Gimme Some More

The J.B.'s: (It's Not The Express)It's The J.B.'s Monaurail and Thank You For Letting Me Be Myself And You Be Yours
From Hustle With Speed (People, 1975)

Both tunes are extracted from the Japan release.

James Brown and Sly Stone didn't really cover each other. Except few original tunes covered in very singular version. Without reading the title of the track, you can't really guess it. In 1969, Sly Stone covered Sex Machine, it sounds like a psychedelic blue/funk. Thank You For Letting Me Be Myself by The J.B.'s is also different of the original, but it's a long funky jam. Since a long time, I've been on the search of Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) covers. In the J.B's area, Maceo Parker's one is not the most exciting. Other tune, (It's Not The Express) It's The J.B.'s Monaurail, sounds like a groovy jazz... this one is my favourite.

I think James Brown agreed to form The J.B.'s because he had to concede he was not the only the funkmeister in the early 1970's. That's why he allowed Fred Welsey and Maceo Parker to produce creative and innovative album. Produced in 1975 when disco grew to be the new leitmotiv, Hustle With Speed was their fifth and last album. Fred Wesley assembled The J.B.'s to record it. At this time, "the handwriting was on the wall. Morale problems were eroding another classic James Brown band. At first Fred tried to fight the inevitable, but he turned out to be the first victim" recalled Alan Leeds. And when he was recording Sex Machine Today, in 1975, James Brown seemed to have run out of ideas. Soon, Welsey quit the group to join up with George Clinton, and Maceo Parker followed.