Feb 24 2022
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5
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.
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May 27 2021
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5
This is the album that convinced me that I like live albums.
Breakneck pace, just an absolute amazing, iconic performance
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Feb 23 2021
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5
Totally electrifying live performance, raw and raucous but still note-perfect — breathes new life into songs I've heard to the point of fatigue
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Jun 14 2021
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4
I didn't expect this to be this fucking awesome. Chain Gang is a real banger. I'm very impressed with this.
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Apr 20 2021
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3
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
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Jul 16 2021
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5
This was fantastic. Sam Cooke has an incredible voice - so much soul and feeling going into every song. Well worth multiple listens.
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Jan 03 2022
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5
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.
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Sep 05 2021
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5
Sounds like the best party ever
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May 16 2021
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5
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
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Jun 25 2021
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5
I can only imagine how great he was live. Would have loved to see him
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Aug 09 2021
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1
“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
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Aug 17 2021
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5
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.
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Sep 28 2021
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5
Loved listening to this and feeling like I'd been transported to Harlem in the 60's. His voice sounds even better live.
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Sep 04 2021
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5
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.
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Mar 30 2021
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5
Better than I expected. Has a really enjoyable mood.
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Jun 25 2021
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4
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.
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May 22 2024
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5
"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.
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Feb 22 2022
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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.
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Feb 15 2022
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5
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.
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Jan 06 2022
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5
How have I not heard this album before. Feel It is a banger. Excellent setlist. Very danceable.
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Aug 18 2023
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4
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.
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May 27 2024
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3
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.
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May 16 2024
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3
maybe it’s heresy but i like the studio sam cooke better
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Mar 20 2021
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3
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.
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Jun 22 2021
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2
Sounds a great gig to be at but the production makes it a difficult to rate highly.
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Sep 10 2024
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5
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.
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Sep 10 2024
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4
Great sounding record, as good as a greatest hits just missing What A Wonderful World
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May 15 2024
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4
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😬
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May 11 2024
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4
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
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May 25 2024
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3
Decent soul album, but didn't grab me.
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Jan 23 2024
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3
Great energy, great voice but a bit samey throughout.
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Feb 26 2022
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2
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.
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Nov 29 2021
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2
Catchy, didn’t like the live audience part
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Feb 19 2025
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5
Wow this is a banger start to finish. Redeems live albums for me. Outstanding
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Feb 17 2025
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5
Incredible to know that his voice could manage a whole set like that with no loss of tone! Favourite - Bring It On Home To Me
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Feb 17 2025
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5
Incredible live album, certified by my dad as a classic. Infectious energy from an amazing vocalist
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Feb 17 2025
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5
it ain’t leukemia! ❤️
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Oct 12 2024
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5
Ich muss mir echt mehr Live-Alben anhören, besonders von kitschig-romantischer Musik
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Feb 15 2025
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5
Die stem...
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Feb 14 2025
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5
Justifiably reckoned to be one of the greatest live albums. Crank up the volume on your high-end hi-fi, let the raw production wash over you and you're right there at one of the front tables.
Top tracks for me are Chain Gang, Cupid and Twistin' The NIght Away
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Feb 11 2025
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5
This thing is HOT! Crazy to think that the label sat on this record for over two decades before releasing it, as it was deemed 'too gritty' at the time of recording. Sam's voice commands the crowd - you can practically feel the sweat flying off of him - and the band is relentless for the entire duration. I was fully transported into the rowdy Florida club where the thing was recorded for the entire 38 minutes. Definitely need to check out Sam's other records!
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Feb 09 2025
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5
Same Cooke is an absolute legend, love this.
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Feb 08 2025
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5
Feel like you’re right at the foot of the stage. Top-five album for me.
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Feb 07 2025
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5
Performance and recording are outstanding, I can almost smell the cigarettes, taste the scotch and feel the energy.
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Feb 06 2025
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5
Невероятная энергия от голоса и инструментов, обожаю такое звучание.
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Feb 06 2025
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5
every musician dreams of a performance like this
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Feb 05 2025
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5
This album slaps
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Feb 03 2025
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5
Unmatched energy, really makes you feel like you're in the audience. Incredible live album.
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Feb 01 2025
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5
I mean, come on.
A Sam Cooke live album? What the hell am I supposed to do - dislike this album? My god the energy pouring out of this man and this band into the crowd, and the energy they throw back at them is incredible. I can't imagine what it was like in The Harlem Square Club (oddly not actually located in New York City...). The record label apparently didn't want to release this at the time, as they feared it would damage Cooke's more clean cut image. They felt it was too raw, too raucous. Maybe they were right, but I'm glad it came out two decades later because this is a treasure.
I would love to have seen him live in this period. A show like this must've been incredible. Five stars.
Standout Tracks: Feel It (Don't Fight It), Chain Gang, Medley: It's All Right/For Sentimental Reasons, Twistin' the Night Away, Bring it on Home to Me
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Jan 28 2025
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5
Absolute legend 🔥🔥
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Jan 28 2025
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5
Soooooo good
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Jan 28 2025
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5
Awesome record! From start to finish. One of the best live albums I have ever heard. Intense and raw. Never knew Sam Cooke was so rock n' roll. Few records I've heard that can transport you to a time and place like this one. Up there with Springsteen live at Hammersmith Odeon from the 70s.
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Jan 27 2025
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5
Here's a case where the year released might be brought into question. Ostensibly, yes this is a live album from soul singer-songwriter Sam Cooke that was recorded at the Harlem Square Club in Miami back in 1963, and it was originally planned to be released later that year. However, this live album would end up shelved until its release in 1985. The reason for this prolonged delay was that Sam's label RCA Records wanted to protect his squeaky-clean image that was presented on earlier albums. I'm sure this notion sounds ludicrous today, but upon reflection of where America was in 1963 during the civil rights movement, it was probably a calculated strategy for the time to keep selling his records to white people. Only years later did RCA executive Gregg Geller discover the tapes and issue them out. At least this performance saw the light of day because it is amazing.
From the get-go with "Feel It", Sam Cooke carried such raw charisma in this live performance to elevate his typical doo-wop soul music into a more kinetic and energetic sound, aided by his backing band playing at the same high intensity. Not to mention, the amount of times that he gets the crowd involved, whether it's getting people to shout the "uh's" and "ahh's" in "Chain Gang" or singing along to the chorus of "Having a Party" at the end.
Live at the Harlem Square Club is one of those live albums where I genuinely feel like I'm vibing with the audience, which is the highest praise I could give for such a legend in his element.
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Jan 24 2025
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5
Now THIS is what a live album should be! I've listened to a few live albums for this project so far. Some have been pretty enjoyable listens, and others are Live at the Star Club, Hamburg. Once again, fuck Jerry Lee Lewis. Sam Cooke, though? He's cool. I like him. He's one of the most influential soul artists of all time, so you already know I'm gonna like this. So, does Live at the Harlem Square Club, 1963 live up to my expectations? It absolutely does and then some. This album is excellent. There's not a ton of complexity to the album, but the execution and artistry is so top-notch especially for 1963 that you just have to respect this album for what it is. The energy here is amazing. This is one of those beautiful instances where an album being a live album really enhances the listening experience for a full-album listen. Sam's singing does a great job at playing into the energy of the other musicians. The writing has aged fairly well. It also has the benefit of being mostly written by Sam Cooke himself, so that's great! This album really doesn't have any filler to it. Some live albums are bogged down by downtime between songs that just doesn't usually work. Take that Jerry Lee Lewis one for example. I was constantly being reminded that I was, in fact, listening to music by a man who married his 13 year old cousin. This album? Sam's introduced at the beginning, there's a few little moments of him saying like a single sentence between a few songs, he has an outro at the end, and that's it. Other than that, the whole thing is basically just a non-stop musical event. That's what I want to hear! I don't have a ton of other things to say. This album represents the best of what early 60s soul can be. Energetic, yet still with an emotional core that gives the music some, well, soul! This is one of the best live albums I've ever heard. Light 5/5.
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Jan 23 2025
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5
Never heard this album before. Sam Cooke was definitely a performer. Great suggestion.
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Jan 21 2025
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5
Really easy listening to
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Jan 20 2025
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5
Masterpiece !
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Jan 19 2025
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5
Із всіх класичних концертних альбомів про які я тут писав - цей, безперечно, є найкращим.
Адже на ньому ти, дійсно, відчуваєш як «теплота» яку випромінюють виконавці - «запалює» людей, що прийшли насолодитися найвишуканішим #soul та #rhythmandblues, який я тільки чув у своєму житті.
А їх щира радість, справді, дарує «відчуття присутності».
У результаті, завдяки поєднанню чутливого виконання та бурхливої реакції публіки, що навіть часом дуже влучно підспівує.
Утворюється, не з чим незрівнянна, атмосфера «магічної пристрасті», яку просто можливо створити у студії.
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Jan 17 2025
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5
Fantastic!!!
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Jan 16 2025
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5
Love how this sounds...both raw and raucous
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Jan 16 2025
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5
Such an uplifting and energetic live album!
Not sure how I feel about live albums on this exercise, but hey ho, I really enjoyed it.
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Jan 15 2025
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5
Amazing. Lots of fun and just what a grey Tuesday needed.
I plan on listening to his on my deck in the summer heat with the BBQ burning me some tasty food.
Highly recommend !!
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Jan 14 2025
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5
Great vocal performance and excellent songs. Southside Johnny clearly loved this.
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Jan 11 2025
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5
One of my favourite live albums ever. Love the rawness of it, it isn’t polished in the studio like most live albums.
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Jan 10 2025
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5
Goes incredibly hard even 60 years later
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Jan 09 2025
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5
Killer live album! I’ve loved Sam Cooke for a long time, but this showed a very different side compared to his studio recordings. Very gritty and raw, as others have noted, and the energy is electric. He has an almost James Brown stage presence, and the set moves at a speedy pace with no slowdown.
Admittedly, the sound quality isn’t great (it was 1963) but in a way that, along with the audience noise throughout, adds to the recording and really makes you feel like you’re there.
Not sure how often I’ll come back to it, but as an experience it’s fantastic
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Jan 08 2025
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5
Some live albums are real drags that just end up being the most dogshit low quality performance recorded on the 1970s equivalent of an iPhone microphone.
This is not one of those albums, this is one where it being live complements an already strong performance with the strong atmospheric element of an audience that is absolutely loving the show. Really makes you want to be in the crowd.
What it doesn’t make you want to be is Sam Cooke’s date on the night of December the 11th 1964.
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Jan 08 2025
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5
I love Soul, but never in a million years would I think that an R&B album would be my favourite album OAT.
But this takes that cake.
Absolute masterpiece, after first listen proceeded to listen another 4 times back to back
10/10
Fav tracks - Perfect Album
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Jan 07 2025
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5
That is incredible fidelity for a live recording. Sounds amazing and his voice is incredible. Iconic. Classic songs. The live album feels like a documentary of a bygone era.
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Jan 04 2025
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5
I love this album!
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Jan 03 2025
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5
un disco muy alegre y bonito! :)
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Jan 03 2025
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5
Sam Cooke is an unusually special artist for his enduring appeal generations later. His voice is beautiful, smooth, and just pulls me in. More importantly, he is able to address deep racial topics, even bring hope that they might change, but also get me dancing on the same album. I personally believe his untimely death was orchestrated by the CIA because his appeal and ability to keep our ugliest racial problems at the forefront of the public discourse was indeed dangerous to the status quo.
This performance displays greatly how appealing Sam was. How amazing it would have been to hear him live! I'm familiar with several of these songs, and it's a truly talented musician that can make the live version better than the recorder version. The joy in the crowd comes across in the recording. RIP Sam Cooke, and rest easy knowing we're still "Having a Party" in your honor.
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Dec 31 2024
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5
This is a great live album. The intimacy of the recording almost makes you feel like you were there.
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Dec 30 2024
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5
Sam Cooke. Period.
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Dec 27 2024
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5
One of the few live albums I own and play frequently. He was an incredible talent and it is showcased on this recording. Everyone sounds like they are having a blast on stage and in the crowd.
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Dec 24 2024
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5
Great album, really enjoyed it!
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Dec 24 2024
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5
0003 / 23.12.2024
I listened to the One Night Stand version because it's the only one available on Spotify. Anyways, this is absolute joy and magic. I never heard a single Sam Cooke song before, and now he's my favorite soul singer, even better than Marvin Gaye.
The introduction itself is already very energetic. Feel It is going straight to my favorite songs list, with currently 165 songs out of the almost 4000 I have on my main playlist. This album is just banger after banger, every single song is so great
Also I need to know the exact location of the place where the people are so gay. Just for research purposes, of course. No queer intentions on my mind
Choruses - ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Mixing - ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Lyrics - ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Vocals - ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Instrumentation - ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Rating - 100
Highlights: Feel It; Cupid; Twistin' the Night Away; Somebody Have Mercy; Bring It On Home to Me; Having a Party
Lowlights: N/A
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Dec 24 2024
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5
I just recently really got into Sam Cookes music, so that's a nice coincidence. I've avoided this album so far because I usually don't like live albums at all. This one however is outstanding. The crowd interaction is part of the performance as much as the music, rather than getting in the way, and everything works together flawlessly to create an incredible experience that really captures what a great time it must've been to be at the venue back then. I expect to come back to this album many times, and I'll give more live albums in general a chance as well.
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Dec 17 2024
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5
rockin live album full of hits
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Dec 12 2024
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5
Sam Cooke is a voice that no one could ever imitate. This live record shows off the incredible range and energy of his voice.
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Dec 10 2024
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5
Love it. Love how he interacts with the crowd. Classic songs from him too.
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Dec 07 2024
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5
Dy no mite
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Dec 06 2024
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5
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!
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Dec 06 2024
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5
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.
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Dec 05 2024
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5
One of the few live recordings that really captures how magical the performance is.
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Dec 04 2024
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5
Some live albums are legendary. This is one of them.
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Nov 25 2024
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5
This is the best live album of all time.
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Nov 22 2024
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5
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.
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Nov 16 2024
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5
High energy party classic!
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Nov 13 2024
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5
I expected smooth crooning and got taken to a party.
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Nov 13 2024
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5
wham bam
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Nov 12 2024
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5
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.
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Nov 12 2024
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5
Pretty easy 5/5 for me, the level of energy is infectious thanks to Sam's performance and the live crowd
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Nov 11 2024
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5
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.
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Nov 11 2024
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5
So much energy on this live album, it's almost magical. Solid 5 Stars.
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Nov 11 2024
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5
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.
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Nov 09 2024
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5
Chefs kiss
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Nov 07 2024
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5
Not only is this the best quality live album I've ever heard, this is one of the best albums this website has ever given me. Cooke's voice is infectious and silky smooth and it's a shame that he left us so soon.
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Nov 05 2024
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5
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.
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Nov 04 2024
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5
This was cool. Energy and urgency.
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