1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die is not a book I will recommend. I am on album number forty and it is another live album: James Brown and the Famous Flames’ Live at the Apollo from 1963. I have not listened to it as I write this intro. My problem with the book is that it includes live albums which are filled with older songs by an artist, but it will not include a compilation by an artist. I was listening to a Donna Summer song and I wondered which album of hers made it on the list. She was an early pioneer of disco with Giorgio Moroder. She did not make the list at all. As the Bee Gees would sing “Tragedy.”
I read a bit about James Brown since I did not know anything about his music. He seems to have only one album on the list. He was a performer and songwriter, but definitely lacked the ability to make great albums and he made too many of them. The cover designs are all terrible. None of his albums are landmark albums in history. Some of his songs are on top song lists. He never had a #1 outside of the U.S. R&B charts. Perhaps he was too much for white America.
As I have stated many times, I hate live albums, except for a rare one or two. As a live album, this one is actually okay. It has a raw energy, which makes him sound good. The screaming girls are a little much for me. “Lost Someone” is the highlight from the album. The girls love it. He loved to drag a song out. He gives himself into the performances.
Spotify has the 10 most listened to songs of any artist at the top of their page so I checked out some of his songs. I have heard his songs, but not very often. He has a specific message and sound. He definitely likes sexy songs or sex songs. One bit of trivia: The record company did not want to make this album so he did it out of his own pocket. It was a Number 2 hit. The album is okay; it lacks hit songs. 6.5/10.
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