Piece Comment

Review of The Big Payback-A Tribute to James Brown


Peter's artful mix includes the voice that my special (In Search of James Brown) couldn't capture, that of James Brown himself. In intimate phone conversations featuring James, historical perspective from Dave Marsh and clips from James Brown TV appearances, listeners get an added flavor of the man behind the myth. When I was working in radio in Charlotte, NC, in the early 1980's, the overnight DJ used to tell me that James Brown would call him and talk at length from his home in South Carolina. I'm imagining that what we hear in Peter's special is what that might have sounded like. If you're looking for an effective hour-long tribute, try running this with the half-hour version of In Search of James Brown. In any case, try to get this on - and if you're just a fan visiting PRX, be sure to give it a listen. Nice work Peter.