Young, Gifted and Black [Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered]

Aretha Franklin | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 14, 1993)
• Original Release Date: 1971
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Label: Atlantic / Wea
• ASIN: B00000335M
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #13,701 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #23 in Music > R&B > Soul > Southern Soul

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording

Like its predecessor, Spirit in the Dark, 1972's Young, Gifted and Black found Aretha moving with soul music's elite into a progressive phase that opened up the emotional content of her work even further. "All the King's Horses" mourns the death of her first marriage, while "Day Dreaming" and "A Brand New Me" point toward what we'd now call "healing." Two stabs at social comment, Nina Simone's title cut and, intriguingly, Elton John's "Border Song," round out this impressive portrait. --Rickey Wright

Product Description

For many, her greatest album from start to finish, with Rock Steady one highlight among many.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential Aretha, July 25, 2001

By 

"chasmusic" (Ottawa, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Young, Gifted and Black (Audio CD)

I can remember where I was when I first heard certain Aretha Franklin songs: outside an ice cream parlour on a hot July day hearing Spanish Harlem from the shop girl's radio; driving down a dusty country road at night under a canopy of stars and groovin' to Rock Steady and lying on a beach in Tunisia, this beautiful country of ancient Carthage and mosques and hearing Don't Play That Song For Me. Young, Gifted and Black was a pivotal album for me. From the jazzy strain of the first song Oh Me Oh My, the sweet and sensual Day Dreaming, the sexy, funky groove of Rock Steady to the stirring Black consciousness raising song, Young, Gifted and Black. The covers of songs from artists Otis Redding, the Beatles, Burt Bacharach and Elton John are remarkable. In the song, I've Been Loving you too Long, hear the desperate/defiant pleading in her voice, "I've been loving and loving you too long, don't make me stop now." The raw emotion she projects gets to me every time. With the Beatle's, Long and Winding Road and Elton John's, Border Song, she takes these songs to Church, fills them with gospel fervour and testifies with them. Aretha is accompanied by the cream of session musicians, Richard Tee, Billy Preston, Grady Tate and Cornell Dupree, and vocal backing by the incomparable Sweet Inspirations. Every song on this album is a gem, a minor miracle. Aretha Franklin reached her zenith with this album. This is a timeless classic, and an essential Aretha Franklin recording.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Epitome, February 3, 2006

By 

Joseph Knecht "J.Knecht" (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Young, Gifted and Black (Audio CD)

I have to echo Tall Paul's comments above. I'm a dabbling soul fan, and a friend recently recommended "Rock Steady." When he asked me if I knew it I kept thinking of some other "Rock Steady." You know the mid 90's RNB-groove-one? It's by "The Whispers," Google just told me so. That's what came to mind when he said "Rock Steady." He gave me a funny look.

At the same time, it popped up in the great book Yes, Yes Y'all: Oral History of Hip Hop's First Decade. Aforementioned friend gave me a disc of mp3 music with "Rock Steady" on it. Now I understand that funny look. I fell immediately in love with it's funky soul, and it's quite possibly my favorite song at this moment.

So today I'm driving through town, and I see a funky red sign on the sidewalk reading "Estate Sale - Vintage Vinyl." Lucky for me, it was my day off, and I resolved to stop in.

Inside a failed coffee shop stands its owner with some random "estate sale" detritus and 10 boxes of vinyl. You never know what you'll see in those kinds of boxes. Of course, there are the regulars: the apparently much loved and apparently much left such as Sergio Mendez and Brazil '66 (and/or '77), Sing Along with Mitch, the "Hooked on Swing" comps, and plenty of faceless instrument records with exclamatory titles like "Conga Brass!" or "Powerful Percussion!" But in between those, there's always something else, and if you're lucky, you find something great.

Today I was lucky. I found it: "Young, Gifted and Black," in "A" condition. Based on first listen and what the estate guy said, this record may never have been played before tonight. Apart from "Rock Steady," I hadn't heard it yet. Now I'm so grateful for the opportunity to have just heard this record for the first time.

Aretha is abolutely perfect. Thrilling. She soars on each song, hitting especially amazing heights on the title cut in particular. In terms of pure melodic precision, I can't think of a voice so, well, PURE, save maybe Ella Fitzgerald. I don't think the musicians and arrangements could be any better. Bernard Purdie on drums, Donny Hathaway on keys; these are good names to find. To top it off, this record (all but two tracks) have Tom Dowd at the controls. That means the recording sounds absolutely fantastic. I learned about Mr Dowd through a wonderful documentary I recently (still on the TIVO!) saw on IFC. In it are pictures of Tom and Aretha, probably from these very sessions!

For me today, upon the first listen of this record, it's as though the planets have aligned and this record is the result. That's just barely hyperbole. It truly delights me that there are still musical gems like this, 34 years old, that I can still experience with virgin ears. After the experience, I can say with total confidence that for any fan of black music (go ahead and get upset if you must, but you shouldn't), this album is ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL.

(And Tall Paul is right, I think this record must be heard on vinyl for best results, and he eplained why well. So do yourself a favor and dust off the old turntable, your ears will thank you.)

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Classic Aretha; A Gorgeous Blend of Pop and Soul, November 4, 2005

By 

saint james (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Young, Gifted and Black (Audio CD)

It was a extraordinary task. A monumental one, yet I have finally come up with a favorite Aretha album/cd. "Young, Gifted and Black" has won the honor. I love this album because of the beautiful choice of songs and the blend of gospel infused soul music mixed with some of her sophisticated pop songs chosen for this project.

Aretha is in fine vocal form. Here you don't experience the gritty hoarse notes that are evident on some of the earlier releases ala "Dr. Feelgood" and others. Those recordings have their own charm and soulful beauty. They rushed Aretha into the ears and hearts of many appreciative listeners and made them fans. "Young, Gifted and Black" cemented Aretha as the Queen of Soul. Here, Aretha is sharp, clever and versatile. Her writing is inspired; "Daydreaming" and "First Snow in Kokomo" (one of my all time favorite Aretha compositions). Her interpretations are equal, even better than the originals in most cases; "Brand New Me"; with Aretha's jazzy piano jam and her scat-like vamp; A KILLER! "Oh Me Oh My (A Fool For You) is a soulful and restrained version of original artist Lulu's rendering. Listen to Aretha sing ..."I really don't care" into the second line of the second bar. You'll believe she is tellin' the truth. When Aretha sings the chorus with that vampy harmonized female background it is the epitome of soul. Soul music is less about the subject matter and the style of singing than it is about the portrayal of real emotion projected into the interpretaion of the lyric. Aretha hits almost all the points on this projects with just one notable exception....

Aretha's failed version of the Delphonic's "Didn't I Blow Your Mind This Time?" is really and truly a mess. Aretha overplays her hand with a overly ambitious background vocal arrangement which sounds like an early rehearsal tape of what it was meant to become. The voices don't blend here. One second soprano with a wide open vibratto is the chief offensive participant. She strains to sing the first soprano part and it sounds awful. Her own lead is at the top of her register and nearing vocal histrionics. Too much. She all but obliterates the beautiful melody. Leaving the original version the definitive version.

Aretha's turn at Dionne Warwick's "April Fools" is an ambitious attempt to show versatility and an appreciation for an absolutely beautiful lyric. Her overblown arrangement obscures the stunning sentimentality of the words. This song needed the sophistication and subtle approach that the writers intended. Dionne caught and mastered it. Sorry 'Ree.

This project is an excellent presentation of Aretha's vocal virtuosity; her composition skill and her funky piano genious. Many of her hits; "Respect", "Natural Woman", "Think", "Since You Been Gone" and many others can be heard on radio every day. These under-appreciated stylings are seldom heard anywhere other than a true Aretha officionado's turntable or CD player. A Classic in every sense of the word. If you don't have this. Your collection is incomplete.