''Pure Dynamite! Live At The Royal'' is a 1964 live album by James Brown 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 firs ...

. 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'' Pop album charts, peaking at #10. It was recorded live at the Royal Theatre in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, a popular venue for R&B artists of the day. The album takes its title from Brown's most famous

nickname A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...

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 Brown & The Flames had released since the ''Apollo'' LP. It opens with " Shout and Shimmy" (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 "These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You)" is a standard with lyrics by Eric Maschwitz, writing under the pseudonym Holt Marvell, and music by Jack Strachey, both Englishmen. Harry Link, an American, sometimes appears as a co-writer; his input ...

", (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; #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" is a rhythm and blues song performed by James Brown and the Famous Flames. Written by Brown and Johnny Terry and released as a single on Federal Records in 1956, it reached No. 6 on the R&B charts. The group's debut r ...

", the aforementioned "Oh Baby Don't You Weep" (#23 Pop), and closes with the group's 1959 regional hit single "Good Good Lovin'", all delivered to an enthusiastic audience response. 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 scout, who played an integral and important part in the development ...

, 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 in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, 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 Records Ltd. is a German-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 the United States ...

at least twice, but mostly for markets outside the United States. However, copies of the CD can be found on the Internet.

Track listing

Personnel

* James Brown – lead vocals, organ &

– 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 Tammi Terrell (born Thomasina Winifred Montgomery; April 29, 1945 – March 16, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter, widely known as a star singer for Motown Records during the 1960s, notably for a series of duets with singer Marvin Gaye. ...

Yvonne Fair Flora Yvonne Fair Strain (''née'' Coleman; October 21, 1942 – March 6, 1994), known professionally as Yvonne Fair, was an American singer, best known for her 1975 recording of " It Should Have Been Me". Life and career Flora Yvonne Coleman ...

- backing vocals ;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