Soul on Top is an album by James Brown. Brown and saxophonist Maceo Parker worked with arranger/conductor Oliver Nelson to record a big band,funk and jazz vocal album. It was recorded with Louie Bellson and his 18-piece jazz orchestra at United Western Recorders in Hollywood, California in November 1969, and features jazz standards, show tunes, and middle of the road hits, as well as a new arrangement of Brown's funk hit "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag".
The album was reissued in 2004 with one previously unreleased bonus track, a big band version of Brown's 1967 hit "There Was a Time", and newliner notes by jazz critic Will Friedwald.
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [1] |
Contents[]
Track listing[edit][]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "That's My Desire" | Helmy Kressa, Carroll Loveday | 4:10 | |
2. | "Your Cheatin' Heart" | Hank Williams | 2:59 | |
3. | "What Kind of Fool Am I?" | Leslie Bricusse, Anthony Newley | 3:06 | |
4. | "It's a Man's, Man's, Man's World" (Unedited Version) | James Brown, Betty Jean Newsome | 6:40 | |
5. | "The Man in the Glass" | Bud Hobgood | 5:56 | |
6. | "It's Magic" | Sammy Cahn, Jule Styne | 3:14 | |
7. | "September Song" (Unedited Version) | Maxwell Anderson, Kurt Weill | 5:02 | |
8. | "For Once in My Life" (Unedited Version) | Ron Miller, Orlando Murden | 4:43 | |
9. | "Every Day I Have the Blues" (Unedited Version) | Memphis Slim | 4:28 | |
10. | "I Need Your Key (To Turn Me On)" | Louie Bellson | 3:46 | |
11. | "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" | Brown | 4:41 | |
12. | "There Was a Time" (2004 reissue only) | Brown, Hobgood | 3:04 |
Personnel[edit][]
- James Brown - vocal
- Oliver Nelson - arranger and conductor
- Ernie Watts - alto saxophone
- Joe Romano - alto saxophone
- Maceo Parker - tenor saxophone
- Buddy Collette - tenor saxophone
- Pete Christlieb - tenor saxophone
- Jim Mulidore - baritone saxophone
- Al Aarons - trumpet
- Chuck Findley - trumpet
- John Audino - trumpet
- Tom Porello - trumpet
- Jimmy Cleveland - trombone
- Nick DiMaio - trombone
- Kenny Shroyer - trombone
- Bill Tole - trombone
- Frank Vincent - piano
- Bill Pitman - guitar
- Louis Shelton - guitar
- Ray Brown - bass
- Louis Bellson - drums, bandleader
- Jack Arnold - percussion