Live at the Garden (Expanded Edition)

James Brown | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 26, 2009)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Hip-O Select
• ASIN: B002LFFKXO
• Also Available in: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #183,657 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Smack in the middle of James Brown's extensive catalog is a nearly forgotten release from May 1967: Live At The Garden. Like so many other live records of the era, it was overshadowed by Brown's blazing landmark album Live At The Apollo, then further eclipsed a year later by another Apollo LP. Adding to the obscurity is that, although intended to highlight Soul Brother No. 1's groundbreaking ascension to headlining status at New York's Madison Square Garden, the album was actually recorded over several performances at a nightclub in Cherry Hill, New Jersey - then doctored in the studio with fake applause and arena ambience, and edited in a fashion that truncated the show's best moments.

Hip-oSelect.com now tears the roof the sucker to reveal the original show from the famed Latin Casino, in the 2-CD set Live At The Garden: Expanded Edition, which also includes the U.S. CD debut of the original mono album. The collection's unreleased material, newly mixed from the original four-track master tapes - and sonically rescued from the venue's haphazard recording techniques - captures the raw excitement of James Brown Experience circa January '67, resulting in a soaring, searing revue of emerging funk and hit ballads. This Expanded Edition is also unique to all other James Brown live albums, as it features JB and band in a nightclub, not a theater or arena, with a delightfully casual pacing unheard anywhere else.

We've got two hours of straight-ahead JBE: the opening instrumental set, with the boss leading his incredible orchestra from behind the organ, including 10 minutes of "Night Train," and, for the first time, the full Star Time portion of the show - highlighted by an unedited version of "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag," tracks left off the LP including "It's A Man's Man's Man's World" and "Come Rain Or Come Shine," and some alternate versions of what was included on the album.

Also included is the full version - as well as a revealing instrumental warm-up - of the hit single "Let Yourself Go," recorded in an empty Casino after one of the shows that weekend. (It had been included on the LP with more of the fake applause.) Special mention must go to Alfred "Pee Wee" Ellis, holding it all together from the bandstand. One of the JB Orchestra's newest sax and keyboard players, he was made its leader literally the first night of the engagement.

Alan Leeds, a former Brown employee and Grammy® Award winner who's also the set's co-producer, lays out the whole story in a fascinating essay. The 24-page booklet also contains show memorabilia, rare photos, and a roster of the tour staff that winter. The Expanded Edition cover art is a slightly tweaked version of the original cover - a fitting souvenir of a great night from the never-ending James Brown Experience.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Tour De Force From Start To Finish!, December 5, 2009

By 

rollo (usa) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Live at the Garden (Expanded Edition) (Audio CD)

I'll never know why this record was ever named 'James Brown Live at the Garden', it was recorded at the Latin Casino in Cherry Hill New Jersey in 1967. That being said, this cd is an expanded edition which contains the original mono LP (12 tracks) plus another (19 tracks) in STEREO. The band is on fire throughout the show playing medleys and songs like 'Night Train' at the speed of light. James Brown is not in rare form here, he gives this music all he's got as usual, screaming, screeching and wailing like a madman. The liner notes are interesting and contain ALL THE MUSICIANS NAMES. This cd I would consider to be of his greatest live recordings second only to the original 'Live at the Apollo' of 1962. The only thing missing from this show are the opening vocal performers like Anna King, James Crawford, Baby Lloyd Stallworth, Marva Whitney or Bobby Byrd. What a show. 99 stars!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Powerhouse recording of JB at his finest/funkiest, October 31, 2010

By 

Mark Schlesinger "former Secretary, Columbus ... (Columbus, OH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Live At The Garden: Expanded Edition (MP3 Download)

An expanded version of the powerful (though mistitled by King Records) 1967 live recording. Brown zips through turbocharged versions of his staples, from "Out Of Sight" and "Prisoner Of Love" to his current "Ain't That A Groove". Hip-O has tripled the music on the '67 release-filling two CD's to the breaking point, climaxing with an after-show recording session of the tune "Let Yourself Go". for his next LP. The original album is presented in it's original mono form,minus extraneous sound effects and fake crowd noise, followed by a "second set" cobbled together from hours of outtakes (in true stereo). This second set kicks off with a couple of instrumental tunes featuring James on electric organ. His band features such legends-to-be as Jabo Starks and Clyde Stubblefield on drums and Country Kellum and Chank Nolan on guitars, along with Pee Wee Ellis on sax. Jazz great Ron Carter (Miles Davis Quintet) sits in on a few cuts on accoustic bass. Get it while you can, for a decent price-it's a limited edition, folks. (most of the eight "The Singles" double-discs are sold out.)God bless companies like Rhino, Collectibles, Wolf, Hip-O, JSP, etc. They do it RIGHT!