Five stars are barely adequate to describe how monumental this box set truly is. With seventy tracks spanning thirty years of prime James Brown material, you will be exploring the offerings here for a very long time. I bought this box way back in 1993 and I'm STILL absorbing everything that it has to offer.

With the tracks presented in chronological order, you can track the development over time not just of the JB sound (blues to R&B to funk to classic soul), but you can also follow the history of entire branches of popular music in which the JB influence looms large. Disc one covers the early years when James was storming the R&B and blues circuits with some of the most intense new sounds those scenes had ever encountered. He invents funk near the end of disc one, and even says so himself in the liner notes, where he credits the long-lost "Out of Sight" (heard here in its original form for the first time) as his funk songwriting breakthrough.

After getting the funk off the ground, discs two and three are a non-stop, relentless collection of piledriving funk grooves. These two discs will rock any party without apologies, and I don't care if you dig the funk or not. James brought on board the funkiest, tightest, and most relentless bands available (especially in the 1969-71 period) to create this incredible music that has been a huge influence on all subsequent funk, not to mention hip-hop and large chunks of the rock world. The party slows down a bit with disc four, in which you can see that James was getting past his prime, although there a few late-period surprises like "The Payback" and "Get Up Offa That Thing." By this point it was natural for James to slow down on the creation of new sounds, and focus on his current duties as a non-stop live attraction for his ravenous followers.

Another worthy part of this box set is the extensive liner notes, which include exhaustive chart listings and historical info, and an acceptable James Brown bio. There is also much good info on the more important members of JB's bands, like Bobby Byrd, Clyde Stubblefield, Maceo Parker, Fred Wesley, and the teenaged Bootsy Collins (who would later single-handedly redefine the bass guitar as an instrument in his work with Parliament/Funkadelic and as a solo artist). Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go back to getting my mind blown by this set. Like I said, I'm still digging it after all these years.

Very rarely has the passing of a public figure made me feel such deep emotions as I felt this Christmas day when we lost James Brown. Although I was fortunate enough to see him live and in concert before, I was looking forward to seeing him again on December 28th at a NJ venue and had been lucky enough to get second row seats, but it was not to be. I can literally separate my music listening life into two distinct periods: BEFORE and AFTER I heard JB. Once I heard him everything changed, and I couldn't look at music the same again after hearing him. What I thought was funky or groundbreaking before seemed tepid and uninspired after I heard him. I distinctly remember hearing "Sex Machine" at a party one night and the proverbial light went off. Since that time I have purchased all the JB I can get my hands on, including this collection. The music and message of JB has become ingrained in who I am over the years and has shaped so much of my appreciation for music. JB fused elements of soul, R&B and jazz to lay the foundations of what would later be known as funk music, and then managed to create what would become (in my opinion) the most memorable and definitive funk music ever recorded. But the man didn't just make good time party music; he always had something to say, whether it be unabashed pronouncements of black pride or urging kids to stay in school or away from drugs. JB's influence was so far reaching it almost seems incomprehensible; VERY few recording artists have managed to sustain careers that spanned several decades and remained relevant. His influence was felt on other continents as evidenced in Fela Kuti's music in Nigeria and the creation of Afrobeat, which Fela himself confessed was directly influenced by the rhythms present on James Brown's recordings. JB even had a hand in the early rap scene when artists like Public Enemy began sampling his music on their tracks in the mid 1980's. (And lets not forget that JB was one of the first to rap back in the early 1970's, check out "King Heroin" on this collection if you need a refresher.) The music contained on these four discs is a well chosen overview of his incredible career. As a general warning though, this probably won't be the end of your James Brown collection. I have found that his music is so infectious that I have kept buying more and more of it over the years. However, any newcomer to his music will find this collection to be an excellent place to start, and really any and every music fan should own this. I've said it before and I'll say it again: you ain't human if this doesn't move you. This past summer I was in the heart of the inner city waiting outside of a fast food restaurant in the take out line with my windows down, and blasting a live version of the JB's tearing through "Pass The Peas". I slowly turned as I saw some movement out of the corner of my eye, as three men who had been asking for change got up and began to dance. They yelled "GODFATHAAA!", and ended up coming to my window to ask what CD the song was from or if it was the radio. I'm sure everyone who has been touched by his music has a story like this, because the music of James Brown was something that brought us all together as people. Thank you for all the memories and God Bless you Godfather.

This is probably the funkiest collection available. There's just no way you could be dissapointed by this boxset if you are at all interested in James Brown. It's awesome, relentless and irresistible: this music will bring out the funk in YOU and it feels just great. Also... this is invigorating music, somehow (this I think it has in common with classical music) it makes anything you play afterwards fresh and new (unless it's something really twee like the Carpenters) and for that alone it is easily recommended. If you have the cash, this is money well spent. There's a reason for all the 5 star reviews here. It's Star Time!

By any measure of greatness, James Brown's musical legacy towers above all others', with the possible exceptions of Elvis, the Beatles, the Stones, & Bob Dylan. You've heard bits & pieces of this material sampled to death by rap artists. Now go directly to the source of their inspiration: The Godfather of Soul.

I had to write this review in lieu of the recent passing

of one of the latter 20th Century's greatest musical innovators!

James Brown was a revolutionary of music, of performance,

and with his bold "I Don't Want Nobody To Give Me Nothing /

Say It Loud, I'm Black & I'm Proud" socio-political statements

that came to black america at a time when they were really needed!

This box set is the most comprehensive collection of his

groundbreaking work that I know of!

I've owned this set now for about 14 yrs. and have

played it a billion times probably by now!

Yet it's still fresh, funky, energetic and positive!!--

And yes, it speaks of truth!!

This man was so far ahead of his time, yet OF HIS TIME!

In these last few days since his passing,

his music means even more to me!

He was given a funeral befitting royalty because he WAS ROYALTY!!

God Bless Your Soul Mr. Brown!! (May 3, 1933 - December 25, 2006)

Your gut-bucket funky grooves, your straight-from-the-heart messages

and your electric stage presence will be studied, emulated

and enjoyed by generations to come!

There'll never be another one!---R.I.P. GODFATHER!!