Product Description

This excellent set of rare and unreleased recordings is themother lode for fans of Aretha Franklin's classic Atlantic material. Its two discs are packed with demos, outtakes, andB-sides that represent Franklin, arguably, at her rawest, most dynamic, and most appealing. The set, arranged chronologically, begins with stripped-down demos from her 1966 debut,I NEVER LOVED A MAN THE WAY THAT I LOVE YOU (including a smoking version of "Dr. Feelgood"), and continues through her early '70s recordings for Atlantic.
In addition to the queen's powerhouse performances, the set also impresses with its wide range of material. Franklin offers interpretations of Paul McCartney's "Fool on the Hill", Ashford & Simpson's "You're All I Need to Get By", Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne", andBobby Womack's "I'm in Love", among other surprises. The soul siren's facility with both pop and hard R&B is underscored by a serious gospel fervor. Many of the arrangements will sound surprisingly spare and/or different to those familiar with the released recordings from the era, but it's that difference that makes RARE & UNRELEASED such a treasure trove.

Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You)
2. Dr Feelgood (Love Is A Serious Business)
3. Sweet Bitter Love
4. It Was You
5. Letter
6. So Soon
7. Mr Big
8. Talk To Me Talk To Me
9. Fool On The Hill
10. Pledging My Love/The Clock
11. You're Taking Up Another Man's Place
12. You Keep Me Hangin' On
13. I'm Trying To Overcome
14. My Way
15. My Cup Runneth Over
16. You're All I Need To Get By
17. You're All I Need To Get By
18. Lean On Me

Disc 2:

1. Rock Steady
2. I Need A Strong Man
3. Heavenly Father
4. Sweetest Smile And The Funkiest Style
5. This Is
6. Tree Of Life
7. Do You Know
8. Can You Love Again
9. I Want To Be With You
10. Suzanne
11. That's The Way I Feel About Cha
12. Ain't But The One - Franklin, Aretha & Ray Charles
13. Happy Blues
14. At Last
15. Love Letters
16. I'm In Love
17. Are You Leaving Me

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2465 in Music
• Released on: 2008-03-03
• Number of discs: 2

Customer Reviews

Essential for Aretha fans
Aretha Franklin needs no introduction as the Queen of Soul and the number of Aretha collections available bears testimony to the longevity and the quality of her work. The period 1967 to 1974, when she recorded 10 studio albums and 3 live albums for Atlantic, is the Golden Reign referred to in the title of this set, and the tracks were all recorded during sessions for those albums. During those 7 years, her life had many ups and downs, and the music she made clearly reflected those highs and lows.

Kicking off with the demo which started it all, Aretha does "Never Loved a Man" with just a piano, bass and drum for company, and then we're off and running into the bluesy "Dr Feelgood". From 2 well known tracks, "Sweet Bitter Love" has just the vocal and Aretha on piano. These 3 stripped down demos show the essence of Aretha's Golden Reign - her voice and her piano playing.

What is surprising is that so many of these gems did not find release, either as singles or on album, and the sheer breadth of material Aretha attempted. So there's the Gospel infused Soul that is familiar, but also she interprets Blues from Little Willie John, Pop from the Beatles and songs made famous by a host of Soul artists, always adding her own style. She even does "My Way" and finds something new in the song.

As well as the music, there are superb notes from Jerry Wexler and David Ritz. In fact they are worth the price of the album on their own, as no one could know more about working with Aretha than Jerry Wexler, the producer of most of the Atlantic albums. His insights are both informative and moving.

If you have only ever heard Aretha on compilation albums, then this album may not be for you. Get some of those Atlantic albums first, get behind the hits and discover the full magic that Aretha had during that 7 year period. If you do then you will begin to appreciate just how significant this set is for Aretha aficionados. For us it is essential. Put simply, if you regard yourself as a fan of Aretha you MUST own this collection.

The one and only Queen of Soul, an absolute must-have for Aretha fans
Let's make one thing clear right off the bat: "Rare & Unreleased Recordings from the Golden Reign of the Queen of Soul" is essential for any fan of Aretha Franklin's, period. But it's also recommended for any lover of genuine soul music in general.

Some of us who are Aretha Franklin fans have been awaiting this particular set for a long, long time. We'd read all about the tracks recorded during this session or that session, usually described on each of Aretha's Atlantic releases in detail by the Ambassador of Soul, David Nathan. But we've only been able to imagine what they sounded like, wondering all the while why at least a few of them just couldn't have been included as bonus tracks.

Only able to imagine until now, that is. Finally, an excellent sampling of the demos or out of print B-sides the Queen cut during THE years of 1966-1973 are commercially available. And what a sampling it is. From the opening demos on the first disc (which range from firecrackers to dynamite) to the closing ballads which have arrangements reminiscent of her Columbia period, these are songs which any casual to hardcore fan of Aretha Franklin's MUST have.

To be certain, there are revelatory moments. Some cuts are truly artistic in every sense of the word with a depth of feeling and musicianship beyond compare (Trying To Overcome, Pledging My Love/The Clock, and the "WOW!" duet with Ray Charles). After all, Aretha earned and deserved -- and still deserves -- her crown as the Queen Of Soul, getting that feeling, that emotion, that can-you-feel-what-I'm-saying vibe across. She gets that across even in 2007 when she is feeling it, although it doesn't come across on studio recordings like it used to. But the focus, passion and intensity that plainly and consistently marked the pre-1974 phase of her career is present on 75% of the songs in this collection.

Other tracks simply let you marvel at the quality of Aretha's unusual vocal gifts during her prime (Love Letters, At Last). The same vocal range and abilities that allowed her to convey soul better than just about anyone could also override restraint at times. A case can be made that is something that happens at times in gospel and soul music in general, and Aretha is not exempt. It goes with the territory. Overall though, there is comparatively little self-indulgence or just singing for singing's sake ... although one can tell that the mind-blowing passion and intensity referenced earlier started to wane a tad by the time you get to the second half of disc 2, which would only be natural over time.

Virtually every song here affirms why Aretha holds the place in musical history that she does, but there is nothing here that outdoes what's already been commercially released. Obviously, Aretha would have earned every accolade she already did if these songs had never seen the light of the day (although a couple of these seem Grammy-ready for the time, lol). Further, some of these may be eye-openers for people that are only familiar with the mega-hits like Respect and Think. But it's doubtful that folks who own Aretha's greatest hits sets and other compilations from the Atlantic era will become any more of a fan based solely on these tracks, since it mirrors so much of her other work.

But -- that's precisely the same reason why any real Aretha fan can't be without this Golden Reign collection: it's simply more of the same from that super-creative time period that in many ways defined that classic Aretha sound. There are a few rough edges to be sure. These are called demos and outtakes for a reason. But there are only a few rough edges, and they are not enough to ruin the listening experience, as has happened with other veteran artists' tapes that have finally been "released from the vaults."

Many thanks to Rhino, David Nathan, Jerry Wexler, and the Queen herself for making this reissue possible. Now, people the world over can hear a just a few more examples of genuine, heartfelt soul music from a period in history that is not likely to be repeated again.

Long live the one and only Queen Of Soul, Aretha Louise Franklin.

Soul Heaven from Miss 'Re
This is a wonderful tribute to the most soulful and productive period of her career.
The outakes,and demos far from detracting from the performances, allow her voice,piano and supporting musicians to come to the fore.
And what a line up of backing players and singers.Absolutely stellar- The Sweet Inspirations ,Billy Preston,Melvin Lastie,Bernard Purdie,King Curtis,and the king of the guitar in-fill Mr Cornell Dupree are just some of the performers who grace this set.
For sheer soul,passion and yearning vocals ''Are you leaving me'' ''I want to be with you'' Bobby Womack's ''Thats the way I feel about cha'' are standouts.
Also we must not pass over- ''The Letter'' and a beautiful reading of Edna McGriff's '50s R&B hit ''Heavenly Father''
An excellent booklet and session notes complements this set,which for me is the soul CD release of 2007.