Such a great album! More than most of his other non-compilation records, it shows off his versatility as a performer and his willingness to redefine his older works for newer listeners.
Early/mid 70s JB is my favorite of all his eras — There It Is, Black Caesar and The Payback are my three favorite albums of his from this period, but Hell comes pretty close!
It really is a great album. As a collector of versions of ‘These Foolish Things’, I’ve found JB’s take a wonderful curio. But, yes, the consistent brilliance across the two records is the thing (thang?) that makes this a keeper. Thanks for evoking it so well.
Been diving deeper into the early years of disco and his work is one of the key elements. I knew the album from the time I was doing catalogue at Universal, but I never listened to any of his albums. My mistake ! "Papa Don't Take No Mess" just made it to my favorites playlist. Thanks Matt for making me rediscover this.
Such a great album! More than most of his other non-compilation records, it shows off his versatility as a performer and his willingness to redefine his older works for newer listeners.
Exactly, not to mention his genre experimentation (i.e., the salsa/Latin fusion on a couple of the songs).
And his lyrical connection to the times: "It's hell paying taxes/when there's nothing left".
Early/mid 70s JB is my favorite of all his eras — There It Is, Black Caesar and The Payback are my three favorite albums of his from this period, but Hell comes pretty close!
It really is a great album. As a collector of versions of ‘These Foolish Things’, I’ve found JB’s take a wonderful curio. But, yes, the consistent brilliance across the two records is the thing (thang?) that makes this a keeper. Thanks for evoking it so well.
I remember being pleasantly surprised by that one in particular on a first listen of this LP. Thanks for reading Richard!
Been diving deeper into the early years of disco and his work is one of the key elements. I knew the album from the time I was doing catalogue at Universal, but I never listened to any of his albums. My mistake ! "Papa Don't Take No Mess" just made it to my favorites playlist. Thanks Matt for making me rediscover this.
That track is a mainstay on my oldies party playlist—thanks for reading!
Hell' & 'Reality' are my favorite JB albums.
Ooohhh nice, another great pick. :)