Fred Wesley & The JBs - Damn Right I Am Somebody

In 1974 one of James Brown’s most
important band-leaders and sidemen - trombonist Fred Wesley – would release not one but two albums as a leader including Damn
Right I Am Somebody. Starting with an evocative cover it was clear to fans that this album wasn’t all about a party. Deep messages
abound in the songs here, such as the nearly 10-minute workout “I’m Paying Taxes, But What Am I Buying.” Social messages aside,
Fred and his assembled JBs were a party-moving funk machine at heart, as heard on “If You Don’t Get It The First Time, Back Up And
Try It Again, Party” and the laid-back groove of “Same Beat” (with prototypical sampling of Jesse Jackson exhorting an audience to
chant “I am / Somebody”). Nestled among these raise-your-fist classics is one of the most experimental funk cuts ever made: “Blow
Your Head,” known to relatively modern listeners as the backbone of Public Enemy’s “Public Enemy #1” (from 1987). Other tracks have
been sampled by EPMD, Run-DMC, De La Soul, Digable Planets, and Ice-T among others. Get On Down pays reverent tribute to the
reissue of this classic housed in a 1970s style Stoughton jacket. A1. Damn Right I'm Somebody A2. Blow Your Head A3. I'm Payin'
Taxes, What Am I Buyin'? B1. Same Beat (Part 1) B2. If You Don't Get It The First Time, Back Up & Try It Again, Party B3. Make Me
What You Want Me To Be B4. Going To Get A Thrill B5. You Sure Love To Ball