Black Merda - Black Merda (1970 - 320kbps)

After two months of horror and science-fiction themed posts, I've had a bit of trouble transitioning back to offering an eclectic selection of music this month, which many of you have come to expect from this blog. Considering I have another horror themed event lined up for December, it compounds the problem even further, as I have devoted most of my free time to researching and listening to horror-inspired music for the past three months.

I thought it might be best if I just continue to post albums that contrast with the darker material that I have been posting and will continue to post in December. While Black Merda's name might bring to mind the more morbid music that I've recently been sharing, they are actually a group which emerged during the late '60s that merged psychedelic rock. Before forming Black Merda, the three friends Anthony Hawkins, VC L. Veasey and Charles Hawkins all worked independently of one another as session musicians. Eventually they performed together as The Impacts, backing up several soul and R&B acts affialiated with Motown and Brunswick Records. In 1965 Edwin Starr hired the trio were hired to perform as the backing band for the single "Agent Double-O Soul". Starr was so impressed that he decided to hire the group as his permanent backing band afterwards, dubbing them the Soul Agents.

In the latter half of the '60s the group started undergoing a series of changes, which would eventually culminate in the formation of Black Merda. In 1966 the group was introduced to Jimi Hendrix, who would have a profound influence on the trio's approach to music. They began to drift away from their previous sound, choosing to refashion themselves as a rock power trio in the same vein as The Jimi Hendrix Experience. In 1967 Anthony Hawkin's brother Charles was also inducted into the group as a second guitar player to broad the group's sound. The group would continue to evolve, drawing inspiration from the newly emerging hard funk and soul scenes.

In 1968 the group decided to move on from their Soul Agents moniker and refashion themselves once again as Black Merda, a psychedelic funk rock group with socially conscious lyrics. In 1969 the group received their big break after Chess Records signed Black Merda to their label based on the recommendation of the famous Temptations member Eddie Kendricks. Chess released Black Merda's self-titled album in 1970. Despite being well received, the album suffered from a lack of promotion due to management changes that were taking place at Chess. The group's follow up efforts were also poorly promoted, prompting the members to return to performing as session musicians to make a living.

Looking back in hindsight the group is fondly remembered as one of the pioneering groups of the black psychedelic rock and heavy funk scene, paving the way for groups that expanded on their idea and would eventually eclipse them in fame, such as Fundadelic and The Bar-Kays. I consider Black Merda's self-titled debute album to be their best, and it ranks alongside some of my favorite forgotten groups that merged psychedelic rock with funk, soul and blues, such as Purple Image, the Cosmic Travelers, Blo, and Ofo The Black Company

Year of Release: 1970
Label: Chess
Genres: Psychedelic Rock, Funk, Soul
Bitrate: 320kbps

Track List:
1. Prophet
2. Think of Me
3. Cynthy-Ruth
4. Over And Over
5. Ashamed
6. Reality
7. Windsong
8. Good Luck
9. That's The Way It Goes
10. I Don't Want To Die
11. Set Me Free

Download: Black Merda - Black Merda
Download Size: 76MB

Fugi - Mary, Don't Take Me On No Bad Trip (1968)

That cover art is pretty ridiculous, but don't let that deter you on your mission to find yet another bad-ass album. Fugi, also known as Ellington Jordan, was a part of the Detroit Chess Records scene in the sixties. He was friends with Black Merda, and this CD is basically Black Merda with Fugi writing lyrics and singing. If you loved the Black Merda album posted by Zer0_II in October of last year as I did, what you will find here is something quite similar musically.

I heard this album and knew I had to post it because 1) it is jaw-droppingly groovy and 2) there is a copy for sale for $50 bucks on Amazon. Even the romantic love type ballads are awesome, so it makes for a consistently entertaining listening experience. The bass sounds sick, the wakajawaka guitar riffs are hypnotizing, and Fugi's voice is so full of soul it keeps me coming back for more. It is a real shame this is the only thing this particular line up recorded, at least as far as I know. It was never released until Tough City put it out on CD and LP in 1996.

Year of Recording: 1968
Year of Original Release: 1996
Year of Reissue: 2004
Label: Funky Delicacies
Catalog #: DEL CD 0004
Genre: Psychedelic Rock, Funk, Soul
Media: CD
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 320 kbps

Track List:
1 Revelations 5:37
2 Mary, Don't Take Me on No Bad Trip 6:30
3 I'd Rather Be a Blind Man 3:27
4 Can't You Hear Me Call You, Woman 4:27
5 Save A Little 3:33
6 Jo-Jo 4:29
7 Red Moon 5:54
8 Sweet Sweet Lady 6:10
9 Revelations (previously unreleased take) 5:22

Download: Fugi - Mary, Don't Take Me On No Bad Trip (1968)
Download Size: 103 MB

Otis Redding - Satisfaction (Live - Stax-Volt European Tour 1966)

OOtis Redding performing a cover of the Rolling Stone's classic "Satisfaction" during the Stax-Volt European Tour in 1966.

Fortunately he is backed by Booker T. and the MGs, the legendary Stax house band, in this video. I believe that Booker T. is playing the organ in this video, rather than piano. In addition to Booker T. there is Donald "Duck" Dunn delivering the wicked bass lines, Steve Cropper on guitar, Al Jackson Jr. on the drums, as well as the Memphis Horns.

I can't think of too many examples of an artist covering a song and truly making it their own. Both Mick Jagger and Keith Richards have even acknowledged that Redding's version was superior to their own. This marked the first time that a European audience was introduced to the gritty world of Memphis soul, and it is obvious from their reaction.

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The Abyssinian Baptist Gospel Choir - Shakin' The Rafters

Choosing which albums I would like to share with those of you who visit here can often be a difficult process. I've tried to offer a rather eclectic selection of music here, which makes it difficult at times to pin down exactly what type of music some of you would prefer to see posted here. Often times, albums that I think will receive a lot of attention fail to get a single comment, while albums that I think are risky choices are the ones that receive the most attention. When I first started the blog I had intended to primarily focus on sharing albums from my punk rock collection, but I eventually decided I would rather post whichever weird or obscure album I happened to be digging at the time, while trying to cover a wide variety of genres. I have yet to test the waters here with a gospel album, but hopefully this one will satisfy the uninitiated, as well as those who are familiar with it.

I am not a Christian, and I'll be the first to admit that I despise most aspects of organized religion; however, I'm a sucker for energetic and soulful music such as this, regardless of the religious message the music carries. I don't have much time on my hands to go into depth about the various songs on the album, but I will try to give a somewhat adequate overview of the album as a whole.

I picked this album up because it was on Tom Waits' list of favorite albums, and it has received a number of favorable reviews describing it as one of the greatest gospel albums to ever be recorded. I did expect the music to be much rawer than it turned out due to the hype of a few reviews, yet it still satisfies the need for energetic and exciting gospel music. This was recorded in 1960 at the Abyssinian Baptist Church, and features a massive 120 member choir, led by Professor Alex Bradford, performing a number of energetic and soulful gospel songs. During the 1950's, the Abyssinian Baptist Gospel Choir started out as a small local church, but rapidly expanded into the largest Baptist gospel group in the area, largely due to Bradford's gifts for writing and arranging in the classic call-and-response gospel style.

One thing is certain, while this album might not be as wild and raw as some claim it to be, it remains a very energetic and soulful album throughout. At times the choir slows down the pace, but you can still feel the tension of numerous souls waiting to let loose at any moment. If you're a fan of gospel music then you should love this, and if you've never given it a chance, I can't think of too many albums that would serve as a better introduction.

Year of Release: 1960
Genre: Gospel
Bitrate: 160kbps

Track List:
1. I Want To Ride That Glory Train
2. You've Got To Bear The Consequence
3. Heaven Belongs To You
4. Said I Wasn't Gonna Tell Nobody
5. He Stays In My Room
6. Sweet Jesus
7. You Can't Make Me Doubt Him
8. He Is Such An Understanding God
9. I Can Call Him
10. Restore Unto Me
11. The Lord's Prayer
12. The Lord Will Make A Way

Download: The Abyssnian Baptist Gospel Choir - Shakin' The Rafters
Download Size: 75MB

Various Artists - What It Is! Funky Soul & Rare Grooves [Box Set]

Liner Notes:
Funk emerged in the 1960s, a scorching sound that amped up the spirit of R&B and became the precursor to hip-hop. While major artists topped the charts with funk hits throughout the '60s and '70s, What It Is! celebrates the smaller ones—the heady, groove-monstrous strain of gutbucket funk that remains a major force in American music.

A four-CD, 91-track compendium that would take incalculable hours to assemble from dusty bins at disappearing record shops, What It Is! is culled mainly from the treasure-filled vaults of Atlantic, Atco, and Warner Bros. Records. It's an unprecedented shadow history of funk, pulling together rare sides from well-known artists and definitive grooves from less-known but supremely gifted masters of the art form.

Artists include Watts 103rd St. Rhythm Band, Eugene McDaniels, Baby Huey & The Baby Sitters, Allen Toussaint, Little Richard, Labelle, Eddie Hazel, Earth, Wind & Fire, Lulu, Wilson Pickett, Malo, The Meters, Cyril Neville, and many more. Deluxe packaging houses a massive booklet with rare photos, liner notes, and track-by-track commentary.


A righteous undertaking of great magnitude, What It Is! Funky Soul and Rare Grooves trawls through a decade-long stretch of the Warner-distributed archive -- taking in the catalogs of Warner Bros., Atlantic, Reprise, Atco, and smaller nodes like Cotillion, Curtom, Alston, and Jonie -- and pulls up 80 soul/funk truffles, almost all of which were left for dead shortly after release. While many of these cuts have been repurposed as vital ingredients of hip-hop tracks, which has in turn fostered a voracious collector's market (it would cost a fortune to collect these songs in their original formats of release), the box is a leagues-deep trawl through an otherwise forgotten past. There are few well-known names on these four discs, but even they tend to be represented by selections that are not obvious. Curtis Mayfield's "(Don't Worry) If There's a Hell Below We're All Going to Go" is likely the best-known inclusion, and after a substantial number of cuts that can't be considered truly rare, there's a sudden drop into (sweet, sweet) oblivion -- unless you're of the small minority whose spines tingle at the sight of names like Grassella Oliphant and Rasputin's Stash. The chicken-scratch guitars, wild Hammond B-3 runs, group chants, and blaring horn punches are served by the dozens, but the box also illustrates an evolution that took place through the '70s. Since the sequencing is, for the most part, chronological, those changes are all the more perceptible. Funk Factory's "Rien Ne Va Plus" and Faze-O's "Riding High" churn and float slowly, steeped in synthesizers, electric pianos, and studio effects, while legions of artists have attempted to replicate the sound and spirit of Stanga's "Little Sister" and 6ix's "I'm Just Like You" -- two songs graced by the hands of Sly Stone in tripped-out, otherworldly There's a Riot Goin' On mode. It's not one big party, either. Check Baby Huey & the Baby Sitters' harrowing "Hard Times" (written and produced by Mayfield), where the poor and paranoid protagonist subsists on Spam and Oreos and keeps his curtains drawn so he won't see those who peer in on him. The themed playlists and imaginary compilations hiding within this compact box are innumerable, bound to take the average overthinking funk freak to new levels of nerd-dom. There are region-specific sets to be made, as well as sets with possible titles like Latin Funk and Flute Funk and The Early Arrangement and Production Work of the Late Arif Mardin, in addition to a remarkable batch of covers, a tight collection of instrumentals, and a not-very-exclusive list of tracks that have been sampled throughout the years. The accompanying booklet could be sold separately, as it contains scads of seldom-seen photos and scholarly track-by-track notes. Rhino also deserves applause for resisting the urge to house these discs in a massive synthetic afro or an oversized wah-wah pedal. You can snugly tuck this thing between your arm and chest and sense its power run through your whole body. Bring on a second set that extends past the disco era and involves the likes of Slave, Mass Production, Brides of Funkenstein, and Dinosaur.

Year of Release: 2006
Label: Rhino/Wea
Genre: Funk/Soul
Bitrate: 128kbps
File Format: .m4a

Download: What It Is! Funky Soul & Rare Grooves (Disc 1) [69MB]
Download: What It Is! Funky Soul & Rare Grooves (Disc 2) [68MB]
Download: What It Is! Funky Soul & Rare Grooves (Disc 3) [71MB]
Download: What It IS! Funky Soul & Rare Grooves (Disc 4) [72MB]

Michael Jackson Tribute (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009)

This blog traditionally strays away from mainstream material, but I would be remiss if I did not mention the passing of who I consider the greatest entertainer of all-time. Although I have been quite promiscuous with music; experimenting and dipping my fingers in any honey pot I could find, you never forget your first love. Michael Jackson was my first love. In a sad attempt to reconnect with that little girl singing "Heal the World" into a hairbrush, I purchased tickets to what was supposed to be Jackson's final tour in London. The purchase highlighted my European vacation planned for mid-July, but obviously upon the news of his death; plans have been altered.

Dubbed "The King of Pop" and deservedly so with such accolades as 13 Grammys and 750 million records sold. His Thriller album remains the best selling album of all-time, and the 1987, Bad album is the only album ever to produce five #1 singles. ("The Way You Make Me Feel," "Bad," "I Just Can't Stop Loving You," " Man in the Mirror," and "Dirty Diana")



I decided not to go with the more popular of Michael Jackson releases, since the majority of his catalog is so readily available. The first album I have decided to post is The Jackson 5's ABC album. ABC was the second studio album release by The Jackson 5. Although The Jackson 5's Third Album was more successful, I find ABC to be the band's best work. Album highlights include their covers of Funkadelic's "I'll Bet You" and the Delfonics' "La-La (Means I Love You,)" and the title track, "ABC." Although the standout track for my money is by far, "The Love You Save." An absolute gem of a pop song where the group's harmonies seem to be at their peak.


Year of Release: 1970
Label: Motown
Genre:Pop/Soul


Track List:
1. The Love You Save
2. One More Chance
3. ABC
4. 2-4-6-8
5. (Come 'Round Here) I'm the One You Need
6. Don't Know Why I Love You
7. Never Had a Dream Come True
8. True Love Can Be Beautiful
9. La-La (Means I Love You)
10.I'll Bet You
11.I Found That Girl
12.The Young Folks

Download: Jackson 5 - ABC
Download Size: 57.47 MB

The second of the two releases is the E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial Story Book Album Released in 1982, Michael Jackson narrated it while the infamous John Williams provided the music. Jackson received a Grammy in 1984 for Best Recording For Children.

I hope you enjoy these albums. Regardless of what you thought of Michael Jackson as a human being, his accomplishments as a musicians must be respected. I love Michael Jackson and I have no problem saying that about anyone that enriched my life with so much joy. Apparently, I am not alone in this feeling, as evident by the heavy Jackson related traffic on sites such as Twitter and Google. Sales of Jackson's albums have spiked tremendously on digital sites such as iTunes and Amazon as well. My favorite thing during this whole ordeal has been discussing with others their favorite Jackson songs and what the songs meant to them. Feel free to chime in with your comments here or on the Michael Jackson official site.

Year of Release: 1982
Label: MCA Records
Genre: Soundtrack/Audiobook


Track List:
1. Someone In The Dark
2. Landing / Discovery
3. Home / Intrusion / Chase / Good Bye
4. Reprise (Someone In The Dark)

Download: Michael Jackson - E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Download Size: 66.78 MB

Otis Redding - Live In Europe (1967)

Like so many other talented artists, both Otis Redding's life and career were short lived. Redding was born on September 9, 1941, and died at the young age of 26 in a tragic plane crash on December 10, 1967. One can only wonder to what heights his career would have soared if his life hadn't been cut so short. He achieved a small amount of success and recognition early in his career, releasing material under the Stax/Volt labels. Unfortunately his life ended shortly after he managed to gain national attention with his performance at the Monterey Pop Festival in '67. Redding was responsible for injecting an unparalleled level of raw energy into the soul genre, which would eventually make his name virtually synonymous with soul music. If James Brown was the "Godfather of Soul", then Otis Redding was the King.

Most people are familiar with the studio versions of Redding's hits, but listening to him perform them live will make the listener feel as if they are discovering them all over again. Redding was known for turning it up a notch or two during his live performances, at times delivering his vocals in a frenzied trance-like state. This recording is no exception. You can clearly hear the enthusiasm of the crowd throughout the set, and it's a treat to hear the audience participation on tracks such as "Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)" Unlike many live recordings, Redding's powerful voice, backed by Booker T. & the MG's, ensure that the audience doesn't drown out the music. There are moments when the vocals seem distant, but they are brief and easily overlooked. The album was recorded in March 1967, during the Stax/Volt ensemble tour of Europe. It was his first live album that was released, and also the last album released before his death.

Year of Release: 1967
Label: Volt/Atco
Genre: Soul
Bitrate: 256vbr

Track List:
1. Respect
2. Can't Turn You Loose
3. I've Been Loving You Too Long
4. My Girl
5. Shake
6. Satisfaction
7. Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)
8. These Arms of Mine
9. Day Tripper
10. Try A Little Tenderness

Download: Otis Redding - Live In Europe
Download Size: 64MB

Bonus Video

In case you missed it, here's a video that I posted back in March of Redding performing "Satisfaction". This perfectly captures the raw energy associated with Redding's live performances, and will give you an idea of what to expect if you haven't had the pleasure of listening to "Live in Europe" or any of Redding's other live albums.

Otis Redding - Satisfation

The Best Of Blaxploitation - Disc Three

Year of Release: 1998
Label: Global TV
Genre: Rhythm and Blues, Soul, Funk

The third and final disc in the series, best of Blaxploition, features several great instrumental tracks form the likes of Pee Wee Ellis, Ike and Tina Turner covering a Stevie Wonder tune and a great live track from Curtis Mayfield. I hope you have enjoyed this collection of cinematic soul and funk classics as much as I do. For more great funk and soul hits like these, check out Blaxploitation Pride. Not only does this blog contain an exhaustive collection of Blaxploitation soundtracks, but also a groovy companion radio station on Last.FM. I highly recommend checking it out, dig?

Ain't nothin' going on but a funky song...

1 The Last Poets - When The Revolution Comes
2 Gil Scott-Heron with Brian Jackson - The Bottle
3 Curtis Mayfield - Move On Up (live)
4 Sir Joe Quaterman & Free Soul - (I've Got) So Much Trouble On My Mind
5 The Whatnauts - Why Can't People Be Colors Too?
6 Ripple - A Funky Song
7 Mickey Murray - Mama's Got The Wagon
8 Alvin Cash - Doin' The Ali Shuffle
9 Sir Joe Quaterman & Free Soul - Give Me Back My Freedom
10 Ike & Tina Turner - Livin' For The City
11 Ohio Players - Cold, Cold World
12 Pee Wee Ellis - That Thang
13 Moody Scott - (We Gotta) Bust Out Of The Ghetto
14 Backyard Heavies - Soul Junction
15 Leroy Hutson - Cool Out


Download: The Best of Blaxploitation - Disc Three
Download size: 74 MB (zip file)

The Best of Blaxploitation - Disc Two

Year of Release: 1998
Label: Global TV
Genre: Rhythm and Blues, Soul, Funk

As promised, here is disc two of the best of Blaxploitation set.


Track List:
1. Superfly - Curtis Mayfield
2. My People... Hold On - Eddie Kendricks
3. Papa Was a Rollin' Stone - The Temptations
4. Hercules - Aaron Neville
5. Bra - Cymande
6. Super People - The Notations
7. Thank You for Letting Me Be Myself Again - Maceo & All the King's Men
8. Brother on the Run - Johnny Pate
9. Concrete Reservation - Syl Johnson
10. It's a Cryin' Shame - The Ohio Players
11. Neighbour! Get Your Own - The Rimshots
12. (I Remember) Mr. Banks - Maceo & All the King's Men
13. Get Off - Ripple
14. Funky Miracle - The Meters
15. Yes We Can Can - Lee Dorsey

Download: The Best of Blaxploitation - Disc Two
Download size: 78 MB (zip file)

The Best Of Blaxploitation - Disc One

Year of Release: 1998
Label: Global TV
Genre: Rhythm and Blues, Soul, Funk

Blaxploitation is a film genre that began in the 1970s with films like "Shaft" and "Superfly" that featured a primarily black cast, and featured funk and soul soundtracks. Huge afros, drug dealers, pimps and hookers, dirty double-crossers, street fighters, guns and fast cars fueled the action of these magnificent crime classsics. This is only volume one of this three CD set. I will follow up with the other two volumes shortly.

Track List:
1. Boss - James Brown
2. Brothers on the Slide - Cymande
3. Jungle Boogie - Kool & the Gang
4. "T" Plays It Cool - Marvin Gaye
5. Freddie's Dead - Curtis Mayfield
6. Different Strokes - Syl Johnson
7. Sport - Lightnin' Rod
8. It's a Trip - The Last Poets
9. World We Live In - McKinley Jackson, The Politicians
10. Funky Mule - Ike Turner & His Kings of Rhythm,
11. I Gotcha - Joe Tex
12. Chocolate City - Mavis Staples
13. Moonwalk - Pee Wee Ellis
14. Tippi Toes - The Meters
15. Back Home - Brian Jackson, Gil Scott-Heron

Download: The Best of Blaxploitation - Disc One
Download size: 70 MB(zip file)

Video of the Week: Otis Redding - Satisfaction

Otis Redding - Satisfation

I'm sure that during the course of time I've spent running this blog that I've described several performances as 'energetic', but I was blown away by the energy that Otis Redding pumped out in this performance. I'm sure that Mick Jagger, who was present in the crowd that night, was equally stunned. I was going to post a great video of the Cramps until I found this gem. I'm sure you won't have any problems understanding why once you've viewed it. Enjoy!

Sly & the Family Stone - Stand!

Stand! is the pinnacle of Sly & the Family Stone's early work, a record that represents a culmination of the group's musical vision and accomplishment. Life hinted at this record's boundless enthusiasm and blurred stylistic boundaries, yet everything simply gels here, resulting in no separation between the astounding funk, effervescent irresistible melodies, psychedelicized guitars, and deep rhythms. Add to this a sharpened sense of pop songcraft, elastic band interplay, and a flowering of Sly's social consciousness, and the result is utterly stunning. Yes, the jams ("Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey," "Sex Machine") wind up meandering ever so slightly, but they're surrounded by utter brilliance, from the rousing call to arms of "Stand!" to the unification anthem "Everyday People" to the unstoppable "I Want to Take You Higher." All of it sounds like the Family Stone, thanks not just to the communal lead vocals but to the brilliant interplay, but each track is distinct, emphasizing a different side of their musical personality. As a result, Stand! winds up infectious and informative, invigorating and thought-provoking -- stimulating in every sense of the word. Few records of its time touched it, and Sly topped it only by offering its opposite the next time out.

Track List:
1. Stand!
2. Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey
3. I Want To Take You Higher
4. Somebody's Watching You
5. Sing A Simple Song
6. Everyday People
7. Sex Machine
8. You Can Make It If You Try

Download: Sly & the Family Stone - Stand! (56.7MB)

Sam Cooke - Live at the Harlem Square Club 1963

For anyone who thought they knew Sam Cooke's music based on the hit singles, this disc will be a revelation. This is the real Sam Cooke, doing a sweaty, raspy soulful set at the Harlem Square Club in North Miami, FL, on Jan. 12, 1963, backed by King Curtis and his band, a handful of local musicians, and Cooke's resident sidemen, guitarist Clifford White and drummer Albert "June" Gardner. To put it simply, it's one of the greatest soul records ever cut by anybody, outshining James Brown's first live album from the Apollo Theater and easily outclassing Jackie Wilson's live record from the Copa. Cooke's pop style is far removed from the proceedings here, which have the feel of being virtually a secular sermon. The record opens with the frantic, desperate chant-like "Feel It," followed by a version of "Chain Gang" that has all of the gentling influences of the single's string accompaniment stripped from it -- Cooke's slightly hoarse voice only adds to the startling change in the song, transformed from a piece of pop-soul into an in-your-face ode to freedom and release. "Cupid," perhaps the most sweetly textured song that Cooke cut during the 1960s, gets the full soul treatment, with horns and Curtis' sax up front and Cooke imparting an urgency here that's only implied in the studio rendition. "Twistin' the Night Away" gets two hot King Curtis sax solos, the highlights of a pounding, rippling performance with a beautifully vamped extended ending (with the drums, bass, and White's guitar wrapping themselves ever tighter around the central riff) that never would have made it to the floor of the Copa. "Somebody Have Mercy" leads into a long vamp by Cooke, a brief, soaring quotation from "You Send Me" that could easily have been a high point in sheer intensity -- and then Cooke and the band crank the tension and the spirits several notches higher with the greatest version of "Bring It On Home to Me" ever done by anybody. It all ends with a version of "Having a Party" that manages to be both soothing and wrenching at the same time, Cooke luxuriating in every nuance as the crowd joins in singing, reaching a higher pitch to the gently swinging tune, the drums kicking in harder, the rhythm guitar rising up, and Curtis' sax and the horns rising up slowly while Cooke goes on with his singing, which is more like preaching and the group sounds like it could play the riff all night. It's one of the cruel ironies of the recording business that this unique and extraordinary concert recording went unreleased for almost 22 years, in favor of the more polished (but also more antiseptic and duller) Sam Cooke at the Copa.

Track List:
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

Download: Sam Cooke - Live at the Harlem Square Club, 1963 (79.2MB)