''James Brown: Man to Man'' is a

concert film A concert film, or concert movie, is a film that showcases a live performance from the perspective of a concert goer, the subject of which is an extended live performance or concert by either a musician or a stand-up comedian. Early history The ...

recorded live at the Apollo Theater in March 1968. It was produced by Metromedia Television and broadcast as an hour-long syndicated

television special A television special (often TV special, or rarely television spectacular) is a standalone television show which may also temporarily interrupt episodic programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Some specials provide a full range of ent ...

, and is one of the first color recordings of James Brown performing with his revue. The concert footage is intercut with scenes shot in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Ha ...

and

Watts Watts is plural for ''watt'', the unit of power. Watts may also refer to: People *Watts (surname), list of people with the surname Watts Fictional characters *Watts, main character in the film '' Some Kind of Wonderful'' *Watts family, six chara ...

accompanied by Brown's reflections on the situation of blacks in America. Writing in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'',

Albert Goldman Albert Harry Goldman (April 15, 1927 – March 28, 1994) was an American academic and author. Goldman wrote about the culture and personalities of the American music industry both in books and as a contributor to magazines. He is best known f ...

described ''Man to Man'' as "fascinating in detail and overwhelming in total impact" and hailed it as a breakthrough for "offering such a long and relatively unobstructed look at a great black entertainer on his home ground."Goldman, Albert. "Does He Teach Us the Meaning of 'Black Is Beautiful'?". ''The New York Times'' June 9, 1968. Rpt. in ''The James Brown Reader: Fifty Years of Writing About the Godfather of Soul''. Ed. Nelson George and Alan Leeds. New York: Plume, 2008. 39-42. ''Man to Man'' was released on DVD by Shout! Factory in 2008 under the title ''James Brown Live at the Apollo '68'' as part of the box set ''I Got the Feelin': James Brown in the '60s''.

Songs

# " If I Ruled the World" # " That's Life" # " Kansas City" # Medley: "

It's a Man's Man's Man's World "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" is a song written by James Brown and Betty Jean Newsome. Brown recorded it on February 16, 1966, in a New York City studio and released it as a single later that year. It reached No. 1 on the '' Billboard'' R& ...

"/"

Lost Someone "Lost Someone" is a song recorded by James Brown in 1961. It was written by Brown and Famous Flames members Bobby Byrd and Baby Lloyd Stallworth. Like "Please, Please, Please" before it, the song's lyrics combine a lament for lost love with a pl ...

"/"

Bewildered "Bewildered" is a popular song written in 1936 by Teddy Powell and Leonard Whitcup. It was a 1938 hit for Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra. 1948 recordings The song was revived in the late 1940s when two different versions, by the Red Miller Trio a ...

" # " Get It Together" # "

There Was a Time "There Was a Time" is a song written and performed by James Brown. Release history "There Was a Time" was recorded in June 1967 during a live performance at the Apollo Theater in a medley with " Let Yourself Go" and "I Feel All Right", and was ...

" # "

I Got the Feelin' "I Got the Feelin'" is a funk song by James Brown. Released as a single in 1968, it reached No. 1 on the R&B chart and #6 on the pop chart. It also appeared on a 1968 album of the same name. The Jackson 5 auditioned for Motown founder Berry Gord ...

" # " Try Me" # Medley: "

Cold Sweat "Cold Sweat" is a song performed by James Brown and written with his bandleader Alfred "Pee Wee" Ellis. Brown recorded it in May 1967. An edited version of "Cold Sweat" released as a two-part single on King Records was a No. 1 R&B hit, and rea ...

"/" Maybe the Last Time"/"

I Got You (I Feel Good) "I Got You (I Feel Good)" is a song by American singer James Brown. First recorded for the album ''Out of Sight'' and then released in an alternate take as a single in 1965, it was his highest-charting song and is arguably his best-known record ...

"/"

Please, Please, Please "Please, Please, Please" is a rhythm and blues song performed by James Brown and the Famous Flames. Written by Brown and Johnny Terry and released as a single on Federal Records in 1956, it reached No. 6 on the R&B charts. The group's debut r ...

"/"

I Can't Stand Myself (When You Touch Me) "I Can't Stand Myself (When You Touch Me)", also known as "I Can't Stand It", is a song written and recorded by James Brown in 1967. It is the most successful of the handful of recordings he made with The Dapps, a band of white musicians led by B ...

"/"Cold Sweat" (reprise)

References

James Brown 1968 films 1960s American television specials Concert films 1968 television specials American television films {{music-documentary-stub

Songs

See also

References