James Brown - Hell (14 tracks) +Album Reviews

A Nearly Forgotton Near-Classic

plsilverman | USA | 04/07/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Preceded by the landmark 2-l.p. "The Payback" and prior to the popular "Get Up Offa That Thing" and several other impressive studio efforts, "Hell" somehow got misplaced somewhere in the Soul Album Pantheon. It continued the trend of more mellow, melodic, and lyrically deeper James Brown music, probably the result of some Soul searching for a less strident sound - the "riffin' - ravin'" James seemed to suddenly transform into a more considered artist. (Ofcourse, that is a matter of taste - I'll still listen to "Mother Popcorn" any time of day!). In any event, this second in a row 2-l.p. set contains some of his most complex and impressive tracks: the attractively arranged opener "Coldblooded"; the title tune, which should have become a staple of Progressive F.M. at the time; "Sayin' And Doin' It", to me a ready made Top 20 duet with Lyn Collins; "Don't Tell A Lie About Me And I Won't Tell The Truth About You", a slow funk with one of the most entertaining intros in music history. As far as the expected recuts, my favorite is the third remake of "Sometime" (originally recorded in 1958 as "It Was You", then done as "Sometime" in 1969)- it's a simple, affecting ballad. The much-revisited "I Can't Stand Myself (When You Touch Me" is here presented as "I Can't Stand It '76', and it's 8:08 of controlled mayhem - everybody's got to hear this one, if only for the JB/Maceo/John Morgan interplay."

JB at his best

Kari Aevarsson | Iceland | 01/31/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album is indeed, as a previous reviewer wrote, a slightly mixed bag. But the GREAT tracks outweigh and outnumber the weaker ones by far. "Coldblooded" ("gotta be hipper than hip!"), the title track ("OW - OW - OW - OW- OW - OW - OW- OW - It's HELL!" - one of the coolest grooves I've ever heard), "I Can't Stand It '76" (his third & best version of this track, IMO), "Sayin' And Doin' It", and "Don't Tell A Lie About Me & I Won't Tell The Truth On You" (great title!) are only five of the first-rate cuts on this album that have rarely, if ever, been anthologized (not forgetting the 14-minute "Papa Don't Take No Mess"). There are a few sentimental ballads too. "These Foolish Things" may be a bit on the sappy side, but "A Man Has To Go Back..." and "Sometime" are soulful & excellent. The lesser tracks: "When The Saints Go Marching In", the latin-style 'Please Please Please' and maybe "Stormy Monday". Only 3 tracks out of 14, and none of them are that bad really, so they won't keep me from giving 'Hell' 5 stars."

Papa don't take no mess

Kari Aevarsson | 01/15/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The versions of 'Papa don't take no mess' and 'I can't stand it' on this album are two of the jazziest, funkiest tracks you'll ever hear. They are easily worth the price of the CD alone.The album as a whole is mixed, there are some other great tracks, but also some fillers - unfortunately, almost every track starts with an annoying 'gong' sound.Despite that, this is a must have album for any JB fan."

ESSENTIAL MASTERPIECE IS RIGHT!

Kari Aevarsson | 08/03/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'd get this cd just for the MIND BLOWING "CAN'T STAND IT 76!!" This track starts out strong and just builds and builds with those incredible horns and a great solo by Maceo Parker. One of my favorite James Brown tunes. This cd also shows what a genuinely talented singer James Brown is with slow tracks like "These Foolish Things." The music style is pretty varied so there is something here for everyone to enjoy. I knew very little about this cd and now I love it!"

My favorite JB album !

Eddie Landsberg | Tokyo, Japan | 02/21/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have no idea why, but HELL has always been one of my favorite JB albums... at-least up there with the PAYBACK... I say "no idea why" because alongside side the heavy stuff, JB also shows his willingness to take risks, no matter how embarrassing the potential results (take his funky version of WHEN THE SAINTS GO MARCHING IN and a latin version of PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE and a few hit and miss Jazz standards.)

Interestingly enough, HELL was a two album LP and I'd say that there's one album full of the BEST OF THE BEST of Funky early/mid-70's JB... and one of... well... the risks which actually fit in pretty well... but could have been left on the cutting floor if he were a bit less ambitious. (Read Fred Wesley's bio HIT ME, FRED for a bit more insight into the mind of JB!)

Aside from some of a few hits that would become classics (My Thang, Pappa Don't Take No Mess), there are a few others that should have (Hell, Cold Blooded) - - and I agree with another reviewer... a killer remake of I CAN'T STAND IT also makes the album particularly worth getting... Another high point of the album is A MAN HAS TO GO BACK TO THE CROSSROADS. -- Though JB will forever be remembered as the Godfather of Funk and Soul, fact is this... nobody could wail and belt out a ballad with as much power, timing and drama as him... My all time fave ballad rendition of his, incidentally is IF I RULED THE WORLD... He seemed to have dropped it from his show in favor of GEORGIA, a tune with similar changes. - - If the world is fair, people will also begin to discover what a great Jazz ballad singer JB he was... the catch though is that he was not INFLUENTIAL as a balladeer... and for a pretty good reason: in terms of his timing, rhythmic and tonal precision on the ballads, there's just no faking it... JB was in a league of his own. (LOST SOMEONE and SOMETIMES are other examples of JB in a mellow yet funky vibe.)

All in all, I'd say if you're seriously getting into JB and want to go beyond the compilations, get this...

As a final word: DO NOT DOWNLOAD THIS... the album cover, artwork and overall conception makes this a full package thing... If you like this album, also consider getting BLACK CEASAR (JB soundtrack from the same era) and - - definitely PAYBACK."

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