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''Pure Dynamite! Live At The Royal'' is a 1964
live album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track or cassette), or digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th centur ...
by
James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...
and
The Famous Flames The Famous Flames were an American rhythm and blues, soul vocal group founded in Toccoa, Georgia, in 1953 by Bobby Byrd. James Brown first began his career as a member of the Famous Flames, emerging as the lead singer by the time of their fir ...
. Originally issued on King Records, it was the live follow-up to Brown's 1963 '' Live at the Apollo'' LP, and like that album, reached the Top 10 of the ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' Pop album charts, peaking at #10. It was recorded live at the Royal Theatre in
Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...
, a popular venue for R&B artists of the day. The album takes its title from Brown's most famous
nickname A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...
at the time, "Mr. Dynamite". Although most of ''Pure Dynamite!'' is live, it contains two non-live studio tracks, "Like A Baby" and the extended-length song " Oh Baby, Don't You Weep", which was the group's then-current hit release. Dubbed-in crowd noise was added to simulate a live recording. ''Pure Dynamite!'' features live versions of the
singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...
Brown & The Flames had released since the ''Apollo'' LP. It opens with "
Shout and Shimmy "Shout and Shimmy" is an R&B song written by James Brown, and recorded by him and The Famous Flames. It rose to #16 on the R&B chart and #61 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Background The critic Douglas Wolk described the song as "a truly shamele ...
" (Billboard Pop #61, R&B #16) which features a comedy skit between James and Famous Flames member Bobby Bennett, and continues with the standard " These Foolish Things", (which was a charting single for the group the previous year; Billboard Pop #55, R&B #25), "
Like a Baby "Like a Baby" is a song written by Jesse Stone. It was recorded by Vikki Nelson for a Vik Records single in 1957. Priscilla Bowman recorded it for Abner Records in 1959. It was also recorded by Elvis Presley for his 1960 album ''Elvis Is Back!' ...
", another charting standard (#24 R&B, also from '63), and " Signed, Sealed, And Delivered" (not to be confused with the similarly-titled song by
Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...
; #77 Pop), also from '63. Side 1 closes with "I'll Never Never Let You Go", another song from the group's 1960 '' Think!'' LP. Side two features Brown's signature hit, the million-selling "
Please, Please, Please Please Please Please may refer to: * ''Please Please Please'' (album), a 1958 album by James Brown ** "Please, Please, Please" (James Brown song) * "Please Please Please" (Sabrina Carpenter song) *"Please Please Please", a song by Fiona Apple ...
", the aforementioned "Oh Baby Don't You Weep" (#23 Pop), and closes with the group's 1959 regional hit single "Good Good Lovin'". The Famous Flames (
Bobby Byrd Bobby Howard Byrd (August 15, 1934 – September 12, 2007) was an American rhythm and blues, soul and funk singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, bandleader, and talent dedicated. He played a part in the development of soul and funk m ...
, Bobby Bennett, and Lloyd Stallworth) play an important co-starring role on ''Pure Dynamite!''. Although they did not receive billing on the album's label or cover, this is one of the few James Brown albums where the Flames can actually be seen in the cover photograph. But the photo is misleading: only two of the Flames are visible, partially obscured, and it was clearly taken at the
Apollo Theater The Apollo Theater (formerly the Hurtig & Seamon's New Theatre; also Apollo Theatre or 125th Street Apollo Theatre) is a multi-use Theater (structure), theater at 253 125th Street (Manhattan), West 125th Street in the Harlem neighborhood of U ...
in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, not at the Royal. The Flames ''are'' pictured with Brown on the original album insert's liner notes, and are included with Brown in the album's intro. ''Pure Dynamite!'' has been reissued on CD by
Polydor Polydor Limited, also known as Polydor Records, is a British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in ...
at least twice, but mostly for markets outside the United States.


Track listing


Personnel

*
James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...
– lead vocals, organ &
The Famous Flames The Famous Flames were an American rhythm and blues, soul vocal group founded in Toccoa, Georgia, in 1953 by Bobby Byrd. James Brown first began his career as a member of the Famous Flames, emerging as the lead singer by the time of their fir ...
*
Bobby Byrd Bobby Howard Byrd (August 15, 1934 – September 12, 2007) was an American rhythm and blues, soul and funk singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, bandleader, and talent dedicated. He played a part in the development of soul and funk m ...
– Baritone/Bass * Bobby Bennett – first Tenor *
Baby Lloyd Stallworth Lloyd Eugene Stallworth (April 15, 1941 – October 27, 2002), also known as Baby Lloyd, was an American singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist, choreographer and dancerTammy Montgomery,
Yvonne Fair Flora Yvonne Fair Strain (''née'' Coleman; October 21, 1942 – March 6, 1994) was an American singer, best known for her 1975 recording of " It Should Have Been Me". Life and career Flora Yvonne Coleman was born in Richmond, Virginia on Oct ...
- backing vocals *Melvin Parker - Drums ;Technical *Chuck Seitz, Ron Lenhoff - audio recording *Hal Neely - audio recording, album design *Chuck Stewart - photography


References

* * ''Pure Dynamite: Live At The Royal'' L
original liner notes


Notes

{{James Brown James Brown live albums 1964 live albums Albums produced by James Brown King Records (United States) live albums The Famous Flames albums