1966-1970- James Brown on King

.....James Brown recorded about three and a half LP's worth of Christmas songs between 1966 and 1970. I would like to think that he was prompted by the success of Gary Walker's "SANTA'S GOT A BRAND NEW BAG", which I discussed in the previous post, if only because it made a good story. It probably had more to do with his expressed desire at that time to provide inspiration to impoverished black youth. It was a common sentiment at the time and much of his previous material was more oriented for adult audiences. What I can be certain about is that most of the songs were original compositions, many of them written by himself, Alfred "Pee-Wee" Ellis and Nat Jones. Since my purpose in this blog is to account for the earliest recordings of original 20th Century Christmas songs, Brown alone could provide about three weeks of daily entries. When I ran across a CD compilation I had and went to look up the original catalog numbers for the singles, I was reminded that Brown died on Christmas Day, 2006. That makes this year the fifth anniversary and perhaps deserving a little more than a mere mention. Instead I'm going to post a full discography of his original releases. A complete, exhaustive discography would be more difficult, since this material became the basis for numerous repackagings under similar sounding titles. All times are roughly approximate, since they vary among the reissues.

.....There were three singles released late in 1966, possibly all in December:

• 7" King Records 45-6064 (US) 12/66
• 02:41 THE CHRISTMAS SONG (Version 1) (Mel Tormé, Robert Wells)
• 02:44 THE CHRISTMAS SONG (Version 2) (Mel Tormé, Robert Wells)

.....

• 7" King Records 45-6065 (US) 12/66
• 02:54 SWEET LITTLE BABY BOY (Part 1) (James Brown, Nat Jones)
• 02:37 SWEET LITTLE BABY BOY (Part 2) (James Brown, Nat Jones)

.....

• 7" King Records 45-6072 (US) 12/66
• 02:53 LET'S MAKE CHRISTMAS MEAN SOMETHING THIS YEAR (Part 1) (James Brown, Nat Jones)
• 02:57 LET'S MAKE CHRISTMAS MEAN SOMETHING THIS YEAR (Part 2) (James Brown, Nat Jones)

.....Between the second and third single is the most likely time for the release of the album LP THE JAMES BROWN CHRISTMAS ALBUM King Records K1010 (mono) and KS1010 (stereo) (US) 12/66. Not only was this album pressed several times with minor variations to the jacket but the same songs were assembled in a different order and released again in 1967(?) under the title JAMES BROWN AND HIS FAMOUS FLAMES SING CHRISTMAS SONGS.

• 06:29 LET'S MAKE CHRISTMAS MEAN SOMETHING THIS YEAR (Part 1) (James Brown, Nat Jones)
• 00:00 LET'S MAKE CHRISTMAS MEAN SOMETHING THIS YEAR (Part 2) (James Brown, Nat Jones)
• 05:15 SWEET LITTLE BABY BOY (Part 1) (James Brown, Nat Jones)
• 00:00 SWEET LITTLE BABY BOY (Part 2) (James Brown, Nat Jones)
• 02:31 MERRY CHRISTMAS, I LOVE YOU (James Brown, Nat Jones)
• 04:37 SIGNS OF CHRISTMAS (James Brown, Nat Jones)
• 02:44 THE CHIRISTMAS SONG (Version 2) (Mel Tormé, Robert Wells)

.....and side B:

• 03:54 MERRY CHRISTMAS BABY (Lou Baxter, Johnny Moore)
• 02:41 THE CHRISTMAS SONG (Version 1) (Mel Tormé, Robert Wells)
• 03:21 PLEASE COME HOME FOR CHRISTMAS (Charles Brown, Gene C. Redd)
• 02:59 THIS IS MY LONELY CHRISTMAS (Part 1) (James Brown, Gene C. Redd)
• 04:46 THIS IS MY LONELY CHRISTMAS (Part 2) (James Brown, Gene C. Redd)
• 02:53 CHRISTMAS IN HEAVEN (Billy Ward)

.....The two versions of "THE CHRISTMAS SONG" and the other three covers on side B seem to be the last of the non-originals. The next two albums contain songs written for (and a few by) Brown that I can't find in any earlier form. A fourth album was released in 1999 and a half a dozen times since under as many titles. It may contain covers or originals, but I haven't sprung for a copy yet and won't be examining it in a post until I have. The two tracks on side B above that aren't covers appear to have been prepared as a fourth single, following the pattern of the first three of being one song in two parts. It's at times like this that I wish I knew more about James Brown's catalogue but he was extremely prolific, in a very rare class with Frank Zappa, Chet Atkins and few others. For instance, a more fanatical fan might have come across a report of a test pressing for such a single or might know if the mastering codes for those two tracks were significantly lower numbers than the other album-only songs, suggesting (but not proving) that they were prepared separately for separate release.

• 7" King Records 45-6187 (US) 09/68
• 02:45 SAY IT LOUD-- I'M BLACK AND I'M PROUD (Part 1) (James Brown)
• 02:30 SAY IT LOUD-- I'M BLACK AND I'M PROUD (Part 2) (James Brown)

.....That's not a mistake. Although not a Christmas song, the above single leads the second side of the next album.

• 7" King Records 45-6203 (US) 12/68
• 02:55 SANTA CLAUS GO STRAIGHT TO THE GHETTO (James Brown, Alfred Ellis, Hank Ballard)
• 02:55 YOU KNOW IT (instrumental) (Alfred Ellis, Bud Hobgood)

.....

• 7" King Records 45-6204 (US) 12/68
• 03:05 TIT FOR TAT (AIN'T NO TAKING BACK) (James Brown, Nat Jones)
• 02:45 BELIEVERS SHALL ENJOY (NON-BELIEVERS SHALL SUFFER) (instrumental) (Bud Hobgood, Nat Jones)

.....The songwriting credit for the A-sides above and below were both changed to "Charles Bobbit, Nat Jones" after these recordings were repackaged by Polydor, which acquired the King Records catalogue in 1971. I really don't know which is correct, but Brown's name was on the 7" vinyl. Also, the subtitle for the above A-side is definitely "AIN'T NO TAKING BACK", despite numerous websites listing this song as "TALKING BACK" or "TURNING BACK" or who knows what. The song is about the child's game, Tit For Tat. Each child hits the other in turn and the other child is allowed to hit back at least as hard as they were hit themselves. The trick is to hit harder than you were hit yourself, but no harder than you can withstand being hit in return. Hence, "ain't no taking back", meaning that you can't hit someone and then change your mind when you realize how hard you have allowed them to hit you in retaliation. It's a way of saying, "No cheating". The game ends when someone quits before hitting back.

• 7" King Records 45-6205 (US) 12/68
• 02:42 LET'S UNITE THE WHOLE WORLD AT CHRISTMAS (James Brown, Nat Jones)(see above)
• 02:35 IN THE MIDDLE (Part 1) (Bud Hobgood, Alfred Ellis)

.....LP SOULFUL CHRISTMAS King Records KS1040 (US) 12/68

• 03:01 SANTA CLAUS GO STRAIGHT TO THE GHETTO (James Brown, Alfred Ellis, Hank Ballard)
• 04:03 SANTA CLAUS, SANTA CLAUS (Charles Bobbit, Nat Jones)
• 02:14 BELIEVERS SHALL ENJOY (NON-BELIEVERS SHALL SUFFER)(vocal) (Bud Hobgood, Nat Jones)
• 03:06 SOULFUL CHRISTMAS (Hank Ballard, Charles Bobbit, Alfred Ellis)
• 03:04 TIT FOR TAT (AIN'T NO TALKING BACK) [see note below single]
• 02:38 CHRISTMAS IS COMING (Bud Hobgood)

.....and side B:

• 04:46 SAY IT LOUD-- I'M BLACK AND PROUD (Part 1) (James Brown[and Alfred Ellis?])
• 00:00 SAY IT LOUD-- I'M BLACK AND PROUD (Part 2)
• 02:42 IN THE MIDDLE (Alfred Ellis, Bud Hobgood)
• 02:42 LET'S UNITE THE WHOLE WORLD AT CHRISTMAS [see note above single]
• 02:20 YOU KNOW IT (vocal) (Alfred Ellis, Bud Hobgood)
• 03:50 SANTA CLAUS GAVE ME A BRAND NEW START (Bud Hobgood, Nat Jones)

.....Soon after, one of the songs was rerecorded as a duet with Marva Whitney and released as an A-side with an earlier A-side as the flip:

• 7" King Records 45-6206 (US) 02?/69
• 02:44 IN THE MIDDLE (Part 2) (Alfred Ellis, Bud Hobgood) with Marva Whitney
• 03:05 TIT FOR TAT (AIN'T NO TAKING BACK) [see note below earlier single]

.....Both sides of "SAY IT LOUD... " also appear on an album of the same name, King Records KS1047 (US) 04/69.

....."IN THE MIDDLE" Parts 1 and 2 eventually appear together on the album LP JAMES BROWN PLAYS AND DIRECTS THE POPCORN King Records KSD 1055 (US) 08/69.

.....The first two albums continued to be available in 1969 but a new single came out as well:

• 7" King Records 45-6277 (US) 12/69
• 03:10 IT'S CHRISTMAS TIME (Part 1)(James Brown, Bud Hobgood)
• 03:15 IT'S CHRISTMAS TIME (Part 2)(James Brown, Bud Hobgood)

.....The following year two singles preceded the third album.

• 7" King Records 45-6339 (US) 11/70
• 03:42 HEY AMERICA (vocal) (Nat Jones, Addie Williams Jones)
• 03:42 HEY AMERICA (sing along) (Nat Jones, Addie Williams Jones)

.....

• 7" King Records 45-6340 (US) 12/70
• 04:24 SANTA CLAUS IS DEFINITELY HERE TO STAY (single version) (Nat Jones)
• 04:24 SANTA CLAUS IS DEFINITELY HERE TO STAY (sing along) (Nat Jones)

.....The third Christmas album was released with an art collage cover that was not obviously holiday themed. It was soon replaced with a cover featuring the title and subtitle in at least 2 inch font on a blank dark background over a small photo that looks like James Brown. Unlike many of the repackagings of Brown's Christmas music these both carried the same title: LP HEY AMERICA [IT'S CHRISTMAS] King Records KS 1124 (US) 12/70. It also became available as Polydor 2391 049.

• 03:49 HEY AMERICA (vocal) (Nat Jones, Addie Williams Jones)
• 03:59 A LONELY LITTLE BOY AROUND ONE LITTLE CHRISTMAS TOY (Nat Jones)
• 03:03 GO POWER AT CHRISTMAS TIME (Nat Jones)
• 06:00 CHRISTMAS IS LOVE (Nat Jones)

.....and side B:

• 04:22 SANTA CLAUS IS DEFINITELY HERE TO STAY [LP] (Nat Jones)
• 06:00 MY RAPP (Nat Jones)
• 03:03 I'M YOUR CHRISTMAS FRIEND, DON'T BE HUNGRY (Nat Jones)
• 03:55 MERRY CHRISTMAS MY BABY AND A VERY, VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR (Nat Jones)

.....The last two tracks were also pressed as a single in The Netherlands as 7" Polydor 2066 276. Again, I wish I had some way of knowing if there had been plans for a U.S. release, since most compilations don't include either track but do emphasize the singles. The one single that I can confirm was kept in print during the 1970's was:

• 7" Polydor 14161 (US) 12/72
• 02:58 SANTA CLAUS GO STRAIGHT TO THE GHETTO [1968]
• 02:50 SWEET LITTLE BABY BOY [1966]

.....Before Christmas this year I hope to post about the most notable compilations of these recordings. Except for the Marva Whitney duet, all the songs mentioned here can be found on 2CD THE COMPLETE JAMES BROWN CHRISTMAS Hip-O-Select/ Polydor 14791 (US) 10/12/10.