Still, in March , he was band-less, his former group the Flames having walked out due to a dispute over wages. Bandleader Bobby Byrd, one of the few musicians to stay on with Brown, helped the singer search for a new ensemble. Although the fledgling musicians were still learning their crafts, Brown quickly whipped them into shape. The notoriously demanding singer held extensive rehearsals, the band pouring over music for hours on end. Bootsy later admitted he played until his fingers bled.

Sex Machine is a double album by James Brown. It showcases the playing of the original J. Sex Machine purports to be a live recording. However, the first LP's worth of material consists of tracks recorded in studio settings with added reverberation and overdubbed applause some of which subsequently were released in unadulterated mixes, most notably on the Funk Power compilation CD.

I need you to write it down. Get up. I had my bass and Cat had a guitar. We were messing around right in the back of him with some music.

Released as a two-part single in , it was a no. In , "Sex Machine" was ranked number on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the greatest songs of all time. In comparison with Brown's s solo funk hits such as " Papa's Got a Brand New Bag ", the band's inexperienced horn section plays a relatively minor part. During the song's final vocal passages Brown and Byrd started to sing the main hook of Elmore James ' blues classic " Shake Your Moneymaker.