James Brown Live At The Apollo

fenomenalno

James Brown, the magnificent. Alas - again, not exactly my music.

I feel that live albums are always very hit and miss. There is no studio setting, so no controlled measure for perfection. You can take this point either way... This can make the music either sound really disconnected, or really push forward that human aspect of one take and no do-overs. This was a good live album. I enjoyed listening to it, however, it just isn't something I would listen to again. As much as I love the human aspect, and explained that this was great for a live album, I just think that if I wanted to listen to the music, I would probably just listen to the studio album with cleaner vocals and mixing. I think the beautiful thing about live music isn't listening to it after it has been recorded, but actually BEING there and experiencing the connection of the people. A live show is somewhere where you can be exactly who you want to be, and every single other person in that room, stadium, or arena is there for the same reason as you. Everybody can come together to appreciate, love, and connect to the same thing. I think live music is one of the most beautiful things in the world if done right. It is one of the few times that strangers can all collectively agree on their love for something. I think this is why I will never truly love live albums... because you know there is an element to this you're missing, and that is the most important element of all: the atmosphere.

His voice is so finely controlled but loose and expressive it’s insane. Vocal performance aside though, I wasn’t feeling this one. It’s probably a symptom of it being another live album but some tracks were quick & abrupt, while others ambled slowly to the finish. It never felt like the album found its footing to me, but I can totally see the appeal. A personal very strong two. STAND-OUT SONG: “Try Me” HONORABLE MENTION: “I’ll Go Crazy”

Excelente, la presencia de james brown en el escenario era increíble

Awesome

cool and awesome

2 stars

Tatsächlich zum ersten Mal gehört

Terrible person but this shit was amazing

Very tight band

I respect his talent, but this kind of music just doesn't suit me

This album is an early progenitor to 70s soul and funk. It should therefore be pretty good. It was a good live album with lots of energy. It had a lot of soul and was very funky. The lyrics were typical for early soul, but the songs were good and sung well. The backing band was very energetic, and the crowd was as well without being overbearing. This is a very good album that was fun to listen to, like all soul albums should be. I recommend this for a simple funky album that you can have fun with. This album is ranked #4 of 8 albums for 1963. Other 1963 albums rated by me: Live at the Harlem Square Club(1/8)-5 The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan(3/8)-4 A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector(7/8)-2

-you can instantly tell how alive this performance is. It’s amazing what Brown did and his effect on the people he played for. - just a perfect live recording album, I rly wanted to hear I feel good tho…

James Brown isn’t a favorite of mine, but I did like this live album. It was fun

I don't know why I listen to this, it is boring as per usually, all the screaming and improv are really not my cup of tea... 😐

Good vibes

Energiline ja massihüpnoosi valdav superesineja. Isegi siit on tunda, kuidas publik reageerib iga tema ütluse ja liigutuse peale. Aga plaat/esinemine ise on liiga lühike, et ssee tegelikult albumi vääriline oleks. Oleks tahtnud rohkem ja ka rohkem meeldejäävamaid lugusid, milleks ma tean, et James Brown oli võimeline. 3.4/5

Not really my thing

- I feel like I'm actually at the Apollo when listening to this. Great energy

Oh baby funk town Really enjoyed this one the live album felt like I was there

Need to add a little James Brown into my listening rotation.

issoke, for it's time daym.

5 stars - I don't normally like live recordings but, this one was great. James Brown was an absolute legend and made incredible music.

Listened on: Spotify Listening experience: Single session while doing housework and in the shower Loved this - can’t wait to hear more 60s albums. Would put this on again. Only a point off for the screaming fans.

James Brown is historically important, some lf his singles are incredible and this totally gives the vibe of his early shows. And yet, listening years later, this suffers the same problem of a lot of live albums, feeling quite stop/start and sloppy, and the similarity of his songs of that era doesn't lend to being engrossing. Still a worthwhile listen - high 3.

Black man YOLLERING!

I don't typically like James Brown as he's a little over the top in the wrong ways on a typical listen. This album was raw and emotional and I enjoyed it.

Would have been fun to have been there. But the live recording fails to bring the show to life.

Not the best from the God Father of soul. It was a miss mash of jumbled up noise. May have been awesome seeing it live but via a recording it was beyond messy. Just noise no distinctive sound. I thought it better when Cold Sweat came on then noticed that the album had finished and that was a random track.

lovely album!

Troppo chiasso

2 stars?? Idk this isnt really my vibe but I enjoyed it❤️

It was pretty good, I didn’t really like lost someone because of all the shouting and it’s a really long song but other than that it was pretty good!

It was an alright listen. I do love this type of music, but wasn't overall a fan of this. I didn't hate it, but also didn't enjoy it as much as I do this type of music on average. It was fine, but I wouldn't come back to it. Probably 2.5-2.75?

Wish I could have been there

Fyrverkeri av en fyr! For en kul liveinnspilling! Mye mer dynamisk vokalist enn jeg trodde! Han er rå’

Overall Rating - 4.38/5 (8.75/10). Absolutely awesome concert recording. Love it.

Favorite track(s): I'll Go Crazy, Think, Lost Someone

I bought a repress of this on vinyl early into my collecting so have listened to it quite a lot! I’ve also been lucky enough to see the man live albeit well into his latter years. Still the consummate showman with great energy and you can hear that on this in spades!

Not the biggest fan of live albums. However, you really can't tell this is love, Brown sounds amazing, the band are great. Just not the most exciting of his songs on here to be honest.

Funky!

This exercise is forcing me to learn to love live albums, previously I’d just feel too much fomo, but now I feel immersed instead. It’s transportational. I hadn’t actively listened to James Brown before but knew I’d enjoy this and I certainly did. Not sure that makes it a must listen but it’s definitely a lot of fun.

It's good, I do not want to give the impression this is not good. James Brown is a legend and I love a lot of his work. That said, live albums do not do it for me and without the allure of new songs I'd rather just listen to the studio releases. Also it's soooo short. Excited to get to James Brown's proper albums, wait getting word from my editor, there are no other James Brown albums on the list, what the hell.

Great showcase of James Brown’s energy and control as a performer with a squealing crowd in tow, I just wish I was more into the early soul period of his career more to enjoy it. Also, this reminded me of Otis Redding’s Monterrey Pop performance, in that you can see how these soul performers at the top of their game can jam more performance into 20-30 minutes than most could in a full modern gig, and so you end up just wishing there was more of it to soak in. Absolute shame this is the only James Brown on the list though, considering he’s a grandfather of funk and this is so early in his career to not hit at his popularly understood sound, even if this is an important album and a great showcase.

Would be higher if it wasn't a live album

album #61 it's hard to rate each track individually, because this is more one long performance piece! james brown is incredible as per, but i struggle with live albums. ꩜ favourite track(s): think ꩜ least favourite track(s): any of the ones with talking lol ꩜ album rating: ★★★☆☆ ꩜ number of albums left to review: 1,028 ꩜ number of albums from the list that i agree with being on the list: 31 ꩜ albums from the list that I would consider on my list: 12 ꩜ albums from the list I won't include on my list: 49

Always great!

Not usually a fan of live albums but this slaps

A great glimpse of the star he would become coming from this early career live performance. You can hear the excitement of the crowd. Great album close with Night Train.

James Brown recorded this at his own expense because his label didn't think a live album would sell. It went to number two on the Billboard charts and stayed there for over a year. The label was wrong, and the instinct that drove Brown to capture this moment was right — there's something here that needed to exist on tape. The performance is extraordinary. Brown commanding the Apollo is Brown at his most elemental — preaching, sweating, working a room that's completely his from the first note. The Famous Flames are locked in behind him, the energy is real, and the whole thing plays as one continuous experience rather than a collection of tracks. You can hear the foundation of everything that came after — the JBs, Fred Wesley, the entire funk tradition — being built in real time. And yet. When "I Got You (I Feel Good)" autoplayed immediately after the record ended, something crystallized. The studio recording had a presence and physical immediacy that the live album, for all its historical weight, doesn't quite match. The 1962 recording technology captured most of the room but not all of it — maybe 80% of what being there must have felt like. Sam Cooke at the Harlem Square Club, recorded the same year, somehow got the other 20%. This one leaves you feeling the gap. A four that fully respects the greatness without being seduced by the legend. The performance deserves five stars. The record earns four.

I like James Brown, but not this album.

Given the songs I know by James Brown, I didn't expect to be this bored. Especially the 11 minute one. Yowza. I also don't usually get anything out of a live album unless i'm a huge fan.

Favorite songs: Try Me, Think, I Don’t Mind, Please, Please, Please / You’ve Got the Power / I Found Someone

For an album that's intended to capture the live fury of James Brown and his famous Flames, this one is a lot more subdued than I was expecting it to be going into it. Brown is, of course, in top form in the more energetic sections, but the slower songs, like "Try Me," seem sort of ill-fitting for this album. It's also odd that they would compress everything to a blink and you'll miss it 30 minutes for this live release and elect to keep only the most straightforward songs. This is nevertheless a great live document of James Brown in his prime, though later live albums do a much better job of capturing the pure unbridled electricity of his performances.

tiene buena voz pero grita demasiado. puede decir las cosas con más tranquilidad ah de la nada era critica

One of the rare examples of a good live album.

Nyt on kyllä siis harvinaisen paskaa musiikkia 1/5. Vaikka onkin erittäin pajon vaikuttanut musiikkiin ja on legenda itsessään, on tämä silti tähän mennessä huonoin. Tää live häiritsee todella paljon. Siihen lisää vielä tällaisen musiikin mistä en muutenkaan tykkää. Tällän blues/jazz ei lähe mulla ei sette alkuunkaan. Ymmärrän että on legenda mutta ellet ole Michael vitun Jackson niin sun status ja maine ei riitä korvaamaan paskaa musiikkia. Ei jatkoon

man, i love me a live album, a breath of fresh air. i really liked this album, it seems longer than 30 minutes, i felt completely immersed on that live performance and the crowd really helped it. good listen overall.

Me gustó que sea un álbum en vivo y no me pareció para nada un mal album pero no tuvo llegada conmigo, igualmente le doy 3 estrellas porque lo que si me transmitió un poco es el sentimiento de lo que eran los 60´s y eso me gustó bastante.

Me eriza escuchar conciertos, pero obviamente queda la sensación de que lo lindo hubiera sido estar ahí. El álbum está bueno, no sé si destacaría una canción en especial. Me gusta la onda, no sé en qué contexto lo volvería a escuchar.

Me da vibras de el Gran Gatsby o de La La Land. Lo poco que he escuchado de Soul o R&B es en el cine yanquee, también parecido a Elvis en algunos temas se nota la euforia de las minas gritando atrás y le da ese toque que se caracterizaba esa época por ser el inicio del Rock creo yo. Conocía a James Brown de nombre como referente del Soul pero no había escuchado nunca algo atentamente, me parece que el loco tiene una voz maravillosa, parecida a la de Chuck Berry pero mucho más gritada. En lo personal me gustan los cantantes que recitan y si encima canta bien, están idos, James Brown era ese recitador que parecía que te relataba una historia. Top 3 🌟 1- Medley: Please Please Please etc 2- I’ll go crazy: (debe ser la que la gente más le hace gritar) 3- A Night algo no me acuerdo ahora

Not exactly my style of music but decent enough! I think this was more interesting for the crowdwork than the actual songs

The live aspect was cool but ultimately detracted from the album.

Probably would not have listened had it not shown up; funky

very old music - gives spongebob

pretty good

It's fucked up for someone as iconic as James Brown to have just one album on a list like this. I suppose it's James Browns' most iconic individual record, as the first premiere live album in an era where repeating all your songs for a new record was seen as ludicrous. It ages like a historical relic: capturing one performance of James Brown's crazy live performance. While it was crazy successful for its time, I think it would have been better if it was filmed for better posterity. It's hard for me to rank this album with its historical impact vs listening to it nowadays where so much live music has been released and nearly perfected by various bands of various genres. Based on my own expectations and vibes, I've enjoyed shorter albums on this list(!) more than this one. This album to me is giving strong "Seinfeld is Unfunny" trope vibes. Nevertheless, if you were at this show: it must have been fucking incredible.

Possibly the best soul singer ever

AND THATS WHY HES THE GOATTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!

REALLY good stuff

Really great energy, the live performance really added to this recording

I just don't feel like audio recordings, live or otherwise, can do justice to what James Brown (and that backing band!) was as a performer.

Electric

álbum lleno de alma

Amazing album. Too short, left me wanting more. Fav songs were all of them.

Le live est incroyable, on ressent bien l'atmosphère de la salle et on s'imagine bien l'ambiance. l'orchestre est très cuivré et la voix de James Brown est impressionnante, notamment dès qu'il atteint des notes aigues, où là j'ai des frissons. Du twist et du dicty dancing, rythme plus vif en fin d'album

Meh There was too much faffing about on this for a 30 minute album The small upbeat sections of music would raise my hopes, only to be dashed as being an intro to another slow song I was disappointed by this

gee i quite like it. it being live took off a star, but honestly would’ve been so enjoyable in person Lost Someone pissed me off bc my ex texted me today… leave me alone

got some swing but too many wooed ladies

Maybe you had to be there.

this one didn't really age well... not getting it

Old school crowd screaming was so good in this live. James Browns voice ... C'mon now. This is a good album and a fun listen,

It's fine, it's short at least

Pretty cool, but not my tempo. I’m not a big live album person.

Based on his lyrics, James Brown was a pretty lonely guy. Based on the mostly female audience’s reaction, he probably wasn’t.

not my jam

Decent show, some good tracks. Nothing to amazing.

This is the only James Brown album you're going to give me? Dude. It's a banger, and the live aspect does capture a little bit of what makes James Brown James Brown. The Apollo theater did seem to have first class recording equipment. It's just tough to give 5 stars to a live album.

very good album, never listened to much soul/funk, but really enjoyed it easy 9/10

Hardest working man in showbiz!!!!

Shoot this is tough asf

Not a live album fan, and this isn’t his best stuff, but I still enjoy James Brown

The Hardest Working Man In Show Business does more than funk. I have been educated. What a great example of an album that I needed to hear. The roots of James Brown's future sound pops up from time to time. Especially in the medley sections. But the sound he pumps out for this audience is true RnB and Soul.

I really got a feel for being there live with all the screaming. Funky but still quite similar to a lot of music from the 60s

All-world, all-genre top recording worthy of putting in a space capsule and sending into the galaxy as documentation of humanity's worthiness. I don't think you have to be a musician to be staggered by the artistry on display here. What always blows my mind when I listen to this is to think about how we're only getting half the show because we're missing the dancing and other visuals. People in any field should take inspiration. James Brown really did earn his nickname the hardest working man in show business not just for the amount of sweat on stage, all the work it took to get there. And then when you consider that this is is relatively early in his career and all that followed and the influence. It's still reverberating today. It's not difficult to make an argument that he's he deserves to spot in the pantheon right next to Louis Armstrong and I'm not sure who else for most important American musicians.

Weird to get John Lee Hooker and then James Brown so close to each other, but I'm glad we got each of them at long last in this collection. I don't know his discography all that well, but this seems like a somewhat obscure collection of his tunes, and not especially well-recorded, but still fun to get Jame Brown live, as I suspect that was where he shone the brightest. I do wish there were more of his signature and/or compelling songs from his funk era, but I guess the focus here is on the popularity of his live shows? (That, or because Robert Christgau included this album in his "Basic Record Library" list.) Much like the lone Hooker album, it's a bit disappointing to feel like Jame Brown has been overlooked by a group of editors that don't seem particularly familiar with some forms of American music.

the bridge sections are punchy, they add to the vibe I like how he interacts with the crowd really nice voice I think my favorite songs were night train and think Think was very groovy, night train was too.

This is actually one of the best 1000 albums of all time

The recording quality is not great, but James Brown’s incredible charisma and talent comes through. The audience participation makes the whole album feel alive. This is a great little slice of music history.

Nice live recording, but soul music is not really my style. Three stars nonetheless

Far too much screaming

Good shit! Made me strut around the house.

R&B, soul.

Great live album. I love the screaming crowds on these live albums from this era, it places you right there in the room. James Brown is one cool cat, and his band are wonderful. Nothing too memorable here though, but an enjoyable listen nonetheless. A 3.5 rounded down.

I hope the tickets weren't expensive. At no point during this half-hour concert did I feel like I'd missed out because I wasn't there. At least the recording quality isn't dogshit.

I gues i know nothing about James brown but I know something now. I figured he was a little bit later than this. 70s or maybe even 80s. Nah dude was killing it in the 60s. There is alot to like here. I love the crowd. Those ladies are letting him hear it. Like they are screaming their heads off at times. It makes a live recording feel very alive. I enjoy it. And the songs themselves are pretty darn good too. Can't complain a lick. The real star is James himself belting everything out with such power. Dude was a freakin fog horn at times. Howling like an animal. Its sick. Incredible even. I also like that this set has basically zero downtime. They come out and play. Thats it. No frills. Just music. Its admirable. I had a great time and need to listen to some more James brown. Thats for damn sure

Meg

Semmosta, kait ollut huippuhupia tuohon aikaan. Innokkaita ihmisiä ainakin yleisössä. Mutta ei tämä minua pistänyt himotuttaan.

60-luvun keikka, James Brownia - meininki oli hyvä, yleisö pähkinöinä, ei suuresti säväyttänyt itseä. 3/5

James is a legend. I may not vibe with the music, but it's still pretty good. As for live recordings, this one is very well done.

Seems like a great recording of Mr. Brown. Not my style of music, but it was a decent listen. I'm going to give it the benefit of the doubt.

Too screetchy

"Think" is a barn-burner - I'm impressed by the frantic pace the band hits on this. I can imagine Brown doing that famous fancy footwork on stage for it. Crazy how this is only 33 minutes long. The band is fantastic and Brown is electric as usual but the recording is muddy. "Lost Someone" goes on too long and more time could have been given to the previous songs instead. Really about a 3.5

A lot of live albums on this list. But when they're this good, it would be most churlish to complain. The crowd is up for it and almost out of control before he even utters his first note, think Beatlemania and you'll get a picture. JB (and the Furious Flames) are on top form as they tear through their setlist - it's such a shame it's only half an hour, but I think much of the crowd would have passed out through the sheer excitement had it been much longer. It's a 5 from me!

Pretty good, the track ‘I’ll Go Crazy’ is covered by Blues Magoos and both performances are great! I can see why it was chosen to cover. Overall nothing really stood out to me, though it was a good listen, but nothing there bringing me back for more.

Lo disfrute bastante, es un album que se puede escuchar de inicio a fin

Seems like a transition period between crooner Brown and frenetic Brown. I say this based on no evidence.

Listening to this album helped me understand that once every now then someone comes along that is just an entertainer. James Brown is a legend and this album from 1962 puts his talents on showcase. I will look to add this treasure to my vinyl collection.

Great live album, even if the sound quality isn't the best.

A performance bursting at the seams with energy and soul from fairly early in his career.

Pure uncut Godfather of Soul for thirty minutes. What’s truly astounding about this record is that, because it was produced before the standard “conventions” of live albums of popular music came into being, it feels more like some sort of field recording, something taken on the fly rather than a “traditional” prepared live record (which it of course was – Brown himself put up the cash for it). An astonishing historical document. Best track: “Lost Someone”

Un album live qui envoie, les moment plus calmes où il hype la foule servent vraiment à l'album, qui gagne beaucoup de charme grâce à ça, le but premier de l'album n'est pas d'aller le plus loin possible au niveau artistique mais de divertir et faire le show, ce qui est très bien ! Mais, tout en gardant l'album dans un coin de ma tête comme quoi il peut être utile à passer en soirée, je ne vais pas le réécouter pour autre chose qu'un moment sympa

Incredible vocals and wonderful music. Can’t decide between 4 and 5, so, à la Sex Pistols, it deserves to be upgraded for its influence on all that followed it.

The recording quality takes away from what might otherwise be a 4.

Frisson

Pretty nice.

I think the only live album I need to hear before I die is NOFX's I've Heard They Suck Live. This was fine, but it's a live album, I'm generally only a fan if I love the band

Singer, instrumentalist, dancer and all-round well-earned self-promoter, this was wonderful. You can feel his energy, feel the excitement of the call and response in the medley, and also the beauty of his voice in his tender moments. Are you ready for star time?

James Brown is an important link in the evolution on popular music and it would have been a real treat to witness this thing live. Listening to it 60 years later from a streaming platform doesn't quite do justice to this music, but it's still an enjoyable experience.

Nice album with rather thin feeling without being at the venue. I expected more just based on presumptions.

#384 / 1089 Heard before? ❌ Revisit? ✅, maybe Sounds familiar, but also quite a bit more restrained that I'm used to hearing on the later recordings. He does what he does best, except it sounds quite a bit more traditional rhythm 'n blues and soul, instead of the madness he was up to later. Strong 3, weakish 4/5.

Need to listen again but James brown blows the doors off.

Cover federe end musikken.

It was a revelation to me that James Brown and a version of his band go back to 1962. Laid the groundwork for so much of what was to come.

I always associate James Brown with funk but this is really souly and jazzful...I like it!

(65/100)

3.5

Что-то зачастили тут с лайвами. Хотя в данном случае я понимаю почему, Джеймс Браун шоумен, он много работает с аудиторией, и лайв передает гораздо больше его энергии, чем студийник. Ну и конечно мы слышим реакцию аудитории, особенно женской. Но песни в целом ничем не примечательны, просто хорошее выступление для тех времен и для жанра в целом. 3,5

Как все-таки мало нужно женщинам для счастья. Кричат как на концерте one direction. Лайф как лайф. Нормик.

God, give me Frank Ocean's voice And James Brown's stage presence I will be your rock, God When you're rolling the dice

Вайб определенно присутствует

не такой вайбовый лайв как у джонни кэша, но музыка даже поприятнее, все равно 3

Upbeat old-school music. It's okay, but I doubt I'll listen to it a second time.

Loved this!!!

Kind of interested to listen to this...I thought it would be funky. Maybe the funk phase came later. This just felt like a not very interesting live recording of some soul-type music. Didn't love it.

Holy crap, after several live albums from the vinyl era, I found one that has the FULL performance, no cuts or editing trickery needed! Even better, it's from the Godfather of Soul, James Brown, backed by his old vocal group, The Famous Flames. Financed out of his own pocket, James Brown's live performance at the Apollo Theatre proved to be a stroke of success, probably because of how well the energy translated to the recording. From the elaborate introduction by the MC to the rapid-fire intensity in which Brown and the backing personnel ran through the early hits like "Try Me" and "Think", complete with braggadocious instrumental bridges between the songs, it is quite the spectacle they put on. It all culminates in the centerpiece that is the nearly eleven-minute rendition of "Lost Someone", where Brown sold every note and bar of that song with the utmost conviction while teasing the audience along the way. From there, the show closes with a swaggering medley of tunes, followed by the eruptive bounce of Brown's take on Jimmy Forrest's "Night Train", as the audience ate it up. The only aspect of the show I would be missing is seeing James Brown vigorously dancing, but there's only so much you can pack into a vinyl record. Live at the Apollo is a bona fide classic live album, and there's not much else needed to say here.

He was extraordinary. As for this album? I prefer his funk phase starting in 1967 with Cold Sweat. And his live show involved so much theater that this album is a little bit like listening to a film soundtrack. But there's no denying his total command of the music and the audience. As someone once said, "when everyone was waking up to the new music, he was to Black Folks everything that the Beatles were to White Folks."

My expectations are always high with live soul records from the 60's, and still, they were surpassed on this album. Insane energy and talent in a short and tight performance. If I had to explain to someone the appeal of live records, giving this one a spin would probably be the best way to do so.

no lhe sentit encara

Good stuff! 3 1/2

4.7 Me encantó

3.8 Buen refresh con la situacion actual, me gustaron los puentes

i usually don’t like live recordings, but the more i listened the more i liked this. groovy and easy listening, nice in the sunday afternoon sun.

1. intro - 0 2. crazy - 2 3. try - 3 4. bridge - 0 5. think - 1 6. bridge - 0 7. mind - 2 8. bridge - 0 9. lozt - 2 10. pleaze - 1 11. night - 1

Captures the energy and genius of the early JB exceptionally.

A high flying, intense, power-packed jam! James was owning it!!!

While I don't think that this is the most powerful document of James Brown in a live setting, it might be the most important one. Like usual, he and his band are in total harmony with each other, and it does sound like everyone in attendance wants to fuck James, himself included.

Full Album Thoughts: Album Rating: 3.56 B+ Can this even be rated on a song by song basis? This is such a wild blast from the past. When literally a 3rd of the album is a single song, that is mostly crowd work, and repeated build up... well, do we want to have the electronic music and the build up/drop, reacting to the crowd, live set conversation? Or do we want to point out that the composition of this as a Live Set List is a first third flip flopping between high tempo and low tempo songs, a middle 3rd of a single extended Vibes Grove, and the back 3rd where a single track list is a medley of like a dozen songs... and a closer. In a tight 30 minutes... that somehow still outstays its welcome. Track Thoughts: "Introduction to James Brown and The Famous Flames" (by Fats Gonder) B- I mean this is how you hype folks up! Is it a song? Or is it opening theme music as folks walk on stage? We just cant tell! Entirely skippable. "I'll Go Crazy" A+ I was not ready for the triplets of this grove! This drives pretty hard while feeling down tempo; its not something I would have thought to do. I expect we are going to have LOTS of HORN stings IN here AS call AND response. "Try Me" B The way the crowd popped off I guess this was a Big Hit at the time? It sounds pretty tame. Goodfellas music. Generic. "Think" A Now we have moved on from Goodfellas music to Guy Ritchie music (if we just took out the yell-singing of James). I think we are going to see me highly favor the uptempo songs, even if I am having a hell of a time trying to understand what is being sung. Simply because they are a blast to dance to! "I Don't Mind" B This song most exemplifies the highs and lows of the album in its dynamic range... Much like every highschool book report, its a land of contrasts. Super cut short rushed "i dont minds" from the backing vocals, the soft (for him) singing of James Brown into the FULL YELL. I mean, there is something to be said about juxtaposing uptempo with downtempo, high intensity with low... but sometimes you want your set to build, pick a lane and follow it... this rolls along in waves that tend to loose me, much like the final chase in One Battle After Another. "Lost Someone" D Please let this song start. Please. Oh no wait, its another slow ballad. Put it back into high gear. Say what you will, James Brown can fuckin SING. Man has one hell of a powerful vocal performance. I am grasping at straws for any kind of commentary here. I just find fairly generic back and forth swing of this song to be too uninteresting to latch on to, but then the singing is too IN YOUR FACE to ever have it JUST be background noise. This was (as you can hear) killer live, the crowd work in the song is great, but man is it ever not for me on a recording. OH MY GOD THIS SONG IS 10 MINUTES LONG. THIS IS JUST GOING ON FOREVER. HOLY SHIT. POINTS OFF POINTS OFF POINTS OFF. "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, Yes I Do/Strange Things Happen/Bewildered/Please, Please, Please" A- Somehow this medley is shorter than the last song despite having almost 10 songs packed into it. This feels like playing ALL YOUR HITS and just the BEST PARTS OF THOSE back to back to back to back to back to back to back to back. Someone should do a polka cover of this. On the whole its actually very enjoyable, if only because of the variety, though focuses a bit too much on the down tempo songs again. "Night Train" B I actually thought this would be a more bombastic closer! Why does this specific organ grove, those staccato rhythm, evoke rolling down the train track so completely? Where did that shorthand come from?

Owww!

I'm sure this has already come up on my list. If not, I've heard it elsewhere. Now, I like me some James Brown. 'Some' being the important word. 'Some' meaning one or two of his hits every so often. This album contains none of his hits. And too many trumpets. I don't think you can call yourself 'the hardest working' anything when your show up, play a seven song set (each song an average of three minutes long) then bugger off, presumably to kick the shit out of some women and then say that god forgives you. That's barely work at all. Of course, if he shooed thr crowd out then immediate played the same set again to a new crowd, and then again to a third, I might be convinced that you were capable of doing more than the bare minimum. Of course, Brown was known for leaving it all on the stage - manic, energetic performances. That is true here. You can almost hear him vibrate across the stage, a cocktail of speedballs surging his heart towards oblivion. But where are the songs, man? This is a historical snapshot. Important. Influential. But on a purely musical level? Meh.

461/1089 - It's pretty standard RnB. I don't really have an opinion.

Wow! Just wow! This was absolutely amazing to listen to. I played this all morning and could not get enough.

funky I like

Quite ni e but didnt add any wasnt feling th emoment

not for me but not bad

Original-would have loved to have been in the crowd in 1962.

Definitely a pioneer

I think JB has more soul than you can shake a very big stick at. But this album really doesn't present him at his best. Might be the set list, the screaming (I had no idea), or the poor production. Or maybe a combination of all of that. Despite all that, it's a fine way to pass 40 mins and it's a 3* from me.

Absolutely fantastic record and show. So much energy on display here. Truly a wonder snapshot of the scene in Harlem both musically and culturally at the time. 5/5

Early JB. Sounds like it would have been from 10-15 years later. Enjoyable.

I don't really know James Brown like that but I feel like he is an iconic artist. Great album but def got a bit boring at times. 3/5

Lots of screaming

it's... another blues live album! i actually like blues a lot. i lied last time. it's just that i can't give any blues live album higher than a 3 because listening to them gives me massive fomo I SHOULD BE THEREEEEE fave track: please please please/you've got the power/i found someone

Funky, but not his funkiest...

I know a little bit about James Brown, but I had never heard his early works, so this was a complete surprise. It's hard to imagine this was performed in 1962 and not 1972... It makes most albums from the same period sound flat and anemic. Had I been around in 1962, I would absolutely have listened to this rather than The Beatles... I can see how revolutionary it must have sounded, and it helped me understand why he's such a musical giant. "Lost Someone" is 100 % my jam. I loved every second of it, and I would give a 5* in a heartbeat to an album entirely made of similar songs. In just 10 minutes, James Brown basically laid down the complete blueprint for the next 20 years of soul and funk music. Unfortunately the rest of the album is not exactly on the same level. Most of the short songs are fun, but they're just that - energetic party music without too much depth. A lot of them are still mired in classic rock’n’roll influences, only shining when James starts to sing. It's enjoyable, but not as soulful as I'd like. I’m also not a big fan of live albums (although I’ll admit the screams of entranced groupies kind of add to the fun here), and the mix is really not very good. I liked it overall, but I’m not sure I’d want to play it again. I still prefer the "Godfather of Soul" period. 6/10

Pure energy, almost exhausting, but you can’t deny the groove. Feels more like a controlled riot than a concert, and it works. Not for every day, but it hits.

This is hard for me to rate because I appreciate how influential James Brown is but a lot of 60s RnB doesn't really do much for me. But those vocals, wow! They really carry the album.

the energy is immaculate, he could literally play coldplay repertoire and it still would be fire

fire

Excellent live production; really captures the feel of a live performance.

fantastic. beautiful sound

Good but not something I would go back to.

Had this album before on my own list. Was decent. I liked Think. 2.5

Fantastic

No me gustó

Best Track - "I'll Go Crazy"

Es muy buena representación de R&B muy buena, mi canción fav fue I’ll go crazy

Very fun. Love the instruments and the call and response with the crowd. High energy throughout. No favorites, liked how it all pieced together. 5

did not care for this at all. it was mostly just background music. the screaming fans were SO annoying. 4/10

The vibes are immaculate

Fun live album. I like hearing the crowd cheers with the James Brown vocals, makes me feel like I'm there. His energy is another level and the supporting band is great as well

I didn't realize quite how influential James Brown was -- frankly I thought this album was decent, solid, but not necessarily extraordinary. I will say, this man's voice is incredible and I'd probably be screaming and creaming if I were in that audience too. I guess the songs just don't grab me or stick in my mind? But again, I can easily see how influential this would be, and it's still a great record. Fave tracks: - I'll Go Crazy - I Don't Mind - Please Please Please/You've Got The Power/I Found Someone

It wasn't bad. He was a character.

Good songs but too many interludes.

This was an album I was excited to listen to today. I had stopped reading other reviews prior to listening, but I decided to look at some today. Something that stood out in many reviews were complaints of crowd noise, which seems silly to me, but maybe it was too much? First things first, those comments were just people looking to nitpick I think. When I listen to a live album I want to feel like I'm there, or at least really wish I was. This record had that from the moment it began and never let up. I wanted to be part of that crowd. They were having a blast. As for the music, I was enjoying the first few songs to varying degrees. I loved I'll Go Crazy, but the next few weren't quite at that level. However from Lost Someone to the end it was amazing. He was pouring his heart out into each note, as was the band. I usually will save a five star review for an album that blows me away all the way through, but there was enough here to look past a few "less than" songs.

James Brown is great and would've been a killer live show, but the whole back and forth with him and the crowd of screaming girls took up too much time

Don’t want to listen to a live album

It was fine and if it’s era. The transitions from slow songs immediately into uptempo interstitial music by the band were a little jarring for my taste. I wasn’t familiar with the early work so much but I loved how much the crowd loved it.

Lovely

I feel like I am supposed to like this more

Sweet

(4/7) I was having fun but that long, slow one in the middle lost me

meh, ganz gut aber naja, sehr viel fangirl gekreische

Incroyable vibe sur cet album. Un peu dérangeant à la fin quand la foule crie sans cesse, mais un peu jaloux de pas avoir été là pour l'enregistrement. Album live qui passe très vite, ça permet de comprendre pourquoi ce gars a été une rockstar du R&B. Manque un léger quelque chose pour le 4.

Album 163. James Brown Live At The Apollo (https://open.spotify.com/album/0B6BbyElOe4bwziJrunOTe?si=sfV8FwgRTEu5woyGoe74MA) — James Brown (1963) Not bad, it has energy 2/5 Liked: — Try Me

Domestic abuser

The first all-like album. Raw power. And jumping on the drums on the finale. What a performer.

Pretty good overall. James Brown has a very distinct voice.

Ladys gotta chill out. 3/5

wonderful! I listened to this before I think on an aeroplane that had it in their entertainment system but I listened to it again today while cooking some big pasta and it was very nice indeed. I probably wont go back to it. thank u James brown for inventing music

I’m tied up in nostalgia and good rock and roll - what’s not to like?

I FEEL GOOD

PEAK..31 mins of high energy PERFECTION..the instrumentals..the explosive vocals..the SCREAMSSS..the participation from the audience is the cherry on top…its PERFECT..i wouldnt change a thing….mind blowing musical experience.

estuvo bueno la vdd musica interesante 7.5/10

Listened in the car. Man Dimery must love live albums as this is the 5th one I've had since starting in January. It's a shame because I really don't like live albums at all for the most part. Live shows have a big visual aspect which is lost in an audio only format. They can never truly capture the crowd energy and they end up leaving a "well, you had to be there" feeling with me. This one is no exception. It sounds like an amazing show, but I just found myself zoning out while he interacted with a crowd I'm not in and can't see and barely hear. Hope there aren't many more live records on this list.

The song «Try Me» earned the album an extra star.

Groovylicious. Me gustó dentro de lo que es álbumes grabados en vivo. I Don't Mind se me pegó y no me la puedo sacar de la cabeza. Los instrumentales le dan una fluidez rica. Casi todas las canciones van en una misma línea, pero dentro de todo, bacán.

Somewhat of an introduction for me to James Brown and I'm glad it was a live album, I'm intrigued!

Look I fell asleep while first listening to this but my impressions were it was pretty piss weak in terms of blues music, I mean you’re going up against Elvis, Nina Simone and I guess the start of the Beatles and the best you can do is a little screaming, the same filler ostinatos heard when they first put pianos in the logging camps and a brass section blaring over everything? Mostly I just feel like the lyrics are both repetitive and derivative. Also his mic keeps cutting out. That being said he is a compelling singer. These are just not very interesting songs. They just kinda read like a disconnected collection of things to say to ones love. This album has merit but it’s not concentrated enough to listen to. 2/5

The screaming was just messed up. The songs were all the same, I have NO idea why this was on this list.

I get the appeal and if this is ur vibe you would love this but just not for me

James Brown doing his thing. Fitting to hear him belt it out to an audience, since he was such a showman. The backing music was great too.

Not very exciting, 4/10

energetic and fun. i think most of the remarkable showmanship skills that he had, are shown in the longest jam songs where he interacts with the audience and in the fast transitions between short songs.

Gran voz, y se escucha bastante bien para ser un album en vivo

Smooth

A bit dated

eeeeeeeemm. Curioso.

(CD) one of the best live albums of all time.

me encanta que está re cortico, el flow es suave pero igual me ha parecido como bien, al final estuvo aburrido pero no fue como supper maluco de escuchar

live album

¡James Brown en vivo! Obviamente esto desde el título anuncia que será una explosión de fook, música ultra cool y en general ritmos geniales para mover el cuerpo y ponerse de buenas. Y lo cumple, lo único que no me hizo tan feliz es la brevísima duración del álbum. ¿Un concierto de James Brown de menos de media hora? S¡aquen la versión de más de dos horas que seguro existe por ahí!

Enjoyable old but not my thing live, sounds better recorded not live. I don't mind goes hard, music hits well. I don't mind is best track followed by medley OK NVM MEDLEY ENDING IS GREAT

Звучить добре, але я не буду це переслуховувати, це 2,5

I would’ve absolutely loved to see James Brown in this sort of era. Tightest band around, running the absolute ship.

This is a bit early James Brown for me. I liked it but it didnt get me off my arse like most James Brown usually would.

Love a lot of his work, but this was actually kind of underwhelming compared with some other live acts from the era

Not my cup of tea. But funky. 3/11 52.22%

Not his best live album

Both James and the band are brilliant on this one. Impossible not to enjoy.

Oooh some quite slow numbers on here that I wasn’t expecting.

not great. just average. would listen to it.

Excellent album! "I'll Go Crazy" was my favorite.

Early JB …had the teen girls howling every grunt and moan he sang. Early on, first band JB and the Famous Flames had him move to the front of the bands namesake.

6/10

Maravilloso!

I wish I was there to see this live at the Apollo. The screams! The big band! The energy! How amazing would that be?

probably the single best way you could spend your evening at the time, but i don't feel like this works all that well as a record. the band is tight as hell, Brown sounds great, but the crowdwork, extended vamps, medleys etc just make it hard to dig into the actual songs. it's a very pleasant listen, but the live nature of it just makes things run together

Was 4 stars until half the album was taken up by slow, boring solo vocal ballads

Inreresante

Buen album. Realmente escencia de los negros en la musica

The King of Funk from the early years. Good listen, but his other albums are much more fun.

Me gustó bastante

I liked "I'll go crazy"

This album is great. Such a fantastic live album, so lively. The repertoire is excellent, and it flows really well. I don't have much to say, it is a pretty short album, though one song in ten minutes long. But it's very enjoyable and so greatly delivered. So, it's an album to have some fun.

He's just the coolest

That's a lot of fun. I'm not crazy about the amount of live albums on this list. I typically prefer studio records. In this case it feels well justified. The atmosphere in general feels electric and compounded by the awesome fun crowd work. The music is excellent as we would expect, even if it's not my favourite jb stuff

Too much girly screaming prevents this from being a 5* - the sound quality is amazing.

Feel bad for all the people screaming and enjoying the music. If only they had smartphones back then, so they could focus on creating wonderful content for their friends and family and followers instead.

The second to last track was nice.

Despite what some of the reviews say, I actually really enjoyed that it was live and I find it more fun. Made me smile hearing the audience scream and shout!

He’s the man, full stop.

Was hoping this would resonate with me a little more given my preference to the genre. The band, energy, and performance were great but ironically, there’s something about Brown’s voice that just didn’t stick the landing. Likes: I’ll Go Crazy; Try Me; I Don’t Mind

Good, not great.

I prefer his later funk stuff, but an objectively classic snapshot of a legendary performer!

The (far too) frequent additions of live albums to this list had me invent the concept of "dead" albums. How has a black metal band not done this?? Put a field recording mic in a grave and release that shit. The atmosphere would probably be less grating. Unless you could hear stuff wiggling around or whatnot. Not good. Anyway, we get an obnoxious crowd for another full-length release rather than the thankfully silent corpses. I'm telling you, Euronymous is punching air right now that this wasn't Mayhem's follow-up to Dead's suicide. Introductions are done by Fats Gonder. Where has the nickname "Fats" gone? It would seem that it is no longer "en vogue" and has gone the way of the 10 cent trolley ticket. Even our most corpulent celebrities are too cowardly to rock the name Fats these days. Just own the girth. Wear a Mumu and one of those plushy hats. Life becomes an easier slog once you do. Just another sign society has crumbled to where it is no longer recognizable as a positive structure. Surprisingly, the old days understood short attention spans when it came to music. We only had to endure 31 minutes of shrieking women alongside what was a energetically performed, albeit sort of boring set from Mr. Way More Popular Than I Thought He Was, James Brown. A fun game I like to play when I'm bored (see above) is to go back and try to figure out which famous people had undiagnosed ADHD in the 60's/70's. 2.5 HIGHLIGHTS: This had to be one of the sweatier shows that year.

What raucous fun!

It is only right that James Brown is called the Godfather of Soul. What a great live recording this is.

Fun album. It would have been even more fun to be there at the time. Pretty short album at only 31 minutes, and that includes a bit of talk/intro and a couple of long tracks (10 minutes, 6 minutes) so that means a lot of the tracks are pretty short. I wonder if the full set was longer?

What might have been a strong 4 star album is laid low by a "garbage person tax" and an apparent 2 minute run time.

I can somehow hear all the people this *had* to influence (Stevie Wonder, Childish Gambino, Rick James, Prince) - while it still also somehow manages to sound fresh, fun, and innovative. That is an amazingly high bar given some of the trail blazers this list has exposed me to who often manage to sound dated and rote.

La verdad que no es mi estilo pero tampoco vamos a negar que es una leyenda en lo suyo. Personalmente este álbum mucho no me atrapó, pero está bien.

30 mins of peak james brown. Epic crowd interactions.

Usually I haven't enjoyed the live albums here and especially of artists that I do not know or have no touch base with. This however was more interesting than the previous ones and I enjoyed the audience engagement in this, Music was pretty decent as well.

Unfortunately this was everything I hate about Live albums. Sure, James Brown does a great job of working the crowd, but... listening to a load of people just screaming in a call-and-response style is not particularly pleasant. The music was great, and James' voice is fantastic and extremely soulful (if a little shouty). Would have been a 4 if it weren't a Live version. 2 because my ears hurt from the excessive screaming.

I generally enjoyed the music but the amount of screaming from the crowd completely ruined it. 3 lowered to a 2 because of the screaming

The main focus of this live album seems to be James Brown's vocal vamping, which for a lesser singer would just be screaming. Brown manages to stay on pitch and keep his emotional focus, even though he really is screaming. It's impressive. Beyond that though... I just wasn't impressed. Nothing else memorable. I'm glad some of the rest of y'all enjoyed it so much. Not for me.

They called him the original showman for a reason.

i like this album, but it didn't blow me away.

Notable Textzeile: I don't mind (I don't mind) Your lovesick soul I don't mind (I don't mind) It can grow cold Über das Call and Response fühlt man immer wieder die Energie im Raum, sowieso auch die Energie in der Stimme, die sich durchaus transportiert. Aber für mich dann doch zu oft zu preacher-haft, zu lange an einer einzelnen Idee festgehalten, fast jeder Song nur ein Loop um wirklich sagen zu können, dass mir das gefällt. Also 2,5 wird zu 3.

Wie unfassbar gut dieses Album klingt. Wie unfassbar charismatisch James Brown ist. Ich möchte nachträglich das Elvis Live Album abwerten.

The hardest working man in showbiz - und wie der ackert! Nice!

No le di mucha atención, no me cerro 5/10

Very much enjoyed this. I got a real sense of being at the show. Killer band. James Brown in his prime. Hearing the audience reactions added to it, none of which sounded overdubbed which is the case with a lot of live albums. Banger.

Fav- I don’t mind 3/5

Quel dommage que le seul album de JB soit Live... Tout est gâché par les hurlements stridents, insupportables et incessants du public. Les titres en eux-mêmes mériteraient 4 ou 5 étoiles.

зачем мне нужен целый альбом визжащих женщин из зала? некрасиво.

I can't stand violent and abusive scumbags

if i wanted to listen to screaming girls, i'd rewatch my recordings from the one direction concerts i went to at 13.

Was okay. Mostly covers of things i think? idk, i wasn't the biggest fan.

I don't love a live album, but this was a short, fun, funky good time.

This one was funky. Not too familiar with his work (besides “Living in America”), but it was awesome to hear him live. The crowd was so into it! “Lost Someone” was amazing

Didn’t think I’d enjoy this but James Brown from 68 is fantastic. It’s subtle- his voice is raspier, the set more bare-bones- like Try Me is flawless. This is bluesy in a pre-60’s way that I love

Not his best

High 4. Don’t like the live as much as I would probably like the studio version

Amazing. Great horns. I’d love to have been at that show

I liked that it was live but there was a lot of screaming lol

I don’t listen to many live albums but I should more because I loved this, felt like I was right there fawning after James Brown

Iconic. Was singing James Brown all day