Live At The Harlem Square Club

My favorite moment on the album happens during "Somebody Have Mercy" towards the end when Swingin' Sam wails about how there's something wrong with him. "It ain't that leukemia," Sam answers. "That ain't it." This album never fails to put me in a great mood. It's just an all-around joy, and Sam Cooke is having such a good time that he encourages everyone in the audience (and by association, everyone listening) to keep the party going well beyond the final song. When the pandemic started all the way back in March, 2020 and it became obvious we were all going to spend an extended amount of time quarantining, I bought digital copies of this album and Sam Cooke at the Copa. It's not an exaggeration to say both albums got me through that first part of the pandemic. I longed to be at those performances with people singing every word and having the time of their lives. God bless the late Sam Cooke. Dude found a way to enthrall listeners who weren't even born - hell, people who wouldn't even be a dirty thought for decades to come - when he played the Harlem Square Club. That's the mark of a true legend.

This is the album that convinced me that I like live albums. Breakneck pace, just an absolute amazing, iconic performance

Totally electrifying live performance, raw and raucous but still note-perfect — breathes new life into songs I've heard to the point of fatigue

Good goddamn, I wanns be in that room, sloppy drunk, right next to the sax player. Josh may not be a live album guy but I'm hoping if there's any album that can convince, it's this one. Or maybe Cornell 77. I love that live albums recorded back in the mid 60s didn't isolate the music from the audience. Soundboard recordings sound great and clean but miss the whole premise of a performance for an audience, and this one is rowdy as hell. All I could wish is that his songs were a little more varied than the pop doowoppy swing stuff and this could be one of the best live albums around. B

This was fantastic. Sam Cooke has an incredible voice - so much soul and feeling going into every song. Well worth multiple listens.

I didn't expect this to be this fucking awesome. Chain Gang is a real banger. I'm very impressed with this.

Holy shit. I have been sleeping on Sam Cooke. This album is so amazing, definitely one of the best live albums I've ever heard in my life. If not the very best. His vocal quality, his interactions with the crowd...what a gifted performer. The magnetism shines through so well that it feels like you're there even without a visual. Amazing. Definitely would re-listen to the entire setlist.

First time listening: 10/10 songs liked I rarely save live songs, so this won't add to my gigantic list, HOWEVER. I will save this album as a consideration to listen to constantly, because it's a beautiful treat to behold. The raw energy of sam cooke and the crowd play together so well. No songs saved

Sounds like the best party ever

I can only imagine how great he was live. Would have loved to see him

Favs: Cupid, Twistin' the Night Away, Bring It On Home to Me, Having a Party, Chain Gang Mehs: Medley: It's All Right/For Sentimental Reasons I'm usually not much for live albums, but the energy of the crowd here and his crowd-work makes this one incredible (crowd-work is especially fun on "Chain Gang," a song my mom used to sing all the time). “Having a Party” and “Cupid” just make you feel good. Cooke's raw but smooth voice is a favorite. I always sit and feel impressed that this is his voice live. Great soul; great sax.

Loved listening to this and feeling like I'd been transported to Harlem in the 60's. His voice sounds even better live.

Wow. Familiar with many of Sam Cooke's songs, but not with this album. Love the grittiness and power, plus it's easy to hear how incredible he was as a performer. I read the Wikipedia entry on the album and then the one on Sam Cooke. Fascinating and tragic personal story. Back to this album: can absolutely hear why this album is consistently high up on so many lists. Can absolutely hear how his sound influenced countless artists who followed.

Better than I expected. Has a really enjoyable mood.

It started pretty decent, but every subsequent song got better and better, culminating with an amazing live version of Bring it On Home. Close to a 5, but a few "live album-isms" hold it back.

“Live at the Harlem Square Club” by Sam Cooke (recorded in 1963, released in 1985) Sam Cooke was great. He is rightly called the “King of Soul”. Now here’s an album that, to be generous, gets beneath the manicured artificiality of studio production and provides a raw, free expression of live performance. But it still has the weaknesses of all live recordings, which are considerable. So as an album, it fails on a fundamental level. Nevertheless it does offer a glimpse of something beautiful. “Live at the Harlem Square Club”, as a collection of songs, serves as a partial answer to the question “Why is soul music called ‘soul’ music?” Cooke’s songs are soulful, which is to say they magnify the passions. Each song is focused on a particular feeling, without the distracting consideration of counter-feelings, equivocations, internal contradictions, rational coherence, or systematic analysis. Hence they do not prompt deep or complex thought. Most frequently, they avoid treating of the feelings of others as well, so while they are intense, they are conceptually simple. But most importantly, they lay bare the passions. “Don’t fight it, we gonna feel it.” In other words, don’t let the mind or the will get in the way of the emotions. The lyrics of these songs provide a discursive foundation for a wonderful musical elaboration that evokes feelings in the listener. The best expression of this may be found in the second track, “Feel it (Don’t Fight It)”. He knows exactly what he’s doing. Sometimes there is a bit of a mismatch here, like Cooke’s verbal intro to “Chain Gang”, which he says is “designed to make you feel good”. I’m sorry, Sam, but a song about men sentenced to hard labor doesn’t exactly make me feel good. Rather, it makes me feel sympathetic, and perhaps angry at the possible racial inequities and other potential injustices. I’m not particularly enthusiastic about the virtues of ‘re-education through labor’, as practiced in Stalin’s gulags, Mao’s laogai, or American chain gangs. This is not to say that virtues cannot be found and cultivated in these contexts. But that’s not the first thing that comes to mind (or soul). If I had been present at the live concert, I would have been reluctant to join in the festive “Hoh ah, hoh ah”, as Cooke encouraged the audience. Solzhenitsyn was rarely in a festive mood. Musically, these tracks are far, far inferior to their studio versions. It’s painful to listen to “Cupid” or "(I Love You) for Sentimental Reasons". This inferior quality is not merely a function of the unavoidable limitations of recording in a live setting. It is also reflected in the vocal and instrumental flubs (and the seriously out of tune guitar and saxophone) which cannot be corrected through dubbing or ‘one more take’. The key feature of live performance is live presence. You can’t (yet, anyway) capture that on a recording. [I recently watched a virtual attempt at this with a mini-concert event by Ariana Grande on the interactive online video game Fortnite. It was, to say the least, disappointing.] Cooke’s jabbering between (and even during!) songs pitifully begging the crowd to get more ‘into it’ is embarrassing. But even worse is his ad lib (at 2:53 on “Somebody Have Mercy”): “Somebody have mercy and tell me what is wrong with me (I ain’t got leukemia, Hah-hah).” There’s a reason why RCA Victor kept these tapes in the can for 22 years. I’m sure the 1963 audience got the feeling. But I wasn’t there. 1/5

Growing up my parents had several Sam Cooke records that I used to commandeer and play on my record player (I think manufactured by Fisher Price). I was singing along to “Chain Gang,” “Cupid,” “Twistin’ The Night Away” and “Having a Party” from a very early age. I was very excited to have this live album come up, and after listening I’m not disappointed! Sam Cooke is incredible and this is one hell of a One Night Stand. It’s a grittier performance than his studio albums that really surprised me - an amazing performance in front of a really exciting, raucous audience! Besides wishing it was longer (where is “You Send Me” - there’s just that tease at the end of track 7 - and “Another Saturday Night”?) I loved every minute of this.

I know Sam Cooke but had never heard any live recordings. This is an absolute belter. An amazing band and his voice is sixties soul perfection. Had to play this twice as didn’t fully focus the first time and wanted to make sure it really was that good. This is how music should be - full of energy, emotion and refined talent let loose on great tunes. Loved it.

How have I not heard this album before. Feel It is a banger. Excellent setlist. Very danceable.

I mean…it’s Sam Cooke. Unless you have ice running through your veins, there’s a damn good chance this record is going to move you. The man could’ve sang the menu of a Chinese restaurant and it would have sounded amazing.

I LOVE Sam Cooke, and he’s great live, but this certainly isn’t a great listen. The recording quality is quite poor and I think you really had to be there for this one. Don’t know why it’s made this list at all? 3 stars because he’s amazing whatever he does. If he has any actual records on here, they’ll be getting 5 from me.

maybe it’s heresy but i like the studio sam cooke better

I like the small amount of Sam Cooke I've listened to (like on anthology collection, and my wife blasting "A Change is Gonna Come"). However, I hate live albums so not really the target audience for this. It sounds like it was on hell of a night. Sam gives it a raucous soul feel. Lots of hyping up the audience and getting everyone dancing. I can see the value of the release, since you don't hear this energetic, unrestrained style of singing on his studio material. Also interesting back story (recorded in 1960s, shelved until 1980s for not being friendly enough for white customers). I still don't really see the appeal of sitting around listening to a recording of a concert. And soul is not a genre that particularly does it for me.

Sounds a great gig to be at but the production makes it a difficult to rate highly.

Sam Cooke’s a reputation I’d associate with greatness, but no particular songs. He’s got a special sizzle to his voice, I thought as this started. Hey, I know this song. This one too. And this one. Is this a set of covers? I look it up. Ah. He’s one of those progenitor types. This record gives a good impression of what it must have been like to hear classics as they’re minted.

"One Night Stand" AKA "Same Cooke Live at the Harlem Square Club" is second live album by Sam Cooke, originally recorded in 1963 but not officially released until 1985. It's no secret why artists like The Beatles were trying to emulate artists like this at the time. I mean, just listen to that commanding energy. You almost feel as though you're transported there watching Sam on stage and partying with the crowd. The album is only about 35 minutes long, so it quite literally shows up, smacks you in the face, and is gone just as quick as it started. Something I really found interesting about this album is the production. Sure they didn't have the greatest recording technology at the time but man this thing is raw. I find it adds immensely to the overall party vibe of the record. Apparently the label didn't think the same. Although this was originally recorded in 1963, it wasn't released until 1985. The label, RCA, was not pleased with the recording, calling it "too gritty and raw". They were worried it would tarnish his pop image. Absolute bullshit. Sorry RCA, no pop bullshit with orchestra here. To top it all off, this album was recorded at a small and intimate venue in Miami's neighborhood of Overtown, a historically black town. The venue was jam packed with Sam Cooke's OG fans from back when he was a gospel artist. And man, did the crowd come to party. Sam even encourages to continue partying after the show is over! Man, what a time.

Great sounding record, as good as a greatest hits just missing What A Wonderful World

Sam Cooke is the man love his voice smooth like velvet but soulful and gritty when needed quite the ladies man got him shot and killed by a jealous husband😬

Fun listen. Also I’m not gonna rate out of 10 anymore, my feelings on albums change so much after I rate them and I feel like a rating out of 5 is generally more accurate in the long run

Decent soul album, but didn't grab me.

Great energy, great voice but a bit samey throughout.

Another live album. The music is good. The songs are familiar, the players are very good. The singing is decent. But it's yet another example of a recording that would have been better with some production. Do not need audience participation.

Catchy, didn’t like the live audience part

rockin live album full of hits

Sam Cooke is a voice that no one could ever imitate. This live record shows off the incredible range and energy of his voice.

Dy no mite

I love listening to live albums because you get to feel the energy of the crowd. It transports you to the venue and it’s like you’re taking in the live show with them. You get the artists personality and get a tiny glimpse into how they perform live. For older artists like Same Cooke, you get a sense of how they were received in that era. The music sounds incredible, his voice, command of the crowd and showmanship show through the records. I thoroughly enjoyed this record!

Loved the album. Had heard of Sam Cooke before but not this album and never really listened to him much. Thought it was really well done. Lot of the songs I found myself moving and grooving as it was playing. I also saw it was recorded in 1963 but not released until 1985 and the record company just sat on it for 20+ years! So it is wild that this album with teh 20 year delay in being released influenced others. I can certainly see how Sam Cooke influenced some, but this delayed album is wild. Anyway, more proof record companies are scum of the earth along with healthcare CEOs.

One of the few live recordings that really captures how magical the performance is.

Some live albums are legendary. This is one of them.

This is the best live album of all time.

This flooded me with memories of my aunt, uncles, and my pets. I adore Sam Cooke and thank my family for turning me onto this era of music. I cherish it so much that Cupid and Bring It On Home To Me are songs I dedicate to my bird and kitty who have since passed. I also think about how amazing it must've been to witness such an incredible singer perform live. I loved this, and I'll be certain to revisit.

High energy party classic!

I expected smooth crooning and got taken to a party.

wham bam

Such incredible, stirring performances of great songs. Cooke elevates them to another level, and you can feel the excitement and joy in the room. Probably the best recording from one of the greatest soul singers to ever do it. Cannot say enough good things about this album.

Pretty easy 5/5 for me, the level of energy is infectious thanks to Sam's performance and the live crowd

Y'know, I'm just taken by the fact that this album was apparently held in the vault for 20 years after it was recorded because Cooke's label thought this show was too raw and would damage his pop image. And I just gotta wonder: are they stupid? Like, maybe I'm missing something about how Cooke was publicly perceived at the time. Before now, I'd only heard one Sam Cooke song, on the GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, VOL. 2 soundtrack, and it honestly took me a second to remember that. And I especially don't know anything about the landscape in 1963, over 60 years ago, so, yeah, for all I know, maybe it would have hurt his pop image. But at the same time: who C-A-R-E-S about his "pop image?" This is the single most exciting and electrifying live performance I've heard in a hot second. Cooke is **amazing**, the band behind him doesn't miss a beat, and the audience... Oh, goodness, I kinda wish I coulda listened to the version where the crowd sounds were louder? I can only imagine how this thing woulda felt if it had crowd mixing like James Brown's LIVE AT THE APOLLO. OK, maybe not **that** extreme, but still. I can't even really think of any specifics to gush about. It was just an incredibly entertaining 30 minutes, and I feel like it was such a crime to keep this from the world until **1985**. And if you couldn't tell, this is a huge 5 from me. Another notch in my "live albums deserve to be here as much as any other" argument. Seriously, I can't imagine how anyone could listen to this and not get into it, goodness. Expect me to spin it more than a few times more after today.

So much energy on this live album, it's almost magical. Solid 5 Stars.

Well, that’s obviously a 5. Just an electric setlist, really – those 36 minutes flew by. I’ve heard of Sam Cooke, but I’ve never actually heard Sam Cooke until now, and that motherfucker can sing his heart out, my goodness. Combine his gritty soulful voice with a red hot band and a red hot crowd, and that’s a recipe for an awesome live album. How this went unreleased for 22 years, I simply don’t understand. How could you listen to that album, with that much crowd energy, and such an honest and soulful performance, and think it’s too edgy? I guess 1963 is still deep in the Civil Rights Movement, and it was more palatable to present him as a gospel star rather than an Elvis Presley-esque pop star, but come on, this would’ve sent Sam Cooke into absolute superstardom. I’ll go so far as to say he wouldn’t have been murdered if this had come out. Truthfully, I got so swept up into the energy and charisma of the whole thing that I barely have any individual notes on tracks – my ears were attentive, but my brain was on autopilot. There’s a lot of love songs here, which makes some sense, but the energy with which both Sam and the band perform them with is so damn high, you could easily confuse it for a dance album. He’s got the crowd in the palm of his hands too – the amount of call/response parts on this album is kind of unbelievable. It’s really hard to explain how good this album is without listening to it; it is just 36 minutes of pure energy and a spectacular live set. I deeply enjoyed this, and it’s an extremely easy 5.

Chefs kiss

Unbelievable album. Absolutely loved it. Gutted it is so short, could’ve happily listened to another hour. I personally didn’t think live albums should be included in this list but this has changed my mind.

This was cool. Energy and urgency.

I liked this album very much

It really touched my heart. This is really great...

This live album has great energy. What a great front man Sam Cooke is. The band is rock solid. Sounds like a smaller crowd but they are completely immersed in the music.

Sam sounds so much more raw and real live as opposed to his cleaned-up album sound.

The best kind of early rock/soul. All the good vibes. Can't be in a bad mood, while listening to this. Added this album to my collection.

Another live R&B live album, and I'm still loving them. I'd never heard of Sam Cooke, but what a performance. Similar to the live albums of B.B. King and Sarah Vaughan, this oozes with charisma. It's also surprisingly well produced for a live album and the sounds are all so crisp. For the tunes themselves, Feel It (Don't Fight It) is awesome, but It's All Right / (I Love You) steals the show. One of the best live albums here so far.

bdb. Considered one of the most influential soul artists of all time

It’s not very often that I listen to a live album and wish that I was in the room for the recording. This is one of those albums. Cooke is firing on all cylinders and we’re better for it.

A perfect live album with the voice of an angel.

I love this one! It’s a real mood booster and he has a great live energy on this album.

Sam adding the line about how he will always be a slave until he's buried in his grave in 1963 on Bring It On Home To Me gives me chills every time.

Not a bad second let alone a bad track.

legend. this shit ROCKS. i love a live album, the kinetic energy of it, the sound of the band and the audience reacting in real time. the crowd singing along! the sounds of girls literally SHRIEKING in the audience! and that VOICE! the only complaint i have is that im not in the room with them.

This is just very good. It's hard to imagine anyone not liking this.

Superb

It’s safe to state that this record got me into live albums. I’ve avoided them until now for some reason.

I loved this album! I knew of Sam Cooke. I know of some of his music. But he sounds sou good live. I so wish I could have seen him live in his prime. His songs and his voice are amazing and I will listen to this again.

Ich muss mir echt mehr Live-Alben anhören, besonders von kitschig-romantischer Musik

Electric performance with impeccable vocals

The songs are still delightfully infectious after al these years, and Cooke sounds like he's having a blast in this live performance. A great choice if you're ever feeling the least bit down!

Oh man, this was great. I'd never heard it before, but I sort of felt like I had - I'm pretty sure that this version of 'Bring It On Home to Me' is covered on the soundtrack to the movie Ali, which I had when it was new. You can't help wishing you had been in the audience while listening to this one.

So good. So many hits, love his voice, great vibe

I've definitely heard some of the songs from this album before but not the live versions. I really enjoyed hearing this version of Cupid (I was previously only familiar with the Amy Winehouse one) and the whole album just left me feeling GOOD. Great album!

Great live R&B set of some classic Cooke tunes

Super fun old school, really love hearing the audience from this era.

Came into not really knowing what my expectations should be but not going to lie, this was an incredible experience. I think what really got me was his showmanship! Listening to him perform with his energy, the live music, and his crowd work made this a really incredible experience. Let's chat a little about the live aspect of this album though. I think I always admire when artists release music that has been performed live. Yes there's a lot of ambience noise but i feel it compliments the overall vibe. Does this make audiophiles super happy? Nope! Does this add a different dimension to the music? Hell yea. I love it when singers specifically own their music and also learn to really perform their music for people and not just sing it as if its a record. Again, this is one of those albums I would never really do a double take to listen to but boy am I pleasantly surprised. Highlights for me: Feel it (Don't Fight it) Cupid Having a Party

The energy that Sam Cooke brings and maintains pretty much throughout the whole performance is intoxicating. You can hear how much enjoyment he's getting from performing in front of the crowd in this live album. I think this is the first live album where I was really happy to have listened to. I honestly can't believe Sam's voice and how he's able to maintain that cadence and passion. I find it kind of funny that there are imperfections of the recordings, even digitally. At the beginning of Feel It (Don't Fight It), you can hear it repeat or skip. Does it give it charm? Is it annoying? Maybe a bit of both? This album is so much fun. I loved every single second of it. The pacing is great and the vibe throughout is consistent and my foot never stopped tapping. I've been having a debate in my head all morning whether to give this album a 4 or a 5. On one hand, I don't know how much I'd be returning to this album, on the other hand, I really did LOVE listening to this album. Even if I don't return to it, I feel like I'll be thinking about it a lot. I had to give the album a second listen with headphones to settle my internal dispute. Maybe I just gave it a second listen because I didn't want the party to end. Highlights: Feel It (Don't Fight It) Cupid Twistin' The Night Away Ultimately, I think I'd regret not giving it what it deserves.

one of my Dad's favorites

Just like James Brown Live at the Apollo this album is infectiously happy. You can feel how excited the audience is and how much everyone is enjoying themselves. Really great album!

Great vocals from Sam Cooke, as always

You like soul? You want to dance? Then this has it all, only shame was it was over in 35 minutes. I had to listen twice instead!

A perfect live recording! I really enjoyed this.

Every song is a hit. Even the deep cuts sound like hits.

Maybe someone with a better knowledge of audio could explain to me, why this live album from 1963 sounded so damn clean and sweet to listen to compared to so much later recording studio stuff??? There's probably an explanation and better words to describe it, but this blew me away with sound quality. Also with the music.

Brilliant! So rowdy

Real and raw. So good.

Oh, Sam, das ist so cool. Freude an der Musik mit einer tollen Stimme. Ich kann es nicht fassen, wie unfassbar fantastisch dieses Live-Album ist. Ich habe es mir zweimal hintereinander angehört und war unglaublich glücklich.

All music can make us feel, but some music is transcendent and can transport us to another time or place. This album does just that….close your eyes and you’re in a small venue, packed tight, hot as hell, and the smell of stale beer and cigarettes fills your nostrils. Sam’s on a small stage, it’s an intimate venue and you almost feel like he’s singing and talking to you. Singing some of the best music ever made. Hands down one of the best live albums EVER!!

Awesome

Pure fire! This album had me wanting to get up and groove right along with it. Infectious energy from Sam Cooke here, and I love how the crowd would get involved and sing along. This album deserves its spot on the 1001 Albums list!

I can feel the energy.

one problem that some live albums have is that many of them sound like studio albums. either the crowd sounds fake or you can only hear the crowd between songs or the songs sound a little too “perfect”. in short, they can sound too polished. not with this one. this live album is astonishingly good. it does what i feel live albums should do, and that is to make you feel as if you are actually there. as i listened to this album through my headphones, i could actually hear the crowd DURING the song. it is considered by many to be one of the best live albums of all time, and honestly it’s hard to argue with that. highlights: “cupid” “twisting’ the night away” “bring it on home to me”

I love it, will revisit when I'm feeling rowdy. I miss the New Orleans midnight jazz bars, this brings me a piece of it. 5/5

Bloody hell! This is good! What a singer and what an artist! And what an entertainer! It's not a 2+ hours arena gig like people expect today. I mean, imagine being only 10 minutes late to the show and missing so much good stuff!!! Wow! Just...wow!

I love Sam Cooke's voice - I don't know that there's anyone in my mind that will ever sound as good as him in this genre. You never know how well an album voice translates to a live performance, though, but this album proves he's good in any format. 5/5

It’s rough. Ready and swings and rocks with a whole dollop of soul.

Soul. Great voice. The father of soul, inventor of soul,Mr Soul etc Sam Cooke. An auditory outing, dinner and show with some rowdy guests in the background, set list builds to a peak then we head home. Interesting as a reminder music is best as live event; organic. Like a naturalistic eavesdropping recording; captures what an evening in a club in Harlem really sounded like, audience interaction, chaos, wailing ... A beautiful tragic important entry. I get why it's here and fell compelled to explore his music and soul further. Defining music of a time. And I barely grasp its full significance I think....