This two-disc set collects key tracks and singles from
James Brown's stay at the King subsidiary Federal Records between 1956 and 1960, including his first two big hits, 1956’s “Please, Please, Please” and 1958’s “Try Me.”
Brown was still searching for his style at this time, which explains sides like the doo wop tune “That’s When I Lost My Heart,” but he was hardening his style and beginning to put it all together, a moment that arrived with the release of the
Live at the Apollo LP in 1963, which showcased
Brown's fiery and exciting stage show. These are the King/Federal recordings that led up to that pivotal LP.