#76 Live at the Apollo (1963) by James Brown
The 100 Greatest Albums of All Time
- 2025 Album Rank
- 76
- 2011 Album Rank
- 75
- Total Points
- 813
- Year Released
- 1963
- Billboard 200 Chart Peak
- 2
- Weeks at #1
- N/A
- RIAA Sales Certification
- N/A (Fewer than 500,000 copies sold)
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Live at the Apollo Album Details
Released in May 1963, Live at the Apollo is a landmark live album that captures James Brown and the Famous Flames at the peak of their early powers. Recorded on October 24, 1962, at the legendary Apollo Theater in Harlem, the album defied conventional wisdom at the time, live albums were considered commercial risks, and Brown had to finance the recording himself. But his gamble paid off. With its nonstop medleys, explosive energy, and screaming audience, Live at the Apollo became a sensation and helped establish Brown as a force in American music.
The album condenses a full night of sweat-drenched soul into a tight, seamless suite. From the moment Brown hits the stage with a medley that includes I'll Go Crazy, Try Me, and Think, he commands total control. The pacing, the stage banter, the unrelenting drive of the Famous Flames, every detail is meticulously rehearsed yet feels dangerously alive. By the time Brown collapses into Lost Someone and explodes into Night Train, it's clear this isn't just a concert, it's a spiritual catharsis. The album would go on to influence everyone from The Beatles to Public Enemy.
Interesting Facts about Live at the Apollo
- King Records initially refused to fund the recording, believing a live album would flop. Brown paid for it out of pocket, around $5,700, insisting it would showcase the true power of his stage show.
- The performance was recorded on a single night using a three-track reel-to-reel tape recorder. Despite the minimal setup, the sound quality is remarkably vivid, helping capture the immediacy of the performance.
- The Famous Flames, Bobby Byrd, Bobby Bennett, and Lloyd Stallworth, provided both choreography and vocal interplay. Their precise, coordinated showmanship was critical to the energy of Brown's act.
- The medleys on the album reflect Brown's live strategy: keep the music moving, reduce downtime between songs, and maintain a hypnotic flow. This approach became a blueprint for future soul and funk performances.
- Lost Someone is a 10-minute emotional tour de force that functions as the album's centerpiece. Brown stretches the song into a pleading sermon, with vocal acrobatics that stunned audiences and critics alike.
- The crowd at the Apollo, predominantly young, Black, and deeply connected to the music, responded with frenzied enthusiasm. Their energy is a key part of the album's sound and legacy.
- The album spent 66 weeks on the Billboard charts, peaking at No. 2, an astonishing feat for a live soul record in the early 1960s.
- Many later artists cited Live at the Apollo as a major influence, including Mick Jagger, who tried to emulate Brown's live energy during The Rolling Stones' early tours.
- Brown would go on to release several more live albums from the Apollo, including Live at the Apollo, Vol. II (1968) and Revolution of the Mind (1971), but the 1963 original remains the gold standard.
- The album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998 for its cultural and historical significance.
Live at the Apollo Tracklist
- Introductions to James Brown and The Famous Flames (by Fats Gonder)
- I'll Go Crazy
- Try Me
- Think
- I Don't Mind
- Lost Someone
- Medley: Please, Please, Please / You've Got the Power / I Found Someone / Why Do You Do Me / I Want You So Bad / I Love You, Yes I Do / Strange Things Happen / Bewildered / Please, Please, Please
- Night Train
