Live At The Apollo Vol. 2: Deluxe Edition

Performer: James Brown
Artist: Pee Wee Ellis; Maceo Parker; Bobby Byrd
Engineer: George Watley
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: LIVE AT THE APOLLO VOL. 2 DELUXE EDITION contains the tracks, emcee patter, intermission music and songs as they were recorded in this live performance. Previous versions of LIVE AT THE APOLLO VOL. 2 had been cut to fit on vinyl sides. Personnel includes: James Brown (vocals, organ, drums); Sad Sam, Frankie Crocker (spoken vocals); Alfonzo "Country" Kellum (guitar, bass); Jimmy "Chank" Nolan (guitar); Vivian Robinson, Richard Jones, Marilyn Jones (violin); Alfred "Pee Wee" Ellis (alto saxophone, organ); St. Clair Pinckney (tenor & baritone saxophones); Eldee Williams, Maceo Parker (tenor saxophone); Waymon Reed, Joe Dupars (trumpet); Levi Rasbury (trombone); Bernard Odum (bass); Ronald Selico (drums, bongos); Clyde Stubblefield, John "Jabo" Starks (drums); Bobby Byrd, Bobby Bennett (background vocals). Producers include: James Brown, Harry Weinger, Alan Leeds. Recorded live at The Apollo Theatre, New York, New York fropm June 16-25, 1967. Originally released on King Records (1022). Includes liner notes by Alan Leeds. All tracks have been digitally remastered. James Brown's LIVE AT THE APOLLO VOLUME 2 was not recorded during the same 1963 dates as the legendary original, but five years later, during another stand at the Harlem theater. This set is every bit the equal of its better-known predecessor, and was recorded at a key point in Brown's career. The year 1968, of course, was a tumultuous one both politically and socially, and although it wasn't until later in the year that Brown first recorded the epochal "Say It Loud (I'm Black and I'm Proud)," he and his band were already clearly incorporating both the black-is-beautiful ethos and, on the epic 20-minute version of "It's A Man's Man's Man's World," the increasingly loose, funky sound of younger bands like Sly and the Family Stone. The two-disc Deluxe Edition recreates an entire evening's performance, including a solo turn by Brown's veteran warm-up act, Bobby Byrd (doing Arthur Conley's "Sweet Soul Music"), and an intermission version of Duke Ellington's "Caravan" by Brown's band. This is among the most essential live James Brown documents.

Q (9/01, p.128) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...It shows the midpoint between the showtime/balladeering Brown and the Minister Of The New Super Heavy Funk that came later..." Living Blues (1-2/02, p.60) - "...Greatly expanded...stretching the original to 2 CDs...reconstructing the original show..." Mojo (Publisher) (1/02, p.69) - Included in Mojo's "Best Reissues of 2001". Mojo (Publisher) (9/01, p.122) - "...The band was Brown's best ever....Here, blistering, full-length versions of the great strides in funk...are interspersed with a couple of the older ballads....It's a deluxe edition that offers the best seat in the house..."

The unrelenting intensity of James Brown's music has made him one of the most recognizable and influential performers since the 1950s. Starting out as a gospel singer, Brown soon switched to R&B and started scoring hits. As the '60s progressed, the self-proclaimed Godfather of Soul transformed the sounds of R&B into a tight, driving style that helped lay the foundations of funk. Personal troubles over the following decades threatened to sideline the ever-impassioned Brown, but he repeatedly bounced back. Countless JB samples--credited and uncredited--found on rap and hip-hop records testify to his enduring influence. The Godfather of Soul passed away on Christmas Day in 2006.

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