The phrase is overused, but here goes: Sam Cooke was an exceptional talent. We all listen to songs by deceased musical artists, they're everywhere, we learn to deal with the fact that they're no longer here and enjoy the music for what it is. However, I've never been able to hear more than ten seconds of Sam Cooke without feeling depressed and thinking "man, I can't believe this guy died so young".
I'd like to think that if he'd lived, he'd enjoy the popular profile that Ray Charles does today. Times ten. A crossover gospel star with a knack for appealing to black and white audiences from the 1950's onward. Except let's face it, the average person can name maybe two Ray Charles songs, three if they're over the age of twenty-five and can remember his famous Pepsi ads from the the 80's. There's no telling how vast Sam's songbook might have become -- his music would be mandatory at every wedding reception, like a one-man Motown hit factory.
For the uninitiated, a compilation of Cooke's biggest pop hits isn't the best place to start. Cooke was never as raw as someone like Otis Redding (the latter's ability to sound magnificent even though -- live -- he sang like he was being strangled will never be duplicated) but on record he often sounds sugary and tame. At least that was the case when he was clamouring for chart success. "Cupid" and "Only Sixteen" are wonderful, but they're pure cotton candy -- mushy late-50's/early '60's school dance gloop. They're so ... white (in fact, Cooke sometimes used white background singers to hammer home his crossover point).
"Another Saturday Night" and "Bring It On Home To Me" are a better demonstration of his full vocal power, but it's still evident that he's holding a lot back. Live performance is the best talent barometer for a lot of artists, and Cooke is no exception.
If I had to pick between "Live at the Harlem Square Club" and "James Brown Live At the Apollo" ... well, that's a bit of a misleading comparison because these two albums are quite different. Yes, they were both recorded in Harlem about a year apart. That said, James Brown has the tighter, more energetic band. Sam Cooke has everything else -- better voice, better songs, wider performance range (I always felt that JB's ballads, particularly when he was on stage, were nothing but oppurtunities for him to catch his breath rather than engage in genuine crooning). The Apollo Theatre crowd goes apeshit from the word go, and JB has them in the palm of his hand throughout. I believe the Harlem Square Club was more of a nightclub with a predominantly black clientele. The audience members have paid their money but they still expect to be won over. Cooke warms them up with grittier takes on some of his pop hits and by the time he gets to "Bring It On Home To Me" (he drops a delicious tease by singing the chorus to yet another pop hit, "You Send Me", during the tense extended intro) he's whipped the crowd (which now includes me, sitting in front of the computer at home) into the expected frenzy. With "Nothing Can Change This Love", our hero is gasping, pleading, ready to surrender all his possessions at the drop of a hat in exchange for his woman's love. Crossover teenpop has been left far, far behind.
You need all this -- the ideal gateway to the late, legendary Sam Cooke.
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