ALBUM: ‘Apollo Saturday Night / Saturday Night at the Uptown’
Before I get into the specifics of this collection, let me note that these recordings are historically important if nothing else (but there is an “else”). Until I read the liner notes for Real Gone Music‘s new CD release Apollo Saturday Night/Saturday Night at the Uptown, I guess it never really occurred to me just how few live concert recordings I’ve heard from the early 1960s. Considering that, it’s amazing that this recording was made at all. Think back: how many live performances from this period, other than the Beatles, have you heard? It’s a very, very short list.
That being said, I also realize that many people don’t care for live performances, at least not the recorded variety. Outside of Frampton Comes Alive!, there have been very few that have connected well with listeners. There are a lot of reasons for this, no doubt the most significant being that it can be very hard to duplicate that studio sound live and onstage. As a result, unless you like listening to concert performances better than the original versions, what reason is there to buy them?
But I think here there are several reasons this collection is a good investment. First of all, these two recorded concert performances from 1963 and 1964 showcase some of R&B’s biggest acts performing at the Uptown in Philadelphia and the Apollo Theater in New York. As I mentioned earlier, that alone makes this collection an important rarity and worthy of attention, because the opportunity to hear these groups live was rare then, impossible now. We hear the Drifters, Otis Redding, Ben E. King, Wilson Pickett, the Coasters, and many others singing their biggest hits.
Like any recording, not every selection is quite like you want it to be, but coming from a time where vocals were the most important thing about a song, most of the selections are surprisingly on the mark. Ben E. King, Otis Redding, and the Drifters are especially sensational. Among the Top 40 hits you’ll hear are “Walkin’ the Dog” by Rufus Thomas; “Don’t Play That Song” and “Stand by Me” by Ben E. King; “Under the Boardwalk,” “On Broadway,” and “There Goes My Baby” by the Drifters; “My Girl Sloopy” and “The Watusi” by the Vibrations; and “Down the Aisle” by Patti LaBelle & Her Bluebelles.
The only disappointing thing about the collection is that, for whatever reason, Doris Troy chose not perform her one and only super-hit that day, “Just One Look.” The flip side of that is that owning a live recording of Patty and the Emblems’ “Mixed Up, Shook Up Girl” is in itself worth the purchase price of the CD for me. This is a fantastic, often overlooked R&B hit from 1964. The song barely cracked the Top 40, the group never had another hit, and so it’s understandable that this might be a hidden gem among likes of the other R&B royalty on the compilation. But when you hear the song, it’s pretty clear who the audience wanted to hear that day in 1964. They sing along, and as Patty Russell prompts them along, they respond in kind. It’s a great cut. In fact, the Uptown crowd is much more raucous and into it than the Apollo crowd. From the Vibrations to Barbara Lynn, the Philly folk are clearly having a good time.
Considering that the retail price on this CD is less than the cost of a pizza, it’s a good investment. You certainly won’t be hearing any of these acts in all their glory ever again, and that makes this a must-have if you’re a fan of classic R&B like I am.
Head over to Real Gone Music to order your copy of Apollo Saturday Night / Saturday Night at the Uptown right now!
