414 - James Brown - 20 All Time Greatest Hits

This album was the first CD I purchased after getting a CD player for Christmas in 1990. I love this collection and feel that it's just the right size for a "greatest hits" compilation. These tracks are all vital songs from James Brown's discography.

The songs are not organized in any particular order. I sometimes wish they were in chronological order to make the evolution of his music a bit more apparent. As it stands now, one can tell that "Try Me" and "Please, Please, Please" sound different from the other tracks, but otherwise discerning how his funk sound solidified isn't quite as obvious.

The key to James Brown's pioneering of funk is understanding how he took the horn section and removed them from the melody and made them part of the rhythm section. The horns rarely play for more than few second bursts. Big lungs for blowing long notes are wasted in James's horn section.

Even the vocals contribute to the rhythm section. James's propensity for grunts and shouts punctuate the music in a similar manner as the horns do. He doesn't sing a melodic lyric as much as chant slogans and commands (some of which are call and response to the band and/or the audience).

The amount of staccato sound in his music made sampling his songs a lot easier for DJs as rap and hip-hop got a foothold in the 80's. It was nearly impossible to listen to a rap/hip-hop album in the late 80's and not hear a sample of one or more James Brown songs.

Run out and buy and then listen to this collection to hear why James Brown is such an icon.

Songs I knew I liked: I have this album and love it. I know all of the songs and love most of them.

Songs I didn't know but now like: See above

Songs I can go the rest of my life without hearing again: I would have to not only not listen to any James Brown but a big chunk of 80's rap to avoid hearing any of these songs again. :)

413 - The Go-Go's - Beauty and the Beat

I was very surprised with Beauty and the Beat. Sure, if you know the Go-Go's, you'll know "Our Lips Are Sealed" and "We Got the Beat," but there are so many other great songs on this album. It really should have had a couple more hit songs. As I listened to the album tracks, I heard the sound that 101 future female-centered alternative bands would record for, at least, a decade after this album was released. "How Much More" sounds like it could have been released by most of the acts that were signed with Olympia, WA's K Records in the early 90's. Much of the album made me want to pull out my copy of Belly's Star or sample some of The Bangles' uptempo singles. "You Can't Walk in Your Sleep (If You Can't Sleep)" reminds me of The Smiths (not just because it is a long song title).

The Go-Go's recorded an album that wraps up pop, surfer, and "punk" in a nice package. The songs are catchy, mostly sweet, nuggets of pop goodness containing smooth harmonies and plenty of energy.

Songs I knew I liked: "We Got the Beat" and "Our Lips Are Sealed"

Songs I didn't know but now like: "How Much More," "Tonite," "Fading Fast," "You Can't Walk in Your Sleep (If You Can't Sleep)," "Skidmarks on My Heart," and "Can't Stop the World"

Songs I can go the rest of my life without hearing again: "Lust of Love" was my least favorite track, although I'm not certain what it is about it that I don't care for.