40. James Brown - Live at the Apollo (1963)

1. Introduction To James Brown
2. I'll Go Crazy
3. Try Me
4. Think
5. I Don't Mind
6. Lost Someone
7. Medley: Please, Please, Please/You've Got The Power/I Found Someone/Why Do You Do Me/I Want You So Bad/I Love You So Bad/I Love You, Yes I Do/Strange Things Happen/Bewildered/Please, Please, Please
8. Night Train

Hooray, it's a live soul album sandwich! AIN'T IT FUNKY?!

Well, sort of. Things weren't exactly too funky back in '63. That wouldn't happen for another few years. Until then, this album would suffice. Since it's a live album, it's got that energy and joie de vivre that is quite a bit harder to capture in the studio. Since it's a James Brown live album, doubly so. He definitely deserved the 500-odd titles he was given throughout his career, which apparently includes the rather lofty position of 'Minister of The New New Super Heavy Funk'.

This album frequently appears on 'Greatest live albums EVER' list. It's been hyped to death over 47 years. I don't think anything can really survive all that hype, and to be honest I preferred the Sam Cooke live album. They both share one thing in common, though: excitement. The crowd is, of course, going absolutely wild. Brown hammers out hit after hit in the first half of the set, in short 2 minute bursts of energy working the crowd into a frenzy before slowing things down with an almost 11 minute version of 'Lost Someone'. The band doesn't turn it into an all-out funk jam, it simply extends the song far past its running time to give James Brown more time to make love to the audience. And boy, does it work. Some of those screaming girls seem like they're about to faint. And if that wasn't enough, he immediately goes into a medley that seems to change songs every 30 seconds. By the time he closes the set with a blistering version of 'Night Train', you're probably exhausted yourself.

Although Brown doesn't really possess the fury of Sam Cooke's live performances, he more than certainly has the energy (not to mention a band and a healthy dose of sex appeal!) to make this an album worth listening to. 8/10