Back in stock: Funk

Review: Their chops were already up thanks to their tenure as James Brown's backing band, but this album was the first time The J.B.'s stepped out on their own in 1971. It's enjoyed the odd vinyl repress over the years, but this is the first time These Are The J.B.'s has been released on CD. Any serious funk head should know what to expect here - foundational funk and soul from some of the most seminal architects of the genre, laying the blueprint for a mind-boggling amount of musical culture that was to follow. It doesn't get more seminal than this.

Review: In 1969, Bootsy Collins and his band were asked to record a demo for James Brown, who was looking for a new backing combo. As history proves, the recording they provided met with the Godfather of Soul's approval and the J.B's were born. This essential CD from Now-Again Records presents that demo recording, "Don't Mess On My Thing", for the first time. It's as heavy and energetic as you'd expect, though if anything the two accompanying unreleased tracks are even better. There's the deeper, jazzier warmth of "The Wedge" - all glistening guitar solos, low-slung grooves and fluid electric piano solos - and the complete take of "When You Feel It, Grunt If You Can", a 22-minute, jammed-out medley of two songs that's little less than incredible.