James Brown - Messing With The Blues (1990)

Tracklist

CD1
01. Like It Is, Like It Was (The Blues) (Album Version)
02. Don't Cry Baby
03. Caldonia (Single Version)
04. Somebody Done Changed The Lock On My Door
05. Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens
06. Good Rockin Tonight
07. I Love You Yes I Do
08. Messing With The Blues
09. Waiting In Vain
10. For You My Love
11. Blues For My Baby
12. Everyday I Have The Blues
13. Love Don't Love Nobody (Studio Dialogue With Syd Nathan)
14. Love Don't Love Nobody
15. Goin Home
16. Have Mercy Baby
17. Kansas City (1967 Alternate Version)
18. The Bells

CD2
01. Don't Deceive Me (Please Don't Go)
02. The Things That I Used To Do
03. Need Your Love So Bad
04. Like A Baby
05. Honky Tonk (Parts 1 & 2)
06. Suffering With The Blues
07. Further On Up The Road
08. Radio Spot For Thinking About Little Willie John LP - 1968
09. Talk To Me, Talk To Me
10. Kansas City
11. Wonder When You're Coming Home
12. Like It Is, Like It Was (The Blues, Continued...) (Album Version)

Although he is most famous for his innovations in soul and funk music, James Brown never lost sight of his blues and R&B roots. His albums often placed surprisingly rootsy covers of old chestnuts alongside his groundbreaking polyrhythmic workouts. This double CD compiles 30 of the bluesiest items from his vast recorded legacy. Cut between 1957 and 1985, most of the tracks actually date from the '60s; many of these, in turn, were laid down in the early part of the decade, when J.B. was gradually evolving from his more conventional beginnings. The artists whose songs are covered here read like a who's who of R&B pioneers: Louis Jordan, Roy Brown, Memphis Slim, Ivory Joe Hunter, Fats Domino, Chuck Willis, Little Willie John, Billy Ward, Guitar Slim, and Bobby Bland. It's quite an instructive insight into Brown's not-always-visible roots. It would be fair to say that this does not rank among his most exciting material, finding him in a smoother and more conventional style than his most innovative work. It is nonetheless always entertaining and accomplished, with Brown's love for this material shining through strongly in his committed interpretations. Especially intriguing are an 11-minute cover of Chuck Willis' "Don't Deceive Me" and a two-part, blues-based rap vamp from the early '70s, "Like It Is, Like It Was (The Blues)." The disc includes several unreleased cuts, alternate takes, and unedited versions of previously released songs.

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