Friday 3 April 2020

Greatest Hits - ARETHA FRANKLIN****

Spanish Harlem/Chain Of Fools/Don't Play That Song/I Say A Little Prayer/Dr Feelgood/Let It Be/Do Right Woman Do Right Man/Bridge Over Troubled Water/Respect/Baby I Love You/(You Make Me Feel) Like A Natural Woman/I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Loved You)/You're All I Need To Get By/Call Me

Aretha Franklin released a second compilation package only two years after the first, resulting in about half the Greatest Hits tracks having already appeared on the earlier Aretha’s Gold. (US:19)

“It includes her most important Atlantic hits plus lesser pop covers in about equal proportion.”

“She has probably the best voice in the history of music, so much soul. My problem with this compilation is that it comes too soon after Aretha's Gold, which pretty much covers her 60s output on Atlantic. It’s a shame some of her intervening hits are missing from this compilation.”

“Aretha really is everything she is made out to be. Her vocals are unbelievable.”

“Aretha Franklin's voice is an instrument of such exquisite expression that it has been matched only a few times in the 20th century. Borrowing from jazz, soul, R & B, rock, pop and, of course, gospel, accompanying herself on piano, she created an artistic vision that was wholly realized. Greatest Hits includes most of her chart singles from those incomparable Atlantic years, as well as some non charting classics."

“Quite surprising to me was the fact that Aretha managed only one No.1 pop hit during her career and that one was her 1967 smash Respect. The story was a bit different though on the soul/R & B charts where Aretha had a total of twenty No.1 singles during her phenomenal career.”

“In this here today, gone today music industry of the 21st century many young people probably consider Aretha Franklin as a singer who had been coasting the fame train on her hit Respect and not much more. Aretha is in a class by herself. During her artistic pinnacle in the 60s and 70s, few could top Franklin.”

“Aretha takes material made famous by other artists and remakes them into her own. You will hit the repeat button for Don't Play That Song, a foot stomping, hand clapping remake of the old Ben E. King hit.”

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