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It's not for nothing that this is the second four-disc box set devoted to Aretha Franklin's career. 1992's Queen of Soul collected 86 tracks (5 of which were non-album), culled solely from her world-beating era on Atlantic (1967-1976). There have also been multi-disc sets dedicated to her Columbia era and even her unreleased Atlantic material, as well as several compilations of her '80s and '90s hits on Arista. Aretha Franklin is not an artist whose career is lacking for retrospection. So what can yet another four-disc box set—released in this era of streaming—offer that previous compilations haven't? Well, for one, it is notable that ARETHA is the first set to include work from all of the labels she recorded for (including her first single from JVB Records). Among its 81 tracks are 19 previously unreleased ones as well as nearly 10 more non-album tracks. The body of work the set is representing is exceptional, however it's also understandable that one may be hoping for a somewhat more innovative approach to the sequencing beyond just a chronological presentation. In this current age of streaming and playlists, such a sequence—especially one covering five decades of material—seems antiquated. Why not group iconic tracks here, unreleased tracks there, lost deep cuts over there, and maybe duets right here? One could make a case for jamming "Rock Steady" up against "Freeway of Love" or "A Rose is still a Rose" alongside "Ain't No Way" or even a vault track like the alternate mix of "Spanish Harlem," in a sort of "belters" and "ballads" organization that could give some of her lesser-known moments of greatness the spotlight they deserve. Instead, the only real narrative this set delivers is "she started here, went to this place next, and then ended up over there." Which is ... sufficient.
With a talent as immense as Franklin's—and an artistic biography that's so well-known—retelling her story in that way is something of a disservice. Especially when, even at her various commercial low points, she was still producing work that was, at the very least, interesting. As harder funk and, later, disco began to dominate the R&B airwaves in the mid-to-late '70s, Franklin struggled to maintain a conversation with contemporary audiences and tried everything from adult contemporary balladry to horn-drenched dance tracks; cuts like "You," "Almighty Fire (Woman of the Future)," and the eternally underrated "Mr. D.J. (5 For The D.J.)" are fantastic ambassadors for this oddly effortful period in Franklin's career. All of it—more than a dozen songs—is tucked into the third disc of material. This real estate is typically the purgatory of a chronological box set, falling after the formative early years and the subsequent era of chart domination, but before the obligatory inclusion of new work the artist insists is their "best ever."
In the case of ARETHA, this section is where the compilers are flexing their curatorial muscles, because they treat this material not as mandatory boxes to tick off, but as an essential part of the story. In fact, a good chunk of the vault material is from this period in time, from the two alternate takes and non-LP single track representing Franklin's 1973 Quincy Jones collaboration, Hey Now Hey (The Other Side of the Sky), to the demos and work tape versions that are here in lieu of album versions from Let Me In Your Life (1974). Released versions are here too, and hearing the Lamont Dozier-produced "Break it to Me Gently" (from 1977's Sweet Passion), the lush disco of "Ladies Only" (La Diva, 1979) and the richly textured melodrama of "Without Love" from With Everything I Feel in Me (1974) outside of their respective original less-than-successful albums context, it's abundantly clear that even though Franklin may have had trouble connecting with the charts, she never lost sight of what made for a good song or a superlative vocal performance.
Even in the later years, post-1985's "Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves," she may have been recording less frequently, but whether she was duetting with Lou Rawls on "At Last" in 2003, covering Adele in 2014, making an intensely emotional take on Donny Hathaway's "Someday We'll All Be Free" her own for the 1992 soundtrack to Spike Lee's Malcolm X, or burning down the 1998 Grammys when she filled in for a sick Luciano Pavarotti to sing "Nessun Dorma," she was still Aretha Franklin. Hell, this woman sang "You Light Up My Life" (the 1978 studio version here is previously unreleased), perhaps one of the treacliest songs ever written, and made it sound like the blues. So while ARETHA may not rewrite the narrative of her career, it does an excellent job of presenting a fuller perspective on it. After all, with a talent like Franklin's, the music speaks for itself. © Jason Ferguson/Qobuz
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CURTIS LEWIS, Writer - Aretha Franklin, Vocals, MainArtist - John Hammond, Producer - Ray Bryant Combo, Instruments - Lord Westbrook, Guitar
© 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation. ℗ 1961 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment.
Aretha Franklin, Vocals, MainArtist - John Hammond, Producer - Ray Bryant Combo, Instruments - John Leslie McFarland, Writer
© 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation. ℗ 1961 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment.
Aretha Franklin, Vocals, MainArtist - Meredith Willson, Writer - John Hammond, Producer - Ray Bryant Combo, Instruments
© 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation. ℗ 1961 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment.
Al Kasha, Writer - Curtis Williams, Writer - Alan Thomas, Writer - Aretha Franklin, Vocals, MainArtist - John Hammond, Producer
© 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation. ℗ 1962 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment.
Robert Mersey, Producer - Aretha Franklin, Vocals, MainArtist - Johnny Mercer, Writer - HOAGY CARMICHAEL, Writer
© 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation. ℗ 1963 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment.
Kay Rogers, Composer - Belford C. Hendricks, Conductor, Arranger - Richard Ahlert, Composer - Aretha Franklin, Vocals, MainArtist - CLYDE OTIS, Producer
© 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation. ℗ 1964 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment.
Aretha Franklin, Vocals, MainArtist - CLYDE OTIS, Producer - Charles Singleton, Composer - EDDIE SNYDER, Composer
© 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation. ℗ 1965 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment.
Robert Mersey, Conductor, Arranger - Bob Johnston, Producer - Joy Byers, Writer - Aretha Franklin, Vocals, MainArtist
© 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation. ℗ 1961 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment.
Aretha Franklin, Vocals, MainArtist - CLYDE OTIS, Producer - NICKOLAS ASHFORD, Writer - Valerie Simpson, Writer - Jo Armstead, Writer
© 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation. ℗ 1966 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment.
Milton Bland, Composer - David Wilkinson, Composer - Aretha Franklin, Vocals, MainArtist - CLYDE OTIS, Producer - McKinley Mitchell, Composer
© 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation. ℗ 1967 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment.
Aretha Franklin, Vocals, MainArtist - Sammy Cahn, Writer - Jimmy Van Heusen, Writer
© 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation. ℗ 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation.
Jimmy Campbell, Writer - Reg Connelly, Writer - Aretha Franklin, Vocals, MainArtist - Harry Woods, Writer - James Campbell, Writer - Reginald Connelly, Writer
© 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation. ℗ 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation.
Jerry Wexler, Producer - Carolyn Franklin, Backing Vocals - Spooner Oldham, Electric Piano - Rick Hall, Producer - Erma Franklin, Backing Vocals - Charlie Chalmers, Tenor Saxophone - Chips Moman, Guitar - Jimmy Johnson, Guitar - Roger Hawkins, Drums - Tommy Cogbill, Bass Guitar - Aretha Franklin, Piano, Vocals, MainArtist - King Curtis, Tenor Saxophone - Willie Bridges, Baritone Saxophone - Melvin Lastie, Trumpet - TOM DOWD, Engineer - Cissy Houston, Backing Vocals - Ronnie Shannon, Writer
© 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation. ℗ 1967 Atlantic Records 2018 Remastered Rhino Entertainment
Jerry Wexler, Producer - Carolyn Franklin, Backing Vocals - Spooner Oldham, Keyboards - Rick Hall, Producer - Erma Franklin, Backing Vocals - Chips Moman, Guitar, Writer - Jimmy Johnson, Guitar - Roger Hawkins, Drums - Tommy Cogbill, Bass Guitar - Aretha Franklin, Piano, Vocals, MainArtist - King Curtis, Tenor Saxophone - Willie Bridges, Baritone Saxophone - Melvin Lastie, Trumpet - Charles Chalmers, Tenor Saxophone - TOM DOWD, Engineer - Cissy Houston, Backing Vocals - Dan Penn, Writer
© 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation. ℗ 1967 Atlantic Records 2018 Remastered Rhino Entertainment
Jerry Wexler, Producer - Carolyn Franklin, Backing Vocals - Spooner Oldham, Organ - Arif Mardin, Producer, Arranger - Erma Franklin, Backing Vocals - Cornell Dupree, Guitar - Otis Redding, Writer - Jimmy Johnson, Guitar - Roger Hawkins, Drums - Tommy Cogbill, Bass Guitar - Aretha Franklin, Piano, Vocals, MainArtist - King Curtis, Tenor Saxophone - Willie Bridges, Baritone Saxophone - Melvin Lastie, Cornet - Charles Chalmers, Tenor Saxophone
© 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation. ℗ 1967 Atlantic Records 2018 Remastered Rhino Entertainment
Carolyn Franklin, Backing Vocals - Erma Franklin, Backing Vocals - Chips Moman, Guitar - Jimmy Johnson, Guitar - Roger Hawkins, Drums - Tommy Cogbill, Bass Guitar - Aretha Franklin, Vocals, MainArtist - The Sweet Inspirations, Backing Vocals - BOBBY WOMACK, Guitar - Sam Cooke, Composer, Writer - TOM DOWD, Engineer - Cissy Houston, Backing Vocals
© 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation. ℗ 1967 Atlantic Records
Jerry Wexler, Producer - Carolyn Franklin, Background Vocals - Spooner Oldham, Piano - Arif Mardin, Arranger - Erma Franklin, Background Vocals - Jimmy Johnson, Guitar - Roger Hawkins, Drums - Aretha Franklin, Piano, Vocals, MainArtist - The Sweet Inspirations, Background Vocals - TOM DOWD, Arranger, RecordingEngineer - Don Covay, Writer - Ellie Greenwich, Background Vocals - Cissy Houston, Background Vocals - Joe South, Guitar
© 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation. ℗ 1973 Atlantic Recording Corporation.
Jerry Wexler, Producer - Aretha Franklin, Vocals, MainArtist - KEITH RICHARDS, Writer - MICK JAGGER, Writer
© 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation. ℗ 1967 Atlantic Recording Corporation.
Jerry Wexler, Producer - Carolyn Franklin, Backing Vocals - Spooner Oldham, Organ - Arif Mardin, Arranger - Jimmy Johnson, Guitar - Roger Hawkins, Drums - Tommy Cogbill, Bass Guitar - Aretha Franklin, Piano, Backing Vocals, Writer, MainArtist - The Sweet Inspirations, Backing Vocals - King Curtis, Tenor Saxophone - BOBBY WOMACK, Guitar - Bernie Glow, Trumpet - Frank Wess, Tenor Saxophone - Haywood Henry, Baritone Saxophone - Joe Newman, Trumpet - Melvin Lastie, Trumpet - Tony Studd, Bass Trombone - Ted White, Writer
© 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation. ℗ 2020, 1968 Atlantic Recording Corporation.
Jerry Wexler, Producer - Carolyn Franklin, Backing Vocals, Writer - Spooner Oldham, Organ - Jimmy Johnson, Guitar - Roger Hawkins, Drums - Tommy Cogbill, Bass Guitar - Aretha Franklin, Piano, Backing Vocals, MainArtist - The Sweet Inspirations, Backing Vocals - King Curtis, Tenor Saxophone - Frank Wess, Saxophone - Haywood Henry, Baritone Saxophone - Melvin Lastie, Trumpet - Tony Studd, Trombone - TOM DOWD, Audio Recording Engineer - Joe South, Guitar - Warren Smith, Vibraphone
© 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation. ℗ 2020, 1968 Atlantic Recording Corporation.
Aretha Franklin, Vocals, MainArtist - David James Mattis, Writer - John Marshall Alexander, Writer
© 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation. ℗ 1968 Atlantic Records 2018 Remastered Rhino Entertainment
Jerry Wexler, Producer - Wayne Jackson, Trumpet - Spooner Oldham, Organ - Arif Mardin, Arranger - Andrew Love, Saxophone - Jimmy Johnson, Guitar - Roger Hawkins, Drums - Aretha Franklin, Piano, Vocals, MainArtist - The Sweet Inspirations, Backing Vocals - Jerry Jemmott, Bass Guitar - Willie Bridges, Baritone Saxophone - Tony Studd, Trombone - Charles Chalmers, Saxophone - FLOYD NEWMAN, Saxophone - Sam Cooke, Writer - TOM DOWD, Arranger
© 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation. ℗ 1968 Atlantic Records 2018 Remastered Rhino Entertainment
Jerry Wexler, Producer - Wayne Jackson, Trumpet - Spooner Oldham, Organ - Andrew Love, Tenor Saxophone - Jimmy Johnson, Guitar - Roger Hawkins, Drums - Aretha Franklin, Piano, Vocals, MainArtist - The Sweet Inspirations, Backing Vocals - Jerry Jemmott, Bass Guitar - Willie Bridges, Baritone Saxophone - Charles Chalmers, Tenor Saxophone - FLOYD NEWMAN, Bass Saxophone - Bob Lance, Writer - Fran Robbins, Writer
© 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation. ℗ 1968 Atlantic Records 2018 Remastered Rhino Entertainment
Richard Williams, Trumpet - Marvin Tarplin, Writer - Jerry Wexler, Producer - Spooner Oldham, Organ - Arif Mardin, Arranger - Jimmy Johnson, Guitar - Roger Hawkins, Drums - Tommy Cogbill, Guitar - Aretha Franklin, Piano, Vocals, MainArtist - King Curtis, Tenor Saxophone - Jerry Jemmott, Bass Guitar - Bernie Glow, Trumpet - Frank Wess, Alto Saxophone - Joe Newman, Trumpet - Seldon Powell, Tenor Saxophone - Jimmy Cleveland, Trombone - TOM DOWD, Producer - Urbie Greene, Trombone - David Newman, Tenor Saxophone - Ernie Royal, Trumpet - SMOKEY ROBINSON, Writer - Pepper Adams, Baritone Saxophone - Pete Moore, Writer - Thomas Mitchell, Trombone - Benny Powell, Trombone - George Dorsey, Alto Saxophone - Jack Jennings, Vibraphone - Wyline Ivy, Backing Vocals - Louis Goicdecha, Percussion - Manuel Gonzales, Percussion - Snookie Young, Trumpet - Evelyn Greene, Backing Vocals
© 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation. ℗ 2020, 1969 Atlantic Recording Corporation.
DISC 2
Jerry Wexler, Producer - Carolyn Franklin, Backing Vocals - Gary Illingworth, Piano - Jerry Weaver, Guitar - Aretha Franklin, Vocals, MainArtist - Ronnie Shannon, Writer - John Wilson, Trumpet - George Davidson, Drums - Wyline Ivy, Backing Vocals - Charnessa Jones, Backing Vocals - David Squire, Baritone Saxophone - Donald Townes, Trumpet - Donald Waldon, Tenor Saxophone - Rene Pitts, Trombone - Russell Conway, Trumpet - Ron Jackson, Trumpet - Miller Brisker, Tenor Saxophone - Rodderick Hicks, Bass Guitar
© 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation. ℗ 1968 Atlantic Recording Corp for the US and WEA International for the rest of the world outside the US.
Ronnie Wilkins, Writer - John Hurley, Writer - Jerry Wexler, Producer - Eddie Hinton, Guitar - Arif Mardin, Producer - Jimmy Johnson, Guitar - Roger Hawkins, Drums - Aretha Franklin, Piano, Vocals, MainArtist - The Sweet Inspirations, Backing Vocals - Jerry Jemmott, Bass Guitar - TOM DOWD, Producer - BARRY BECKETT, Organ
© 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation. ℗ 1970 Atlantic Recording Corp.
Jerry Wexler, Producer - Arif Mardin, Producer - Aretha Franklin, Vocals, Writer, MainArtist - TOM DOWD, Producer
© 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation. ℗ 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation.
Jerry Wexler, Producer - Eddie Hinton, Guitar - Arif Mardin, Producer - Jerry Weaver, Guitar - Jimmy Johnson, Guitar - Roger Hawkins, Drums - Aretha Franklin, Piano, Vocals, MainArtist - King Curtis, Tenor Saxophone - John Lennon, Writer - Paul Mccartney, Writer - TOM DOWD, Producer - David Hood, Bass Guitar - BARRY BECKETT, Organ - The Dixie Flyers, FeaturedArtist, With Vocals
© 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation. ℗ 2020, 1970 Atlantic Recording Corporation.
Weldon Irvine, Writer - Jerry Wexler, Producer - Arif Mardin, Producer - Aretha Franklin, Vocals, MainArtist - TOM DOWD, Producer - Nina Simone, Writer
© 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation. 1967 ℗ 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation.
Jerry Wexler, Producer - Arif Mardin, Producer - Aretha Franklin, Vocals, MainArtist - Paul Simon, Writer - TOM DOWD, Producer
© 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation. ℗ 1971 Atlantic Recording Corporation.
Aretha Franklin, Vocals, MainArtist - Steve Cropper, Writer - Don Covay, Writer - Tom Jones, FeaturedArtist, With Vocals - Les Reed, Writer - Gordon Mills, Composer, Writer - Leslie Reed, Composer, Writer
© 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation. ℗ 2020 Retro Video.
Jerry Wexler, Producer - Arif Mardin, Producer - Aretha Franklin, Vocals, MainArtist - NICKOLAS ASHFORD, Writer - Valerie Simpson, Writer
© 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation. ℗ 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation.
Kenneth Gamble, Writer - Jerry Wexler, Vocals - Aretha Franklin, Vocals, MainArtist - Jerry Butler, Writer - Theresa Bell, Writer
© 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation. ℗ 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation.
Jerry Wexler, Producer - Arif Mardin, Producer - Jerry Leiber, Writer - Aretha Franklin, Vocals, MainArtist - TOM DOWD, Producer - PHIL SPECTOR, Writer
© 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation. ℗ 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation.
Jimmy Douglass, AssistantEngineer - Jerry Wexler, Producer - Carolyn Franklin, Backing Vocals - Wayne Jackson, Trumpet - Chuck Rainey, Bass Guitar - Arif Mardin, Producer, RemixingEngineer - Andrew Love, Tenor Saxophone - Erma Franklin, Backing Vocals - Bernard Purdie, Drums - Cornell Dupree, Guitar - Aretha Franklin, Piano, Vocals, Writer, MainArtist - LEW HAHN, AssistantEngineer - Donny Hathaway, Organ - TOM DOWD, Producer, Brass Arranger - Margaret Branch, Backing Vocals - Robert Popwell, Percussion - Pat Smith, Backing Vocals - Ron Albert, Engineer - Howard Albert, Engineer - Chuck Kirkpatrick, Engineer - Jack Adams, Engineer - Ann S. Clark, Backing Vocals - Don Cassale, AssistantEngineer
© 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation. ℗ 2007 Atlantic Recording Corp., a Warner Music Group Company
Hubert Laws, Flute - Jerry Wexler, Producer - Carolyn Franklin, Backing Vocals - Chuck Rainey, Bass Guitar - Arif Mardin, Producer, Horns Arranger, Woodwind Arranger, Strings Arranger - Erma Franklin, Backing Vocals - Bernard Purdie, Drums - Cornell Dupree, Guitar - Aretha Franklin, Vocals, Writer, MainArtist - Donny Hathaway, Electric Piano - TOM DOWD, Producer - Don Arnone, Acoustic Guitar - Margaret Branch, Backing Vocals - Pat Smith, Backing Vocals - Ann S. Clark, Backing Vocals
© 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation. ℗ 1971 Atlantic Recording Corp. for the US and WEA International for the world outside the US.
Jerry Wexler, Producer - Arif Mardin, Arranger - Bernard Purdie, Drums - Cornell Dupree, Guitar - Aretha Franklin, Vocals, MainArtist - King Curtis, Saxophone - Jerry Jemmott, Bass Guitar - Brenda Bryant, Backing Vocals - Margaret Branch, Backing Vocals - Billy Preston, Organ - Pat Smith, Backing Vocals - Al Braggs, Writer - DEADRIC MALONE, Writer - Truman Thomas, Piano - Pancho Morales, Congas - Memphis Horns, Brass Ensemble
© 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation. ℗ 1971 Atlantic Recording Corp.
Jerry Wexler, Producer - Betty Nelson, Writer - Bernard Purdie, Drums - Cornell Dupree, Guitar - Aretha Franklin, Vocals, MainArtist - AHMET ERTEGUN, Writer - King Curtis, Saxophone - Jerry Jemmott, Bass Guitar - TOM DOWD, Horns Arranger - Brenda Bryant, Backing Vocals - Margaret Branch, Backing Vocals - Billy Preston, Organ - Pat Smith, Backing Vocals - Truman Thomas, Electric Piano - Pancho Morales, Congas - Memphis Horns, Brass Ensemble
© 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation. ℗ 1971 Atlantic Recording Corp.
Arif Mardin, Horns Arranger - Bernard Purdie, Drums - Cornell Dupree, Guitar - Aretha Franklin, Vocals, Writer, MainArtist - King Curtis, Saxophone, Orchestral Conductor - Jerry Jemmott, Bass Guitar - Ted White, Writer - Brenda Bryant, Backing Vocals - Margaret Branch, Backing Vocals - Billy Preston, Organ - Pat Smith, Backing Vocals - Truman Thomas, Piano - Memphis Horns, Brass Ensemble - Pancho Moreles, Congas
© 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation. ℗ 1971 Atlantic Recording Corp.
Jerry Wexler, Producer - Arif Mardin, Arranger - Bernard Purdie, Drums - Cornell Dupree, Guitar - Ray Charles, Electric Piano, Vocals - Aretha Franklin, Vocals, Writer, MainArtist - King Curtis, Saxophone - Jerry Jemmott, Bass Guitar - Brenda Bryant, Backing Vocals - Margaret Branch, Backing Vocals - Billy Preston, Organ - Pat Smith, Backing Vocals - Truman Thomas, Electric Piano - Pancho Morales, Congas - Memphis Horns, Brass Ensemble
© 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation. ℗ 1971 Atlantic Recording Corp.
Jerry Wexler, Producer - Chuck Rainey, Bass Guitar - Arif Mardin, Producer, RemixingEngineer - Bernard Purdie, Drums - Cornell Dupree, Guitar - Jimmy Douglas, AssistantEngineer - Aretha Franklin, Arranger, Vocals, MainArtist - GENE PAUL, AssistantEngineer - Ray Thompson, Audio Recording Engineer - George Piros, AssistantEngineer - Pancho Morales, Congas - Wally Heider, Audio Recording Engineer - Rev. James Cleveland, Conductor, Piano - The Southern California Community Choir, Choir - Ken Lupper, Organ - Clara Ward, Writer - Rev. Alexander Hamilton, Choir, Sound Director
© 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation. ℗ 1972 Atlantic Records
Aretha Franklin, Producer, Piano, Vocals, Writer, MainArtist - Quincy Jones, Producer - Phil Woods, Saxophone - Bernice Hart, Writer
© 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation. ℗ 1973 Atlantic Recording Corp.
DISC 3
Leonard Bernstein, Writer - Aretha Franklin, Producer, Vocals, MainArtist - Stephen Sondheim, Writer - Quincy Jones, Producer
© 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation. ℗ 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation.
Sonny Saunders, Writer - Carolyn Franklin, Writer - Aretha Franklin, Producer, Vocals, MainArtist - Quincy Jones, Producer
© 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation. ℗ 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation.
Aretha Franklin, Producer, Vocals, Writer, MainArtist - Quincy Jones, Producer
© 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation. ℗ 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation.
Aretha Franklin, Producer, Vocals, Writer, MainArtist
© 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation. ℗ 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation.
Aretha Franklin, Producer, Vocals, Writer, MainArtist
© 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation. ℗ 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation.
Morris Broadnax, Writer - Jerry Wexler, Producer - Arif Mardin, Producer - Aretha Franklin, Producer, Vocals, MainArtist - TOM DOWD, Producer - Stevie Wonder, Writer - Clarence Paul, Writer
© 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation. ℗ 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation.
Album review
It's not for nothing that this is the second four-disc box set devoted to Aretha Franklin's career. 1992's Queen of Soul collected 86 tracks (5 of which were non-album), culled solely from her world-beating era on Atlantic (1967-1976). There have also been multi-disc sets dedicated to her Columbia era and even her unreleased Atlantic material, as well as several compilations of her '80s and '90s hits on Arista. Aretha Franklin is not an artist whose career is lacking for retrospection. So what can yet another four-disc box set—released in this era of streaming—offer that previous compilations haven't? Well, for one, it is notable that ARETHA is the first set to include work from all of the labels she recorded for (including her first single from JVB Records). Among its 81 tracks are 19 previously unreleased ones as well as nearly 10 more non-album tracks. The body of work the set is representing is exceptional, however it's also understandable that one may be hoping for a somewhat more innovative approach to the sequencing beyond just a chronological presentation. In this current age of streaming and playlists, such a sequence—especially one covering five decades of material—seems antiquated. Why not group iconic tracks here, unreleased tracks there, lost deep cuts over there, and maybe duets right here? One could make a case for jamming "Rock Steady" up against "Freeway of Love" or "A Rose is still a Rose" alongside "Ain't No Way" or even a vault track like the alternate mix of "Spanish Harlem," in a sort of "belters" and "ballads" organization that could give some of her lesser-known moments of greatness the spotlight they deserve. Instead, the only real narrative this set delivers is "she started here, went to this place next, and then ended up over there." Which is ... sufficient.
With a talent as immense as Franklin's—and an artistic biography that's so well-known—retelling her story in that way is something of a disservice. Especially when, even at her various commercial low points, she was still producing work that was, at the very least, interesting. As harder funk and, later, disco began to dominate the R&B airwaves in the mid-to-late '70s, Franklin struggled to maintain a conversation with contemporary audiences and tried everything from adult contemporary balladry to horn-drenched dance tracks; cuts like "You," "Almighty Fire (Woman of the Future)," and the eternally underrated "Mr. D.J. (5 For The D.J.)" are fantastic ambassadors for this oddly effortful period in Franklin's career. All of it—more than a dozen songs—is tucked into the third disc of material. This real estate is typically the purgatory of a chronological box set, falling after the formative early years and the subsequent era of chart domination, but before the obligatory inclusion of new work the artist insists is their "best ever."
In the case of ARETHA, this section is where the compilers are flexing their curatorial muscles, because they treat this material not as mandatory boxes to tick off, but as an essential part of the story. In fact, a good chunk of the vault material is from this period in time, from the two alternate takes and non-LP single track representing Franklin's 1973 Quincy Jones collaboration, Hey Now Hey (The Other Side of the Sky), to the demos and work tape versions that are here in lieu of album versions from Let Me In Your Life (1974). Released versions are here too, and hearing the Lamont Dozier-produced "Break it to Me Gently" (from 1977's Sweet Passion), the lush disco of "Ladies Only" (La Diva, 1979) and the richly textured melodrama of "Without Love" from With Everything I Feel in Me (1974) outside of their respective original less-than-successful albums context, it's abundantly clear that even though Franklin may have had trouble connecting with the charts, she never lost sight of what made for a good song or a superlative vocal performance.
Even in the later years, post-1985's "Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves," she may have been recording less frequently, but whether she was duetting with Lou Rawls on "At Last" in 2003, covering Adele in 2014, making an intensely emotional take on Donny Hathaway's "Someday We'll All Be Free" her own for the 1992 soundtrack to Spike Lee's Malcolm X, or burning down the 1998 Grammys when she filled in for a sick Luciano Pavarotti to sing "Nessun Dorma," she was still Aretha Franklin. Hell, this woman sang "You Light Up My Life" (the 1978 studio version here is previously unreleased), perhaps one of the treacliest songs ever written, and made it sound like the blues. So while ARETHA may not rewrite the narrative of her career, it does an excellent job of presenting a fuller perspective on it. After all, with a talent like Franklin's, the music speaks for itself. © Jason Ferguson/Qobuz
About the album
- 4 disc(s) - 81 track(s)
- Total length: 05:08:39
- Main artists: Aretha Franklin
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Rhino Atlantic
- Genre: Soul/Funk/R&B Soul
© 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation. ℗ 2020 Atlantic Recording Corporation.
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