Talkin' Loud and Sayin' Nothing
| "Talkin' Loud and Sayin' Nothing" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| A-side | "Talkin' Loud and Sayin' Nothing - Pt. 1" |
| B-side | "Talkin' Loud and Sayin' Nothing - Pt. 2" |
"Talkin' Loud and Sayin' Nothing" is a funk song by James Brown and Bobby Byrd. Recorded on October 1, 1970, at Bobby Smith Studios in Macon, Georgia, it was first released as an edited two-part single on King Records that same year, but was quickly withdrawn. The single received a full release on Polydor in early 1972 and went to number one on the U.S. Hot Soul Singles chart and number twenty-seven on the Billboard Hot 100 during the spring of that year.[1] The song was included on Brown's 1972 album There It Is.
"Talkin' Loud and Sayin' Nothing" was part of a succession of songs Brown recorded with the original J.B.'s in 1970 and 1971 featuring backing vocals by Bobby Byrd. Brown allegedly wrote this song due to criticism he received from some black activists for showing contradictory messages to his mostly black audience, Byrd helped to contribute to the lyrics as well as the music. In the middle of the song Brown orders all the band members to temporarily stop playing while he and Byrd maintain the song's rhythm using their voices alone, in an early example of a dance music breakdown.
Personnel
- James Brown - lead vocal
with The J.B.'s:
- Clayton "Chicken" Gunnells - trumpet
- Darryl "Hassan" Jamison - trumpet
- Robert McCollough - tenor saxophone
- St. Clair Pinckney - baritone saxophone
- Bobby Byrd - organ, vocal
- Phelps "Catfish" Collins - guitar
- William "Bootsy" Collins - bass
- John "Jabo" Starks - drums
- Johnny Griggs - congas
Chart positions
| Chart (1972) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 27 |
| U.S. Billboard R&B | 1 |
Other versions
A remixed version of "Talkin' Loud and Sayin' Nothing" was included on the 1986 James Brown compilation album In the Jungle Groove.
A longer version of the song (9:28) is included in the Star Time box set.
The complete version of the song (14:42) was released in 1996 on the compilation CD Funk Power - 1970: A Brand New Thang.
Living Colour recorded a cover version in 1991 for their Biscuits EP.
Brown himself had recorded an earlier, blues-rock oriented version of the song on February 26, 1970 at the King studios in Cincinnati, Ohio. His backup band on this version consisted of his arranger David Matthews on organ, Kenny Poole on fuzz guitar, Michael Moore (who later played on Brown's 1972 hit "King Heroin") on bass, and Jimmy Madison on drums. This group would record one album under the name The Grodeck Whipperjenny for Brown's People label, and back Brown on his final King album in 1971, Sho' Is Funky Down Here. This version, split in two parts, was scheduled for release on King 45-P-6359, and several copies were pressed on both white and black labels, but the record was withdrawn from release before it could be distributed. (The J.B.'s-backed version was to have been concurrently released as 45-S-6359, but no copies of this variation are known to exist.) The full version (5:07) of this blues-rock rendition was issued in 2000 on the compilation CD James Brown's Funky People: Volume 3.
See also
References
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 85.
- Leeds, Alan M., and Harry Weinger (1991). Star Time: Song by Song. In Star Time (pp. 46-53) [CD liner notes]. London: Polydor Records.
- White, Cliff (1991). Discography. In Star Time (pp. 54-59) [CD liner notes]. London: Polydor Records.