ARETHA FRANKLIN

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

$19.98 CD

“We've discovered a treasure trove of vintage Aretha that's nothing short of thrilling. Aretha's outtakes are the sort of performances most artists would be proud to call first choices.”
 - legendary record producer and Atlantic Records principal Jerry Wexler, writing in the detailed liner notes for this collection

 When Jerry Wexler took the young Aretha Franklin under his wing at Atlantic Records in 1966, her evolution into the artist supreme we revere as “The Queen Of Soul” began. Mined from the tape archives for an era that gave forth seminal hits including “Respect,” “Chain Of Fools,” “Baby I Love You” and other immortal recordings, the new Wexler-produced 2CD compilation RARE & UNRELEASED RECORDINGS FROM THE GOLDEN REIGN OF THE QUEEN OF SOUL spans 1966-1973 and shines an intimate light on the magic that earned Aretha her Crown. 

 A revealing collection of rarities and unissued marvels from her peak Atlantic years, the set presents Sister Re honing her art in the studio and emerging a legend. Comprising almost 2-_ hours of music, it compiles outtakes from sessions for eight albums, breathtaking, stripped-down demos, B-sides, a duet with Ray Charles and more. Only four tracks were previously released in any form. The booklet features a wealth of rare and previously unseen photos. 

 Disc 1 highlights include the demos for “Dr. Feelgood” and “I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You),” a breakout hit when it topped Billboard's Black Singles chart and went to #9 pop in '67. Choice outtakes include a version of “My Way” that Wexler calls “a masterpiece.” Rare B-sides include “Pledging My Love/The Clock” and “Lean On Me.” 

 Disc 2 opens with a trio of songs from the historic Young, Gifted And Black sessions including “I Need A Strong Man” and the unedited take of the Aretha-penned original “Rock Steady.” It also presents eight outtakes from the Quincy Jones-produced LP Hey Now Hey (The Other Side Of The Sky) including “Sweetest Smile And The Funkiest Style,” “Can You Love Again” and Leonard Cohen's “Suzanne,” plus a live duet with Ray Charles on “Ain't But The One” from the 1973 CBS-TV special Duke Ellington…We Love You Madly. The disc, and the set, closes with a spare and elegant demo for “Are You Leaving Me” featuring Aretha solo on piano. 

 Now a 17-time GRAMMY®winner, Aretha's inspired work at Atlantic with Wexler and other revered producers including Tom Dowd, Quincy Jones and Arif Mardin, as well as the Muscle Shoals rhythm section and other session greats took her talents to the next level. She in turn influenced the course of popular music in the 20th century and became one of its most universally celebrated and enduring icons. 

 Aretha Franklin is also the first woman ever to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. On their web page chronicling her 1987 induction, they write, “She is a singer of great passion and control whose finest recordings define the term soul music in all its deep, expressive glory. As Atlantic Records co-founder Ahmet Ertegun observed, 'I don't think there's anybody I have known who possesses an instrument like hers and who has such a thorough background in gospel, the blues and the essential black-music idiom.…She is blessed with an extraordinary combination of remarkable urban sophistication and of the deep blues feeling that comes from the Delta. The result is maybe the greatest singer of our time.'" 

Selection # 272188

::Watch Videos By Aretha Franklin