Ain't It Funky
| Ain't It Funky | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 1970 | |||
| Recorded | May 1967 – October 14, 1969[1][2][3] | |||
| Studios | ||||
| Genres | ||||
| Length | 37:06 | |||
| Labels | King 1092 | |||
| Producer | James Brown | |||
| James Brown chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Ain't It Funky | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [5] |
Ain't It Funky is the 27th full-length studio album by American musician James Brown. The album was recorded between 1966 and 1969 and originally released in January 1970.[6] Much of the album is previously James Brown produced material with Kenny Poole's guitar replacing the vocal track.
Use Your Mother, which itself was an instrumental remix of the yet unreleased You Got To Have A Mother For Me, was used as the instrumental for Bobby Byrd's I Need Help. After You Done It samples Marva Whitney's I Made A Mistake Because It's Only You, which was produced by James Brown.
Chart performance
Ain't It Funky was the first of 4 albums Brown released in 1970, and it remained the highest-chart one. The album debuted on Billboard magazine's Top LP's chart in the issue dated February 14, 1970, peaking at No. 43 during a twelve-week run on the chart.[7] The album entered Cashbox magazine's Top 100 Albums chart in the issue dated February 21, 1970, peaking at No. 71 during a seven-week run on it.[8] The album did much better on the Best-Selling Soul LPs chart published by Billboard, where it reached No. 5 in March 1970.[9]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ain't It Funky Now, Pts. 1-2" | Brown | 9:26 |
| 2. | "Fat Wood, Pts. 1-2" | Brown, Jimmy Nolen | 9:15 |
| Total length: | 17:46 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3. | "Cold Sweat" | Brown, Pee Wee Ellis | 5:17 |
| 4. | "Give It Up or Turnit a Loose" | Charles Bobbit | 3:45 |
| 5. | "Nose Job" | Brown, Bud Hobgood | 2:30 |
| 6. | "Use Your Mother" | Brown | 3:25 |
| 7. | "After You Done It" | Brown | 3:28 |
| Total length: | 18:07 | ||
Personnel
- James Brown – lead vocals, organ
- Richard "Kush" Griffith, Joe Davis – trumpet
- Fred Wesley – trombone
- Maceo Parker, Eldee Williams – tenor saxophone
- St. Clair Pinckney – baritone saxophone
- Jimmy Nolen, Alfonzo Kellum – guitar
- Sweet Charles Sherrell – bass
- Clyde Stubblefield, Jabo Starks – drums
Overdubs ("Cold Sweat", "Give It Up or Turnit a Loose", "Use Your Mother", "After You Done It")
- Kenny Poole – guitar
Charts
| Chart (1970) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Top LPs[7] | 43 |
| US Billboard Best-Selling Soul LPs[9] | 5 |
| US Cashbox Top 100 Albums[8] | 71 |
References
- 1 2 Leeds, Alan (August 2007). The Singles, Volume 4: 1966–1967. Polydor (published October 19, 2007).
- 1 2 3 Leeds, Alan (October 2007). The Singles, Volume 5: 1967–1969. Polydor (published February 29, 2008).
- 1 2 3 Leeds, Alan (October 2008). The Singles, Volume 6: 1967–1969. Polydor (published December 5, 2008).
- ↑ "James Brown: Ain't It Funky" at AllMusic. Retrieved September 21, 2011.
- ↑ Cross, Charles R. (2004). "James Brown". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 109. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ↑ "Billboard: New Album Releases for February (manufacturers' January releases)" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 82, no. 6. February 7, 1970. p. 45. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 17, 2024. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
- 1 2 Whitburn, Joel (1973). Top LPs, 1945–1972. Record Research. p. 23. LCCN 74075179. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
- 1 2 Hoffmann, Frank W (1988). The Cash box album charts, 1955-1974. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press. p. 43. ISBN 0-8108-2005-6.
- 1 2 "Best-Selling Soul LPs/Ain't It Funky". Billboard. March 14, 1970. Retrieved September 1, 2016.