Get on the Good Foot (album)

Get On the Good Foot
Studio album by James Brown
Released	October 27, 1972 (1972-10-27) [1]
Recorded	July 16, 1969 (1969-07-16) – October 1972 (1972-10) [1] [2] [3] [4]
Studio	Paramount Studios (Los Angeles, California) Bobby Smith Studios (Macon, Georgia) Rodel Studios (Washington, D.C.) A&R Studios (New York City, New York) Cavern Studios (Independence, Missouri) International Studios (Augusta, Georgia)
Genre	Funk R&B Soul
Length	1:06:09
Label	Polydor PD2-3004
Producer	James Brown
James Brown chronology
There It Is (1972) Get On the Good Foot (1972) Black Caesar (1973)
Singles from Get on the Good Foot
"My Part/Make It Funky" Released: October 1971 (1971-10) [3] "Get on the Good Foot" Released: July 1972 (1972-07) [4] "I Got a Bag of My Own / I Know It's True" Released: October 1972 (1972-10) [4] "Dirty Harri" Released: February 1973 (1973-02) [4]

Get On the Good Foot is the 34th studio album by American funk and soul musician James Brown. It was released as a double LP on October 27, 1972 by Polydor Records. ^[1]

Chart performance

The album debuted on Billboard magazine's Top LP's chart in the issue dated December 9, 1972, peaking at No. 68 during a seventeen-week run on the chart. ^[5]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[6]
Creem	B+ [7]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[8]
Tom Hull – on the Web	B+ ( ) [9]
The Village Voice	B− [10]

In a contemporary review for Rolling Stone , Russell Gersten said most of the album comprises a few "horrible" new songs and many "inferior" renditions of older songs from Brown, whom Gersten accused of repetitiveness and "egomania". ^[11] Robert Christgau from The Village Voice said "if this were the world's only James Brown album it would be priceless. But there's a lot of waste here, and Brown's voice can't carry ballads the way it used to". ^[10]

Track listing

1972 LP

Side 1

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Get on the Good Foot (Parts 1 & 2)"	Brown, Fred Wesley, Joe Mims	5:46
2.	"The Whole World Needs Liberation"	Brown, Bobby Byrd	3:52
3.	"Your Love Was Good for Me"	J. J. Barnes, Whiz Whisenhut	3:20
4.	"Cold Sweat"	Brown, Alfred "Pee Wee" Ellis	2:55
Total length:			15:53

Side 2

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
5.	"Recitation by Hank Ballard"	Brown, Hank Ballard	5:55
6.	"I Got a Bag of My Own"	Brown	3:46
7.	"Nothing Beats a Try But a Fail"	Brown	3:15
8.	"Lost Someone"	Brown, Byrd, Lloyd Stallworth	3:55
Total length:			16:51

Side 3

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
9.	"Funky Side of Town"	Brown	7:51
10.	"Please, Please"	Brown, Johnny Terry	12:15
Total length:			20:06

Side 4

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
11.	"Ain't It a Groove"	Brown, Nat Jones	2:13
12.	"My Part/Make It Funky (Parts 3 & 4)"	Brown, Charles Bobbit	5:24
13.	"Dirty Harri"	Brown	6:12
Total length:			13:49

Charts

Chart (1972)	Peak position
US Billboard Top LPs & Tape [5]	68

1992 CD

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Get on the Good Foot (Parts 1 & 2)"	Brown, Wesley, Mims	5:44
2.	"The Whole World Needs Liberation"	Brown, Byrd	3:41
3.	"Your Love Was Good for Me"	Barnes, Whisenhut	3:20
4.	"Cold Sweat"	Brown, Ellis	2:53
5.	"Recitation by Hank Ballard"	Brown, Ballard	5:54
6.	"I Got a Bag of My Own"	Brown	3:30
7.	"Nothing Beats a Failure (But a Try)"	Brown	3:06
8.	"Lost Someone"	Brown, Byrd, Stallworth	3:56
9.	"Funky Side of Town"	Brown	7:50
10.	"Please, Please"	Brown, Terry	12:19
11.	"Ain't It a Groove"	Brown, Jones	2:10
12.	"My Part/Make It Funky (Parts 3 & 4)"	Brown, Bobbit	5:14
13.	"Dirty Harri"	Brown	6:15
14.	"I Know It's True" (bonus track)	Brown	4:07

Personnel

• James Brown – lead vocals, organ
• Hank Ballard – vocals (Tracks 5 & 9)

The J.B.'s arranged by James Brown (Tracks 1, 10, 12 & 13) ^{[1] [3] [4]}

• Bobby Byrd, Vicki Anderson, Martha High, Danny Ray – background vocals
• Russell Crimes, Isiah "Ike" Oakley, Jerone "Jasaan" Sanford – trumpet
• Fred Wesley – trombone
• Jimmy Parker – alto saxophone
• St. Clair Pinckney – tenor saxophone
• Bobby Byrd – organ
• Hearlon "Cheese" Martin, Bobby Roach, Robert Coleman, Jimmy Nolen – electric guitar
• Fred Thomas – bass
• John "Jabo" Starks – drums

Studio band arranged by David Matthews (Tracks 4, 6, 7, 9 & 11) ^{[1] [4]}

• Randy Brecker, Jon Faddis – trumpet
• Fred Wesley – trombone
• Jerry Dodgion – alto saxophone
• Joe Farrell, Michael Brecker – tenor saxophone
• Joe Temperley – baritone saxophone
• David Spinozza, Hugh McCracken, Sam Brown, probably Joe Beck – electric guitar
• David Spinozza or Sam Brown – acoustic guitar
• Michael Moore, Gordon Edwards – bass
• probably Johnny Griggs – congas
• Jimmy Madison – drums

Studio band arranged by Sammy Lowe (Tracks 3, 8, 14) ^{[1] [4]}

• unidentified – backing vocals
• Lou Soloff – trumpet
• Joe Farrell – tenor saxophone
• Richard Tee – piano
• unidentified – strings
• Hugh McCracken – electric guitar
• Gordon Edwards – bass
• Bernard "Pretty" Purdie – drums

The Original J.B.'s arranged by James Brown (Track 2, originally recorded as "The Wedge") ^{[1] [12]}

• Clayton "Chicken" Gunnells – trumpet
• Robert "Chopper" McCollough – tenor saxophone
• Phelps "Catfish" Collins – electric guitar
• William "Bootsy" Collins – bass
• Don Juan "Tiger" Martin – drums

Studio orchestra arranged by H. B. Barnum (Track 5, originally recorded as "World") ^{[1] [2]}

• A. D. Brisbois, Conte Candoli, Paul Hubinion, Allen DiRenzo – trumpet
• Harry Sigismonte, William Hinshaw – french horn
• Dick Leith – trombone
• unidentified – baritone saxophone
• Don Randi – organ
• James Vaughn – piano
• unidentified – strings
• Arthur Adamas, probably Kenny Poole – electric guitar
• Paul West – bass
• Earl Palmer or Ben Barrett – drums

• Bobby Byrd, Hal Neely, Lois Wong – overdubbed backing vocals (Track 2)

References

1. Leeds, Alan (1993). Get on the Good Foot (CD ed.). Polydor. 523 982-2.
2. Leeds, Alan (October 2008). The Singles, Volume 6: 1969–1970. Hip-O Select (published December 5, 2008). B0012204-02.
3. Leeds, Alan (January 2009). The Singles, Volume 7: 1970–1972. Hip-O Select (published April 3, 2009). B0012728-02.
4. Leeds, Alan (September 2009). The Singles, Volume 8: 1972–1973. Hip-O Select (published November 13, 2009). B0013349-02.
5. Whitburn, Joel (1973). Top LPs, 1955–1972. Record Research. p. 23. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
6. Elias, Jason. "James Brown: Get on the Good Foot at AllMusic. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
7. Christgau, Robert (March 1973). "The Christgau Consumer Guide". Creem . Retrieved March 16, 2018.
8. Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide – Nathan Brackett, Christian David Hoard – Google Books. ISBN   9780743201698 . Retrieved July 19, 2015.
9. Hull, Tom (June 22, 2021). "Music Week". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
10. Christgau, Robert (June 9, 1980). "A Consumer Guide to James Brown". The Village Voice . Retrieved March 16, 2018.
11. Gersten, Russell (February 15, 1973). "James Brown: Get On The Good Foot". Rolling Stone . Retrieved September 21, 2011.
12. Leeds, Alan (November 29, 2019). More Mess On My Thing. Now-Again Records. NA 5189.

External links

• Get on the Good Foot at Discogs (list of releases)