#bobby bird

James Brown: There it Is (1972)

If I had any prior knowledge of this 1972 James Brown LP, then it had totally slipped my memory by the time I found this copy on a record store shelf -- a little worse for wear, where the sleeve was concerned, but the vinyl was pristine and that’s what really matters.

Am I right?

Well, turns out There it Is is a compilation that assembles assorted singles that ‘The Hardest Working Man In Show Business’ released between ‘71 and ‘72 through his new label Polydor.

And, since ‘Soul Brother No. 1’ was arguably nearing the end of his prolific, creative peak around this time, the track-listing wasn’t just dynamite, it was generous too, with both sides/parts of each single usually featured, for good measure.

These include the title track’s funky masterclass and horns I once heard described as be-bop-like, an urgent, underrated jam called “I Need Help (I Can’t do it Alone)” and, for those of us who love to hear James scream, and play off Mr. Bobby Byrd, the hypnotic “I’m a Greedy Man” is as good as it gets.

The album also houses a couple of subdued, dramatic, well-intentioned, if somewhat patronizing sermons about smack in “King Heroin” and “Public Enemy #1” that -- at nearly 15 minutes, all told -- are a little bit much to stomach, no matter how eternally relevant.

And after scolding out-of-touch politicians and their empty promises on “Talkin’ Loud and Sayin’ Nothing,” James rounds out the LP with a schmaltzy cover of Johnny Terry’s “Who am I?,” and then quotes Marvin Gaye on the soulful “Never can Say Goodbye.”

There it Is was released in June of ‘72 and justifiably reached No. 10 on the Billboard R&B charts and No. 60 in the Top 200, so if you happen upon a copy, too, don’t think twice about taking it home. 

Unfortunately, James Brown’s time at Polydor would be marked by an inconsistent run of hits and misses in years to come, including albums like Get On the Good Foot, the Black Caesar soundtrack, and The Payback, so proceed with caution.

p.s. -- I recently watched the 2014 Brown biopic, Get On Up, which I didn’t even know existed until the recent death of its star, Chadwick Boseman, and I’m happy to say it was really well done, and Boseman was of course great -- may he rest in peace.