Aretha Franklin

2 ALBUM ON 1 CD Plus 4 BONUS TRACKS

MINI-LP PAPERSLEEVE - NEW! GATEFOLD REPLICAS WITH OBI

This release presents Aretha’s second LP, The Electrifying Aretha Franklin, which was originally issued by the Columbia label in 1962. All of these great songs feature a virtual who’s who of fabulous musicians from the New York City scene, such as Oliver Nelson (saxophone), Jimmy Cleveland and Urbie Green (trombone), Mundell Lowe and Bucky Pizzarelli (guitar), Wynton Kelly and Tommy Flanagan (piano), and Jimmy Cobb (drums), among others. It serves as the best introduction for anyone wanting to explore “Lady Soul’s” first steps as a professional musician.

For Aretha’s early recordings, John Hammond (who also signed Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen) followed the formula he once prescribed for Billie Holiday: standards and blues with a jazz rhythm section plus horns and “head charts.” Aretha’s tracks reveal a sweet, even coy insouciance on songs like “Blue Holiday” and alternatively, a roof-raising belt on “Rough Lover.” It is easy to detect the soul already present in Aretha’s performances, seemingly influenced in equal parts by jazz and gospel.

Another classic album by the singer, The Tender, the Moving, the Swinging Aretha Franklin, has been added here as a bonus, as well as four extra tracks from the same period.

PERSONNEL:

ARETHA FRANKLIN, lead vocals, plus:

OLIVER NELSON, sax
JIMMY CLEVELAND, trombone
MUNDELL LOWE, BUCKY PIZZARELLI, guitar
GEORGE DUVIVIER, bass
WYNTON KELLY, TOMY FLANAGAN , piano
JIMMY COBB, drums
among others.

Recorded in New York, 1961-1962.

BONUS ALBUM (13-24): THE TENDER, THE MOVING, THE SWINGING ARETHA FRANKLIN
Aretha Franklin (vc) with unidentified orchestra.
New York, April-May 1962.

BONUS TRACKS (25-28): From the same period, but not included on the original LPs.

TRACKS:

01 YOU MADE ME LOVE YOU
02 I TOLD YOU SO
03 ROCK-A-BYE YOUR BABY WITH A DIXIE MELODY
04 NOBODY LIKE YOU
05 EXACTLY LIKE YOU
06 IT’S SO HEARTBREAKIN’
07 ROUGH LOVER
08 BLUE HOLIDAY
09 JUST FOR YOU
10 THAT LUCKY OLD SUN
11 I SURRENDER, DEAR
12 AC-CENT-TCHU-ATE THE POSITIVE
13 DON’T CRY, BABY
14 TRY A LITTLE TENDERNESS
15 I APOLOGIZE
16 WITHOUT THE ONE YOU LOVE
17 LOOK FOR THE SILVER LINING
18 I’M SITTING ON TOP OF THE WORLD
19 JUST FOR A THRILL
20 GOD BLESS THE CHILD
21 I’M WANDERING
22 HOW DEEP IS THE OCEAN?
23 I DON’T KNOW YOU ANYMORE
24 LOVER COME BACK TO ME
25 TROUBLE IN MIND
26 HARD TIMES (NO ONE KNOWS BETTER THAN I)
27 WHEN THEY ASK ABOUT YOU
28 OPERATION HEARTBREAK

Total time: 78:30