Do you think James Brown gets the credit he deserves from mainstream rock critics?
Anto99
244 Posts
I don't. But maybe I'm reading or not reading the right critics.
Comments
Haaha! Exactly. I remember before YouTube how hard it was to find clips of JB in his prime. Had to track them down on Ebay. Now I kinda take it for granted.
Why do you think he not given credit by mainstream rock critics?
And what do u mean by credit and who are the "mainstream" Rock critics?
Anyways, from what I've seen, he's more of a footnote beside guys like Elvis and the Beatles. They get way more credit in terms of their influence and legacy. But I think he deserves more. For a variety of reasons I won't get into.
The James Brown Reader was a good book. As was this year's "The One". But why did it take this long to document a guy with that much influence on modern music?
And by mainstream, I mean..well mainstream. Not sure what isn't clear about that? Induction into the hall of fame is well and good. But I honestly believe his legacy is largely overshadowed by other, less ground breaking artists. Like Led Zepellin for instance.
How do polka fans rate James Brown while we're at it?
Or Bob Marley from classical critics?
Or Black Sabbath from C&W writers?
Et cetera
Not a cr??che.
Somewhere for dudes to take a clowning, get the 101 threads done and dusted, learn Internet pugilism and basic self defence.
Above all, learn to de-clench and unbunch a diaper.
Nor do I care.
Back in the 80s and 90s James Brown was always among the first mentioned soul performers.
Others would be Aretha and Ray Charles.
These 3 were credited with creating soul. (By rock critics decades ago.)
Rock critics like to talk about... Live at the Apollo, The Cape, TAMI, Say It Loud, No Boston Riots.
It wasn't until Tom Tom Club/Talking Heads in the 80s, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers in the 90s started taking directly from James Brown, or indirectly via pfunk, that rock critics were forced to acknowledge funk as a viable music form and James Brown role in creating it.
But really, what credit does James Brown deserve from rock critics?
Seems that the bulk of classic rock exists in a world where James does not.
Dude cmon.
Jazz Critics arent. Rock Critics.
Rolling Stone doesnt cover ALL music.
WTF?
I am smelling a certain Roll-On.
The kid with the stuttering posts feels like he's being clowned out of the thread (maybe not inappropriately so), but LaserWolf nails the underlying problem with the question -- what credit does JB deserve from mainstream rock critics? Brown's music existed largely outside of the rock idiom -- was he influenced by it? Sure. Did he influence rock? Sure. But it's pretty hard to chart James Brown into rock directly.
And I'm not sure the point of the exercise. When mainstream rock critics start talking about classic soul, James Brown is likely to be one of the first five people named. When they talk about classic rock, they will not name James Brown. IMO, there's no real reason to talk about James Brown in a discussion about classic rock. Does someone think different? I'm open.
Peace,
JRoot
Al Green and Marvin Gaye vying for second.