Sam Cooke invented sweet soul music and then died too soon. In the years intervening, that mantle has passed to cofounder Ray Charles, to Al Green and Marvin Gaye, to the R&B crooners who I recently denigrated, and of course back to the world of gospel. Live At The Harlem Square Club is not only a very fine live album but a call for a drastic reassessment of Sam Cooke's legacy. With excellent and informative liner notes by Peter Guralnick (first written twenty years ago with a postscript added for this reissue), the entire package is a loving revival of an unjustly neglected moment in music history. I really hate to say this twice in one week, but Live At The Harlem Square Club is one of the finest releases I have heard this millennium, worthy of standing next to James Brown's landmark Apollo Theater date (recorded just a month earlier) as one of the great moments in the history of soul music. Don't fight it, just feel it.
editors note: This has been syndicated to Advance.net, a place affiliated with about 10 newspapers around the country.
Article comments
1 - Al Barger
John Owen, this right here is some good writing. Dare I say, this is one of the better pieces of music writing I've read this millenium.
""Twistin' The Night Away" becomes somehow more serious, like the last party before Judgement Day." Yeah. Maybe it's partly tinged by us knowing his fate fairly soon to come, but now that you mention it he does sound a bit as if he's partying like it's 1999.
Again John, outstanding work.
2 - John Owen
Thanks, Senator!
3 - Eric Berlin
This is great stuff, John -- you really set the scene and then take us there.
4 - Nukapai
Wow, I think I'll just give up trying to write music reviews. ;)
Ehh, what I mean to say: this could have been an article in the newspaper I read (Guardian). Professional, informative, interesting.
5 - Jaime Nichols
VERY nice.