Description
James Brown – Get On The Good Foot – Double Vinyl Record
James Brown – Get On the Good Foot (1972) is a double-LP tour de force that captures James Brown at a critical point in his evolution—from soul icon to full-blown architect of funk. Released in the same year as There It Is, this record further cemented Brown’s shift away from traditional song structures and toward groove-based, rhythm-driven music where the beat is king, and every instrument—especially the rhythm section—functions as part of a tight, interlocking machine. With Get On the Good Foot, Brown wasn’t just adapting to the times; he was driving them, laying down the blueprint for hip-hop, disco, and future generations of funk artists.
The title track, “Get On the Good Foot (Parts 1 & 2),” is the clear centerpiece—a propulsive, hypnotic groove built on tight horns, syncopated guitar, polyrhythmic drums, and Brown’s unmistakable exhortations. It became one of his biggest hits, reaching No. 1 on the R&B chart and becoming his first gold single. The track exemplifies Brown’s genius for turning repetition into revelation: it’s less about harmonic complexity and more about rhythmic tension and release, punctuated by shouts, grunts, and sudden breaks. It’s pure, unfiltered funk.
The rest of the album is sprawling in both sound and scope. Unlike some of Brown’s earlier work, which leaned heavily on live recordings or single-focused compilations, Get On the Good Foot was conceived as a studio album, yet retains an almost live-band energy, thanks to Brown’s famously tight band—featuring members of the J.B.’s, including Fred Wesley and Bootsy Collins. Tracks like “The Whole World Needs Liberation” and “Cold Sweat” (a re-recording) continue Brown’s blend of political awareness and visceral energy. Elsewhere, he delves into more subdued territory with ballads like “Please, Please” and instrumental workouts like “Dirty Harri” and “Funky Side of Town”, showing that funk can also be elegant and orchestrated.
There are even moments of experimentation: Brown includes orchestral arrangements on some tracks and flirtations with cinematic funk, perhaps nodding toward the rising popularity of Blaxploitation soundtracks. Despite its wide range, the album is unified by a relentless rhythmic pulse and Brown’s absolute command as a bandleader and performer. Even when he’s not at the mic, his fingerprints are on every bar, shaping dynamics, dictating tempo, and sculpting silence as much as sound.
Get On the Good Foot may not be as universally recognized as The Payback or Sex Machine, but it’s a crucial entry in the James Brown canon, capturing the Godfather of Soul at a creative high point—asserting full control of his funk empire and pushing the possibilities of Black music in the early ’70s. Its influence can be felt in countless samples used in hip-hop, and in the way modern R&B and funk artists structure rhythm-first grooves. It’s gritty, sprawling, and unapologetically raw—a record that demands movement, and one that shows James Brown not just getting on the good foot, but redefining the ground he stood on.
Brand new, never played and still sealed in the factory plastic
Track Listing
Get On The Good Foot (Parts 1 & 2)
The Whole World Needs Liberation
Your Love Was Good For Me
Cold Sweat
Recitation By Hank Ballard
I Got A Bag Of My Own
Nothing Beats A Try But Fail
Lost Someone
Funky Side Of Town
Please, Please
Ain’t It A Groove
My Part / Make It Funky (Parts 3 & 4)
Dirty Harri
I Know It’s True
