James Brown: Live in Montreux (2005)

"Soul Brother No.1", "The Godfather Of Soul", "Mr Dynamite" are all titles that have been applied to James Brown over the years. A hugely influential figure in black American music, he was a driving force in the development of soul music in the early sixties and funk in the early seventies. He has had more R&B hits in the US than any other artist, and has charted singles in countries around the world.

One of the defining elements of James Brown’s career has always been his electrifying live show and his performances at Montreux give ample evidence of this. This DVD focuses on his choice as the best of them all from 1981. It’s a string of hits from start to finish delivered with all the flamboyant style and showmanship for which he is rightly famous.

Tracklisting:
1) Payback
2) It’s Too Funky In Here
3) Gonna Have A Funky Good Time
4) Try Me
5) Get On The Good Foot
6) It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World
7) Prisoner Of Love
8) I Got The Feelin’
9) Hustle (Dead On It)
10) Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag
11) I Got You (I Feel Good)
12) Please, Please, Please
13) Jam
14) Sex Machine

Disappointed

The biggest disappointment with "James Brown: Live In Montreux" was the song selection and the lack of his famous showmanship. I kept waiting for him to kick it up a notch and then it ended. Disappointing. November 4, 2006

STILL THE FATHER OF SOUL

james brown himself is great in this video! the problem is the poor quality of pictures and sound and the facts that the camera man switch off of james brown when he get ready to dance, which are one most important part of the whole concert. October 23, 2006

The great JB!

Some points:
Someone said the band was much better (than today's Soul Generals?) I strongly dsiagree. While they are good, I feel that his current band is his best and tightest ever. Also, the bonus tracks promised are on the PAL European editions.
It really is a shame that Amazon didn't check this out before falsely, albeit I'm sure unintentionally, advertising those tracks. The DVD is fantastic. TOO FUNKY has a guitar riff in it I have never heard before. The only drawback is, as usual, the stupid cameraman cuts to one of the band members just as Mr. Brown starts to do the mashed potatoes during 'Papa's Got A Brand New Bag'. This has happened to some degree in almost every concert James Brown video I have!! Most aggravating. Another somewhat annoying observation: the beginning song is RAPP PAYBACK, from 1980, not the original PAYBACK from 1974.
In the middle of the song, James goes into THE PAYBACK. How hard is it to do a bit of research before releasing a DVD?? August 11, 2006

Great performance, but poor video quality

Several reviews here talk about the high quality of sound and video. Not so. Maybe if you're watching it on a 19" TV, but I bought it to use with my home theater system, projecting image onto a large screen. The video is absolutely lousy, and the sound only acceptable. I suppose this was originally filmed with the technology of the day in mind. Back in the early '80's, the largest television screen was probably 24 inches. But, blown up to today's large screen sizes, the video is sorely lacking in every way.

Having said that, James' performance is top notch. The high energy is there, he's in great voice and they put on a great show. This DVD is definitely worth a watch, and worthy of your collection, but don't expect too much as far as picture or sound quality by today's standards. June 10, 2006

Strong *4* despite absence of listed tunes

Here is the best James Brown concert available, not for the repertoire, which has no songs (save for two non-listed interjections) not found on the many other DVD/VHS JB offers, and in fact does not contain "bonus tracks" *or* the listed "Hustle (Dead On It)" - the 1975 Disco-Soul semi-hit I'm sure was a major selling point for buyers. If it's here then it's possibly in the form of a very familiar sequeway - maybe a few notes from the tune validate its' listing.
What makes this item standout is the fine technical direction, lighting, sound, and more significantly, the chance to watch a great artist, obviously up for the occasion and in great voice. On "Please, Please, Please" he jumps into the audience (noticeably short on lady fans for some reason) and gets down deep on the classic that put him on the road.
There is some consolation for fans here in that "It's A Man's...World" incorporates "Lost Someone" and "Fever" - the only segment which collectors can really enthuse over.
This is an excellent companion to the '79 Comeback show ("The Lost James Brown Tapes" aka "Bodyheat") and the '83 show with B. B. King at the Beverly Theatre in L.A., which are better musically but do not have the production values of this '81 event. April 29, 2006

More reviews at Amazon.com ...