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Considered by fans and critics alike as one of the greatest of all "live" albums, James Brown's 1962 performance at the Apollo theatre remains one of his defining moments. The album is still Brown's most commercially successful, and when released became a million seller even without the pull of a hit single. New York was always warm to hip Black music and had long been supportive of the new stars like Brown, and it is that reception that gives the performance its rich atmopshere and emotional pull. Few performers would ever match Brown's ability to communicate with a crowd through music, and if ever any evidence was needed to confirm the fact that the Godfather of Soul is one of the great stage men, it is contained here. After an memorable introduction, we move through a series of late fifties masterpieces - "I'll Go Crazy", "Try Me" and "Think" - before the group are given the freedom to funk on an extended "Lost Someone" - that group including Bobby Byrd, Lloyd Stalworth and Teddy Washington - who are at their sublime syncopated best. Further into the album and a medley including "Please, Please, Please", "I Found Someone" and "I Want You So Bad" switches the party into overdrive, before a soaring version of "Nightrain" ends proceedings on an absolute high. Now with this expanded and remastered edition we also get several bonus cuts and informative liner notes, making an already essential album even more complete. Recommended.
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