I struggled to think of what the first live album I wanted to cover this week. What album gets across the thing I want to get out of a live release? I’ve never been one for perfect sonic replication: I can listen to the studio albums for that. I want to be inside the recording; I want to feel like I’m there – in the crowd, in the club. And it hit me: the first live release I bought when I re-kicked off my vinyl collection was Curtis/Live! the intimate, smoke and booze soaked live document from the man himself, Curtis Mayfield soon after leaving The Impressions and starting his solo career. Despite its lukewarm reception at the time (Rolling Stone continuing to prove itself the pulse of nothing), I’ve come to think of it as one of the best live albums ever, and potentially my favorite album from Mayfield.

Combining some of his most popular Impressions songs with tracks off the just released debut album, Curtis/Live! is one of the most immersive listening experiences I’ve ever had. The sparse instrumentation, Mayfield relying on a skeletal crew to bring the songs to life leave enough space for the ambience to seep in, and the crowd noise and breath makes everything hit just a little bit harder. The combination of Tyrone McCullen on drums and Henry Gibson on various percussion is the backbone to everything, making songs like “Check Out Your Mind” and “Gypsy Woman” feel more immediate than their more lush and orchestrated Impressions incarnations.

And then there’s Mayfield himself. Sharing guitar duties with Craig McMullen he leaves the guitars to vamp and serve the rhythms in ways that are usually left to the bass (a superb performance from Joseph “Lucky” Scott) and drums. It leaves plenty of the space for the most important part of the gig next to the audience: Mayfield’s voice. Laid bare in a way audiences weren’t used to hearing him, his falsetto and melodic sense shine on Curtis/Live!, letting new songs like “The Makings Of You” and the super-charged closer “(Don’t Worry) If There’s A Hell Below, We’re All Going To Go” have a forceful, political impact that show the direction Mayfield was heading in.

This is emphasized in his “raps” interspersed through Curtis/Live!, and I think it’s those spoken passages, combined with club vibe and periodic conversations, applause, and the clinking of glasses that make this such an inviting and immersive set. When I put on the vinyl, the faint clicks and pops only add to that intimate atmosphere, and take me to a dark, crowded room, respectful but at the same time knowing acknowledging the space. When I listen to a live album, it’s that ambience I want most of all. I want artists to stretch out, experiment with arrangements, but most of all connect with the audience.

Curtis/Live! shows that Mayfield didn’t need The Impressions, or robust orchestrations to do that. All he needed was that voice, and the ears to hear it.