Sam Cooke's "Night Beat" is as essential as any one of the obvious classics you always see on those damn lists. It was a rarity at the time since it was the first small group recording Cooke had made. While the hits were big and full of orchestration, "Night Beat" was a late night combo featuring jazz great Barney Kessel, Cliff Hills and Hal Blaine, as well as a 16 year old Billy Preston on organ. But the highlight of this 1963 gem, is Sam Cooke's voice. Listen to "Lost & Lookin'," which features just Cooke and Cliff Hils on bass. It's hard to find a voice as pure. It is its own instrument.
This record ends way too soon, that's how good it is. The plan was to record a follow-up or two, but it never happened. Sam Cooke was murdered soon after.
There is an Analogue Production version of this LP, for you vinyl heads, that is absolutely stunning.
Otherwise, it should be easily dialed up on streaming services.
If you are a fan of "Shake" and "You Send Me" and the rest of Cooke's fabulous hits, but somehow overlooked "Night Beat" because there weren't any hits, give it a spin. It blows my mind every time.
12 comments:
Kessel was such a fantastic guitarist. I've had this album for years and regularly listen to it. Cooke had such immaculate phrasing, and the minimal instrumentation on this lets it shine.
One of my late night, go to albums, the others being King Curtis’s Trouble in Mind, Roy Gaines’s Gainelining, and Aretha’s Hey Now Hey (The Other Side Of The Sky) (which I know divides opinions but, far from perfect as it is, it draws me in every time – this is a good re-evaluation piece https://albumism.com/features/aretha-franklin-hey-now-hey-the-other-side-of-the-sky-turns-45-anniversary-retrospective). The only better Sam Cooke album is of course Live At The Harlem Square Club.
Yes!!!!!
Agreed with BlueStaxBoy -- Live at the Harlem Square Club is not only the best rep of Cooke, but I'll add that it's one of the best live albums period. But Night Beat is exceptional. My fave on it is Little Red Rooster, and Billy Preston's 'barking dog' organ responses to Sam's words. Makes me smile EVERY time.
C in California
Great record.
Also - Peter Guralnick's biography of Sam is great.
love love this album
Yep, great record!
I didn’t know anything about this except for “… Fool” which I got to via Elvis Costello many moons ago. Love it! How simple and how beautiful.
It's great every time I listen to it.
Night Beat is a great album and so of course is Live at the Harlem Club, 1963.Quite a one-two punch since he recorded the live album in Jan and released Night Beat later. is there another studio album of Cooke's as good as it? And is Harlem Club the best live album of 1963? James Brown did release Live at the Apollo that same year!
Is there a better live album than Live at Harlem Square in any year, never mind 1963?
"Is there a better live album than Live at Harlem Square in any year, never mind 1963?"
Harlem Square is no doubt Top 10.
But I'd argue that these are as good, with two (the first two) that I think are better.
The Who- Live At Leeds
Aretha Live Fillmore
Jerry Lee Lewis- Starclub
Etta James Rocks The House
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