Previously Unheard James Brown Song Features Bootsy Collins on Bass
In 1970, James Brown recruited a whole new band anchored by two young brothers from Cincinnati: Phelps “Catfish” Collins and William “Bootsy” Collins. Their tenure in the group would only last 11 months, but it was an incredibly fruitful and vital period for the singer. It was with the Collins brothers that he recorded “Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine,” “Super Bad,” “Soul Power,” “Talkin’ Loud and Sayin’ Nothing,” and more.
Now, Universal Music Enterprises and Republic Records have announced the release of a previously unheard track from that pivotal year.
“We Got To Change” will be released on a three-track EP with three versions of the song: the original, an extended version, and the Pixal remix. Brown, Catfish, and Bootsy are joined by “Funky Drummer” Clyde Stubblefield and the singer’s longtime number 2 man, Bobby Byrd.
“‘We Got To Change’ is another example of James Brown’s social outreach (and outrage),” a press release states. “It is also a testament to Brown’s diverse musical language, quoting from Little Jimmy Dickens’ 1949 hit ‘Take an Old Cold Tater (And Wait)’ and the African-American anti-war spiritual, ‘Down by the Riverside.'”
Of course, the song features a stone cold bass line from Bootsy. Take a listen:
The We Got To Change EP is out now on all streaming services.
We Got To Change Track List:
- We Got To Change
- We Got To Change (Extended Remix)
- We Got To Change (Pixal Remix)
