The Godfather: The Very Best of James Brown

The Godfather: The Very Best of James Brown
Compilation album by
Released2002
LabelUniversal
Producer
James Brown chronology
20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection: The Best of James Brown, Vol. 2: The 70's
(2002)
The Godfather: The Very Best of James Brown
(2002)
The Next Step
(2002)

The Godfather: The Very Best of James Brown is a compilation album by American singer-songwriter James Brown, released in 2002 by Universal Records.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

In a review for AllMusic, Thom Jurek opined that "for a single disc" compilation, The Godfather was "quite solid if bare in places" and that the album "contains all [of Brown's] major hits", though "there is plenty [of his other material] missing". Concluding the review, Jurek stated that "[t]here is no single compilation of James Brown's music that can really be considered complete, but this one [...] stands with the best of them despite lacking some cuts.[1]

Track listing

All tracks written by James Brown, except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)OriginLength
1."Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" non-album single (1965)2:07
2."I Got You (I Feel Good)" I Got You (I Feel Good) (1966)2:48
3."It's a Man's Man's Man's World"
  • Brown
  • Betty Jean Newsome
It's a Man's Man's Man's World (1966)2:47
4."Please, Please, Please"
  • Brown
  • Johnny Terry
Please Please Please (1958)2:45
5."Think"Lowman PaulingThink! (1960)2:47
6."Night Train"James Brown Presents His Band (1961)3:31
7."Cold Sweat"Cold Sweat (1967)2:53
8."Give It Up or Turnit a Loose"Charles BobbitAin't It Funky (1970)3:13
9."Funky Drummer" (Parts 1 & 2) non-album single (1970)7:00
10."Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine"
non-album single (1970)5:18
11."Soul Power" non-album single (1971)4:21
12."Get on the Good Foot"
Get on the Good Foot (1972)3:37
13."Doing It to Death" Doing It to Death (1973)5:23
14."Get Up Offa That Thing"
  • Deanna Brown
  • Deidre Brown
  • Yamma Brown
Get Up Offa That Thing (1976)4:11
15."I'm Real"
  • Paul Anthony George
  • Brian George
  • Lucien George Jr.
  • Gerry Charles
  • Hugh Junior Clark
  • Curt Bedeau
I'm Real (1988)5:35
16."It's Too Funky in Here"
The Original Disco Man (1979)3:59
17."Living in America"Rocky IV soundtrack (1985) & Gravity (1986)4:43
18."Super Bad" Super Bad (1971)5:02
19."The Boss" Black Caesar soundtrack (1973)3:13
20."The Payback Mix" non-album single (1988)3:36

Personnel

Charts

Chart performance for The Godfather: The Very Best of James Brown
Chart (2002) Peak
position
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[2] 61
UK Albums (OCC)[3] 30

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[4] Gold 100,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ a b "The Godfather: The Very Best Of... - James Bro... | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  2. ^ "Swisscharts.com – James Brown – The Godfather: The Very Best of James Brown". Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 November 2025.
  3. ^ "James Brown | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 17 November 2025.
  4. ^ "British album certifications – James Brown – The Godfather: The Very Best of James Brown". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 17 November 2025.