Customer Reviews

Aretha Arrives

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This record was released a few months after her more famous debut for Atlantic Records , and because of this has been unfairly overlooked by critics , and the record buying public .

In 1967 Aretha Franklin, arguably the greatest singer of the twentieth century , was at the height of her powers , and this shows by the way she turns a ragbag collection of songs into a soul masterpiece . The album starts off with a storming cover of Satisfaction ( Jagger , Richards ) , and then see's Aretha testifying on the Ray Charles classic - You Are My Sunshine . Two stunning ballads - Never Let Me Go , and - Prove It ( as good as anything she has ever recorded ) bookend the old garageband hit - 96 Tears . Willie Nelson's - Night Life , is another highlight , as it allows Aretha to give a masterly blues interpretation of the song . Side two starts off with a glorious version of Sinatra`s - That`s Life , and is followed by the majestic deep soul ballad - I Wonder . Aretha then ups the tempo on her sister`s - Ain't Nobody! ( Gonna Turn Me Around ) , which leads into the old Howling Wolf classic - Going Down Slow , on this song Aretha's singing and the performance of the band are sublime , and finally the record ends with her hit single , - Baby I Love You .

The musical arrangements are perfect , and they compliment Aretha's vocals perfectly , ( this would be the last album that her voice would sound so youthfully fresh and exciting ) . Aretha Arrives is the equal to any classic soul album and deserves to be remembered as such.

It seems strange to me now, all these years later, that "Aretha Arrives" was the first Franklin album I ever bought, back when I was 13. This is, in part, because it was released between two others ("I Never Loved A Man" and "Lady Soul"), which were undisputed masterpieces, and have only grown in legendary regard. (Before long, I'd rectify matters, and own them all.) But in the late summer of 1967, even 16 Magazine, then the last word in setting teen taste, was urging its readers to familiarize themselves with this album. That too, in retrospect, seems quite an anomaly, given the publications' far more focused attention on idols of the time like The Monkees and Paul Revere & the Raiders. By then, teens were used to Aretha sharing the top ten of singles with those acts and others, but her album material was much more slanted to adult concerns. I guess I was ready.

In his superb essay for the Franklin boxed-set, "Queen of Soul," Atlantic's Jerry Wexler concludes, "In the years we recorded together ... I never heard Aretha utter a prejudiced remark. She was, for example, enamored of modern rock, show tunes, ballads, and was always culling albums in every genre for songs that might suit her... Her genius transcends all categories." A helping of the proof of that is certainly contained on this disc as Aretha commandeers country ("You Are My Sunshine") and rock ("Satisfaction" & "96 Tears"). Frank Sinatra's own version of "That's Life" wasn't even a year old when Aretha covered it. Not only did I like hers, of course, but also she revised and improved my appreciation of the original. The very emotional "Going Down Slow" showed the singer, for what by no means would be the last time, concerned with the state of her physical well-being: "You see, my health is failing, and I'm goin' down slow..." I'm an Aries like Aretha, and this one still hits home. The sublimely tender "Never Let Me Go" may be my all-time favorite ballad by her.

The pugnacious and punchy "Baby I Love You" was, of course, the LP's key single (and "Respect's" immediate follow-up), unabashedly and confidently concerned with the contentment of one's lover ("I'd deny my own self before I'd see you without it!"). It has lost none of its potency.

Yes, coming between the unparalleled achievements of "Never Loved A Man" & "Lady Soul", "Aretha Arrives" was always a little shadowed, but that's not because ANYthing was ever missing in its grooves. (In comparison, even the most rabid Beatles fan wouldn't argue that "Magical Mystery Tour" subsequently outdid "Sgt. Pepper" even though each is a great album.) If you have those other two, this is the next Franklin album that belongs in your collection. (Nuts & Bolts Dept: "Aretha Arrives" was originally Atlantic LP 8150, existed in mono and stereo versions, and released August 4, 1967. As a single, Atlantic 2427, "Baby I Love You" & "Going Down Slow" preceded the LP on July 10th.)

I own the "Queen of Soul" boxed set & the inclusions from "Aretha Arrives" only whetted my appetite to hear the tracks which were left off.

Wow! Of course, we get the great "Baby I Love You" which has been unfairly overlooked on Oldies Radio who have just about worn out "Respect" & "Think". Her cover of "That's Life" is incredible. Like her Soul Brother, Otis Redding, she tears through "Satisfaction" which sounds like it was tailor made for her. "Prove It" is a wonderful ballad which deserves to be heard. To me, it surpasses "Natural Woman", maybe because radio has played "Natural Woman" to death. "Never Let Me Go" is a keeper as well!

All the tracks are fine, but for some reason the album doesn't come off as perfect to me which explains my 4 star rating.

Please don't hate me for finding a copy of this CD gem for $2 at my local Used CD Store. I'm thankful for the well-intentioned, but clueless young people who work there & tossed this in their budget bin. I have found other gems there too!

Worth checking out, especially if you aren't up for shelling out big bucks for the boxed set.

Let me just say this, as of today 2002 there is still no voice out there of this soulful passion for me. ARETHA ARRIVES adds more root to the soul she set out on I NEVER LOVED A MAN but here the songs cover greater range. In this era of formular buy this and hear what inspiration can to for a body of work.

Although Aretha's second album is not one of my favorites, ARETHA ARRIVES is worth having. Some of the soul ballads, such as "Never Let Me Go" and "I Wonder, don't have the same force and soulfulness that really gets one feeling as those on the albums Soul 69 and I Never Loved a Man albums. However, on this album is also one of Aretha's best-ever covers--"Going Down Slow." It's refreshing that it's not a love ballad, but about sin and "failing." Considering Aretha's heritage in the Church, the song has all the more weight. The final cry at the end runs straight through the body. Of course on the album there is the sexy, aggressive hit, "Baby, I Love You." The other tracks on the album are good, such as the Rolling Stone's "Satisfaction" and Sinatra's "That's Life," even if they don't let Aretha's talent shine through as brilliantly as some of her other renditions of other artists' work.

I always look forward to covers by my favorite artists. They can be disastrous, or they can breathe new life into songs and produce something very different, especially when the songs vary significantly from their normal repertoire. Thank goodness most of Aretha's covers work. Some memorable ones from other albums include "A Change Is Gonna Come", "The Thrill Is Gone", "Border Song", "I've Been Loving You Too Long", "Let It Be" and "Oh Me Oh My". This album is no exception. She handles with ease songs that I associate with other artists. The Stones' "Satisfaction" gets the full Franklin treatment, with R&B piano and improvised lyrics. As for "You Are My Sunshine", I never thought it could sound like "Chain of Fools", but it does, after a long, dramatic intro. Aretha's version of "96 Tears", the one-hit wonder by ? and The Mysterians, bears little relation to the original, but it works as an Aretha track. "That's Life" is pretty close to Sinatra's version - as close as Aretha can get, anyway. Her personal stamp is unmistakable, of course.

The remaining material is what we traditionally associate with Aretha. There are three ballads of pleading and heartache: "Never Let Me Go", "Prove It" and "I Wonder". Two tracks are slow and bluesy: "Night Life" has beautiful string accompaniment (as do other tracks), while "Going Down Slow" is dominated by horns and piano. And for confident, upbeat numbers, we hear "Ain't Nobody (Gonna Turn Me Around)" and the aggressively sexy hit of the album, "Baby, I Love You".

So, is it a big deal? Well, I admit to bias in her favor, but to me it's just another 5-star album in the career of the greatest soul singer in the history of the world, that's all.

What is it about the magic numerology of threes when it comes to great records? The Beatles' Rubber Soul, Revolver, and Sergeant Peppers. Bob Dylan's Bringing It All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited, and Blonde on Blonde. Similarly, Aretha Franklin's 1967-68 I Never Loved a Man The Way I Love You, Aretha Arrives, and Aretha: Lady Soul have taken their place in the pantheon of rock and soul classics.

I lived inside Aretha's voice, its tone and texture. The first album I ever bought was by Dionne Warwick who wore a slinky black dress on the cover. But soon enough, Aretha crowded out that enthusiasm. Her voice has the bigness of a Bessie Smith, but Nobel Prize-winning novelist Toni Morrison has said there's a quality of something withheld in black music, too. That may be true of Aretha--the nuanced phrasing, the invitation, the sIy humor. Even her speaking voice has that unmistakable cadence, a bodaciousness, a non-negotiable demand for "propers."

In Sweet Soul Music (Back Bay Books 1999), Peter Guralnick astutely said the music was a marriage of black singers and white producers. For Franklin, that producer was Jerry Wexler. As the website biographychannel.co.uk notes, Wexler "recognized where Franklin's power lay and took her to record at the Florence Alabama Musical Emporium with musicians adept in soul, blues and gospel." Wexler said that the Muscle Shoals vibe was looser, "going with the spirit, building ad hoc head arrangements rooted in the rhythm section." It was "downhome and unpretentious, closer to her musical roots, and the rhythm section had that deep-pocket groove."

Basically, Wexler's intention was to "let her develop the rhythms, horn riffs," and the Sweet Inspirations' background vocals that would "open her heart and explore her soul." He added that Aretha was a "true producer" who would be the first to concede that she was assisted by others like Wexler's partner Ahmet Ertegun, arranger Arif Mardin, and engineer Tom Dowd. That was Team Aretha. Such an approach brought out in Aretha those expressive qualities of aching pain, sadness, faith, longing, pride, and a thrilling sexual joy in her voice.

At their height, Franklin and Wexler demonstrated impeccable taste in their song choice, tasteful arrangements, and bluesy session musicians such as Duane Allman, King Curtis, Eric Clapton and BobbyWomack. One can hear the obvious contrast between her Atlantic recordings and the syrupy early Columbia sides when the label was intent on fashioning her into the next Dinah Washington or Diahann Carroll.

Like her label mate and soul progenitor Ray Charles on Atlantic, Aretha was a mean piano player. Wexler said "her relationship to that orchestral instrument is organic and absolutely essential to her expression. It's who she is."

Consider these songs from her second Atlantic album, Aretha Arrives. Like all great singers, Franklin is able to tell a story in song. Listen to "Night Life Is The Right Life," and she makes you believe she's delivering a testimonial of lived experience.

"You Are My Sunshine" makes you forget other versions of the tired old chestnut. Aretha "deconstructs, reconstructs and resurrects," Wexler wrote, "what many might consider cornball material." Amen. Who would think "96 Tears," by ? and the Mysterians, was an appropriate choice, yet Aretha infuses garage rock with soulful regret. "Never Let Me Go" is an early ballad classic.

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This was also my first Aretha album and I'm delighted to see that it's been reissued. Her voice is unbelievably pure and soulful - still sends shivers down my spine. Great songs, and yes - a respite from the overdone #1's.

Well, what better way to start off with Aretha Franklin then with her early Atlantic recordings? It really doesn't get much better than this. From her Rolling Stone remake "I Can't Get No Satisfaction" to one of MY FAVs "Never Let Me Go". Very slept on but actually one of my favorites from her. If you are an Aretha fan, this is definitely an album you should have somewhere in your collection.

I have the original Atlantic LP which is in great condition, but I found the reissued LP in NYC and I was amazed at the sound of the album. I just had to buy it and to add to my many vinyl collections. I would definitely recommend buying it if you're a vinyl fan such as myself. Great job Sundazed.