"Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine" (1970) captures James Brown and the J.B.'s at the peak of their powers, recorded live in the studio with an intensity that sounds like a live performance. The track opens with one of Brown's most famous vocal moments — "Get up! Get on up!" — and the band launches into a groove so tight and disciplined it sounds almost mechanical, except for the sheer human energy pouring through every note.

The drum break from "Sex Machine" has been sampled extensively across hip-hop, its driving groove providing the rhythmic backbone for tracks that need energy and momentum. The break's live-performance feel gives it a quality that studio-recorded drums can't match — you can hear the room, the band feeding off each other, and the intensity of Brown demanding perfection from his musicians.