Sam Cooke – Night Beat, Vinyl LP

Night Beat shows Sam Cooke moving beyond polished pop-soul into a darker, more intimate late-night set. Released in 1963, the album is often prized for its restrained atmosphere and blues-leaning material, with Cooke bringing gospel-bred phrasing and remarkable emotional control to songs such as "Lost and Lookin'" and "Little Red Rooster." Rather than the bright, crossover sound that made him a star, this record emphasises mood, understatement and ache, revealing how naturally he could inhabit blues and rhythm and blues. It remains one of the most distinctive entries in Cooke's catalogue and a favourite among listeners who value his deeper, more searching side.

Side A

• Nobody knows the trouble ive seen
• Lost and lookin
• Mean old world
• Please don't drive me away
• I lost everything
• Get yourself another fool

Side B

• Little red rooster
• laughing and clowin
• Trouble blues
• You gotta move
• Fool's paradise
• Shake, rattle and roll