James Brown famously claimed he invented funk by treating every instrument like a drum, and you can hear his influence all over this collection of pioneering funk - listen to how much rhythmic work the chicken scratch guitar on “Papa Was A Rolling Stone” is doing. But the actual percussion is just as impressive, especially the humble bongos & congas. The distinctive human touch of a slapped drumskin is the funky sweet sauce on many of these songs, like the conga clinic percussionist Henry Gibson throws on the endless groove of “Move On Up.”