Do you want to treat yourself after the holidays? The Boston Globe had a useful article on classic live performances of the soul masters. I was inspired to go to Amazon and got a few more, including a stray into the blues with Muddy Waters. Here is my shopping list. They all turned out to be good.
Ray Charles Live - brings together two concert LPs recorded at 1958's Newport Jazz Festival and a 1959 Atlanta stadium show.
Ray Charles - O Genio - Live in Brazil 1963 – this one is a DVD so you get the video of Ray 32 years old and in his absolute prime in Sao Paulo, Brazil doing many of his standards with a big band including Fathead Newman and Margie Hendrix.
James Brown - Live at the Apollo – need I say more – pre- funk that leads off with Try Me – one of the greatest soul ballads
One Night Stand: Sam Cooke Live at the Harlem Square Club, 1963 – the sweetest sound in soul at his prime
Aretha Franklin Live at Fillmore West - rather than focusing on their own hits, Aretha performs songs that were popular at the time, and almost regardless of the quality of the original, turn them into classics. She is joined by Ray Charles for one, Spirit in the Dark, and makes Eleanor Rigby and Bridge over trouble waters sound better than the originals.
Muddy Waters - The Anthology: 1947-1972 - The Anthology covers Muddy Waters' most important period: his first years at Chess through the late 1960s. All his best-known songs are featured in their definitive versions.
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