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 Please, Please, Please... Feb 07, 2008
Release a James Brown DVD of complete performances from the 1960's thru the 2000's instead of brief clips that are nothing more than a frustrating tease to watch. Was he "Soul Brother #1", "The King Of Soul Himself"? You wouldn't know it watching this. No mention of his 1970's Farewell Tour, Rocky IV "Living In America" comeback or "Original Disco Man". Bonus features are songs from late in his career. James Brown is only shadow of himself surrounded by bikini dancers who are distracting. Couldn't they find a concert more from his prime time period? Or that song he did in Frankie Avalon's "Ski Party"? What happened to "His Famous Flames"? They disappear right before your eyes. What was their side of the story? The only thing I found interesting was seeing James Brown visiting his old neighborhood, the Boston Concert during the riots and the police chase that got him thrown in prison. "Soul Survivor" is a painful, incomplete story of a man fighting demons from within. A better James Brown choice is his DVD with B.B. King in the 1980's. His camp needs to release something like Chuck Berry's "Hail! Hail!
 James Brown - Soul Survivor Nov 21, 2007
This video is great. It provides a biography of James Brown as well as an overview of the social and political significance of soul music. I would highly recommend this dvd for educational purposes.
Excellent JB overview Oct 17, 2007
With the sad - and surprising - passing of James Brown in 2006, I hope there are some archival releases in the works that will allow us to see prime concert material of one of the single most awe-inspiring performers music has ever seen. Former James Brown tour manager Alan Leeds - who was heavily involved in many excellent CDs compilations - has said in interviews that previously unseen concert footage has been uncovered and is supposedly being prepped for release.
I know none of that directly pertains to the "Soul Survivor" DVD release, but I mention it because an artist the magnitude of James Brown truly deserves more than what this DVD presents. The late Mr. Brown can truly be called an oft-misunderstood artist - the legal and personal problems he encountered relatively late in life, not to mention the deterioration of his once other-worldly voice, left a whole younger generation who didn't really know him as the vital, ground-breaking artist he once was. It is those very people who are urged to watch this documentary, which does an very good job in outlining the man's life and career.
There is precious little James Brown material currently available on DVD - mostly post-prime '80s and beyond concerts of varying audio/video quality. This program attempts to treat it's subject with the respect he most certainly deserves - though fans, both long-time and new, will likely crave more than the brief performances clips presented.
The bonus features include a fairly lengthy (20 minutes or so) excerpt from a fairly recent House of Blues performance - and it should be noted that this is NOT the same concert on the earlier "Live at the House of Blues" DVD release, it's a completely different concert. Also of interest is footage of James and his band, the Soul Generals, rehearsing. JB is clearly hamming it up for the cameras - he was a notorious task-master in rehearsals right up end - but even so, it is interesting and fun to see everyone in casual dress simply running through some songs.
Definitely give this disc a spin - but hope that more is yet to come from the vaults.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
 Good; but what's missing from this film? Aug 04, 2007
This PBS doc is very good for what it gives of the great James Brown talking about where he came from.
All the reviewers here who say it's missing fuller performances from his great years are absolutely right. The producers had the chance to give us that; there's plenty of space to combine more of that with the talk they got. Instead, it's weighed down with too much footage from a late show of his; an older James Brown who'd lost a lot of youthful or even middle-aged fire and energy (can't blame him for that after 40 to 50 years!), surrounding himself on stage at the end with white girls in bikini tops and American flag costumes.
The show is also good at giving us the social context: how JB kept bringing his music back to the community he came from, and the impact of his music on Black Power and its aftermath. But aside from valuable comments throughout by Nelson George ("James Brown was creating a new way to make black popular music," "stripping down" soul and R and B, etc.), the producers missed a chance to focus more on how the music was made. More emphasis on James Brown's musical innovations and the reach of his minimalist funk would have made this a more satisfying film to watch. (ie. He created the foundations of funk and hip hop, but also Miles Davis electric music and a lot of avant garde). Still recommendable. It's probably the best J.B. biopic there is.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
JB - R.I.P. May 19, 2007
This DVD is a documentary on James Brown, the man. Although some concert footage with poor picture quality is included, it only supports the documentary narrative about JB and his life. The DVD narrative parallels the JB autobiography: James Brown: The Godfather of Soul; Thunder's Mouth Press (ISBN 1-56025-388-6).
This DVD is a good companion to the book, but shouldn't be considered as concert material.
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