Customer Reviews

Queen in Waiting: Columbia Years 1960-1965

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Aretha Franklin started her career singing in her father's gospel choir; many know the legend of how the great A&R man John Hammond picked her voice out of the many in the chorus off of a tape someone sent him, and searched her out to offer her a contract at Columbia Records. (The less glamorous verrsion is that she sent him a regular old demo tape and he was likewise floored by what he heard..) Common wisdom has it that Franklin's Columbia years are subpar and that it wasn't until Atlantic's Jerry Wexler got ahold of her that things really started to cook. There's a lot to be said for that theory; her voice definitely dwarves most of the arrangements heard on this 1960-65 set, mainly simple approximations of the formulae that had made Dinah Washington and Mahalia Jackson into pop-crossover divas. But it's still pretty cool to hear Aretha working through the lush pop stylings of a pre-Motown world, and astonishing to realze what a tremendous voice she had, even at such an early age. It ain't Aretha that's holding things back, she's just working within the conventions of the time. Her fans will not be disappointed, though -- this 2-CD set definitely delivers the goods on her formative years, and even though ultimately this wasn't the right material for her to sing, she holds her own in comparison to Dinah and the others. Not bad for a kid.

Although I'm a huge Aretha Franklin fan, for years I've steared clear of the Columbia recordings. Critics have accused Columbia Execs of misguiding the fledging talent of young Aretha and choosing material ill-suited to her gospel roots. Yes some of this material is questionable at best. Take for instance the English ballard Lee Cross or the Tin Pan Alley standard Bill Bailey. Aretha sounds uninspired and uncomfortable. But there is much here to relish as we hear this oh so promising 19 year old working her way through Maybe I'm A Fool, Today I Sing The Blues and Try A Little Tenderness.

True Jerry Wexler and Atlantic Records tapped into the vast resevouir of Areatha's talent by putting her gospel roots up front and backing her up with the deft rhythm section of the Muscle Shoals Swamppers. However, I find these early sides ever so refreshing. Had Areatha continued along this path, I believe her vast talent would have ultimately won her an audience. She may have not become the Queen Of Soul, but she would have found a place in the hearts of those who enjoy great R&B singers the likes of Dinah Washington, Nancey Wilson and Carmen McRea. Kudos to Columbia for assembling this very appealing package.

How can anyone not be moved when the Queen sings? Aretha's early pop Columbia recordings are just as magnificent as the Atlantic R&B titles that made her a superstar, but in a very different context. This is a great package with excellent notes & rare photos. The only problem I have is that a lot of the material on this has been reissued to death -- with the exception of several rare tracks,
including a stunning performance of Billy Strayhorn's "My Little Brown Book". (Where is her dynamite version of "Ol' Man River"?) If Aretha had never gone on to R&B greatness, she would have still been a treasure, as this set attests.

The young Aretha Franklin scored a dozen Hot 100 hits during her time on the Columbia label. Yet only half of those appear here. Her first five charted hits from '61 and '62 -- including a Top 40 entry -- are absent, as is a lower-charting single from early '65. There's really no excuse for these omissions in what is, as of this writing, the only available overview of her Columbia years. Pass.

For those fans who aren't familiar with Aretha's Columbia work, this collection will be a revelation. I agree with another reviewer that Aretha sometimes sounds uncomfortable and that the arrangements are often conventional and forgettable. Still, within these constraints, Aretha is a force of nature! She frequently transcends the material, especially when she stops trying to sound like Dinah Washington and allows her gospel training to take over. I defy anyone to not get chills when she connects with the spirit. This collection loses points for pedestrian material and arrangements, but it's still valuable as a testament to Aretha's overwhelming talent. Well worth owning.

I wonder where the detractors of Aretha's early talent were in the early '60's.The strings and the background treatment were nothing new to how some arrangements in that day were structured.The younger Aretha,remember,was still wrestling with not completely unraveling the gospel/church following. She still had one foot in the church with her father,the Rev.C.L.Franklin.The less subtle and more risque styles came later.The beauty of it all is that Aretha shines through both periods. This is classic stuff.

I have had a number of Aretha's Columbia era songs on various formats over the years..viynl..cassette..compact disc, and while these tunes are not the more soulful Aretha that we all know and love, these songs should not be ignored. There is good stuff here..especially "Soulville"..and more than few of the ballads while pop standard in form, nontheless echo jazz, blues, and soul...it is Aretha's youthful phrasing and vocal exuberance that makes this release a joy to listen to.

This collection represents Aretha before she
found / created her Hall of Fame niche in the
music world. While with Columbia Records,
she charted nine song titles on Billboard's
R&B charts and twelve on the pop charts.
Four of those song titles were cross overs
to both charts. Of those 17 song titles,
only ten are included in this set, leaving
seven of those songs missing / omitted.
You'd think that with 40 tracks on these
two CD's, they could have included those
seven titles instead of some of the less
significant recordings that they chose to
include instead (mostly cover versions of
other recordings). The Atlantic Records
4 CD set is a much better collection.
(Ahmet Ertegun & company at Atlantic
Records knew what they were doing, of
course, so they catapulted Aretha to
superstardom --- obviously a wise move
when Aretha moved to Atlantic.) But if you
want a sampling of her music before she
became a star, go ahead and get this one.
Just don't set your expectations too high
because you'll probably be disappointed.
OK, the music is good --- just not great.
If you are a hard core collector and must
have this set to fill in the early period,
again, go ahead and get this one. At least
the price makes it a good deal.
Had those seven omitted songs been included
instead of some of the lesser ones that were
used as filler, I would have rated it with
4 stars instead of just 3.

This is a great CD to put on while you are just relaxing. Very soulful. I like to put in on when i am out in the garden working.

don't try to tell me about how aretha franklin was unhappy singing the broadway and popular standards john hammond gave her to sing at columbia. if she hated them, she wouldn't have put at least one on each of her atlantic recordings or done them in concert.

while i am still waiting for a re-release of 'the tender, the moving, the swinging' on cd, this compilation will more than pass muster. there are so many treasures, including her own song 'without the one you love'. i don't have any particular favorites. i love them all. and maybe one day, more people will start to love them too!