If You Don't Get It The First Time, Back Up And Try It Again, Party
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Album Summary
Dropped in 1973 on People Records, 'If You Don't Get It The First Time, Back Up And Try It Again, Party' is one of those records that announces itself before the needle even hits the groove — the title alone tells you everything you need to know about the spirit inside. Fred Wesley, the undisputed master of the funk trombone, steps fully into the bandleader role here, fronting The J.B.'s — the baddest backing band in the business and the rhythmic backbone of James Brown's entire operation. This record was born out of one of the most prolific and creatively charged periods in the J.B.'s storied history, capturing a unit that was so locked in, so tight, so deeply in the pocket that the grooves practically breathe on their own. The playful, gloriously long-winded title was no accident — it was a statement of purpose, a party invitation pressed into vinyl, radiating the same tongue-in-cheek funk energy that made the J.B.'s catalog an essential chapter in soul music history.
Reception
- The album found its audience primarily among devoted J.B.'s and James Brown disciples rather than crossing over into mainstream chart territory, performing modestly within funk and soul circles.
- Within the funk community, the record earned quiet but genuine respect for its razor-sharp horn work and the kind of rhythmic discipline that only a band of The J.B.'s caliber could deliver.
Significance
- The album stands as a pure, uncut expression of the instrumental funk aesthetic that Fred Wesley and The J.B.'s were architecting in the early 1970s — trombone-forward, polyrhythmic, and gloriously relentless in its commitment to the groove.
- It represents a defining moment in Fred Wesley's emergence as a primary compositional and arranging voice within James Brown's organization, demonstrating that The J.B.'s were a creative force unto themselves and not merely a supporting act.
- The record's title track, with its satirical nod to the Watergate scandal on the flip side, captures the political and cultural consciousness that ran beneath the party surface of early 1970s funk — proof that this music always had something serious to say.
Samples
- "If You Don't Get It The First Time, Back Up And Try It Again, Party" — one of the most celebrated funk breakdowns in The J.B.'s catalog, sampled across hip-hop and funk-influenced production for its bone-deep groove and explosive horn hits.
Tracklist
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A If You Don't Get It The First Time, Back Up And Try It Again, Party —
3:36
-
B You Can Have Watergate Just Gimme Some Bucks And I'll Be Straight —
3:30
Artist Details
Fred Wesley & The JB's were the blazing instrumental backbone of James Brown's empire, a collective of the baddest cats in the funk universe assembled in the early 1970s out of Augusta, Georgia, led by the incomparable trombonist Fred Wesley alongside fellow heavyweights Maceo Parker and Bootsy Collins. These brothers laid down some of the most ferociously funky grooves ever committed to wax, cutting classics like Doing It to Death that became blueprints for every funk, soul, and hip-hop artist who came after them. Their cultural fingerprint runs deep — those irresistible horn-driven rhythms have been sampled more times than anyone can count, making Fred Wesley & The JB's not just a band, but the very heartbeat of Black American music in the 1970s and beyond.
