For decades James Brown was America’s preeminent showman and The Apollo Theater in Harlem was America’s preeminent live music venue. It’s only natural that these would come together in the fall of 1962 for Brown’s first live album and the first live album ever recorded at the Apollo. It’s soul dynamite packed into a tidy 31-minute package and proved to be a massive commercial success, spending 66 straight weeks on the Billboard charts.
Brown was one of the first 10 inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at its inaugural induction in 1986. “The Godfather of Soul” was noted for his raucous live performances that he continued to delight audiences with right up until his death at the age of 73 in 2006. As the self-anointed hardest-working man in show business his energy was custom-tailored (like his bedazzled suits) for the electric energy at the Apollo, and that connection with the crowd comes through in the recording, especially during the 11-minute run of “Lost Someone” where Brown plays cat-and-mouse with the crowd in a wonderfully cheeky call and refrain. He had them in the palm of his hand all night.
Listening to this album sixty years later, you get the feeling he still does.
Standout Songs: “Lost Someone”, “I’ll Go Crazy”, “Night Train”
