Think (The "5" Royales song)
1957 single by The "5" Royales
"Think" is a rhythm and blues song written by Lowman Pauling and originally recorded by his group the "5" Royales. Released as a single on King Records in 1957, it was a national hit and reached number nine on the U.S. R&B chart.
James Brown & the Famous Flames version
In 1960, James Brown and the Famous Flames recorded a cover version of "Think". The song's instrumental backing featured a pronounced rhythmic attack that anticipated Brown's later funk music. Critic Peter Guralnick described Brown's version of the song as a "radical reworking... Sung rapid-fire with the kind of sharp prompting from the Famous Flames that was the aural equivalent of their precision steps, 'Think' embodied an approach different from any in the past, with not only the song but the structure of the song turned inside out and a classic shuffle blues rhythmically and melodically transformed." Douglas Wolk called it "[Brown's] first great dance record."
"Think" was released as a single on the King Records subsidiary label Federal Records and charted #7 R&B and #33 pop in June 1960, staying on the latter chart for eight weeks. ("Think"'s B-side, "You've Got the Power", was also a hit, reaching #14 R&B and #86 pop, the latter song only spending a week on the chart.) It was Brown and the Famous Flames' first recording to enter the Pop top 40, and their next-to-last single for the Federal label before they switched to King. "Think" was also included on Brown's 1960 album of the same name.
Personnel
James Brown – lead vocal
and the Famous Flames:
Bobby Byrd – vocals
Bobby Bennett – vocals
Baby Lloyd Stallworth – vocals
Bill Hollings – vocals
Johnny Terry – vocals
with the James Brown Band
Alfred Corley – alto saxophone
J.C. Davis – tenor saxophone
Bobby Roach – guitar
Bernard Odum – bass guitar
Nat Kendrick – drums
Other James Brown versions
James Brown & the Famous Flames recorded an extremely fast live rendition of "Think" for their 1963 album Live at the Apollo. Brown also performs the song on Live at the Apollo, Volume II in a duet with Marva Whitney.
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