Live At The Harlem Square Club by Sam Cooke

Live At The Harlem Square Club

Sam Cooke

3.75
Rating
28303
Votes
1
2%
2
7%
3
29%
4
38%
5
24%
Distribution

Reviews (page 14 of 14)

Fun enough... Why is this one of the top 1001 albums though lol

Great live album experience but honestly didn’t love it all that much 2/5

Quite poor quality

Much worse than most Sam Cooke recordings, which is not how I usually feel about live records

Not my thing but not bad

De charme van een live album gaat me meestal voorbij. Ge had er bij moeten zijn zeker?

Cupid is a great song, but that is the only one I would listen to again.

Some hits and good energy, but mostly made me remember how good live albums can be.

Meh. I tried to groove with it, and it was okay.

Music is good. Lyrics and vocals are meh, and the repetition is a real killer. Live albums are just not it. Fav tracks: N/A

old school jazz/funk, definitely not really my style

It was okay. I am not big on live albums but apparently this is one of the best out there? Idk, it was okay but not my preferred way to listen to music...

Great voice, classic Motown, no songs really stood out

En tiiä. Ei erityisen kiinnostavaa.

Not my soul brother number 1, however good he was, it's too lounge for me

I wanted to like this, I felt like a lot of the songs hooked me at first, but then it just collapsed into what every live album from this era seems to sound like. Everyone is having a blast, sure, but I'm not there, and so each song sounding the same is a lot more noticeable, and the album feels nearly there with each new song that appears, but it seems to always to devolve to something about swinging. I understand why people would like this, but I feel not invited to the party everyone on this album is having, but I wanted to stay home that night anyway.

Not really vibing with this one. I see the appeal, but it being a live show just makes me wish I was there actually experiencing it. 3/10

I know the name, but nothing else. Live albums can be tricky. Especially going back in time... The recording and mixing technology have come a long way. Out of the gate, this appears to be a vocal forward mixing marred by all of the fuzziness of the era's recording technology. That said, they put their energy in the right place. This man has a hell of a voice. Chain Gang sounds a bit messy. Unsure if that is crowd noise or some disconnect between the band and the vocals, but it feels disjoint. Cupid is a catchy damned song. Twistin' The Night Away is some good, clean Rock N' Roll. Pretty much exactly what I think of when I imagine dancing in the 1950s. Bring It on Home to Me is the high point of this album for me. Sam works the crowd with a slow bluesy number that breaths naturally. This leads into Nothing Can Change This Love, which once again borrows from the blues spirit. Okay, so Sam can sing real good. I would absolutely pay to see him live and probably beg him to have my babies. That said, the album as a whole doesn't do a hell of a lot for me. It is very solid Rock N' Roll with a lot of blues influences, but nothing in particular stands out other than the power behind this man's diaphragm. I'm a hard 2 leaning 3 on this one.

Honestly.... I expected better. I like Sam Cooke but this wasn't great.

- Love the energy - I don't agree with a live album being on this list but I enjoyed it - Wouldn't go back to it - 2.5

I thought this was a pretty good album. Couple of songs I knew that are good songs.

Gezellig maar niet wauw

This album didn't connect with me. I found the live recording to subtract from the performance of the tunes. The energy of the set didn't move me.

Eh, nothing particularly interesting to me

Pretty boring tbh

Good music, but I don't quite dig the live concept on this one

One of those great Sunday afternoon albums. Love the feel of the songs in the live setting but not a record I’d visit too often

Adequate. But not great

Normally enjoy live albums but the audience/mixing took away from an otherwise electric performance. Appreciate this was recorded at an intimate venue but I found it difficult to listen to.

De los inicios del rock. Buena voz, con enganche con el público y con algo de instrumentos que acompañan bien

Soul Twist - 1 star Feel It (Don't Fight It) - 3 stars Chain Gang - 3 stars Cupid - 3 stars Medley: It's All Right / For Sentimental Reasons - 3 stars Twistin' The Night Away - 3 stars Somebody Have Mercy - 2.5 stars Bring It on Home to Me - 1 star Nothing Can Change This Love - 3 stars Having a Party - 2 stars

Perfectly pleasant, until he insisted on getting the audience to sing but had to tell them the lyrics and rushed saying the line. I don't care about hearing Katie from Miami voice...

I did not enjoy this at all. I know it’s old but, that’s no excuse for how lame this is, the live aspect didn’t help at all. Smooth voice but the backing band wasn’t exciting enough to carry these lame singalong lyrics about shaking your wife awake for some reason. This sucked 2 stars

bien qsy, 6/10

Not for me but not terrible.

Skipped through most of the songs - didn't find them particularly interesting or exciting.

As a complete amateur when it comes to soul or R&B, it's no surprise that I have never heard of Sam Cooke. Apparently during his short life he was good enough to be called King of Soul. I have done this 'research' before listening to this album. I've also read that this recorded concert is treated as one of the best in the history of music, and Sam Cooke himself was more raw and unleashed on it, then during his studio albums. So I approached it with some expectations and hope. It quickly turned out that even the greatest Soul albums are not for me. I could hardly concentrate on the songs, as it was definitely not appealing to me. Sam could sing, that is a given, his band had some talented musicians, but they were in a different Solar System then I usually operate in. I feel ashamed of giving this album such a bad note, but as point of this exercise, I have to rate it as I enjoyed, and unfortunately, I didn't enjoyed it at all. Maybe my musical taste will expand with time.

I don't mind the music, but it's one of those albums where the live element gets annoying

I'd have loved to have been there to see this live. But simply listening to it falls pretty flat.

Not much of a fan of live albums.

I don't like the live aspect of the album. I think it distracts from the music, and doesn't recreate the live atmosphere in my lounge.

Not my cup of tea

This is the second live album from Sam Cooke, recorded in 1963. The record company thought the album was too raw and potentially damaging to their image, so they kept it in their archive until release in 1985. Sam Cooke was firstly a gospel singer that transitioned into soul and pop music. This album displays his talent as a singer and crowd entertainer - as he gets them to sing along. This album is regarded as one of the best live soul albums. It revealed a rougher Sam Cooke that was exploding with soul and gospel energy. I agree that the live recording must have been a lot of fun to witness and listen to, but this music has aged over the years and is not my cup of tea. To each their own, I still think it's a great live album.

Nice horns, not my musical taste probably would not listen again.

Sensational voice. It's a fun album, but the songwriting isn't all that interesting to me, so I'm torn. A lot of the songs are the the band jamming between 2-4 chords in the same order for the entire song. The medley was a bit more interesting, with dominant 2nd and 3rd chords. All the tracks are good on their own I'd say, but they're all so similar to one another that as an album it doesn't have much impact on me. My verdict: fun, enjoyable music to dance to, but not impactful to me as an album. I really liked the sax solo in Twistin' Even though I didn't love this album I'll always love his song "A Change is Gonna Come"

Nice, some great songs, some too naive. Not an album I will find myself listening to in any circumstances

No me gusta el swing.

Probz pretty cool 1963, men inte jätteintressant idag (fight me)

klassisk old school soul

Mjah, best leuk een keer gehoord te hebben. Maar wel een beetje veel van hetzelfde.

Niet onaardig maar toch echt niet mijn ding om vaker te luisteren.

под настроение чисто. у меня его не было

Un disco en directo con la calidad que se podía conseguir en 1963. Lo mejor la intensidad y el ritmo. Interesante pero poco más.

I love Sam Cooke but live albums are rough

Bit repetitive and not my scene

Didnt like the live

This is the first Live album that I've got which I didn't enjoy at all. I just don't like hearing the crowd going maniacal in the background, it really takes away from the quality of the music. Also Sam is definitely pandering and doing his best to rile them up while they yell at him between tracks. His voice is undeniably great, and the band has some really excellent sound. The screaming children between tracks is just a massive negative mark against this album. It brings an otherwise okay album down to annoying. This one is getting left behind with a 3/10.

I usually like this sort of music, however I just don’t think Sam Cooke’s voice is for me. I felt like the recording of this album made it 10x worse.

A live album. Uh oh. It feels like I'm stood outside the bar listening through an open window. I absolutely hate the patronising crowd interaction. I hate it at any gig I go to. Reminds me of bad school memories. I think I need an actual studio recording to appreciate this.

Don't like live albums

boring

Not my thing at all!!... managed a few tracks, but something about the rhythm just got on my nerves 🤣 maybe because I was driving and it wasn't doing it for me, dunno - had to turn it off anyway.

not a rock listener, but this was bareable.

didnt like it

I'm sorry soul fans, the music is fantastic but I just can't deal with the sound quality. I understand it's a record from its age, it mortifies me that I can't enjoy music recorded live from before the 80s. And even 80s music live sounds too raw and "amateur" with today's standards. I know there's nothing to be done and this is the way things were back then, but I don't like this sound.

bijo es chaxlechili jazz momashorettttt nu gmuit

1. zoul - 1 2. feel - 1.5 3. chain - 1 4. cupid - 1.5 5. right - 1.5 6. night - 1 7. mercy - 1.5 8. home - 1.5 9. love - 1.5 10. party - 1.5

Livealbum

not for me

Well it's basically gave old school vibes. I didn't like it that much,,but it was good

Great voice but live albums are pointless

Lowkey harsh.

Is this what smoking does to a person

not my kind of cookie

Not for me.

:/ why is this on here homie..

i guess i don't like soul music

Love me some Sam Cooke. DO NOT like this live performance.

Mierda. Soul

I'm not a big soul guy. I respect Sam Cooke as a singer but this isn't really my cup of tea.

I like sam cooke, but I don't like live albums

I don't really liked it. 1/5.

Live albums never work for me and I have yet to find the exception to the rule

This isn’t what I like!

Livealbum

Not really my taste.

Not for me.

Seems fun to dance to but not my style

Rubbish

Baby I’m gonna leave a review. Yeah leave a review. Leave a review. A review. A review. A review. Baby a review. Yeah.

It’s got energy but just can’t take another live album … Sam cooke is great but I wouldn’t realistically listen to this ever again.

I have always loved Sam Cooke, and now I know I love his studio work. I can't find a fair assessment for his crowd work other than to say it was persistently annoying. It felt like a preschool teacher coaching toddlers through his songs rather than an artist having fun with and letting his fans enjoy his songs. Maybe I was in a bad mood, but this was a disappointment.

Just no

Nicht meine Richtung

No comment

no so good

A bad start to my 2 week catchup. Combines my dislike of jazz and live albums.

Not my thing.

Nicht meine Musik

Live albums are not it

Recording quality sucks lmao Feel It - horribly basic melody and drums

Not a great performance to be Frank.

Live album

not memorable

No es el tipo de música y grabación que me gusta escuchar

Not for me

I'm always wary of albums with the tracklisting on the cover, but this one's pretty good. Read the Wikipedia page and the guy was a scumbag. Next.

Lo trovo abbastanza noioso.

fuck soul and rnb

Problematic gaur, gat ekki notið tónlistarinnar.

Ugh. A live album. I like Sam Cooke, but this is still just a live album.