Aretha Franklin - I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You (1967)

Aretha Louise Franklin (March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer and songwriter. She began her career as a child singing gospel at New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit, where her father, C. L. Franklin, was minister. In 1960, at the age of 18, she embarked on a secular career, recording for Columbia Records but achieving only modest success. After signing to Atlantic Records in 1967, Franklin achieved commercial acclaim and success with songs such as "Respect", "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman", "Spanish Harlem" and "Think".
By the end of the 1960s she was being called "The Queen of Soul".(Wiki)

Probably the best Soul album ever released. Her first for Atlantic Records. - RIP Aretha - Gus

Rare & Unreleased Recordings From The Golden Reign Of The Queen Of Soul

Okay my friends, we are talking Aretha in her prime here so when they say Rare & Unreleased Recordings From The Golden Reign Of The Queen Of Soul I'm on board!

These two discs are exactly as Rhino advertised; a wonderful look into demos and outtakes and forgotten B sides that is an amazing intimate window into the 'sweet spot' of Queen Aretha's mighty career. The first disc opens with some charming solo demos and it just gets better from there!

There are outtakes very different from the releases that are really fascinating, alternate takes, B sides, different mixes...for a fan it is an amazing look into Aretha during the 60's and 70's.

This is the last post using Embedupload, they are causing too many people problems; I'll use zippy and  Mega for now.

Aretha Franklin - One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism

Here's a nice treat for a blessed Sunday at Chitlins.  I found this double LP in near mint condition at a local thrift - for a buck!!  I knew right away that it would be destined for this place.

Overall it's an excellent album but let's establish something... this record is a straight up church service.  Anybody lookin for an Aretha studio album should probably move on.  Her voice is certainly a large presence on here, but it's one of a few including Mavis Staples, her sister Erma & the good Rev. Jesse Jackson.  There is a longer list of characters infact, should you choose to listen.

It plays like a service would - preaching with song in between.  Jesse Jackson is given a full 10 minutes on side three, opening and getting things moving.  There are no boring or slow moments and the music is all fantastic.  I want to point out that the song "Higher Ground" begins at the end of side 3, and finishes at the end of side 4.  I blended them together as best I could and tagged them as one track.  You will hear a brief fade out and in during the song.  Aside from that, this transfer turned out really nicely at 24/48 FLAC... enjoy!!!

Fifteen years after Amazing Grace, her groundbreaking gospel record, Aretha Franklin returned to the church yet again, and though the results couldn't top the wall-to-wall power and spirit found on her first, the double-album One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism, it's still a worthy document of what the church meant to her. The roster of invited guests was enough to get gospel fans excited, including the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rev. Jasper Williams, and Rev. C.L. Franklin (her brother, who delivered the invocation), plus Mavis Staples, Joe Ligon (from the Mighty Clouds of Joy), and her sisters, Carol and Erma. Slotted next to sanctified standards like "Surely God Is Able" and "The Lord's Prayer," were several great selections from the pop repertoire, including a scorching version of "Higher Ground."Staples stops by for an ebullient run through the latter-day standard "Oh Happy Day," and the performance closes with a touching finale, "Packing Up, Getting Ready to Go," featuring Staples and Ligon, plus Carol and Erma Franklin. - John Bush / AMG

Arista ‎– AL-8497

Recorded at the New Bethel Baptist Church, 8430C 1 Franklin Blvd., Detroit, Michigan
July 27, 28, 30, 1987

A1 Walk In The Light 4:00
A2 Prayer Invocation By Rev. Cecil Franklin 5:44
A3 Introduction Of Aretha And The Franklin Sisters By Rev. Jesse Jackson 0:37
A4 Jesus Hears Every Prayer 5:16
A5 Surely God Is Able 6:01
B1 The Lord's Prayer 5:05
B2 Introduction Of Aretha And Mavis Staples By Rev. Jesse Jackson 3:22

B3 Oh Happy Day 6:09
B4 We Need Power 6:30
C1 Speech By Rev. Jesse Jackson 9:57
C2 Ave Maria 6:48
C3 Introduction To Higher Ground By Rev. Jaspar Williams 4:10
C4 Higher Ground 1:07
D1 Higher Ground (Continued) 2:04
D2 Prayer Invocation By Rev. Donald Parsons 7:29
D3 I've Been In The Storm Too Long 7:55
D4 Packing Up, Getting Ready To Go 5:34

Arranged By [Music And Choir] – Minister Thomas A. Whitfield
Bass – Lanar Brantley (tracks: A1, A4, A5, B1, B3, B4, C4, D3, D4)
Conductor [Choir] – Michael E. Fletcher
Guitar – Michael Wright (tracks: A1, A4, A5, B1, B3, B4, C4, D3, D4)
Organ – Earl J. Wright, Jr. (tracks: A1, A3, A4, B1, B3, B4, D3, D4)
Percussion – Dana Davis (tracks: A1, A4, A5, B1, B3, B4, C4, D3, D4)
Piano – Nick Johnson (tracks: A4, A5, B3, B4, C4,, D4, D5), Thomas A. Whitfield (tracks: A1, C2, C3)
Producer, Vocals – Aretha Franklin

None But The Righteous: Chess Gospel Greats

I thought this would go nicely with our Chess Story. What you will find here is wildly varied in terms of style. It mirrors the secular counterpart in every way, aside from lyrical content. Stripped down, bluesy quartets through to high spirited, funky soul jams.

We also get to hear from some lesser known artists, which is also why I have chosen this album. Aside from greats like Aretha Franklin and The Soul Stirrers, we are treated to local Windy City talent.

We even get treated to Elder Utah Smith. If you missed KC's post, it's here and it's a wild one.

An excellent comp, all pre-approved by Jesus for your eternal enjoyment.

1 Don't You Want To Go - The Meditation Singers
2 None But The Righteous - The Norfleet Brothers
3 Anyway You Bless Me Lord - The Bells Of Joy
4 Never Grow Old - Aretha Franklin
5 Oh What A Meeting - The Soul Stirrers
6 I've Been Weeping For A Mighty Long Time - The Original Five Blind Boys Of Mississippi
7 When My Time Comes - Reverend Alex Bradford
8 Resting Easy - The Soul Stirrers
9 Two Wings - Reverend Utah Smith
10 Your Mother Loves Her Children - Reverend C.L. Franklin
11 Old Time Religion - The Violinaires
12 Life In Heaven Is Free - Cleo Jackson Randle
13 Walk In The Light - The Evangelist Singers Of Alabama
14 The Angels Keep Watching Over Me - Sammy Bryant
15 Floods Of Joy - The Windy City Four
16 I'm Gonna Tell God - Elder Beck
17 You've Got The Jordan River To Cross - Martha Bass
18 Don't Give Up - The Southern Stars

The FAME Studios Story 1961 - 1973: Home Of The Muscle Schoals Sound

This 3 disc comp is nothing short of excellent.  The story of FAME is told through the music - from the pop side all the way to the gut bucket r&b side.

A wide range of artists worked with this legendary outfit, but one thing ties them all together... success!!

I'm sure you guys already have alot of these tracks but they made a huge effort to include some rarities;  undoubtedly for the collector types.

Enjoy!!!

Certain studios and labels occupy almost mythical stature in American musical history and FAME Studios, home of the Muscle Shoals sound, is among the elite. During the '60s and into the early '70s, the rotating crew at FAME Studios cranked out single after single, building a legacy that rivals such '60s stalwarts as Motown, Stax/Volt, and Chess, yet despite being the point of origin for such timeless 45s as Wilson Pickett's "Land of 1000 Dances," Arthur Alexander's "You Better Move On," Joe Tex's "Hold What You've Got," Etta James' "Tell Mama," Clarence Carter's "Patches," James & Bobby Purify's "I'm Your Puppet," and Aretha Franklin's "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)," the label and studio aren't as well known as their peers. Ace's peerless three-disc box The FAME Studios Story: 1961-1973 should go a long way in firming up the label and studio's reputation in the eyes of the mass public. Anchored on those big hits, the compilation tells the story of FAME in exhaustive yet exciting detail, digging up a wealth of rarities (ranging from an unedited acoustic version of "You Left the Water Running" by Otis Redding and a version of "Another Man's Woman, Another Woman's Man" whose singer is unknown to a bunch of singles that rarely pop up on reissues), but this is hardly something for crate-diggers. This is a big, bold set filled with surprises for even seasoned record collectors and much of that has to do with context. Expertly compiled by Alec Palao, Tony Rounce, and Dean Rudland, The FAME Studios Story doesn't shy away from the moments when the Muscle Shoals sound seeped into the mainstream: very early in the set, teen idol Tommy Roe pops up with "Everybody" and toward the end the Osmonds come in with their Jackson 5 knockoff "One Bad Apple" and the revelation is how the FAME musicians gave these teenybopper stars some real swing and funk. That turns out to be the key to the FAME sound -- while Stax/Volt always had grit on the soles of their shoes, FAME was a little lighter, able to ease into slicker crossover material, something that served them well whenever they cranked out some bubblegum or backed Bobbie Gentry or, especially, when they cut effervescent pop-soul/Northern soul singles by Spooner & the Spoons ("Wish You Didn't Have to Go") and David & the Giants ("Ten Miles High"). Which isn't to say FAME didn't get down and dirty (of course they did -- witness Wicked Wilson Pickett's "Hey Jude," complete with guitar from Duane Allman), but they were versatile, adapting to the needs of either the performer or the song. And that very versatility may be part of the reason why FAME isn't as immediately recognizable a name as Motown or Stax -- the Muscle Shoals crew could cop both of those sounds, after all -- but it's also the reason why this set is such a wildly entertaining listen, in addition to being a historically necessary document housed in a very handsome hardcover book.

- Stephen Thomas Erlewine/AMG