James Brown - Sex Machine / 2LP Mobile Fidelity

A true funk monster: James Brown and his band deliver an electrifying performance with “Sex Machine,” which was named one of the 500 greatest albums of all time by Rolling Stone! No wonder: “Mr. Dynamite” gives his all and

more on this 1970 masterpiece! “Sex Machine” is boundary-breaking, sweat-inducing, rousing and emotionally charged. You just want to drop everything and dance... Originally marketed as a live album, “Sex Machine” contains six

songs that were recorded in the studio and later supplemented with recorded audience noise and reverb. With the exception of “Low Down Popcorn,” the tracks on the second half of the album come from a phenomenal performance

recorded in October 1969 at the Bell Auditorium in Brown's adopted hometown of Augusta, Georgia. The special relationship between the singer, the audience and the venue is palpable from the very first notes. Brown screams, shouts,

pleads, moans, preaches, commands, testifies, hums and croons: the Godfather of Soul delivers one of the greatest vocal performances ever heard by humankind. “Sex Machine” is often considered one of the best and most important

funk records of all time and can confidently be described as the high point of Brown's creative prime.

In 1989, the album ranked No. 1 on SPIN magazine's list of the 25 best albums of all time, and in 2005 it ranked No. 96 in a poll conducted by British television channel Channel 4 (to select the 100 best albums of all time). “Sex Machine”

was also voted the 34th best album of all time in a 2003 VH1 poll of over 700 musicians, songwriters, disc jockeys, radio programmers and critics. Under the direction of brothers William “Bootsy” Collins and Phelps “Catfish” Collins, Brown's band

– along with two different drummers – recorded an almost eleven-minute version of “Get Up (I Feel Like Being Like A) Sex Machine” and a rousing medley of “Bewildered,” “I Got The Feeling” and “Give It Up Or Turnit A Loose.” Two studio singles

that were current at the time, “Brother Rapp” and “Low Down Popcorn,” both recorded in different locations in 1969 with his former group, rounded out the material for the second LP, which completed the originally planned live set. Complicated? A little.

Unusual? Definitely. The floating, almost soothing “Spinning Wheel” showcases the instrumental virtuosity of Maceo Parker and Co. and serves as a seamless transition to the delicate, brass-backed “If I Ruled The World.” But Brown and his buddies

are far from finished: try resisting the double closing punch of “I Can't Stand Myself (When You Touch Me)” and “Mother Popcorn.” No chance!

Lovingly remastered by Krieg Wunderlich at California's MoFi Studio to mark the album's 55th anniversary and pressed on 180-gram vinyl (33 RPM) by Fidelity Record Pressing, this strictly numbered double LP presents this funk milestone in audiophile

form for the first time: this reissue explodes with the energy that Brown's thunderous music demands – dynamic, immediate, present, and airy! From the razor-sharp brass sounds and the whipping sound of the snare drum to the groove of the organ,

everything now comes into its own in its full range. Then there's Brown's superhuman vocals, which emerge here with a purity, naturalness and transparency never heard before. Krieg Wunderlich, Senior Engineer at Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, explains:

"There were some artifacts that sounded a bit like ‘missteps’. But it turned out that they were breaths on the vocal microphone. That's part of the story. JB worked hard and breathed heavily. And there were edits that were really oddly timed. That's part of

the story, too.“ In short: MoFi's reissue of ”Sex Machine" – naturally, both records are housed in a deluxe gatefold jacket by Stoughton Printing – is an absolute must-have!

We recommend the use of "L'Art du Son" LP cleaner to wet wash your vinyl. Even new records of high quality production will benefit from this.

Title

LP 1

Side 1:
1.    Get Up (I Feel Like Being Like A) Sex Machine
2.    Brother Rapp (Part I And Part II)

Side 2:
3.    Bewildered
4.    I Got The Feeling
5.    Give It Up Or Turnit A Loose

LP 2:

Side 3:
6.    I Don’t Want Nobody To Give Me Nothing
7.    Licking Stick
8.    Low Down Popcorn
9.    Spinning Wheel
10.    If I Ruled The World

Side 4:
11.    There Was A Time
12.    It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World
13.    Please, Please, Please
14.    I Can’t Stand Myself (When You Touch Me)
15.    Mother Popcorn