The Payback
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | StarStarStarStarHalf star[1] |
| Robert Christgau | B+[2] |
| eMusic | StarStarStarStarStar[3] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | StarStarStarFile:Star empty.svgFile:Star empty.svg[4] |
The Payback is the 37th studio album by American musician James Brown. The album was released in December 1973 by Polydor Records. It was originally scheduled to become the soundtrack for the blaxploitation film Hell Up in Harlem but was rejected by the film's producers, who dismissed it as "the same old James Brown stuff."
The Payback is considered a high point in Brown's recording career, and is now regarded by critics as a landmark funk album, as well as one of Brown's best albums. Its revenge-themed title track, a #1 R&B hit, is one of his most famous songs and an especially prolific source of samples for record producers.
Background
A widely repeated story—including by James Brown himself—that Hell Up in Harlem director Larry Cohen rejected the music as "not funky enough" is denied by Cohen.[5] On the DVD commentary track for Black Caesar (to which Hell Up in Harlem is a sequel), Cohen states that executives at American International Pictures were already unhappy with Brown for delivering songs much longer than expected on Black Caesar and Slaughter's Big Rip-Off and opted for a deal with Edwin Starr and Motown Records instead. Cohen said the absence of Brown's music from Harlem still "breaks [his] heart."[6]
The Payback was a success, going to number one on the Billboard Soul Albums chart for two weeks and cracking the Billboard 200 albums chart in the Top 40. It was Brown's only studio album to be certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.[7]
Musically, The Payback largely features cyclic grooves and jamming but it also features departures into a softer soul-based sound on tracks such as "Doing the Best I Can" and "Forever Suffering".
The album was reissued on single CD in 1992 with liner notes by Alan Leeds.
Track listing
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Personnel
- James Brown – lead vocals, electric piano, electric organ
- Martha High – backing vocals
- Isiah "Ike" Oakley – trumpet
- Darryl "Hasaan" Jamison – trumpet
- Jerone "Jasaan" Sanford – trumpet
- Maceo Parker – alto saxophone, flute
- St. Clair Pinckney – tenor saxophone, flute
- Fred Wesley – trombone
- Jimmy Nolen – electric guitar
- Hearlon "Cheese" Martin – electric guitar
- Fred Thomas – bass guitar
- "Sweet" Charles Sherrell – bass guitar
- John Morgan – cabasa, tambourine, rainstick
- Johnny Griggs – congas
- John "Jabo" Starks – drums
Charts
Album – Billboard (North America)
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Billboard Pop Albums | 34 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[8] | Gold | 500,000 |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
See also
References
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- ^ Deming, Mark. "James Brown: The Payback > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Christgau, Robert (June 9, 1980). "A Consumer Guide to James Brown". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Wolk, Douglas (November 23, 2010). "James Brown, The Payback". eMusic. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide - Nathan Brackett, Christian David Hoard - Google Books. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9780743201698. Retrieved July 19, 2015.
- ^ Smith, RJ. The One: The Life and Music of James Brown, 290. New York: Gotham Books, 2012.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Cohen, Larry (2001). Black Caesar commentary (DVD). Fox Video.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."The James Brown Review". chronicle.augusta.com. Retrieved July 19, 2015.
- ^ Script error: No such module "cite".
External links
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