# James Brown — Papa's Got a Brand New Bag

James Brown’s Papa's Got a Brand New Bag (1965) is No. 5 in our Soul ranking. The full verdict, and where to hear it.

- **Released:** 1965
- **Label:** King
- **On one list:** Soul
- **Updated:** 2026-08-29
- **Artist:** [James Brown](https://waxonia.com/artist/james-brown/)
- **Canonical page:** https://waxonia.com/track/james-brown--papas-got-a-brand-new-bag/

## What we say

### No. 5 in [Soul](https://waxonia.com/genre/soul/)

The hinge. Still recognisably a soul record, already audibly something else — two years from here the horn stabs stop serving the chords and start serving the drummer.

## Listen

[Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/James%20Brown%20Papa's%20Got%20a%20Brand%20New%20Bag) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=rnDEr9R0snU)

---

Hand-curated by Waxonia. We host no audio; all links point to streaming platforms.