James Brown sucks 1973
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Rolling Stone Feb 1973 Review SectionJames Brown Get on the Good Footby Russell GerstenThere was a time then JB was soul brother number one.....But by now his egosim has eroded his music to such an extent that I look at his songs as nothing more than minor irritants on my local soul station. A casual perusal through the titles of his recent singles gives you a picture of the dreariness and decrepitude: "Ain't it Funky" "Make it Funky" "Sex Machine" "Hot Pants" "Popcorn"...To all but the connoisseur they're completely interchangable- the same riff repeated over and over. Yet they continue to sell astoudningly.His latest single "on the Good Foot" sold a cool million and that seems to have spurred James on to attempt a 2 record concept album.He got a little frantic though finding himself with four sides to fill up and nothing to fill them up with except his own egomania. The few new songs....are horrible.Brown's current depravity knows no bounds. He has the audacity to ask early R&B star Hank Ballard to recite a testimony to Brown's greatness.The man is sad alright. But on some level it seems he was aware how ludicrous, how odious, how maddening his venture was. One of the new songs....is titled - as if he were perversely asking the world for for mercy - "Nothing beats a try but a fail". 
Comments
I'm glad no one these days makes songs with the same beat or riff over and over. Nice to hear arrangements in this modern day.
No shit, this dude must have killed himself by 1989. I'd love to hear his review of anything on the radio today.
Kanye West - Late Registration
by Russell Gersten
There was a time then Kanye West was soul brother number one.....But by now his egosim has eroded his music to such an extent that I look at his songs as nothing more than minor irritants on my local rap station. To all but the connoisseur his songs are completely interchangable- the same riff repeated over and over. Yet they continue to sell astoudningly.
His latest single "Diamonds of Sierra Leone" sold a cool million and that seems to have spurred West on to attempt a new album.
He got a little frantic though finding himself with 16 songs to fill up and nothing to fill them up with except his own egomania. The few new songs....are horrible.
West's current depravity knows no bounds.
The man is sad alright. But on some level it seems he was aware how ludicrous, how odious, how maddening his venture was. One of the new songs....is titled - as if he were perversely asking the world for for mercy - "Wake Up Mr. West".
Who the funk is Russell Gersten any way?
Dan
Eggzactly!!!!!
Soulstrut classic! This would be my new location if it would fit.
-Frank Zappa
Russell Monroe Gersten, Ph.D.
Professor of Education, University of Oregon. President and Senior Research Associate, Eugene Research Institute. Author of ???Aretha Franklin,???The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock and Roll (3rd ed.).
Pretty sure this is him. I guess he was also the "soul" writter for Real Paper.
And Rolling Stone as well...many of the reviews of soul records in their early 70's issues were written by Gersten.
This sounds like something I would've written.