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

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

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

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

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.

Sounds like the best party ever

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

“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

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.

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.

Of all the live albums I’ve had so far, this is the first one that made me wish I’d been there. Sam Cooke clearly had charisma to burn along with being an incredible singer-songwriter, and the audience sound like they are having so much fun. No listening to endless solos in a respectful/stoned silence for Sam and his fans. Loved it.

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.

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.

Apparently RCA shelved this for two decades for being too raucous and raw. Thats exactly what I love about it. Sam Cooke's voice is beautiful, one of the best I've ever heard, and A Change is Gonna Come gives me chills every time I hear it, but his studio stuff is super polished. This is a totally different side of him. Feels like you're in the middle of the room where it happened. I love the banter with the crowd, and the band sounds terrific. An amazing living document from an era lost to time

to many this is the definitive Sam Cooke album. it's always interesting when a live album holds that distinction. Sam Cooke, granted, rose in the era before albums became the dominant release format, and this performance ties a lot of his best singles from the early 60s up in a little package. albeit the energy here is a lot scrappier, and more appealing to rock sensibilities. god does it make for a compelling mix. hard to beat Sam Cooke. deserves to be one of the 1001? for sure!

Absolutely wonderful, live music is the best He has such a great stage presence

One of the best live albums I've ever heard. Cooke crushes it here, working the crowd and delivering a sizzling performance. Absolutely worth a listen.

Sam cooke is always a good choice

I can't listen to Sam Cooke without thinking of my mom. She would quote lines from his songs as she went about her business. "Cokes are in the icebox" comes to mind - Sam and my mom were the only people I knew who called the fridge an icebox. Those memories alone would lead me to give the record 5 stars but man what a voice he had.

"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.

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.

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.

This could just be the best live album ever. Such a fun experience listening to Cooke perform some of his best songs to a crowd that was absolutely loving every second of it. And how could anybody not?? Sam Cooke is such a talented performer as evidenced by this album. Such a shame he was taken from this world so young. Crazy how Cooke’s record label chose not to release this album for fear it could damage his image. Really poor decision on their part, but I’m grateful that it eventually was released, because this is an absolute gem! Here’s why they call Sam Cooke the King of Soul

THIS IS WHY I'M HERE! Let's crowdfund a time machine

Love it. Capturing a moment in time with one of the greats.

designed to make you feel good

Have been a Sam Cooke fan for as long as I can remember and this perfect album maximizes why.

Wow. This one came out of left field. What an incredible performance. His stage presence just radiates out of this recording. His voice has so much character. The band’s transitions between songs underneath his banter. The way his banter is so seamlessly integrated into the music, I’m not familiar with the recorded versions of these songs, but I imagine it would be strange to hear them now without his crowd work. An unbelievable frontman and vocalist. The band is bang on. The second half of ‘Somebody Have Mercy’ where the band is coming in on those shots/rolls… amazing. I was smiling and laughing the whole time listening to this record. I almost cried it was such a beautiful experience, the energy of the room is so palpable. This one caught me at the right time. It might not truly be a 5 for me for many reasons but I’m going to give it one because god damn it’s special.

A perfect live album apparently exists. (100/100)

Sounds like a fantastic party.

In love with this era of music. The energy is unmatched!

God the energy and build up to Bring it On Home to Me, is absolutely insane. Since it’s a live recording I can feel the energy dripping from this record. It’s electric, and full of soul.. wonderful

I love a live album that sounds like the greatest party ever. Don’t you just want to be there? It seems like the best time. Cooke sounds perfect, absolutely controlling the audience and making his way through his hits effortlessly and with the most charisma of anyone ever.

There’s a bitersweetness that comes with this record. Mostly based on the fact that none of us were there to witness this in person, and that a year later we’d lose the King of Soul forever. Anyone who knows me, knows I adore Sam Cook, he’s the greatest vocalist ever for me, but weirdly I’d never come across his live stuff until now. This just strengthens those claims, for 39 minutes the man doesn’t miss a note and has the audience, and us the listener in the palm of his hand. Absolutely nuts record.

I know Mr. Cooke for his sweet buttery smoothness and exquisite grace, but this live performance showed off a rawness I didn’t know was there. Quite illuminating!

Sam Cooke is cool as hell and I am now cooler for having listened to this album.

my god it's so fun. i've loved some of his songs for a long time so i can't believe i've never listened to this before. as for the songs i was already familiar with they're even better here than the studio versions. sam cooke but raw like this is the best. gone too soon rip goat favorites: chain gang, cupid 9/10

HOW YOU DOING OUT THERE?? DON'T FIGHT IT, WE GON' FEEL IT TONIGHT random note: his pace is pretty insane, no rest for that throat mister soul indeed....this might be the best live album I've ever heard Yeah, nonstop bangers, crowd work, hilarious asides, and so much energy in every word. this is the kind of album this list exists for

This is what this list was made for.

Wish I could have been there to see it.

Imagine thinking anything by Sam Cooke is less than a 5?!

I’ve owned this one for a long time. Captures lightning in a bottle: both the crowd and the performers.

Relentless fun, and it’s wild to me that it was only published over two decades afterwards. Maybe the best and most energetic live album I’ve ever listened to. Don’t look up what happened to Sam Cooke afterwards if you want to keep a good mood though - what a clusterf*ck

Listened for the first time ever and I also admit I didn’t know who Sam Cooke was! The music felt absolutely amazing and truly immersive as if I was right there experiencing the concert live!

Electrifying live album.

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.

Man, I wish I was at this show. Guessing I would have woken with a hangover and the knowledge that I experienced something great. The pacing from the band throughout is fast, and the energy in the room is fantastic.! The crowd is clearly stoked. Super fun record. I honestly didn't know what to expect and it appears I slept on Sam Cooke. Good stuff. I will spin this again.

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

let him cooke

Decent soul album, but didn't grab me.

Great energy, great voice but a bit samey throughout.

It was okay

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

Did not like this one, made me think about how men of this era were telling yourg women to "feel their feelings", meaning let yourself get sexual, knowing that women were the only losers in the case of sexual relations: risk getting labeled a slut, risk stds, risk getting pregnant; while the young man gets no blame, can pretend the child is not his, can rely on the woman being ashamed and not outing his behavior.

I liked this one a lot. Because it was a live album I could imagine I was really there and thought this album had a lot of heart and soul.

This is one of my favorite albums of all time, if not my favorite live album. Sam Cooke brings so much energy into each one of his songs and it is ELECTRIC!!!

Great album! I knew a great number of these songs but didn't know the artist was Sam Cooke.

WOW. I am absolutely amazed. The vocals, the charisma, the energy. I loved everything about it! I wish i could be there and experience it. Favs: Chain Gang, Cupid, Twistin' The Night Away, Bring It Home To Me

OVERALL: Is this the best live performance of all time? This is the second one I've gotten, and the other one was by a pedophile. His energy is fantastic and the live instruments are great. Gone too soon, so much passion and soul in under 40 minutes. Absolutely fire. I would probably give this a 4.5, but that's not possible (yet), so I'll give him a 5 to give him a higher rating than Jerry Lee Lewis. SONG AVG: 8.9/10 PERSONAL RATING: 9/10 Soul Twist / Introduction: Nice little intro, pretty jazzy start. I don't think this is actually a part of the album/performance, since it isn't on the cover, but it's pretty good. 7/10 Feel It: Very nice, great energy. Jazzy, soulful, raw. Great song. 8.5/10 Chain Gang: Nice ad libbing. Raw and exciting, more of what Feel It does but with ad libs. It can get a bit annoying, but it's still good overall. Such a banger. 9.25/10 Cupid: I really like his voice, it's so raw and goes really well with the instrumental. Great showcase of his energy. 8/10 It's All Right / For Sentimental Reasons: Great audience interaction, I usually don't like it but I think he does it well here. I like For Sentimental Reasons more, but they're both really good. This performance must have been so fun to see. 9.25/10 Twistin' the Night Away: This managed to intensify the already powerful energy. Great sax, great intro, great at everything. 10/10 Somebody Have Mercy: Keeps up the energy from the previous track, with more saxophone. I ain't got leukemia. 9.75/10 Bring It On Home to Me: Nice buildup, although I have heard better. Hits so much harder on relisten, such a powerful voice and incredible instrumental. 9.75/10 Nothing Can Change This Love: Nice love song, a bit less energy than some of the other songs here, but his voice is still as powerful as ever. Also, who is on the sax? 8.5/10 Having a Party: Gone too soon, R.I.P. Pretty good outro, but much better as an exit for a live performance. Sadly, he was forced to quit. 9/10

this dude is a huge simp like omg.. it was gonna get a 5 for Feel It (Don’t Fight It) alone, but it got knocked down to a 4.5 because a few of the songs lost me a bit. but the fact that this was a live performance definitely saved it, I was in love the whole time and couldn’t stop smiling, I love when the crowd got to sing. But for real, almost every song was like “idc if you cheat on me or try to kill me or have another husband, I will always love u…” and it was super funny

“Don’t fight it - we’re gonna FEEL it tonight.” The album begins with those words and it just lives up to them throughout. Also, another “so that’s where that song comes from” moment occurred for me with Bring It On Home to Me. 5 stars because I had a goddamn blast.

Absolutely electric. I’ve only heard a few live albums that made me genuinely sad that I wasn’t there in the audience, but this one got me there. I felt like I had FOMO once I was done. Maybe the best compliment I can think of is that it makes me want to go to more live shows.

If my 10 Favorite Albums haven’t already revealed this, I live for R&B, Soul, and Funk. Sam Cooke is high up there for me for the best voices from this era. He’s also the reason I discovered King Curtis (it’d be dope to see him on this list). This is an excellent live performance that rivals any of Marvin Gaye’s live albums, whom I consider to be the best live artist in the genre.

GOD this is so fun! I almost burst into tears hearing people sing along to the songs. 62 years later, what a joy to hear people's joy. And I love Sam Cooke's singing. I previously said on a live Johnny Cash album that it helps to know the artist before listening to a live album. I disagree with myself. This was so fun. Sam Cooke was a master of putting together a setlist.

live music is great if you play music and your first reaction to this album isn't 'god damn it would be so cool to play in that band' then I don't know what to tell you

Yeah, hell yeah, rules, kicks ass, etc etc hell yeah

A week of piece of shit humans with amazing live albums.

so glad i finally got a soul album, i love sam cooke so much i can’t tell you how happy i was when i saw it was him, it was a live album tho and ive never listened to one before, so ive already heard all the songs on it, but jst bc its sam cooke i have to give it a 5

This was outstanding! An entire concert in 35 minutes, amazing! Great songs, great voice, great environment. Fantastic!

Album #16: Live at the Harlem Square Club - Sam Cooke Genre (according to Wikipedia): Soul, R&B No singles. Have you listened to this album and singer before?: Yes, once before. I also know several Sam Cooke songs. Thoughts?: First live album! I love Sam Cooke’s interactions with the audience and his performance! It sounds like he’s having a lot of fun and he feels right at home. I don’t know why the album wasn’t initially released, but it should’ve been! Favorite songs: All of it!! What scene does this album paint?: A late night jazz club, obviously, but also late nights with a loved one full of dancing and intimate moments. File correlations: File #002: Heaven’s Helpers

Sam Cooke, right where he belongs. Perfect energy, perfect soul every time

never thought I would listen to a soul album and my god was it great. the vibes were through the roof throughout the entire thing and just made my day great.

Raw and sublime.

Absolute all timer album. So many great songs and an energetic performance. This will be going straight into my rotation.

I was a big fan of this one from top to bottom. Really well produced for a live album, and Cooke just displays so much charisma through the entire performance.

PERFECT TO RELAX AND HAVE A GOOD MOOD AGAIN

Loved, awesome to listen to

Peak rock and roll

Fantastic live album, it’s insane to me the record company hid this album because it was too gritty or whatever. His crowd work is great too, and the fact it was recorded all on one night and not selected “cafeteria style” over the course of a tour is the cherry on top. Good art subverts expectations and tbh I didn’t expect much out of Cooke. A good singer but sorta bland and inoffensive. I now realize that is a fraction of the truth, and that narrative was pushed to make the label more money. I wonder if they released this when they recorded it, would they have made more money in the long run? This was by far the best thing I’ve heard from Cooke. You don’t have to even be a fan of his work, appreciating it from a showmanship and stage performance aspect you can tell he’s not afraid to work the crowd. I was very impressed!

I don't want you, Operator, I want Sam Cooke 📞📞📞

Great stuff

Wow, see oli lahe

Fabulous early soul/rock n roll. I can hear how Sam's music influenced many others.

I’ve always loved this album. What always felt so fun about this is that I feel like these versions of these songs is how I often hear Cooke sing (with more grit and gospel) then how he was often recorded.

Lot of soul here and I think I could listen to Sam all day.

Im always complaining that live albums are not the best introduction to an artist. But when you know and love them then they can be absolutely top class. This is the pinnacle and showcases his voice, his energy, the showmanship and the brilliant band. The songs are obviously class as well.

What a voice.