I feel so good I wanna SCREAAAAAAAM!
Our whole thing was based on James Brown. We listened to "Live At the Apollo" endlessly on acid. We would listen to that in the van in the early days of 8-tracks on the way to the gigs to get us up for the gig. If you played in a band in Detroit in the days before The MC5, everybody did "Please, Please, Please" and "I Go Crazy." These were standards. We modeled The MC5's performance on those records. Everything we did was on a gut level about sweat and energy. It was anti-refinement. That's what we were consciously going for.
— Wayne Kramer, guitarist with MC5.
Live at the Apollo is the first Live Album by American soul musician James Brown, released in 1963 through King Records. The album had no new material, just hits from his previous studio albums. As this was still early in Brown's exceptionally long hit packed career it's by no means his definitive album, but is certainly seen as his best Live Album. This classic was a commercial bestseller from the start and spent 66 weeks on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart. In 2004 it was included in the National Recording Registry for being "historically, culturally and aethestically significant."
Tracklist note
- "Introduction To James Brown And The Famous Flames" (1:49)
- "I'll Go Crazy" (2:05)
- "Try Me" (2:27)
- "Think" (1:58)
- "I Don't Mind" (2:28)
- "Lost Someone" (10:43)note
- "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" (6:27)
- "Night Train" (3:26)
The 2004 Deluxe edition adds the single mix of "Think" (2:01), "Medley: I Found Someone/ Why Do You Do Me/ I Want You So Bad (single mix) (2:10), "Lost Someone (single mix) (2:43) and "I'll Go Crazy" (single mix) (2:18).
Personnel
- James Brown: vocals
- Bobby Byrd: baritone/bass vocals
- Bobby Bennett and Lloyd Stallworth: tenor vocals
- Fats Gonder: introduction
Trope Me
- Audience Participation: A funny moment occurs when Brown sings the line "I know now you're gonna miss me" and someone in the audience says: "I sure do!"
- Break Up Song: "I'll Go Crazy"If you leave me I'll go crazyCause I love you, I love you, I love you too much!
- Careful with That Axe: It's a James Brown album, what do you expect? Some girls in the audience also shriek ear piercingly loud.I wanna hear you say: "AAAAAAAAAW!
- I Have Many Names: Brown is introduced as the "Hardest Workin' Man In Show Business".
- Epic Rocking: The 10:43 "Lost Someone" and the 6:27 medley that follows it.
- Funk: Pioneered it.
- Live Album: One of the classics in all genres. However, the album only starts off when James Brown is introduced. The original show opened with a short instrumental set, before the main act was brought on stage.
- Listing Cities and List Song: "Night Train" names several train station destinations.
- Medley: Brown sings one near the end.
- Non-Appearing Title: The title does not appear on any of the tracks.
- One-Word Title: "Please Please Please".
- Singer Namedrop: During the intro.
- Spoken Word in Music: The introduction by the MC Fats Gonder:So now, ladies and gentlemen: it's star time! Are you ready for star time?!
(cheering, screaming and applauding crowd)
Thank you and thank you very kindly. It is indeed a great pleasure to present to you at this particular time, national and international known as "The Hardest Workin' Man In Show Business":
Man who sang "I Go Crazy"!
(cheering, screaming and applauding crowd)
"Try Me"!
(cheering, screaming and applauding crowd)
"You've Got the Power"!
(cheering, screaming and applauding crowd)
"Think"!
(cheering, screaming and applauding crowd)
"If You Want Me"!
(cheering, screaming and applauding crowd)
"I Don't Mind"!
(cheering, screaming and applauding crowd)
"Bewildered"!
(cheering, screaming and applauding crowd)
Million-dollar seller "Lost Someone"!
(cheering, screaming and applauding crowd)
The very latest release "Night Train"!
(cheering, screaming and applauding crowd)
It's everybody "Shout and Shimmy"!
Mr. Dynamite, the amazing Mr. "Please Please" himself, the star of the show: James Brown and the Famous Flames! - Re-Cut:
- Due to its nearly 11-minute length, the original LP release and most cassette releases split "Lost Someone" into two parts, cleft in twain by the switch from one side to the next. CD reissues include the song as one track.
- The 2018 cassette reissue bumps up the medley so that it directly follows "Think", closing out side one, with "I Don't Mind" and "Lost Someone" being moved to side two as a result.
- Train Song: "Night Train", where James basically lists all the destinations the night train goes to.
