Five Aretha Franklin Records You Need In Your Life
This week (morning of August 16, 2018) we sadly lost one of the greatest vocalists and inspirational figures of our time in Aretha Franklin. The artist who has rightfully been declared the “Queen of Soul” sold over 75 million records, won 18 GRAMMYs, received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and in 1987, became the first women to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Not only was Aretha a highly accomplished vocalist, she was also deeply involved in the civil rights movement, touring with artists like Harry Belafonte and others to help raise money for the movement. Her father, the Rev. C.L. Franklin, was a well-known preacher, and also a close friend with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Journalist Ted Robbins has written a great in-depth article on NPR.org about Aretha Franklin that I highly recommend checking out.
In honor of the great “Queen of Soul,” here is a list of five essential Aretha Franklin records you need in your life. (trust me when I say there are plenty more!)
I Never Loved A Man The Way I Loved You
(1967/Atlantic)
The 1967 album played an enormous role in Aretha Franklin breaking through commercially. The recording was her first with Atlantic (after breaking away from Columbia), and features arguably the singer’s most popular hit “Respect.” The album was recorded in the now legendary FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama and includes many great tracks like “Drown in My Own Tears,” “Save Me,” the soulful ballad “Do Right Woman — Do Right Man,” and the title track “I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Loved You).” Even though Rolling Stone was a harsh critic of the album when it was originally released in 1967, the music publication was able to make amends by ranking it #83 on their “500 Greatest Albums of All Time” list. Who knows what they were even thinking?!?!
Lady Soul
(1968/Atlantic)
The 1968 recording was a massive success, featuring some of Aretha’s biggest hit songs including “Chain of Fools,” “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” and “(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You’ve Been Gone”. The platinum-selling album also includes one of the greatest warm daytime cruising songs ever recorded in “Groovin'”. Since it’s release in the late sixties, the album has been ranked up there by many music outlets, including Rolling Stone, VH1, and Pitchfork, as one of the greatest albums of all time.
Aretha Now
(1968/Atlantic)
Aretha Now served as more than worthy follow-up to the massive successful Lady Soul album, selling over 500,000 copies and climbing all the way to #3 on the Billboard album chart. The 1968 recording featured two of Aretha’s most signature songs “Think,” and “I Say a Little Prayer For You.” From track to track, the classic album is dripping in soul, featuring other great tracks like “I Can’t See Myself Leaving You,” “See Saw,” “Hello Sunshine,” and a solid rendition of Sam Cooke’s “You Send Me.”
Young, Gifted And Black
(1972/Atlantic)
Personally my favorite album by Ms. Franklin, Young, Gifted And Black takes it’s title from Nina Simone’s 1969 song “To Be Young, Gifted, And Black.” The album features two of her greatest original songs, the funky soul classic “Rocksteady” and the warm daytime groover “Day Dreaming.” Those two songs were top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, while other tracks “Border Song (Holy Moses),” “All the King’s Horses,” and “Oh Me Oh My (I’m A Fool For You Baby)” all broke through on the Billboard R&B charts. The album ended up going Gold-certified, and is considered by many as one of the top 100 albums of all-time (no argument here).
One Step Ahead
(1965/Columbia)
Before Aretha signed with Atlantic in 1967, she only saw a modest amount of success with her early singles on Columbia. However, one of the tracks that did end breaking through on the charts was her 1965 single “One Step Ahead.” Known now by many for being the sample to Mos Def’s massive hip-hop hit “Ms. Fat Booty,” the original song definitely stands firmly on it’s own as an absolute soul classic. Due to the attention that the song received following the commercial success of “Ms. Fat Booty,” the rare original 45rpm single quickly became well sought-after by record collectors, driving the price in the upward neighborhood of $200. The good news is that the UK label Be With Records has put out a much-needed (and affordable) reissue. A must-have for all record collectors.
To the Queen of Soul, thank you.
