajohmbolaya 4,472 Posts
    I got James Crawford on Mercury with that "Produced by James Brown" logo with flames...or is Mercury connected to Polydor?

    Yes, Mercury was part of the Polydor/PolyGram family.
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