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Hell

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description Hell Overview

Hell is a 1974 double album by American singer and bandleader James Brown, released on Polydor Records. The record combines hard funk, soul ballads, gospel-derived singing, instrumental passages, and socially focused material across four vinyl sides. It includes "The Payback," an extended groove built around interlocking guitar, bass, drums, horns, and Brown's vocal improvisations, alongside newly recorded tracks and previously issued singles.

help Hell FAQ

Is James Brown's Hell a double album?

Yes. Polydor released Hell as a two-record set in 1974, with material spanning four original vinyl sides.

Is The Payback included on Hell?

No. "The Payback" is the title track of Brown's separate 1973 album, although Hell followed soon afterward and explores a similarly hard-edged funk period.

Which long funk track closes Hell?

"Papa Don't Take No Mess" occupies the closing stretch of the original album in a version lasting nearly 14 minutes. An edited two-part single became James Brown's final number-one hit on the R&B chart.

Was material from Hell connected to the film Hell Up in Harlem?

Some of Brown's early-1970s recordings, including "Papa Don't Take No Mess," were associated with music prepared for Hell Up in Harlem. The film ultimately used a soundtrack by Edwin Starr instead.

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