The late great James Brown was a larger-than-life figure, even for rock and roll, as tumultuous, energetic, and sometimes frightening offstage as he was in concert. Therefore, appreciating his music and understanding his life go hand in hand; it's almost impossible to realize his body of work coming from the mind (and mouth) of any other human being in history. Like John Lennon or Van Gogh, The Godfather of Soul transcended his more mortal, more human failings in his art, sometimes astonishingly so. This essential list of 10 books, DVDs, and CDs comprise an important library for anyone studying the man and his impact.
1. Star Time
Normally, an artist's greatest hits collection isn't represented by more than one or two discs. But James was far from normal - not only did he score a hundred or so chart hits in both pop and R&B, he influenced R&B, soul, and funk in turn in a career spanning nearly five decades. So this four-CD box set remains the best place to start with the Godfather of Soul; it's definitely the best place to find his early Federal and King hits, and it does an solid job of displaying Brown's lasting musical mark all the way from the Eisenhower administration right up to the dawn of hip-hop. 
2. Live At The Apollo 1962
Forty years on, it's not always easy to feel the impact this album had on listeners upon its release -- soul took many of its cues from its success, so it may seem overly familiar, and there's also precious little upbeat material. But it remains a powerhouse slice of sweaty R&B, a snapshot taken at a pivotal moment in African-American music history, and it alone brought the evolving genre to the attention of white frat boys, heavily influencing almost all the rock to follow. Besides, you'll rarely hear an audience as rapturously in an artist's pocket as this one. There's a reason his body laid in state at the Apollo.
3. Foundations Of Funk: A Brand New Bag 1964-1969
On the other hand, if you absolutely want to restrict yourself to one era of James' career, Universal's Chronicles series issued several excellent 2-disc compilations in the mid-Nineties. And since the late Sixties arguably found Brown and company at the peak of their creative powers, this installment stands slightly higher than Make It Funky: The Big Payback 1971-1975. As the title suggests, this is nothing less than a sonic blueprint of the beginning of the funk genre, replete with alternate takes, full two-part versions of the classics, and some rarities. Absolutely essential for any funk library.4. Love Power Peace: Live At The Olympia, Paris 1971
If Live At The Apollo captured Mr. Dynamite at the moment he helped turn R&B into soul, than Love Power Peace finds him at the moment funk became heavy. Recorded live with his too-brief but amazingly influential original lineup of the J.B.s, this CD finds James plowing through his recent output and transforming early hits like "Please Please Please" and "Bewildered." (He slows down only once, for a reverential "Georgia On My Mind.") Featuring two drummers, a teenage Bootsy Collins, James' best horn section ever, and the man himself on organ, this is a classic equally as important (and vibrant) as its predecessor.5. Soul Pride: The Instrumentals (1960-69)
Such are the accomplishments of James Brown that many fans remain unaware that he was a solid jazz-soul organist (and, occasionally, drummer!), or that his many backup bands performed instrumentals with regularity throughout his reign. This unique collection gathers the best from his best decade all in one place, providing a fascinating alternate history of rhythm and blues, soul, and funk. And since some of these grooves served as the impetus for later vocal hits, you may recognize more of these songs that you realize, from his early days ("Try Me") to his summit (two not-so-brand-new bags of "Popcorn").6. Greatest Breakbeats
The last piece of the James Brown puzzle has to do with hip-hop, both the music style and the breakdancing which was an essential part of the culture. James' grooves were often the driving force behind both -- hip-hop actually gestated around 1974 -- and this CD captures two dozen of the most influential beats of his career, from the obvious ("Funky Drummer," the most sampled song in history) to the rare ("Blind Man Can See It," previously langushing on the Black Caesar soundtrack). You don't have to like hip-hop to appreciate his contribution, but younger fans may find this an eye-opener.7. James Brown: The Godfather of Soul
Still the best autobiography of James, although his story is remarkably ill-addressed in print, considering its colorfulness. Unlike later attempts, this doesn't address his infamous late-Eighties police chase and imprisonment, nor does it take on his many scrapes with the law since then. But Brown's real cultural impact, one that touched everything from the Martin Luther King assassination to Richard Nixon, is covered here, more or less in the Godfather of Soul's own words. There may be no better roadmap to his tortured psyche.8. The Funkmasters: The Great James Brown Rhythm Sections 1960-1973
As with a number of pop music's great pioneers, the men behind James Brown often get short shrift; in fact, some feel that Brown's contribution to the total effort was well below conventional wisdom. But this book, which covers the singer's most fertile musical period, lets you decide for yourself where credit is due -- 23 classics of Brown's repertoire, transcribed and turned into individual lessons, complete with two bonus hour-length CDs so you can appreciate the very structure of the funk. Great for musicians or anyone who wants the secret of that groove!9. James Brown: Soul Survivor
For someone who changed the world with his stage act, precious little film exists of James Brown ripping it up live. But this docmentary, the best available, features some historically important clips of The Hardest Working Man In Show Business, hard at work in his prime. There's also a lot of commentary from more contemporary artists explaining what James meant to music and the world in general, but they needn't have bothered -- the sheer thrust of his performances speak volumes.10. The Tami & TNT Shows: That Was Rock 1964/65
It's an import, not so easy to find on DVD, and it features several artists -- James himself only appears for about five minutes of this legendary mid-Sixties musical variety special. But what a five minutes they are... if you've ever had any doubt of James Brown's talent or cultural impact, just watch him lead his crack band through the surgically precise musical apocalypse that is "Out Of Sight / Night Train," complete with dancing that violates all laws of physics, and an audience that sounds like it's about to fall on him and eat him up, and you'll cease to wonder.