Tag Archives: James Brown

30 Best live albums countdown: 24 – Live at the Apollo by James Brown

“When I’m on stage, I’m trying to do one thing: bring people joy. Just like church does. People don’t go to church to find trouble, they go there to lose it.”
– James Brown

“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 Cramer, MC5

One of the best live albums in music history, James Brown – Live at the Apollo was recorded october 24 in 1962.

My favourite moment: The whole horn infused “Think” that borrows heavily from jazz legend Charlie Parker in the way Brown scats over the band with the crowd participating enthusiastically. Not remotely like the studio versions and terribly good!

Lost Someone (audio):

Before the release of the classical and hugely influential ‘Live At The Apollo’ in 1962, James Brown was something of an unknown quantity outside of the R&B charts of the US south. Staying on the pop charts for 14 months, and peaking at #2, it’s a demonstration of Brown’s self-belief that he (himself!) had financed and released the recording when his label saw no sense in releasing a live album that featured no new material. Brown went on to record several more albums at the Apollo over the course of his career, including 1968’s Live at the Apollo, Vol. II (King), 1971’s Revolution of the Mind: Recorded Live at the Apollo, Vol. III(Polydor) and Live at the Apollo 1995 (Scotti Bros.).

Night Train (not the Apollo show but a great video clip from The T.A.M.I. Tv-show!):

Continue reading 30 Best live albums countdown: 24 – Live at the Apollo by James Brown

James Brown – Live at the Apollo was recorded 50 years ago today

“When I’m on stage, I’m trying to do one thing: bring people joy. Just like church does. People don’t go to church to find trouble, they go there to lose it.”
– James Brown

“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 Cramer, MC5

Recorded October 24, 1962
Genre R&B, soul
Length 31:31 (Original LP),  40:47 (CD reissue)
Label KingSolid SmokePolydor
Producer James Brown (original)Harry Weinger (Polydor reissues)

See also the calendar post of today

One of the best live albums in music history, James Brown – Live at the Apollo was recorded on this day 50 years ago.

My favourite moment: The whole horn infused “Think” that borrows heavily from jazz legend Charlie Parker in the way Brown scats over the band with the crowd participating enthusiastically. Not remotely like the studioversions and terribly good!

Continue reading James Brown – Live at the Apollo was recorded 50 years ago today

Today: Bill Wyman is 76

I didn’t want to stay in the Stones, and be stuck in a position having to play a music I didn’t like anymore and that restricted me from doing all the others things I’m interested in because of time.

I wanted a variety in my life but after a couple of years I thought that music is what I do so maybe I should start doing it again.

From Wikipedia:

Birth name William George Perks
Also known as Lee Wyman
Born 24 October 1936 (age 76)
Lewisham, London EnglandUnited Kingdom
Genres Rock, rock and roll, swing,rhythm and blues, jazz, blues,skiffle
Occupations Musician, composer, author,record producer, film producer,bandleader, photographer,inventor
Instruments Vocals, bass guitar, guitar,keyboards, percussion,autoharp
Years active 1962–present
Labels Velvel, Koch International,Rolling Stones, BMG
Associated acts The Rolling Stones, Bill Wyman’s Rhythm Kings, Wilie & the Poor Boys, The Cliftons
Website www.billwyman.com

Bill Wyman’s Rhythm Kings – Anyway the wind blows:

Bill Wyman (born William George Perks; 24 October 1936) is an English musician best known as the bass guitarist for the English rock and roll band the Rolling Stones from 1962 until 1993. Since 1997, he has recorded and toured with his own band, Bill Wyman’s Rhythm Kings. He has worked producing both records and film, and has scored music for film in movies and television.

Wyman has kept a journal since he was a child after World War II. It has been useful to him as an author who has written seven books, selling two million copies. Wyman’s love of art has additionally led to his proficiency in photography and his photographs have hung in galleries around the world. Wyman’s lack of funds in his early years led him to create and build his own fretless bass guitar. He became an amateur archaeologist and enjoys relic hunting; The Times published a letter about his hobby (Friday 2 March 2007). He designed and markets a patented Bill Wyman signature metal detector, which he has used to find relics in the English countryside dating back to the era of the Roman Empire.

As a businessman, he owns several establishments including the famous Sticky Fingers Café, a rock & roll-themed bistro serving American cuisine first opened in 1989 in the Kensington area of London and later, two additional locations in Cambridge and Manchester, England.

Bill Wyman’s Rhythm Kings – Stuff:

From allmusic – Jason Ankeny:
As a member of the Rolling Stones for three decades, Bill Wyman established himself among the greatest bassists in rock & roll history; in tandem with drummer Charlie Watts, he belonged to one of the most stalwart rhythm sections in popular music, perfectly complementing the theatrics of Mick Jagger and the gritty guitar leads of Keith Richards.  …. read more @ allmusic.com

 

Album of the day – James Brown – Live at The Apollo (1963):

 

Other October 24:

Continue reading Today: Bill Wyman is 76