In The Jungle Groove

“In the Jungle Groove” is a compilation album by American funk musician James Brown, released in August 1986 by Polydor Records. The motive was financial - to capitalize on the growing request for Brown's music in hip hop circles at the time, but that didn’t undermine the quality of the release. The album is still considered among the best collections of James Brown’s essential dance grooves from the late sixties and early seventies. The compilation spans a short period from late 1969 until mid-1971, with a bonus track from 1972 added for this reissue. Those years were particularly fertile in Brown’s career, and this set nails them. Almost every track here grooves between six and nine minutes, and all have an incredible, continuous flow.

In a contemporary review, Richard Hallman of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution recommended the album to "connoisseurs and collectors", and said that it "should be considered for purchase only by those who take their Godfather very seriously." Ken Tucker, writing in the Chicago Tribune, commended Polygram for their "admirable project of re-releasing the fascinating music Brown made during the late '60s and early 1970s when he disappeared from the pop charts to record much of his most profoundly funky music." He cited Clyde Stubblefield's performance on "Funky Drummer" as the highlight and said that the album "serves to remind the listener that, in addition to his greatness as a singer and a rhythmic innovator, Brown is also an exceptional band leader."

There are a few very good compilations available covering Brown's pure funk period: besides this one, there is the James Brown's Funky People series, Funk Power 1970, Make It Funky: The Big Payback and the two-disc JB's anthology. All of them are incredible and emphasize slightly different aspects of his music from the late 60s and early 70s.