The Popcorn (album)
| The Popcorn | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 1969 | |||
| Recorded | ||||
| Studio |
| |||
| Genre | Funk, soul, R&B | |||
| Length | 33:14 | |||
| Label | King | |||
| Producer | James Brown | |||
| James Brown chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Popcorn | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | [4] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [5] |
The Popcorn is the 25th studio album by American musician James Brown. The album was released in August 1969, by King Records.[4][6]
Almost the entirety of The Popcorn was recorded in a single night at the empty Dallas Memorial Auditorium after a concert show in Dallas, Texas on August 26, 1968, the exception to this is "In The Middle" which was recorded earlier for the A Soulful Christmas album. The concert that preceded the other tracks' recording was later released as the live album Say It Live and Loud: Live in Dallas 08.26.68. in 1998.
Chart performance
The album debuted on Billboard magazine's Top LP's chart in the issue dated August 23, 1969, peaking at No. 40 during a thirteen-week run on the chart.[7]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Popcorn" | James Brown | 3:01 |
| 2. | "Why Am I Treated So Bad" | Roebuck Staples | 6:04 |
| 3. | "In the Middle, Pt. 1 & 2" | Alfred Ellis, Bud Hobgood | 6:50 |
| 4. | "Soul Pride, Pts. 1 & 2" | James Brown, Alfred Ellis | 4:28 |
| 5. | "A New Shift" | Alfred Ellis | 3:37 |
| 6. | "Sudsy" | James Brown, Alfred Ellis | 4:41 |
| 7. | "The Chicken" | Alfred Ellis | 4:04 |
| 8. | "The Chase" | James Brown, Bud Hobgood | 0:29 |
Personnel
- Waymon Reed – trumpet
- Richard "Kush" Griffith – trumpet
- Fred Wesley – trombone
- Levi Rasbury – valve trombone
- Alfred "Pee Wee" Ellis – alto saxophone, organ ("The Popcorn")
- Maceo Parker – tenor saxophone, piano ("In The Middle")
- St. Clair Pinckney – baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone ("In The Middle")
- Jimmy Nolen – guitar
- Alfonzo Kellum – bass
- Tim Drummond – bass ("In The Middle")
- Clyde Stubblefield – drums
Charts
| Chart (1969) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Top LPs[7] | 40 |
References
- ^ a b c d e Leeds, Alan (October 2007). The Singles, Volume 5: 1967–1969 (published February 29, 2008). pp. 17 & 22.
- ^ a b c d Leeds, Alan; Weinger, Harry (1990). Soul Pride: The Instrumentals 1960-1969. pp. 19–20.
- ^ a b c Leeds, Alan (October 2008). The Singles, Volume 6: 1969 (published December 5, 2008). pp. 6 & 19.
- ^ a b "The Popcorn - James Brown". AllMusic. Retrieved July 17, 2015.
- ^ Cross, Charles R. (2004). "James Brown". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 109. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ^ "iTunes - Music - The Popcorn by James Brown & The James Brown Band". iTunes. Retrieved July 17, 2015.
- ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (1973). Top LPs, 1955–1972. Record Research. p. 23. Retrieved July 10, 2025.