Sold Date: December 2, 2023
Start Date: November 25, 2023
Final Price: $16.99 (USD)
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JAMES BROWN "REVOLUTION OF THE MIND" LIVE APOLLO 1971  2-LP 94254 CAPITOL PRESSING
JAMES BROWN "REVOLUTION OF THE MIND" "RECORDED LIVE AT THE APOLLO VOLUME III" RECORDED JULY 24-26 1971 APOLLO THEATER NYC LABEL: POLYDOR SQBO-94254 (PD 3003) RELEASED: VERY EARLY 1972 EDITION: 1972 VERY EARLY PRESSING ~ GATEFOLD ~ CUSTOM LABELS  CAPITOL RECORD CLUB PRESSING PRESSED AT CAPITOL RECORDS PRESSING PLANT ~ JACKSONVILLE ARTWORK: CHARLES BOBBIT MATRIX (SIDE A): SQBO 1-94254 RI # 2  0
CONDITION:  VINYL: VG++  JACKET: VG+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I've been going thru my massive vinyl record collection these past few weeks and pulling out some LPs that I thought that someone else would want for their collection. I've been collecting records for over 45 years and it's time to pass some of them on to the next generation of collectors.
This week on EBay I am offering up this 1972 First U.S. Pressing of James Brown's terrific live album 'Revolution of the Mind'
This is my original copy, purchased thru the Capitol record club that my Brother and I belonged to back in the early 70's. (It's where we got all our Beatles albums back then). I've taken great care of it for many years. See details on Condition below.
This original Polydor pressing sounds incredible. Funky and loud.
~~~~ 'Revolution of the Mind' is a fantastic live album by James Brown.
It's the third album that James Brown recorded Live at the legendary Apollo Theater in Harlem. The first record, 1963's 'Live at the Apollo' is an all-time soul classic, and many consider it James Brown's best album.
James Brown has recorded and released many albums over the years, but only a few are considered 'Essential'. This is one of them.
A fantastic live album that captures JB at the height of his Funky, Sexy, Screaming self. One of the best releases of Brown’s entire career.
~~~  In early 1971, JB was planning a live triple album, recorded in Paris, but then changed record labels to Polydor, and that project was shelved until many years later.
Instead, James Brown recorded his run of 8 concerts over the last week of July 1971, at Harlem's Apollo Theater. This Double Live album is made up of highlights from those performances.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From the first needle drop, you can hear that JB is really going for it on this recording. This is a fantastic Funk/Soul album.
This album opens with a classic, long, hyped-up spoken introduction by James Brown's longtime master of ceremonies, Danny Ray. Then James Brown and the JB's take over.
The best tracks on this album include his theme song "Super Bad", "Sex Machine", "Hot Pants", "Soul Power" and “Give it up or turn it Loose." The long track "Escape-ism" / "Make It Funky" is a fantastic standout jam, with great horns, and was only played once during the 8-night Apollo stand, opening the first show of the first night. 
~~~~ 'Revolution of the Mind' captures James Brown during his full immersion into funk music. These live recordings present Brown at the height of his raw soul/funk period, capturing his singing, shouting, yelping, and grunting as he pushes The JBs to play at their absolute best. 
This album just overflows with funky groove perfection, mostly due to Brown's great backing band.
James Brown always had a great backing band, from the original 'Famous Flames', to the original JBs with "Catfish" Collins on guitar and bassist Bootsy Collins, to the classic, top-notch, 1971 JB's line-up on this album, anchored by Horn players Maceo Parker and Fred Wesley, along with Bobby Byrd, bassist Fred Thomas and "Cheese" Martin on guitar. This version of the JB's is the 'Hot Pants' band.
James Brown and his JB's deliver an unusually sexual, smooth, soulful performance throughout this whole record, and they really bring the Funk. Some of the funkiest performances ever caught on record.
~~~ 1971 was clearly a peak year for James Brown as a live performer. He was at his prime, and this is clearly one of his best live albums.
Brown had several singles in the charts around this time, and the band focuses on those hits, but also plays medleys of older hits and some newer material.
Most all the songs on this album are upbeat Funk/Soul numbers, and Brown rips up the Apollo with funky groove after groove for a whole sixty-two minutes, whipping the audience into a frenzy, but the band does venture into a couple of slower soul tunes, like a beautiful version of "Try Me", one of JB's early hits. Even JB's ballads have an undeniable energy.
His voice, the rhythm, and the beat just take over your whole body.
He means business and you can hear that the audience, and girls in the front row, don't seem to mind. This is live, raw James Brown, he doesn't mince words.
This is a fantastic James Brown live album. It has a tight band, sheer energy, powerful, soulful performances and contains most of his hits at the time. They don't make 'em like this anymore!
~~~~ James Brown was just starting to get more Political and Socially concious around the time this album was recorded.
"I'm Black and Proud", although not on this album, was recently in the charts, and this album includes the groovy, soulful "Get up, get into it, get involved", his message to African American youth.
Brown cleverly and intentionally called this album 'Revolution of the Mind' and he meant it.
The cover and gatefold artwork shows JB behind bars and sitting in jail, a message to NOT let that happen to you.
~~~~ This album is highly sought after by DJs and Producers as it contains many great breaks, vamps and grooves. It's been heavily sampled in Modern music. For example, the drum break at the end of “Intro / It's a New Day....Popcorn” is a Funk classic and has been sampled heavily.
The CD of this album is notoriously poor sounding, and although this live album isn't highly polished either, it's the best version out there.
This album has been re-issued, but it's never been remixed or remastered, so this original, early, analog. vinyl pressing is as good as this terrific, funky music gets.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 'Revolution Of The Mind' has a high-octane, remarkable, funked-up tracklist that includes:
Intro.... It's A New Day So Let A Man Come In And Do The Popcorn Bewildered Sex Machine Escape-Ism Make It Funky Try Me Fast Medley: (I Can't Stand It, Mother Popcorn, I Got The Feelin') Give It Up Or Turn it A Loose Call Me Super Bad Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved Soul Power Hot Pants (She Got To Use What She Got To Get What She Wants)
~~~~ The Godfather of Soul, the Hardest Working Man in Showbusiness, Mr. Dynamite, Soul Brother Number One, whatever you call him, James Brown released one of his best live albums with 'Revolution of the Mind'
This is a classic James Brown record and belongs in any Soul/Funk vinyl record collection.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CONDITION: I tried to show good hi-resolution photos of the cover, labels and vinyl in my pictures.
I purchased this copy thru Capitol Records back in the early 70's, over 50 years ago, and have taken great care of it since.
VINYL: The vinyl looks excellent. Clean and bright. Maybe a tiny hairline, but No serious scuffs, palpable scratches, or dings. It looks fantastic across all 4 sides and I'm sure you'll be very happy with it.
The Deadwax has the early First Pressing stamps and the '0' for Jacksonville. See the full Matrix above.
I tried to show some close-up pictures of the vinyl to show how good it looks. I'm sure you'll be happy with it.
I haven't messed with it or cleaned it, other than my trusty 'DiscWasher' brush, in 50 years, since Nixon was in ofice. It could use a good deep cleaning to make it even better looking and better sounding than it already is. 
LABELS: This is pressed with the 'classic' early red, 70's, custom Polydor labels, with James Brown's face on them. They have the SQBO-94254 catalog number and the 'Made by Capitol Records' text.
The labels are clean and bright. No marks or damage. The spindle holes are still sharp and clean, suggesting minimal playing and my careful handling over the years.
JACKET: As you can see from my pictures, this still looks very nice for a 50 year old OG copy.
This is the Capitol Records Club version with the "94254" catalog number in black type just above Polydor logo and PD 3003 catalog number on the back cover.
This very early pressing has the 'blank' spine, so it doesn't mess with the 'James in Jail' artwork.
This thick gatefold jacket is notorious for showing ringwear, dirt, scuffs and damage, but this copy is still quite nice. No ringwear, marks or writing, but the corners are slightly 'bumped'.
The artwork is bold and bright, the gatefold clean & bright and the original gloss is still present. The spine is straight. A nice survivor and quite nice, except for the bumped corner(s). (See pics)
Overall, I'll call the whole record VG++, but the vinyl is very clean.
This record has been sleeved and stored properly for decades, and is still quite nice for an original early pressing.
This copy is all original, and a real gem. I'm sure you'll love it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~ ** NOTE: I'm selling this rare 'Collector' record "AS IS" and "NO RETURN". It's rare and as described and I'm sure you'll be very happy with it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I’m recently retired and downsizing and letting go some gems and rarities from nearly 45 years of vinyl record collecting. Check out the many other fantastic 45s and 33s coming soon to my page!
All records have been carefully evaluated and graded by me. I visually inspect all records under bright light, personally gently clean them with a soft cloth and then, if unsure, play them on a modern high-end turntable to get a true picture of condition. Please look at all the high-resolution pictures I added. They are all my own and are of the actual record being sold. The pictures are part of the description and can show small details, label variations, and condition better than I can put into words. 
My grading is fair and honest. I have had over 3,400 happy and satisfied EBay customers over the years, with 100% positive feedback, and I have been buying/selling on EBay for well over 25 years, so please bid with confidence!
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THANK YOU for looking and reading if you got this far.  -- JOHN