Great musician, great voice, great energy, great live album. But we can sometimes feel a little too much of the live setting, the crowd cheering all the time and almost covering the music. The quality of the recording is not the best but it conveys the raw energy at least.
This album was recorded in 1963, but not released by the record label until 1985, apparently worried that this performance would damage Cooke’s reputation as a pop singer. Well, to put it bluntly, RCA are idiots. This is a fantastic performance - raw, unfiltered and soulful, bantering with an enthusiastic crowd and full of energy. Definitely one of the all time great live albums.