No one quite deserved the title of “The Hardest-Working Man in Show Business” more than James Brown. Seen as a father of several different musical styles, including funk and soul, Brown created a dynamic style that worked off the gospel, and R&B he had grown up listening to. With hits such as “Please Please Please,” Brown brought a chart-topping magic that challenged the popularity of primarily white success in the 1950s and 60s. There was a lot of white-washing in music, such as how the album cover for “Please Please Please” was manufactured to only show white people. Part of Brown’s legendary image was his heart-pounding live shows, which are shown no better than in “Live at the Apollo,” a live release from May 1963. Brown collaborated with his backing band, The Famous Flames, who assisted him on much of his early work.
From the eye catching watercolor of the album’s cover to the jazzy horn section behind each pounding beat, “Live at the Apollo” thrives on action and thrills, blitzing through its first five tracks like it’s sliding on smooth butter. The album soon reaches its highest point on “Lost Someone,” a nearly 11 minute romp through the vestiges of soul. The backing band acts as an anthem for victory as Brown laments a lost love, managing to somehow overtake the strong instrumentation with his beautiful, pleading vocals, almost like he’s begging on his knees at the sky. The cheering crowd, complimenting every track, are like their own distended vocal harmonies to Brown’s croon, cheering, but never to the point that they overtake the track, only adding to the atmosphere of the song, which is the same for the band, only complimenting Brown after he sings. If that wasn’t enough, the next song is the epic “Medley,” looking into Brown’s discography, and on its whole, the history of R&B up to that point, the song is a nine act play done in just six and a half minutes. If “Lost Someone” was a romp, “Medley” is a sprint only worthy of Usain Bolt. The album closes after that with “Night Train” not letting the action stop until the very last second with a train-chugging blues rhythm.
“Live at the Apollo” was a major success, reaching number two on the Billboard Pop Albums Chart, and becoming a favorite of DJs, who often liked to play the album in its entirety. The album is seen as the height of Brown’s early career, defining him as a star or R&B and soul, which would never quite be replicated, as Brown would go on to develop a more funk style during the late 1960s to 70s. James Brown would end up becoming a majorly sampled artist by people in hip-hop, and is seen as a near universal inspiration. This album is unlike anything else in music history, and is best heard to be believed.