One Night Stand! Sam Cooke Live at the Harlem Square Club, 1963 [EXTRA TRACKS] [LIMITED EDITION] [LIVE]

Sam Cooke

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 20, 2005)
• Original Release Date: September 20, 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Extra tracks, Limited Edition, Live
• Label: RCA
• ASIN: B000AO4NJU
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #6,872 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Japanese pressing has been remastered. RCA. 2006. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worthy Remastering of Essential Music, December 12, 2005

By	David A. Zapolsky (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

After reading all the reviews, my wife bought me both the old and the new version of this CD, along with Peter Guralnik's new biography, "Dream Boogie," for the holidays. (I had the old version already on vinyl.) So I've had an opportunity to listen to both versions side by side.

It seems clear in the new version that the primary goal of the producer was to bring Sam Cooke's voice as far out in front of the mix as possible. The good news is that this goal is accomplished. The details of his voice are much more exposed, as if we were listening to the microphone closest to him, and one can indeed hear more -- his phrasing is clearer, the rawness is more noticable, even a few missteps are much more evident. (It sounds like he starts the wrong song at the beginning of Cupid, and then covers by stopping himself and talking to the audience. But the new version makes the muff, and his evident amusement, even more clear than the original.)

The bad news is that, as some reviews point out, making the lead vocal more prominent obscures the crowd at times and, less forgivably, King Curtis's saxophone and the rest of the band.

The easiest way of characterizing the difference between the two versions is that the original is probably closer to the way the show would have sounded if you had been in the audience at the back of the hall. The new version is what you would have heard at a mixing board through your headphones, turning Sam's mike all the way up. (Not that there was one necessarily at the time.)

Which one is better? The differences are subtle, and ultimately you can't go wrong with either -- this is an essential recording for any well rounded collection. For me, though, this recording is most valuable as a document of Sam Cooke's voice and live performing style, rather than his interaction with the crowd or what the band happened to be doing at the time. (You can find much better King Curtis recordings elsewhere anyway.) So I give the nod to the remastered version.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Where is the freakin' audience!!, September 21, 2005

By	C. Fields "Vebrero Muetista" (Jackson, MS USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This remastering does a good job of accentuating the instruments and bringing the vocal more foreground but the audience is almost absent from this recording. If you want to hear the true power of this concert in all its glory buy the original copy.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars should get more than 5 stars!, August 19, 2006

By	Scott B. Saul "opinionated, yet truthful, mu... (COOPER CITY, FL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is the live album to outdo all other live albums. I am a head banging, rock and roller, guitar nut and this is still the best live album ever!

The main reason that it is great is b/c Sam Cooke works the audience. The cd builds up steam as the songs go by. This is a snowball rolling down a hill that gets bigger and bigger.

He talks to the audience, works the ladies, entices the men, pumps up his band, etc. The songs are almost a "best of" situation. Chain gang, having a party, twisting are all awesome!

You know how great the cd is? The recording has serious limitations. There are no highs and no lows. Horns, guitar, bass, drums are all mixed way towards the back but Cooke's singing and talking are way towards the front. It does not matter and should not influence anyone's listening pleasure.

A great comparison is to Otis Redding live at the Whiskey a Go Go. That is a good concert, fantastic sound recording and the band seriously rocks. This blows that away.

This is not only the best concert cd but also, it is obvious how other entertainers and djs modeled themselves afer Sam Cooke's style.

What a shame that this tremendous performer died in his prime.

Whoever reads this take note...I am no soul music fanatic. I am a Lez Zep. Who, Nirvana, guitarnut type of guy. THAT is how powerful that this work is b/c it most definetly rocks more than "live at leeds", "get your ya yas out", "Song remains the same", etc.