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Why did the mighty JB mess with teh organ at all?

disco_chedisco_che 1,115 Posts
edited May 2012 in Strut Central
I'm just listening to the "Black Ceasar" OST and once again got reminded how absolutely terrible dudes organ playing is. I remember something like he wasn't allowed to sing within a short period and therefore had to cut some instrumental albums. But why didn't he just leave the keys after he was back at singing. Oversize-ego related?
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  • finelikewinefinelikewine "ONCE UPON A TIME, I HAD A VINYL." http://www.discogs.com/user/permabulker 1,416 Posts
    Certainly not the best organ player, but I like this hard hitting organ a lot:

  • disco_chedisco_che 1,115 Posts
    finelikewine said:
    Certainly not the best organ player, but I like this hard hitting organ a lot:


    The intention is good, I appreciate the effort but still blood is dripping out of my earholes.
  • dayday 9,611 Posts
    3 words:

    Blow Your Head.
  • finelikewinefinelikewine "ONCE UPON A TIME, I HAD A VINYL." http://www.discogs.com/user/permabulker 1,416 Posts
    disco_che said:
    finelikewine said:
    Certainly not the best organ player, but I like this hard hitting organ a lot:


    The intention is good, I appreciate the effort but still blood is dripping out of my earholes.

    I can see where you coming from but his out of tune playing in certain parts makes it even rawer. I like some imperfections in my music.
    If you want to hear flawless slick productions, there is always Philly International ;-)
  • finelikewinefinelikewine "ONCE UPON A TIME, I HAD A VINYL." http://www.discogs.com/user/permabulker 1,416 Posts
    day said:
    3 words:

    Blow Your Head.

    :NO: thast's a synth
  • dayday 9,611 Posts
    finelikewine said:
    day said:
    3 words:

    Blow Your Head.

    :NO: thast's a synth

    I knew I'd get some shit for that. Still tho. That should give the ultra pass for any and all key-related happenings.
  • disco_chedisco_che 1,115 Posts
    finelikewine said:
    disco_che said:
    finelikewine said:
    Certainly not the best organ player, but I like this hard hitting organ a lot:


    The intention is good, I appreciate the effort but still blood is dripping out of my earholes.

    I can see where you coming from but his out of tune playing in certain parts makes it even rawer. I like some imperfections in my music.
    If you want to hear flawless slick productions, there is always Philly International ;-)

    I like imperfection and rawness too, but this is different. Singing on Arhur Verocai is a good example. The imperfection of those singers enhances the melancholy and beauty of that album. JB is just completely messing it up. It's so painful to hear and to know exactly what he's trying to play but isn't capable of.

    Blow Your Head - is that JB playing the synth? Sure?
  • SIRUSSIRUS 2,554 Posts
    disco_che said:
    finelikewine said:
    disco_che said:
    finelikewine said:
    Certainly not the best organ player, but I like this hard hitting organ a lot:


    The intention is good, I appreciate the effort but still blood is dripping out of my earholes.

    I can see where you coming from but his out of tune playing in certain parts makes it even rawer. I like some imperfections in my music.
    If you want to hear flawless slick productions, there is always Philly International ;-)

    I like imperfection and rawness too, but this is different. Singing on Arhur Verocai is a good example. The imperfection of those singers enhances the melancholy and beauty of that album. JB is just completely messing it up. It's so painful to hear and to know exactly what he's trying to play but isn't capable of.

    Blow Your Head - is that JB playing the synth? Sure?


    it sounds like his style of playing. if it is him, i'd say it absolves him of all keyboard related sins. anybody know for sure?
  • finelikewinefinelikewine "ONCE UPON A TIME, I HAD A VINYL." http://www.discogs.com/user/permabulker 1,416 Posts
    SIRUS said:
    disco_che said:
    finelikewine said:
    disco_che said:
    finelikewine said:
    Certainly not the best organ player, but I like this hard hitting organ a lot:


    The intention is good, I appreciate the effort but still blood is dripping out of my earholes.

    I can see where you coming from but his out of tune playing in certain parts makes it even rawer. I like some imperfections in my music.
    If you want to hear flawless slick productions, there is always Philly International ;-)

    I like imperfection and rawness too, but this is different. Singing on Arhur Verocai is a good example. The imperfection of those singers enhances the melancholy and beauty of that album. JB is just completely messing it up. It's so painful to hear and to know exactly what he's trying to play but isn't capable of.

    Blow Your Head - is that JB playing the synth? Sure?


    it sounds like his style of playing. if it is him, i'd say it absolves him of all keyboard related sins. anybody know for sure?

    According to this, he is:

    http://www.discogs.com/JBs-Pass-The-Peas-The-Best-Of-The-JBs/release/1521387
  • fishmongerfunkfishmongerfunk 4,154 Posts
    isn't that a moog? it's an overdub and way to nimble to be james. my guess is that is sweet charles on those keys.
  • SIRUSSIRUS 2,554 Posts
    i believe it. it def sounds like him. dude did not respect his limitations which is one of the reasons he is the GOAT of music
  • m_dejeanm_dejean Quadratisch. Praktisch. Gut. 2,946 Posts
    SIRUS said:
    dude did not respect his limitations which is one of the reasons he is the GOAT of music

    Exactly. To answer the thread title: because he could.
    I love me some slapdash JB organ noodles.

    Two examples: "Escape-ism" and "Lowdown Popcorn":



  • dayday 9,611 Posts
    Also the organ on "Make It Funky" from Revolution of the Mind gets a pass just cause it's so simple and funky then melts into a crazy, fucked up mess. Like someone said above, it's part of the charm of those records that he just didn't care and went for his.
  • The_NonThe_Non 5,691 Posts
    If you're critiquing the technical abilities of James Brown's playing, I feel that you don't understand James Brown's music at all. It's about energy, it's about rhythm, it's about spontaneity. He didn't make it to Berklee for organ playing and didn't need to. Enjoy his music for what it is, not what it almost was.
  • The_NonThe_Non 5,691 Posts
    REMIX: Nobody was ever gonna tell James to do nothing, including stop playing the organ on his records. As our good friend ODub said (paraphrasing) "You didn't interview James Brown, he talked inside your earhole and you should be grateful to be listening."
  • disco_chedisco_che 1,115 Posts
    The_Non said:
    If you're critiquing the technical abilities of James Brown's playing, I feel that you don't understand James Brown's music at all. It's about energy, it's about rhythm, it's about spontaneity. He didn't make it to Berklee for organ playing and didn't need to. Enjoy his music for what it is, not what it almost was.

    I love James Browns music just like everybody else in this place but his music is anything but spontaneous. His band had to work like a machine, every musician one cog wheel. The reason why his music is what it is is because everybody in the band had to subordinate to the groove. I mean, band members had to pay surcharges for mistakes they made. What's exactly spontaneous about that?
  • StoneHandsStoneHands 341 Posts
    finelikewine said:
    Certainly not the best organ player, but I like this hard hitting organ a lot:


    Are you guys serious?

    This is borderline unlistenable.
  • soundsrealsoundsreal 128 Posts
    I'm not one to analyze, but when you take his organ playing in the context of how hard he was on his bandmates you do have to wonder...
  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    Those instrumental albums he did on the Smash label are NOT essential.

    Not terrible, either, but Billy Larkin and the Delegates recorded the same kind of material with far more gusto.
  • SoulhawkSoulhawk 3,197 Posts
    Somebody tell Fela to put down that sax!

    [/eyeroll]
  • DocMcCoyDocMcCoy "Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,917 Posts
    Surely the worst example of "it's so out of tune, it's making our teeth itch, but it's James, so whaddyagonnado?" playing can be found on "Cross The Tracks"?
  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    truthfully i can take or leave JB's keyboard playing, be it organ, keys, synth, whatever.

    although everytime i hear "get up i feel like being a sex machine," i keep wondering: "must this man play the same piano solo all the time? he has to have more licks than that"
  • SoulOnIceSoulOnIce 13,027 Posts
    I think it sounds best on Sho Is Funky Down Here, though it is definitely his same wanky style, maybe even more so. but it just sounds so perfect to me in it's madness.

  • BeatsoupBeatsoup 511 Posts
    SoulOnIce said:
    I think it sounds best on Sho Is Funky Down Here, though it is definitely his same wanky style, maybe even more so. but it just sounds so perfect to me in it's madness.


    I love JB but this is some serious bull shit.
  • disco_chedisco_che 1,115 Posts
    DocMcCoy said:
    Surely the worst example of "it's so out of tune, it's making our teeth itch, but it's James, so whaddyagonnado?" playing can be found on "Cross The Tracks"?

    Are you talking about the Maceo & and the Macks track (I can't hear no keyboard soloing on that one.) or is there another version?
  • luckluck 4,077 Posts
    James Brown really took off on the organ due largely to his contractual situation with King, which led him to release mostly instrumental work on the Mercury subsidiary Smash from 1964 to 1967.

    Someone calling "Shhhhhhhh (For A Little While)" "borderline unlistenable?" Now I've heard everything.
  • HarveyCanalHarveyCanal "a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
    Wait, someone came up with a complaint against the Black Caesar soundtrack?

    Blasphemy!
  • disco_chedisco_che 1,115 Posts
    HarveyCanal said:
    Wait, someone came up with a complaint against the Black Caesar soundtrack?

    Blasphemy!

    No, it's a great Soundtrack. Still, it reminded me that James wasn't exactly great on any sort of keys. By far it's not his most horrible work on rhodes and organ as seen can be seen above in this thread.
  • luckluck 4,077 Posts
    If instrumentally proficient = genuinely listenable, then send me your Hifidelics 45.

    That said, "Sho Is Funky" is certainly not JB's finest moment.
  • FlomotionFlomotion 2,390 Posts
    Who plays the nice piano on his duet version of Sunny with Marva? I guess I assumed that it was JB but given the harsh light being shone on his keyboard skills I'm having some doubts.
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