Some great news for fans of James Brown: Universal Music Enterprises have announced the immediate release of seventeen rare albums by the late singer. The albums have been reissued on all major streaming and download sites.

James Brown Get On Up
James Brown, portrayed above by Chadwick Boseman in the film Get On Up, is the subject of a large album reissue campaign

The albums in question span from 1962 to 1981, the two decades that account for pretty much the entirety of Brown’s golden age when he recorded the songs for which he is best remembered. Included in this announcement is the issue of a box set of Brown’s famous Live At The Apollo albums, which includes a fourth, previously unreleased record to go with the three currently in existence.

More: Reviews round-up of James Brown biopic Get On Up

For many, James Brown is probably one of those singers about which you might think you only need a greatest hits album. But this tranche of reissues is not only an opportunity for deeper exploration of his LP work but also perhaps signals a change in attitude to his back catalogue. Because these albums were previously unavailable, this side of James Brown's work is unknown outside of a small handful of committed record collectors.

Earlier this summer, Brown was the subject of a feature length movie Get On Up, where he was portrayed by Chadwick Boseman. While it was of high quality, it was unfortunately overshadowed by the release of the blockbuster Guardians of the Galaxy which came out in the same week.

The full list of the Universal reissues is:

Good, Good Twistin' With James Brown (1962)
Showtime (1964)
Grits and Soul (1964)
Handful of Soul (1966)
James Brown Plays James Brown Today and Yesterday (1966)
Mighty Instrumentals (1966)
Plays Nothing But Soul (1968)
Thinking About Little Willie John and a Few Nice Things (1968)
Sho' is Funky Down Here (1971)
Hot (1976)
Everybody Doin' the Hustle and Dead on the Double Bump (1976)
Take a Look at Those Cakes (1979)
The Original Disco Man (1979)
Jam 1980's (1978)
People (1980)
Nonstop! (1981)

The live box set includes:

Live at the Apollo 1962 (1963)
Live at the Apollo Volume II (1968)
Revolution of the Mind: Live at the Apollo, Volume 3 (1971)
Get Down With James Brown: Live at the Apollo, Volume 4 (previously unreleased)