What can you say about James Brown that hasn’t been said before? The man was the king of soul and an incredible entertainer. This set gives us to classic James Brown shows. That makes it a “must have” both for fans of Brown and just fans of soul music. Of course, can you be a soul music fan and not be a fan of James Brown? I doubt it. 

The first set is a smoking one from Chastain Park in Atlanta from 1985. Brown was in fine form and the video and sound quality are certainly state of the art for the time.  The second one is an older one from 1980. The scene is New York City’s Studio 54 and Brown and crew put in another dynamite performance. The video on this isn’t as good as that of the first show. The sound is great, though.

This DVD is an excellent addition to any James Brown fan’s collection. It’s got some great music and while the video isn’t all up to the standards of today’s technology it’s still good enough to enjoy it.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2008  Volume 6 at lulu.com/strangesound.