The Payback

The Payback
The Payback
Studio album by James Brown
Released	December 1973
Recorded	Early February 1973 – October 2, 1973
Studios	Rodel Studios (Washington, D.C.); United Studios (Los Angeles, California); International Studios (Augusta, Georgie); Advantage Studios (New York City, New York);
Genre	Funk
Length	72:52
Labels	Polydor; 3007
Producer	James Brown
James Brown chronology
Singles from The Payback
	"Stoned to the Bone"; Released: October 1973; "The Payback"; Released: February 1974;

The Payback is the 37th studio album by American musician James Brown, released in December 1973 by Polydor Records. It was originally slated to serve as the soundtrack for the 1973 blaxploitation film Hell Up in Harlem, but was rejected by the film's producers, who dismissed it as "the same old James Brown stuff."

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[3]
Robert Christgau	B+^[4]
eMusic	^[5]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	^[6]

The Payback is considered a high point in Brown's recording career, and is regarded by critics as a landmark funk album. Its revenge-themed title track, a #1 Billboard R&B hit, is one of Brown's most famous songs, and has been frequently sampled.

Background

A widely repeated story—including by James Brown himself—that Hell Up in Harlem director Larry Cohen rejected the album as "not funky enough" for the film is denied by Cohen.^[7] On the DVD commentary track for Cohen's Black Caesar (to which Hell Up in Harlem is a sequel), Cohen states that executives at American International Pictures were already unhappy with Brown for delivering songs much longer than expected on his Black Caesar and Slaughter's Big Rip-Off soundtracks and opted for a deal with Edwin Starr and Motown Records instead. Cohen said the absence of Brown's music from Harlem still "breaks [his] heart."^[8]

The Payback was a success, topping the Billboard Soul Albums chart for two weeks and peaking at number 34 on the Billboard 200 album chart. It was Brown's only studio album to be certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.^[9]

The Payback largely features cyclic funk grooves and extensive instrumental jamming, but it also contains the softer soul-based ballads "Doing the Best I Can" and "Forever Suffering".

The album was reissued on CD in 1992 with liner notes by Alan Leeds.

Track listing

All tracks are written by James Brown, Fred Wesley, and Charles Bobbit, except where noted.

Side A
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"The Payback"	Brown, Wesley, John "Jabo" Starks	7:39
2.	"Doing the Best I Can"		7:42
Total length:			15:23

Side B
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
3.	"Take Some...Leave Some"		8:33
4.	"Shoot Your Shot"	Brown	8:09
Total length:			16:45

Side C
No.	Title	Length
5.	"Forever Suffering"	5:52
6.	"Time Is Running out Fast"	12:47
Total length:		18:41

Side D
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
7.	"Stone to the Bone"	Brown	10:14
8.	"Mind Power"		12:04
Total length:			22:27

Personnel

James Brown – lead vocals, electric piano, electric organ
Martha High – backing vocals
Isiah "Ike" Oakley – trumpet
Darryl "Hasaan" Jamison – trumpet
Jerone "Jasaan" Sanford – trumpet
Maceo Parker – alto saxophone, flute
St. Clair Pinckney – tenor saxophone, flute
Fred Wesley – trombone
Jimmy Nolen – electric guitar
Hearlon "Cheese" Martin – electric guitar
Fred Thomas – bass guitar
"Sweet" Charles Sherrell – bass guitar
John Morgan – cabasa, tambourine, rainstick
Johnny Griggs – congas
John "Jabo" Starks – drums

Charts

Album – Billboard (North America)

Year	Chart	Position
1974	Billboard Pop Albums	34

Certifications


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)^[10]	Gold	500,000^{^}
^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

↑ Leeds, Alan (1992). The Payback (CD ed.). Polydor. 314 517 137-2.
↑ Leeds, Alan (January 2010). The Singles, Volume 9: 1973–1975. Hip-O Select (published July 2, 2010). B0014259-02.
1 2 Deming, Mark. "James Brown: The Payback > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
↑ Christgau, Robert (June 9, 1980). "A Consumer Guide to James Brown". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
↑ Wolk, Douglas (November 23, 2010). "James Brown, The Payback". eMusic. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
↑ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide - Nathan Brackett, Christian David Hoard - Google Books. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9780743201698. Retrieved July 19, 2015.
↑ Smith, RJ. The One: The Life and Music of James Brown, 290. New York: Gotham Books, 2012.
↑ Cohen, Larry (2001). Black Caesar commentary (DVD). Fox Video.
↑ "The James Brown Review". chronicle.augusta.com. Retrieved July 19, 2015.
↑ "American album certifications – James Brown – The Payback". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved May 12, 2022.

External links

Detailed Review of the album

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[payback-1] Leeds, Alan (1992). The Payback (CD ed.). Polydor. 314 517 137-2.

[singles9-2] Leeds, Alan (January 2010). The Singles, Volume 9: 1973–1975. Hip-O Select (published July 2, 2010). B0014259-02.

[Deming-3] 1 2 Deming, Mark. "James Brown: The Payback > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 21 September 2011.

[Christgau-4] Christgau, Robert (June 9, 1980). "A Consumer Guide to James Brown". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved April 29, 2013.

[Wolk-5] Wolk, Douglas (November 23, 2010). "James Brown, The Payback". eMusic. Retrieved April 29, 2013.

[6] Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide - Nathan Brackett, Christian David Hoard - Google Books. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9780743201698. Retrieved July 19, 2015.

[7] Smith, RJ. The One: The Life and Music of James Brown, 290. New York: Gotham Books, 2012.

[8] Cohen, Larry (2001). Black Caesar commentary (DVD). Fox Video.

[9] "The James Brown Review". chronicle.augusta.com. Retrieved July 19, 2015.

[United_StatesJames_BrownThe_PaybackalbumCertRef-10] "American album certifications – James Brown – The Payback". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved May 12, 2022.

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