James Brown & The Famous FlamesRemember when you first heard pre-Atlantic era Bob Marley? The revelation of timelessness, the awe, the sheer beauty of singular genius in its full flower?
I had that moment again last night.
I picked up James Brown & the Famous Flames - Live at the Apollo (Remastered 1962) on iTunes, and my life got a tiny bit better the moment I heard this album.
James and the Flames open with 'I'll Go Crazy'- this is perhaps the nastiest goove in living history, and with those early 60's backing vocals are of a sweetness... It's nigh perfect. James is just plain on, and sings throughout the show with a fire and precision that must be heard. Am I allowed to say this is the best singing I've ever heard? Ok, I guess I just did.
'Lost Someone' is a 6/8 feel torch ballad that put me in that musical transcendental revery, loving even how the air felt around me as the band did it's thing and James got down. And then I could hear the folks up in that room feeling that same way in 1962. At the Apollo. Feelin' it.
Here, the iTunes reviewer hit it exactly , the sound of the band, the audience (!), and the room itself, adds so much to the experience of listening to this album. You are there in Harlem in 1962 with every single one of those cats. You can really feel the arc of the vibe from one song to another. Other standouts are the steamy, laid back 'I Don't Mind', and of course, 'Think', which is a great example of James Brown's melodic mastery, that one little line of a chorus is just pure gold. Really though, there's almost no point in picking favorites. This performance is a historical moment. Like, what's your favorite part of the Declaration of Independence? You don't know, it was just an event. It rocked. That's that. Well, on that night at the Apollo, so did James. Get this.
p.s. By the way, Does anyone know how to get last.fm to list this classic as an album?
Here, the iTunes reviewer hit it exactly , the sound of the band, the audience (!), and the room itself, adds so much to the experience of listening to this album. You are there in Harlem in 1962 with every single one of those cats. You can really feel the arc of the vibe from one song to another. Other standouts are the steamy, laid back 'I Don't Mind', and of course, 'Think', which is a great example of James Brown's melodic mastery, that one little line of a chorus is just pure gold. Really though, there's almost no point in picking favorites. This performance is a historical moment. Like, what's your favorite part of the Declaration of Independence? You don't know, it was just an event. It rocked. That's that. Well, on that night at the Apollo, so did James. Get this.
p.s. By the way, Does anyone know how to get last.fm to list this classic as an album?
