The best of The Queen of Soul in remastered vinyl…
Aretha Franklin – A Portrait of the Queen (1970-1974) – 180 gm vinyl (Six LPs) – BMG/Atlantic/Omnivore #538886121 – *****
This Girls in Love With You (1/70)
Spirit in the Dark (8/70)
Young Gifted and Black (1/72)
Hey Now Hey- The Other Side of the Sky (6/73)
Let Me in Your Life (2/74)
Pledging My Love -Session Tracks
There is less debate over whether Aretha Franklin is “The Queen of Soul” then over what period of her career was her “best.” She started off with Columbia Records and the label had a hard time convincing the public that she was a “jazz singer.” Next she was on Atlantic Records, where producer Jerry Wexler was adamant, that with the right backing (Muscle Shoals sidemen, or the cream of New York session players) that Franklin’s blend of gospel flavored vocals mixed with rhythm and blues, would make her untouched as a vocalist. Later, after she signed with Clive Davis forArista Records, she ended her career bringing pop and contemporary music into her repertoire.
Her career lasted nearly six decades, selling 75 million records, and garnering 18 Grammy awards. Aretha Franklin was called the “greatest singer of all time” by Rolling Stone Magazine. Some of her most iconic records were made in the early 70s on Atlantic Records. Perhaps her five most impressive Atlantic releases have now been re-issued in a glorious 180 gm vinyl box set, remastered from the analog master tapes by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering. Produced by Grammy Award winner, Cheryl Pawelski, complete with extensive liner notes, it would make a great gift for her fans. An absolute “sweetener” is the addition of a sixth album of outtakes, alternates, demos, and “B” sides, many quite difficult to find elsewhere.
In addition to the production and arrangements that were featured on these classic albums, Aretha’s piano skills are on full display. She was fully involved with all aspects of these album tracks, even when she used Quincy Jones as producer of the Hey, Now, Hey sessions.
The opening LP in this box set, This Girl’s in Love With You, issued in Jan. 1970, was Franklin’s eighth album for Atlantic. It featured several songs that were hits for others, including Dusty Springfield’s “Son of a Preacher Man,” James Carr’s “Dark End of the Street,” and The Band’s “The Weight.”
Aretha makes each one her own. She uses Call and Response with her Sweet Inspirations back up singers on “Dark End,” and guitar legend Duane Allman on “The Weight.” But it is her version of The Beatles , “Let It Be,” that is the most historical, as it was released a few months before Beatles release, and was reportedly written by Paul McCartney, with Aretha in mind.
Spirit in the Dark album, comes next. It has “Don’t Play That Song,” which reached #1 on the R & B charts, and earned Franklin her 4th Grammy. The title track rises to a fever pitch. “Oh No, Not My Baby,” was written by Carole King and Jerry Goffin, and Aretha honors B.B. King with “Why I Sing the Blues.”
Young, Gifted, and Black, released in Jan. 1972, was recorded with a new group of musicians, included Donny Hathaway, Billy Preston, Hubert Laws, and The Memphis Horns. It covers a wide range of musical genres. “Oh Me, Oh My,” was arranged with strings, and has Hathaway on organ. Other hits were “Day Dreamin'”, and “Rock Steady,” which continues to be sampled by today’s artists. This album had lots of inspirations including Nina Simone, whose version of the title cut was one of Simone’s most striking social commentary songs. Other famous songs that get the Franklin treatment are Elton John’s classic, “Border Song,” and The Beatles’ “The Long and Winding Road.”
The label turned to Quincy Jones for the Hey Now Hey (The Other Side of the Sky) album, released in June, 1973. It was a major change at the time, both in content and production. There is psychedelic lyrics on the title track; “Somewhere,” from West Side Story; and jazz man, James Moody’s “Moody’s Mood,” with rapid fire lyrics. “Mister Spain” deals with drug addiction, while “Just Right Tonight,” lets Aretha deal with frank adult relationships, if you catch my drift. The album also included a major hit, “Angel,” which has Aretha’s famous introduction.
The last of the Atlantic albums in this box of goodies, Let Me in Your Life, came out in Feb. 1974. It was a fully “arranged in the studio” session, a departure of most of her prior Atlantic albums that were put together over longer periods of time. Using highly experienced session artists, it is a polished product with strings, horns, and background vocalists. Winning tracks include, the ballad, “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing,” (Franklin’s 10th Grammy winner); Leon Russell’s “A Song for You,” and an assertive version of the title track.
The bonus sixth album has an “unplugged” Aretha (piano and vocal) on “Are You Leaving Me?”; “Spanish Harlem,” which was issued only as a single and reached the top of the charts; and “Do You Know,” a sexy blues that shows Aretha’s “earthy” side.
For vinyl fans of the Queen of Soul, this would be a special part of their Aretha Franklin collection. Save a space on your full sized book shelf for this one.
—Jeff Krow
More information through Acoustic Sounds
