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(reviewed by Rollo)
HIGH POINTS: Hell, Coldblooded, Papa Don't Take No Mess. LOW POINTS: Please, Please, Please, These Foolish Things Remind Me Of You, Sayin' And Doin' It, Sometime.
After releasing the monstrous double concept album The Payback, the Godfather returned with yet another double album filled to the brim with even more delicious and funkay hook tunes that would make everybody get up-a. But while I must say that Hell is a brilliant example of Brown's diversity, I must state the diversity is a flaw in many cases. For instance, "Please, Please, Please", a reworking of James' first hit ever, is a incredibly vomit-inducing Latin-influenced R'n'B thang. I don't mind James' usual vocal blabbering, neither do I mind the sucky-sucky orchestra in behind. However, I DO mind the bloated and overblown feeling that easily makes me faint because of its stinkiness. And I must tell you that Hell can easily cause several headaches. But let's go on.
Sadly, Hell also has another problem: besides too much diversity, there's too much filler. Come on, whoever needed to put tracks like "Sayin' And Doin' It" (uhhh?) "When The Saints Go Marching In" (quite nice, actually, but too much disco), "These Foolish Things Remind Me Of You" (typical Brown balladry), and "Sometime" (more Brown balladry) on any record? Added to the fact that almost every single track starts off with a gong slash, Hell can quickly become quite irritating.
But let's not forget the good stuff either: the record begins with a funk killer named "Coldblooded" that's incredibly danceable and bouncy. James' vocals on top o'this one are also very cool and catchy, and the several breaks are just great. But it gets even better with the title track, that's even funkier than "Coldblooded". Talking about quality, both are pretty equal, but the extra funkiness earns it the spotlight. If you want more funk, it's possible to get hooked on "My Thang" and "I Can't Stand It '76" too; both are extremely you-know-what, especially the latter clocking in at eight minutes. It may be repetitive, but that's what grooves are, right? And dig that "gimmegimmegimmegimmegimmebwrbwrbwrbwrbwrrrah" at the end!
But hey, some of the balladry here is good too! For instance, "A Man Has to Go Back to the Crossroads before He Finds Himself" is very soothing and quite touching, at points...and "Lost Someone" is possibly the best ballad here with nice organ touches and orchestration. Regarding the mellow stuff, I'd recommend "Stormy Monday" that smells very much like your average Brown disco, but is better than that. You gotta love that flute! And "Don't Tell a Lie about Me and I Won’t Tell the Truth on You" is quite funkay too, although it sometimes just passes me by as average funk when it shouldn't be. But it isn't a problem, nonetheless.
"Papa Don't Take No Mess", clocking in at a whoppin' fourteen minutes, is a very nice closer, still. There are some fine solos in there, and while it probably shouldn't deserve its length, I absolutely don't mind it when it plays. So I guess it's kind of a highlight for me. That been said, I'd probably start my Brown discography off with a live album from this period (try out Revolution Of The Mind, "Make It Funky" is a classic), but if you don't mind overblown music, why not start out with this one? Take my advice, though: Hell is very much demanding your attention, and at times, I could get irritated to the point where I'd just turn the record off. But if you're a funk preacher, get this as soon as possible!
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