![]() However, the new box set Take a Look: Aretha Franklin Complete on Columbia goes much further, with more than 10 hours of material - including performance videos, unreleased songs, studio outtakes, even a couple of vintage radio ads. In fact, the rehabilitation of that catalog began with previous compilations, including 2002's The Queen In Waiting. To her credit, even as an unlikely torch singer, Aretha still knew how to smolder.įor all of the unevenness, there are more than enough diamonds to be dug out of Aretha's Columbia years. Unleashing her on top of a pleasant but innocuous jazz accompaniment is rather like bringing a fire hose to a water gun fight. That's not completely unfair: At times, the label did seem more interested in molding her to be the next Dinah Washington rather than the first Aretha Franklin. At the same recording session, her producers also had her borrow a page from the Judy Garland songbook with, shall we say, mixed results?įor many years, fans and critics largely dismissed Aretha's Columbia recordings, suggesting that various producers had mismanaged or underutilized her talents. Hank Parker/Sony Music Archives (Cause) Freedom (Stands For) Freedom (Oh). On August 1, 1960, a shy, lanky teenager from Detroit walked into the East 30th Street Studios of New York's Columbia Records to record with the Ray Bryant Combo.Įven at 18, Aretha Franklin's voice was a marvel of rich timbre and piercing power, but it's not obvious that Columbia knew what to do with her. Franklin photographed in January 1961 for her first promotional shoot, after she had signed to Columbia Records. ![]() This record cemented Franklin as one of the greatest vocalists in history with na incredible performance from start to finish.The new Aretha Franklin compilation Take a Look features the legendary singer's music from her years with Columbia Records. The more things change, the more they stay the same, but here’s hoping that a change is gonna come soon. ![]() It’s impossible to not feel the sense of urgency in Franklin’s urging of ‘A Change Is Gonna Come.’ It’s an anthem and one that is still relevant today in the Black Lives Matter Movement. The US was at the height of the Civil Rights Movement, with seemingly no change in sight. She ends the record with a perfect rendition of Sam Cooke’s ‘A Change Is Gonna Come.’ “It's been a long/A long time coming/But I know a change gonna come/Oh, yes it will.” Her conviction on this song is palpable. Feelgood (Love Is A Serious Business)’ is a through-and-through Gospel track. ‘Do Right Woman, Do Right Man’ incorporates a Country feel on the record, while ‘Dr. She effortlessly works her way through the eleven tracks, hitting impossible notes without breaking a sweat. Her voice is incredible on this recording. “R-E-S-P-E-C-T/Find out what it means to me.” The song would become her only solo mainstream #1 single and went on to sell over a million copies in The States alone. Recorded on Valentine’s Day 1967, Franklin took a song that has been a moderate hit for its composer, Otis Redding, flipped the gender in the lyrics and in turn created arguably the greatest feminist and Civil Rights anthems of all-time. Aretha Franklins Last Recording Session for Columbia Records. The song was released as a single ahead of the albumand went straight to #1 on the RnB chart, as well as #9 on the mainstream chart.īut it was the second single that would launch Franklin to stardom. Soulville, 1964 The standard line about Franklin’s early years with Columbia records is that they were a wasted opportunity. After recording the title track for this record on day one, her husband had an altercation with the studio manager, forcing her to move sessions to NYC. Even in adolescence, she sounded exactly like Aretha Franklin. ![]() ![]() Franklin headed to FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama to record with the famous house band there. In 1962, Aretha was dubbed as the Queen of Soul by a Chicago DJ named Pervis Spann on WVON. In 1961 she had a minor Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, a remake of the Al Jolson tune from the 1918 Broadway musical, Sinbad, titled Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With A Dixie Melody. Wexler wanted to use Franklin’s Gospel background to capitalise on the rising popularity of Soul Music. Aretha Franklin signed with Columbia Records in 1960. She struggled to find success on those records and so when her contract expired, Jerry Wexler convinced her to move over to Atlantic Records. The Queen Of Soul, Aretha Franklin had recorded 9 albums for Columbia Records within the space of 6 years. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |