1. Wardell Howard - Down On My Luck (2:16)
2. Charles Miller - Black Nursery (4:51)
3. Marie Adams - Get Up And Do It (2:35)
4. Bill Spencer - The Jacksons Part 1&2 (4:58)
5. Blockbusters - Moody (2:28)
6. Soul Primers - Can´t Resist It Part 1 (3:17)
7. Soul Primers - Can´t Resist It Part 2 (3:12)
8. Caprells - Close Your Eyes (3:17)
9. Baraka - Sower Of Seeds (3:39)
"If Count Basie had hired James Brown to replace Joe Williams as his featured male vocalist, what would the results have sounded like? Brown offers some suggestions on Soul on Top, which finds the Godfather of Soul making an intriguing detour into jazz-minded big-band territory. Recorded in 1969 and reissued on CD in 2004, Soul on Top unites Brown with the Basie-influenced orchestra of jazz drummer Louie Bellson -- and stylistically, the results are somewhere between soul-funk and the funkier side of big-band jazz. This Brown/Bellson collaboration isn't straight-ahead jazz; nor is it typical of Brown's late-'60s output. But if recording a big-band project with Bellson was a surprising and unexpected thing for the Godfather of Soul to do in 1969, it was hardly illogical or bizarre -- Brown, after all, grew up listening to jazz (as well as blues and gospel) and was well aware of the legacies of Basie, Lionel Hampton, Duke Ellington, and others. Besides, jazz and R&B are closely related. While some jazz snobs would have listeners believe that jazz and R&B have little if anything in common, the fact is that they're close relatives that get much of their energy and feeling from the blues. So it makes perfect sense for Brown to combine soul, funk, and jazz on this album, which finds him revisiting some major hits (including "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" and "It's a Man's Man's Man's World") in addition to embracing "September Song," "That's My Desire," and other standards that one typically associates with jazz and traditional pop. Although not among the Godfather's better-known efforts, this fine album is happily recommended to anyone who holds R&B and jazz in equally high regard."
allmusic.com
Tracklisting
1. James Brown - Your Cheatin' Heart (3:00)
2. James Brown - What Kind of Fool Am I? (3:06)
3. James Brown - It's a Man's, Man's, Man's World (6:40)
4. James Brown - The Man in the Glass (5:56)
5. James Brown - It's Magic (3:14)
6. James Brown - September Song (5:03)
7. James Brown - For Once in My Life (4:44)
8. James Brown - Every Day I Have the Blues (4:28)
9. James Brown - I Need Your Key (to Turn Me On (3:46)
10. James Brown - Papa's Got a Brand New Bag (4:41)
11. James Brown - There Was a Time (3:05)
12. James Brown - That's My Desire (4:10)
Marvin Holmes was a local Oakland musician. He released a few 45s on Bay Area labels and was signed by Uni. Ooh Ooh The Dragon was his first album...
Tracklisting
1. Marvin Holmes and The Uptights - Ooh Ooh The Dragon (2:09)
2. Marvin Holmes and The Uptights - I've Never Found A Girl (To Love Me Like You Do) (2:21)
3. Marvin Holmes and The Uptights - Grab This Thing (2:19)
4. Marvin Holmes and The Uptights - Who's Making Love (2:23)
5. Marvin Holmes and The Uptights - Grazing In The Grass (2:15)
6. Marvin Holmes and The Uptights - There Was A Time (3:41)
7. Marvin Holmes and The Uptights - Ride Your Mule - part 1 (2:21)
8. Marvin Holmes and The Uptights - Don't Be Afraid (2:33)
9. Marvin Holmes and The Uptights - It Takes A Lot Of Good Loving (2:16)
10. Marvin Holmes and The Uptights - Lonely Too Long (2:34)
11. Marvin Holmes and The Uptights - The Horse (2:05)
12. Marvin Holmes and The Uptights - Scratch (3:05)
