The set was recorded at the Apollo Theatre on October 28th, 1962 and released the following year. It's the Godfather of Soul at his dynamic best. The album spent almost 70 weeks on the US charts peaking at #2. It was said that the only reason it didn't hold the #1 one spot is because its success was unexpected and stores simply couldn't supply the demand. Prior to 'Live at the Apollo' Brown had solidified himself on the R&B charts with a number of charting songs but was still to find wide spread success. 'Apollo' changed that an enhanced his growing reputation as the most electrifying performer in the country.
Brown was signed to 50s music honcho Syd Nathan's King Records. Nathan was one of the first American entrepreneurs to invest in 'Black' music. James Brown and Famous Flames had a less then stellar beginning for King's label with their first 9 singles failing to make an impact on the charts. It wasn't until 1958 when he released 'Try Me' did Brown and the Flames finally taste success. What followed for Brown was a string of successful singles. His reworked live outfit 'The James Brown Revue' solidified their standing as the greatest live act in America with Brown as the genres finest front man. Brown wished to reinforce his live reputation with a live recording but was meet with resistence from Nathan. In typical fashion Brown took matters into his own hands and paid for the album himself.
The recording predates many of the chunky grooves that would become Brown's trade mark instead presenting a collection of his earlier more 'conventional' hits. the building blocks of his pioneering sound are all here in high-octane live versions of 'I'll Go Crazy', 'Think' and especially the frantic closing performance of 'Night Train', while the ten-minute-plus rendition of 'Lost Someone' captures the sound of Brown baring his soul with an almost unbearable intensity, which drives the audience into a manic chorus of shouts and screams.
Brown would do 4 live records at the Apollo, 'Live at Apollo Vol. 2' was released in 1969, 'Revolution of the Mind: Live at the Apollo, Volume III' was released in '71 and 'Live at the Apollo 1995'. Fittingly his final show at the famous venue was his memorial service following his death on Christmas Day last year. A memorial like none other, an open casket was placed in the middle of the stage as his later day band the Soul Generals (this day featuring one time Brown band member Bootsy Collins) ran through a series of his hits with some of America's most prominent black performers guesting on vocals. It was a James Brown memorial!!
As an historical piece 'Live at the Apollo' is an invaluable reference to the soul/funk genres genesis, as a live record by the greatest live performer of them all its magic.
James Brown Live at the Apollo is available for download below. Further a few youtube videos of the great man at work.
James Brown Live at the Apollo
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