Everything Sounds Better In A British Accent Right?

Well, probably, except for rock n' roll. I don't mean to slight Britain for the musical exploits it gave us, don't misunderstand me, I just think when it comes down to it we just did it better. But at least for the first part of this blog I will talk about the British Invasion. Let's remember what got this ball rolling, and that is American roots music. Pretty much every British band that came over to the U.S. in the mid-sixties was obsessed with rock n' roll, the most notable examples being The Beatles, The Animals, The Who, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, The Yardbirds, and to a lesser extent, the Zombies. Of course we all know that the Beatles made the biggest splash during that time period, and probably ever, but the lesser known acts are still important. Among these artists are Gerry and the Pacemakers, Herman's Hermits, Freddie and the Dreamers, and The Dave Clark Five. What made these groups so popular? Well in the case of Herman's Hermits it was probably the undeniable teenage appeal, the cuteness, and the lovey dovey songs. For the others it was a great sense for pop rhythms, harmonized vocals, and a universal subject matter. This was before rock n' roll got weird and outlandish, these guys were still keeping it simple and writing sensible, formulaic pop. Although bands like Gerry and the Pacemakers topped charts and for a brief period rivaled the Beatles as Britain's most popular band, their main problem was they didn't perfect pop-rock and they didn't progress. As a whole this is really what initially separated The Beatles. After 1965 the first wave bands just kind of got left behind. So people are going nuts in the states about these British bands and frankly it rubbed a couple of people the wrong way. This was our music to begin with, we started this whole mess and now it was our job to fix it. Enter James Brown and Bob Dylan, the saviors of American rock n' roll.

Two Christmases ago I was home in Orlando for winter break and my dad walked into my room to wake me up. I was expecting something along the lines of, "hey we are going to open presents," but instead he said "James died." I immediately knew who he was talking about. I said "you're fucking joking right?" He said he wasn't. And he calmly walked out. I sat in my bed, on Christmas Day and cried for the Godfather of soul. It's only one of two deaths I have ever cried over in my life, and needless to say it ruined Christmas for me. It was horrible. To me, James Brown was always one of those guys who was bigger than music. He always did it his way and he was the baddest motherfucker alive. He was rock n' roll, he was soul, he was gospel, he was funk, and he was definitely punk rock. Without James Brown there would be no Parliment Funkadelic, there would be no Sly and the Family Stone, or the Ohio Players, or Michael Jackson, or maybe even hip-hop period. He was the greatest performer to ever live, and in 1965 he brought his unprecedented stage show into the limelight and reclaimed rock n' roll. The song that did it was "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag." The song had an infectious horn line and an unforgettable funk stop in which James would give his trademark shriek. Though the world really found him in that year he had been a successful performer since 1958. He grew up in Augusta, Georgia and endured extreme poverty. Naturally, like most kids who feel they have little future down the practical road (school, workforce) he began dancing on street corners for pennies and getting into trouble with the law for small robberies and other disruptments. The Church was his starting place like many other soul greats like Sam Cooke. He joined the Swanees, a gospel quartet in the mid-fifties. Surprisingly, this was a pretty lucrative and popular movement in the late forties and into the fifties, especially in cities with large black populations like Chicago, St. Louis, and various cities throughout the south. Much like Sam Cooke outgrew the Q.C.'s and later the Soul Stirrers and found secular music, James became the figure in the Swanees that was clearly destined for better things. He formed the Famous Flames and became their lead singer. He, along with the likes of B.B. King and Ike and Tina Turner played the Chitlin' Circuit, and that lead him to his coming out party which was staged at the Apollo Theater in New York City.

The first time I passed The Apollo when I lived in New York I totally geeked out because I knew the type of talent that had walked into that building, but none more potent than James Brown. It was there that he recorded the greatest live album of all-time, bar none. Stop your inner dialogue, this isn't a matter of discussion. I suggest if you have 14 dollars in your wallet you go and buy this record, it will be the best 14 dollars you ever spend. Sam Cooke live at the Harlem Square Club is a distant second, also another record I think everyone should own. He spent the early part of his career on King Records which was a label largely associated with black music, much like Specialty Records in New Orleans. Other artists on King Records include the Texas blues great Freddy King. So James pretty much busts the door open in 1965 and brings the rawness, the ferocity, the spectacle, and most importantly the rhythm back into rock n' roll. The Chicago blues scene was still holding down the rhythmic emphasis quite firmly, but it has slipped considerably from the mainstream charts. He went on to have an insanely successful career and is responsible for developing what would later be the funk genre. He is the most sampled artist of all time. Besides the live albums at The Apollo his twenty greatest hits collection will get you where you need to go. The "Sex Machine" album is also fantastic. I also recommend reading his autobiography "I Feel Good." I own it, so if anyone would like to borrow it let me know and I'd be glad to lend it to you. Well I will continue the post on Bob Dylan next because this one feels quite long. See you in a bit...DXL