Bluesy for late-night boozy

Very hard to trundle out enough superlatives for this one. The spacious, full sound of this new remastering is warm and inviting, as well it should be. Cooke's singing is uncanny, not of this world in its beauty. Funnily enough, his voice lightened

with the years: compare a 1954 side of his with one from this album (1964)and check out how his style evolved over the years, how much more subtle and understated his phrasing became. so often in his earlier work he exhibits the superb control that allows him to surge through a longish phrase, which is exhilarating. But here, in "Night Beat", his approach is more conversational, expecially in the ballads and the mid-tempo Blues numbers. He makes his breaths into caesuras, makes them an integral part of his phrasing, which makes for very compelling listening. And the band - featuring a young Billy Preston - is absolutely marvellous. Again, the pervading qualities are delicacy and precision, which is not to imply that these guys don't get into a good gut-bucket soul groove.

They swing like hell, in fact. This is, in short, a classic,

a gem. It's one of those records that transcends genre categories, simply because of the caliber of the musicianship.

Sheer artistry is the order of the day. You MUST buy this disc!

Can't Beat This!!

Can't Beat This!

Another soul-stirring effort by the great Sam Cooke, "Night Beat" is one of the best vocal soul/blues/rock/gospel albums ever made. The focus throughout is Cooke's incredible voice and phrasing, with simple comping by bass, drums, piano, and organ. (including Barney Kessel (guitar) on three songs, and Beatles' sideman Billy Preston on keyboards). The opener is almost a cappella; it may send chills up your spine. His "It's a Mean Old World" is masterfully phrased, and I daresay that Rod Stewart may have drawn a lot of inspiration from it. Play some early Rod Stewart ballads (say, with the Jeff Beck group) and you may hear the similarities. Cooke strays in front of and behind the beat, his usual silky smooth voice sounding slightly raspy.

He puts new life into "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen" (with a slight reggae influence), finishing it off with a beautiful falsetto. Cooke does a fun "Shake, Rattle, and Roll," demonstrating once again that he is the master of all genres. Somehow he manages to save "Little Red Rooster" from the gimmicky effects of the otherwise excellent Billy Preston. (Though Preston's solo near the end of the song burns it up.) Other highlights include the blues/gospel of "Laughin' and Clownin," (and "Trouble Blues"), "Fool's Paradise," and, especially, the up-tempo "You Gotta Move."

Sam Cooke's immediacy, intimacy, and sheer soul power make this a compelling album. Ranks up with the best of Al Green, Otis, Nat Cole, and Aretha. Excellent liner notes by Robert Palmer. By all means, try to find this one!

His Best

Most all of Sam's compact discs are collections of singles, or concert recordings. This is the exception, as it is an ALBUM, in the same way that Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Band or the Dark Side of the Moon are albums. It flows from begining to end. Having said that, as with "Live at Harlem" , go ahead and buy the box set, as NIGHTBEAT is included in its entirety.

Sam Cooke's "Night Beat" is unrivaled perfection

The vocal powerhouse is in rare form here. An ingenious, late-night, blues/soul album bordering even the boundaries of perfection that he recorded in a matter of days. From beginning to end, the architect of soul music is without equal in these 38 minutes of bitter-sweet agony. The listener is raptured up in this dismal, gray, dark, bitter, regretful, unforgiving, at times comical tornado of human emotion. Sam interprets these songs as a man sitting a few stools down from you in the bar. Eyes red and cloudy, getting to know his good friend 'Jack Daniels' even better. Where happy hour is his time of peace and serenity. "Bartender, another one......please"



Brilliant....absolutely brilliant.

So Great! With a masterpiece at the begginning

This lesser-known album is one of Sam's best. He just gets up to the mike and sings blues song after blues song. He even churns out one of the best songs I have ever heard: 'Lost and Lookin'." His voice will send chills up and down your spine, and he signs it a cappella, which makes it even better. One wonderful album.

Soulful, Pure and Stunning Cd

There are many Cd's I have from Sam Cooke, but Night Beat has in it some of the best raw juice delivered by this man. The raw bluesy sound of "Little Red Rooster" to the powerful version of "Shake Rattle and Roll" to the sultry sounds of "Another Fool". This is without a doubt one of the best introductions to this man's music there is. The songs sung here are not his pop hits that most of us know, but this album gives to us Sam Cooke's wonderful elasticity as a singer and performer. His vocal range is captured on this album like no other.