The James Brown Show: Live At The Apollo

This record is so tight - it’s shocking it’s a live record. A brisk 30 minutes, James Brown and his band never miss a beat.

Instrumentals were great, the songs were good. I’m preferential to later James Brown, this was cool but mostly ballads.

Would be so much better if it wasn’t a live album by him

The sounds isn't great the but the performance is pure heat. Incredibly tight rhythm section doing instant switches between soul ballads and funk rave ups so uptempo it sounds like they're playing on 1.5x. The horns and bass carry the songs along, with some subtle guitar counter melodies and syncopation. It's all about the the vocals though: they reach beyond his throat's breaking point becoming raw screams and then dive back to controlled crooning. The songs are mostly short RnB/pop compositions that don't develop into the deeper grooves of later 60s/70s funk. They introduce James Brown and then it's over before you know it.

Best live album I've ever heard!

This album sounds very dated. Much of it seems like a holdover from the 50s. I’d like to think I like James Brown but I don’t really know.

I don't normally agree with live albums being on here, but this one is an exception. There's such energy on here, and the recording is great. James Brown sounds like he has the crowd eating out of his hands. I'm not very familiar with his work, so this serves as a good "Greatest Hits" of his early period as far as I can see.

Get up!

Performance was stellar, even when the songs weren’t as strong. Wasn’t until “Lost Someone” that I understood the gravity this concert/live album possessed.

February 6, 2023

I love the dramatic way in which the MC introduces not only James Brown but the whole damn set list. When live albums go right, they go oh-so right. And this recording is a shining example of the live magic a master like James Brown can summon up. I feel like I'm right there, screaming along with the ladies, body swaying with the crowd. Those interludes, though... it's like I'm in church!

All the funk

What a character! What a presence! What funky jams! What soulful ballads!

Uneven is the perfect word. Some great things, some really not great things. It's fine.

Really not a fan of live albums. I could see why this is a must listen to, but nothing really stuck out that made making it live any more important to it's musicality. Just a lot of screaming. My favorite song was the middle part of the medley for the fact that people would just let the man sing. Obviously he's having fun with the crowd, having them participate, but it's not that fun for the actual listener. Seems like I'd prefer an album by Brown that isn't live, huh?

Love James Brown a great live album. But I did find the crowd noise a little annoying so loses a star for that.

I'm normally not a huge fan of live albums but I'll have to make an exception for this. The energy is electric, with a feedback loop between JB and the crowd. I find it completely enthralling.

I wanted to like this, but I didn't.

The band were great, James Brown was alright, the audience screams were grating. Odd way to end a live album with a dead close, no applause, just ends.

The quality of this recording of a live performance puts a massive swath of studio albums to shame. Sure, we lose Mr. Brown a bit while he's working the crowd, but that's the price you pay to work the instrument that is the audience; and it's worth it in the long run, as the crowd swells and swoons along with the tracks.

Literally every song is winner. I couldn't help but move my feet and wiggle in my seat as I listened along to tracks like "Think", "Night Train" and even the various instrumental brides. When things slowed down on "Try Me" and "I Don't Mind" I was still swaying along and hanging on every verse.

This album provides a glimpse into the undeniable fact that James Brown (and his band) had mastered the art of the stage show, and that's even without being able to see his expressions and footwork.

I wish I had had the chance to see them myself. That chance has passed. But I'm glad to have albums like this, so I can at least glimpse into the experience and carry the energy on in my heart.

Good, but no better. Live album was interesting, and loved the introduction he was given. Didn't know many of the songs, but all pretty catchy. Will come back to when I'm not driving, so I can listen more fully

Short, sharp bursts of funk. I'm generally not a fan of live albums, but this one's worth a listen just to hear the sheer amount of fervour Brown generated.