1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die - #38. Sam Cooke - Live At The Harlem Square Club (1963)

Sam Cooke - Live At The Harlem Square Club (1963)
Label - RCA
Producer – uncredited
Art Direction - uncredited
Nationality - USA
Running Time – 36:05

Track Listing (standout tracks listed in bold)

1. Feel It
2. Chain Gang
3. Cupid
4. Medley: It's All Right/For Sentimental Reasons
5. Twistin' the Night Away
6. Somebody Have Mercy
7. Bring It on Home to Me
8. Nothing Can Change This Love
9. Having a Party

Sam Cooke is considered by music critics and fellow artists alike as the most important singer in soul music history. I’ve always KNOWN about Sam Cooke – but never really heard more than his greatest hits from time to time over the years. The title "the king of soul" is often over-used but Sam Cooke's legacy is undeniable. He had 29 Top 40 hits in the U.S. between 1957 and 1965. He is therefore seen by many as "the creator" of the genre. But for those like me who only knew Sam Cooke's music based on those hit singles, this disc will be nothing short of a revelation. This is the real Sam Cooke, doing a sweaty, raspy soulful set captured live in his prime at the Harlem Square Club in North Miami, FL, on Jan. 12, 1963
This recording and one at the Copa were both recorded for a live album to be released at the time. The more generic, more pleasing , more polished “Sam Cooke at the Copa” recording (in front of a mainly white audience) was chosen to be released – and this recording went unreleased for almost 22 years!
In many ways this record is superior to Sam Cooke's studio recordings, the way in which he feeds off the public's attention and love is amazing. His interaction with the public make them as much part of the album as Sam himself.
Highly recommended