James Brown Plays the Real Thing

James Brown Plays the Real Thing
Studio album by James Brown
Released	June 1967 (1967-06)
Recorded	April 4–6, 1967 (1967-04-04 – 1967-04-06) [1]
Studio	Bell Sound Studios (New York City, New York) [1]
Genre	Soul
Length	42:04
Label	Smash 67093
Producer	James Brown
James Brown chronology
James Brown Sings Raw Soul (1967) James Brown Plays the Real Thing (1967) Cold Sweat (1967)
Singles from James Brown Plays the Real Thing
"Jimmy Mack / What Do You Like" Released: June 1967 (1967-06)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[3]

James Brown Plays the Real Thing is the sixteenth studio album by American musician James Brown. The album was released in June 1967, by Smash Records. ^[2] The entire album was arranged by Pee Wee Ellis, who'd joined the band a year prior. ^[1]

The album debuted on Billboard magazine's Top LP's chart in the issue dated July 15, 1967, peaking at No. 164 during a five-week run on the chart. ^[4]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Jimmy Mack"	Holland-Dozier-Holland	5:26
2.	"What Do You Like"	Alfred Ellis	7:24
3.	"PeeWee's Groove In "D"" (featuring Pee Wee Ellis)	Alfred Ellis	5:10
4.	"Bernadette"	Holland-Dozier-Holland	3:05
5.	"Mercy, Mercy, Mercy"	Joe Zawinul	5:01
6.	"I Never Loved a Man The Way I Love You"	Ronnie Shannon	4:35
7.	"Funky Broadway"	Arlester Christian	5:43
8.	"'D' Thing"	Ted Wright	5:40

Personnel

• James Brown – organ
• Richard Harris, Jimmy Cleveland, Garnett Brown – trombone
• Pee Wee Ellis – alto saxophone, arrangement
• St. Clair Pinckney, Alfred Corley – tenor saxophone
• St. Clair Pinckney – baritone saxophone
• Ernie Hayes – piano
• Jimmy Nolen, Carl Lynch or Wallace Richardson – guitar
• Al Lucas or Jimmy Tyrell – bass
• Bernard Purdie – drums

Charts

Chart (1967)	Peak position
US Billboard Top LPs [4]	164

References

1. Leeds, Alan (August 2007). The Singles, Volume 4: 1966–1967 (published October 19, 2007). pp. 14 & 22–23.
2. Andrew Hamilton. "James Brown Plays the Real Thing - James Brown, James Brown & His Famous Flames". AllMusic. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
3. 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.
4. Whitburn, Joel (1973). Top LPs, 1955–1972. Record Research. p. 23. Retrieved July 10, 2025.