Customer Reviews

Aretha (1980)

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

 

 

I think after 1979's album, LaDiva, a disco album that put Aretha at her lowest point, Aretha (1980) is a complete winner. I really digged several songs on this album such as School Days and the incredible remake of The Doobie Brothers What a Fool Believes. The ballad, Together Again, really is the masterpiece of this record. You can hear Cissy Houston singing in the background. Overall this album was really good..excellent I will add.

I will NOT pay 50 or 70 bucks for this cd. I paid much much less for this cd and I am damn proud of it too! One more thing: to the reviewer ahead of me that stated Who's Zooming Who was better than this album obviously must be smoking something cause I have Who's Zooming Who on CD and I have heard that album many times and it is good however, when you compare WZW to this album, Aretha (1980) it is a masterpiece. School Days makes this album worthwhile. Trust me.

After leaving Atlantic Records with her career in serious trouble, Ms. Franklin hooked up with Arista & came up with a solid label debut. The wonderful ballad "United Together" has a nice retro feel to it. She does a good update of "Can't Turn You Loose" & also sails nicely through the Doobie Bros. "What A Fool Believes".

All the tracks are at least decent, though there are some less than stellar moments. Her composition, "School Days" is a fun, uptempo number but goes slightly over the top.

Ms. Franklin restrains her vocals nicely. Though I love her Lady Soul style/pull out the stops classics like "Respect" etc., I feel as though her jazzy/pop side (especially from her Columbia recordings)has been overlooked & underappreciated.

Seeing the high prices going for this CD, I feel almost guilty for picking up a copy for under $10 at my local used CD store. In all fairness, this album isn't worth the big bucks that sellers are demanding, but keep an eye out for it at Used CD Stores, Yard Sales or Good Will stores. If you pay $10-12 for it, it is worth it!

Yes, ARETHA 1980 is somewhat of a hodgepodge of styles ... but the Queen never sounded betta. Although her singing is always without peer no matter what era the recording is from, her voice had a certain billowy quality to it on this particular album that makes it worth owning. All of the dips, swoops, and squalls that you would expect from the Queen are here, and in fine form.

There are many gems with outstanding production values to be found here. Not only the hits "Come To Me," "Can't Turn You Loose," and "United Together," but the entire album is simply CHOICE.

The songs that are lesser-known: "Together Again," "Take Me With You," and "Whatever It Is" just to name a few are real eye-openers for music lovers that weren't aware that Aretha's art is about so much more than acrobatics. Her subtle interpretations of these songs and others make this a textbook for younger singers today to listen to, and realize that dramatics are fine -- but they have their place.

Add ARETHA 1980 to your collection today; you will not be disappointed, trust me.

Aretha Franklin's Aretha 1980 Album proves that Aretha just gets better with age.Her first Arista Records release was a wonderful way to end her slump durung the late 1970's.The songs from best to good are Take Me With You,School Days,The Doobie Brothers remake of What A Fool Believes,United Together,Love Me Forever,Come To Me,Can't Turn You Loose,Together Again,and Whatever It Is.This Album is a definite must have in a collection of Aretha Franklin Albums.This Album should be talked about more with Greater Availability.

After not scoring any major hits during the second half of the 1970s (a time period during which most of the 1960s' R&B stars saw their popularity deteriorate thanks to the rise of disco) Aretha signed with Arista Records and enjoyed a career revival. This was her label debut and was an interesting if obviously misguided attempt at making her sound and style fit into the R&B and Adult Contemporary markets simultaneously. Despite having received a Grammy nomination, her real comeback album was the 1982-released "Jump To It". "Aretha" does contain some magic moments but (as a whole) is not among her best works.

Most Of The Material here is Not On Par with Her Best.United Together is the closes she comes to her Golden Era.What a Fool Believes sounds Pretty Good.Together Again is a Good cut.but other wise it's not one of her strongest.

After a long and musically satisfying career with Atlantic, Aretha severed her ties with that company and moved under the wing of Arista's Clive Davis. With the start of the 1980's, Aretha was looking for new territory to conquer and almost succeeded with this mixed bag.

"United Together" is a fine tune that benefits from beautiful orchestral arrangement that is matched by Aretha's superb vocal instrument. The remake of "Can't Turn You Loose" allows Aretha to show why she is the Queen of Soul" for she really belts this one out. Another cover, that of the Doobies' "What a Fool Believes," is an interesting interpretation. The final cut "School Days" appears to be "autobiographical" for every girl growing up in the fifties.

Although not as strong as her Atlantic work, "Aretha" is still a suitable addition to the artist's discography.

At the close of the Seventies, Aretha Franklin jumped ship at Atlantic Records, where her white-hot star had slowly and sadly burned out, and joined Arista. This self titled album was her debut for Clive Davis' now famous label, and was the begining of her rise from the ashes during the 1980's. It's not a BAD album - certainly not as bad as the cover photo would lead you to believe. Aretha looks like a Cosby Mom, not the Queen of Soul, with her tidy hair and her middle-aged clothing. But that is superficial. What's inportant is the music inside. The covers are at times inspired ( "What A Fool Believes" is given the Aretha stamp of approval ) and at times rather obvious ( "I Can't Turn You Loose" is embarressing and sterile, a desperate stab at making yet another Otis Redding song an Aretha clssic, a la "Respect" ). There are a few originals, but they are mostly forgetable. She would go on to loftier heights ( "Who's Zoomin' Who?" was less than five years away ) and in retrospect this is a rather humble begining. One thing I cannot believe is that this out of print and forgotten album is being offered for sale as a USED CD for almost one hundred dollars! There are either some money hungry people out there, or some foolish die-hard Aretha fans who missed this the first time around. I'll sell you mine for what I paid for it.