When James Brown pitched the idea of a live LP to King Records founder Syd Nathan, he was famously rebuffed. So Brown bankrolled Live at the Apollo himself, providing coffee to those freezing in line outside the legendary Harlem venue where, hours later, he would make the best live album of all time.

Live at the Apollo documents a disciplined, exhaustively road-tested touring unit and a hungry 29-year-old frontman who’d gone nine singles between hits. From emcee Fats Gonder’s nickname-filled introduction to the airtight rhythm workouts, from the nearly 11-minute exaltation of “Lost Someone” to the breakneck medley bookended by “Please, Please, Please,” the James Brown Revue teased, tested, and defied the clock this evening. But just as essential were the fans on this Wednesday night in fall 1962, screaming and begging as the Cuban Missile Crisis threatened global devastation outside. Soon enough, listeners worldwide would share the passion that Brown’s Apollo audience had for him. –Marc Hogan / Pitchfork.com