A Nice Pair: James Brown

It’s Sunday, the sun is shining and it’s time for A Nice Pair – our weekly series of book and vinyl pairings. Today we’re pairing the book Kill ‘Em and Leave: Searching for James Brown and the American Soul with James Brown’s album Soul on Top.

In the biography Kill ‘Em and Leave, after receiving a tip that promises to uncover the man behind the myth, author James McBride goes in search of the “real” James Brown. McBride’s travels lead him to discover aspects of Brown’s previously untold history, as he unveils the musician alongside the cultural contradictions of American life, including geographic, race and class tensions. (Side note: James McBride is also the author of the novel Deacon James Brown, a Backbeat (highly) Recommended Read which is also currently in stock at the time of this posting.)

We’re pairing it with James Brown’s 28th studio album Soul On Top. Originally released in 1970, we currently carry the 2023 reissue. Arranger/conductor Oliver Nelson helped record the big band, funk and jazz vocal album, recorded with Louie Bellson and his 18-piece jazz orchestra. It features hits such as Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag and It’s a Man’s, Man’s Man’s World.