Aretha appreciation
mannybolone
Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts
I've been working on a writing project re: Aretha and have been reading parts of Guralnick's "Sweet Soul Music", caught a timely PBS documentary from the 1980s, and lo and behold, this just crossed my doorstep the other day:"Aretha Franklin: Rare & Unreleased Recordings From The Golden Reign Of The Queen Of Soul"It's out on Rhino in early Oct. and contains demos and outtakes from her Atlantic years. To be straight up, this sort of project is really aimed more at completionists and hardcore fanatics than casual fans but really, for anyone who loves Aretha (and seriously, who the fuck doesn't?), from a historical p.o.v., some of this is 
The most are the first three songs on the CD, which are demos that Aretha and her s.o.b. husband at the time, Ted White, sent Jerry Wexler. They include the original demo version of "I Never Love a Man" (which Guralnick describes as one of the greatest moments in pop song history and I don't think he's being hyperbolic) which is just Aretha at the piano. The original version is pretty 
, by which I mean that Wexler and the Muscle Shoals band really improved on it but it's still a marvel to think about as an idea in motion. Another from the demo tapes is "Sweet Bitter Love" which was a song she recorded for both Columbia in the 60s and, much later, Arista but it never ended up on an Atlantic album. I snippet an edit of it: I'm just blown away that, 40 years later, they still unreleased stuff like this to put out. 
The most are the first three songs on the CD, which are demos that Aretha and her s.o.b. husband at the time, Ted White, sent Jerry Wexler. They include the original demo version of "I Never Love a Man" (which Guralnick describes as one of the greatest moments in pop song history and I don't think he's being hyperbolic) which is just Aretha at the piano. The original version is pretty , by which I mean that Wexler and the Muscle Shoals band really improved on it but it's still a marvel to think about as an idea in motion. Another from the demo tapes is "Sweet Bitter Love" which was a song she recorded for both Columbia in the 60s and, much later, Arista but it never ended up on an Atlantic album. I snippet an edit of it: I'm just blown away that, 40 years later, they still unreleased stuff like this to put out.
Comments
(I need this 45. Holler!)
I haven't heard this one (it's not on the Columbia comps I have) - got a sound clip?
Then Areatha comes on, and it's like 10 times what they were doing.
I don't know much about singing, I can't hold a note, but are they teaching up-and-coming singers NOT to sing like Aretha now? Because NO-ONE sings remotely like her these days (not that that's totally doable without her voice, but even in "Style"). I think she's the only singer where I've literally gotten goosebumps from listening to.
I think her catalog is patchy though; some of it does nothing for me. Does she pick shouty "Rockstady"-type songs because she prefers them or are they the only ones the producer suggests? I like the sublter stuff, even the early 80's Marcus Miller produced stuff which many give the finger-crucifix but hey, I like what I like.
Has she done any good takes on Jazz standards? "How Deep Is The Ocean" etc.?
I still think Natural Woman and Chain of Fools are wicked songs despite being played to death and having to be part of some super-cheese moments in movies and on TV.
All The King's Horses is tears-worthy.
I listen to these three regularly
Not liking her "shouty 'Rock Steady'"-type songs is like not liking water because its' wet. That's what kept her from being a second-string Nancy Wilson (like she was on most of her Columbia recordings). Nothing wrong with the "subtler stuff" you prefer - like you said, you like what you like - but the uptempo "Rock Steadies" and the "Thinks" and the "Respects" are part of why she became the Queen of Soul in the first place. Nothing wrong with low-key reflection, but it ain't no crime to shake your shaggy-shaggy every little once in a while!
Sounds like you want her Columbia records (although she got jazzy occasionally on her Atlantic records, like "Moody's Mood For Love" from Hey Now Hey).
That'd be cool but she has a rep for being notoriously interview shy. That might have changed though.
sorry took so long...