I Got the Feelin': James Brown in the 60's (2008)

I Got the Feelin': James Brown in the '60s is the definitive look at JB's on-stage prowess, including an acclaimed documentary, two previously unreleased concerts, and more. With full-length versions of many classics, including"I Feel Good," "Out Of Sight," "Cold Sweat," "Try Me," "I Got The Feelin'," "It's A Man's Man's Man's World," "Bewildered," and "Please, Please, Please," I Got the Feelin': James Brown in the '60s is an essential part of any music lover's collection.

DISC 1: THE NIGHT JAMES BROWN SAVED BOSTON
Features the director's cut of the acclaimed VH1 film The Night James Brown Saved Boston, which tells the story of a 1968 concert that not only averted riots in Boston in the aftermath of MLK's assassination, but also set James Brown on a revolutionary new path. Includes additional interviews with members of James Brown's band, friends and colleagues, plus a panel discussion from the film's premiere in Boston.

DISC 2: LIVE AT THE BOSTON GARDEN
Features the historic 1968 Boston Garden concert as originally broadcast by WGBH. Contains additional audio from the radio simulcast of the concert.

DISC 3: LIVE AT THE APOLLO '68
Features Man to Man: James Brown Live at The Apollo Theater 1968, a TV special taped the week before the Boston show and unseen for 40 years! Plus bonus performances from 1967 and 1968 shows at L'Olympia in Paris, AND the legendary version of "Out of Sight" from The T.A.M.I. Show (1964).

FINALLY!!

in a bias-free america, james brown would have been our elvis. the proof is on this three-dvd set. nothing against The King, but james brown was by far the stronger stage performer, wrote a lot of his own material, led his own band, put his mark on nearly every popular performer who followed him (prince and michael jackson are unimaginable without brown's example), steered his own career without a col. parker pulling the strings, and put out hits that sound as fresh today as they did when new. most of the commercial james brown videos to date have shown him in the late years of his career, when he was far from the lion he was in his prime. check out the 1968 boston show on this set. it has long circulated on butchered, grainy bootlegs -- i have a couple of them. seen here on a clean black-and-white print with decent-for-its-time tv sound, it's revealed as the best performance by a male popular singer on video. his dancing will make your jaw drop; the band is his most accomplished ever; the energy level never falls below a furious boil. this is what a star looks like. August 31, 2008

"A Priceless Historical Documentation"

This is one of hopefully many excellently presented documentations of Mr. Brown as most life-long fans remember him best! Truely "THE" Hardest Working Man in Show-Business". Excellent video & as good as can be expected audio, this is a "Must Have" item. The surprise extra's (TAMI Show, & Olympia Theatre clips) are worth the price by themselves!!! August 20, 2008

"MORE!" (Do you hear me?) "MORE" (GOOD GOD!) "MORE!"

I just received my set today, and so far watched Disc Three in it's entirety. I can't add much more than the other three reviewers (so far) have stated, except that Disc One is timed at 175+ minutes! I watched the special "The Night James Brown Saved Boston" when it was originally broadcast on VH-1 (and there are FEW performers that I would tolerate 15 minutes worth of commercials per hour for...), so we are getting about 85 additional minutes of content. While watching the original broadcast I felt that bits & pieces seemed missing, some transitions were too abrupt and some aspects rushed, so this version should fill in the blanks. The only other feature that no one else has mentioned, and to me the most exciting and promising, is that THE FOOTAGE OF "OUT OF SIGHT" FROM "THE T.A.M.I. SHOW" IS IN THE ORIGINAL WIDESCREEN ASPECT RATIO ENHANCED FOR 16:9 TV's!!! When the clip came on, and I noticed that the picture seemed "squeezed" on my widescreen monitor, my fingers began to shake as I reached for the P.Size button on my remote, but VIOLA!, THE T.A.M.I. SHOW and James Brown in glorious widescreen (and the picture quality was pretty darn good too). Maybe I WILL live to see this semi-rare, but unavailable legally in it's original form HISTORIC concert in my lifetime... August 20, 2008

Incredible

James brown was a movement back in the 60's. the historical concert in Boston the day after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr was Killed and the Power that James Brown featured from the stage and his incredible great Band and Great background vocalists and MC,etc... all made a trailblazing presentation. seeing and Hearing James Brown in his Prime is always a must have. between the cues with the Band, the way he would reflect on a situation and his cool manner and swag on stage speaks to then and now and always a beat ahead of the groove.

we get him at the Apollo and the Tammi show where JB turned it all out.

He was something else and is missed. he was a voice of change and a force of nature that couldn't be stopped and he meant so much to so many. August 17, 2008

The Godfather in his prime on DVD!

Que pasa people que pasa HIT ME! JB fans rejoice! At long last here are (authroized) DVDs of The Godfather at the peak of his powers!

DVD#1 is "The Night JB Saved Boston." The story of how on April 5, 1968 (the night after Dr. Martin Luther King's murder), the Godfather gave a concert in Boston and literally stopped a riot. Lots of good interviews along with some scenes of the famous concert. Similar to Bob Marley bringing warring factions in Jamaica onstage a decade later to declare peace (See Marley's "Time Will Tell" DVD).

DVD#2 is the concert itself. Having seen an, ahem.."unauthorized" DVD of this, I can tell you this is not the entire concert as advertised. Missing are solo performances by JB's stable including Marva Whitney, Bobby Byrd (and a duet with JB and BB), and Maceo Parker MCing and doing standup comedy. This is some really good stuff and we get to see the Godfather do all the dances he narrates in his classic "There Was a Time". We also see where JB stops the show and takes control to stop the riot.

DVD#2 is a rare color TV special from March 1968 with the Godfather at the Apollo. These are pretty much the same songs as the Boston show with a few exceptions, but we get better views of JB relating to his audience and we see him walking in the ghettoes of Harlem, Watts, and Southwest DC talking and relating with his followers along with some of his commentary. "My goal is to make the Black Americna into an American." (Important to consider that this was shortly before he stopped the riots and recorded "Say It Loud I'm Black and I'm Proud").

However, we only get a few minutes of another legendary JB sixties moment. His perfomance at the October 24, 1964 TAMI SHOW only shows his rendition of OUT OF SIGHT on this DVD and not his classic set with unquestionably the best performances of PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE and NIGHT TRAIN preverved on film.

Until recently, very few performances from the classic era of Soul and R&B when the music was as much fun to watch as it was to listen have been available on (authorized) American DVD. As JB would say-Raise up, get yourself togetgher, and drive your funky soul by buying this and encouraging that trend.

August 16, 2008

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