Remember box sets? 30 years ago this month, James Brown’s box set Star Time landed in stores. While I have owned at least a dozen JB studio album, live performance, and compilation CDs over the years, I never got around to purchasing Star Time which is widely considered to be the definitive James Brown retrospective. Old school funk was making a big comeback in the early ‘90s perhaps due in part to Star Time but also thanks to the growing popularity of rap which robbed so many ‘60s ‘70s, and ‘80s funk artists blind through its use of sampling (stealing). Legal online streaming has allowed me to at last gain access to Star Time and, if you really want to, you can use Google to find the box set’s photos and liner notes before spending five hours absorbing it all (I already know enough about the man and his legacy).
More of a funk reference book or dictionary than an album one listens to in one play, Star Time breaks down James Brown’s enormous output into pretty much chronological order with each of the four discs representing a distinct period in the artist’s musical development. The lyrics are not so important- with Brown it’s all about how his voice and music make you feel. Many of these songs taught me to dance and whereas some R&B- like Motown- tried to serve as crossover music to cut into the “white” market, Brown never sugar-coated his uniquely Southern American and yes African sound. By the late ‘60s, JB was moving beyond tasty funk and going full on primal trance, tapping into something deep that grabs you by the gut and pulls you onto the dance floor. This is serious funk and is definitely not for amateurs.
One pleasant surprise for me was how much I enjoyed the first disc which highlights JB’s earliest stuff from the ‘50s and ‘60s. I also forgot just how jazzy Brown's music can get at times but in a good way since his top shelf backing bands are always tight. The only complaint I have about Star Time is its length: when am I going to have the time and stamina to listen to it again? Still, it’s nice to know Star Time is there for posterity. How does one grade a dictionary? For those pressed for time, you can settle for the poor man’s Star Time- 20 All-Time Greatest Hits!- which was released later that same year. Just be careful about playing any of JB’s music- whether alone or with others- as it may cause a serious funk dance party to break out. Now that is some physical exercise I can get behind! Grade: A
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