"Think" By ARETHA FRANKLIN

ARETHA's "This Girl's In Love With You"

Original released on LP Atlantic SD 8248

(US 1970, January 15)

The title song (a cover of Herb Alpert's "This Guy's in Love with You") might lead you to believe this is one of Aretha Franklin's more pop-oriented albums; but in fact, "This Girl's in Love with You" is the only song of the sort on this solid and fairly earthy effort. Besides the hit singles "Call Me" and "Share Your Love with Me," it also includes her most well-known Beatles covers ("Eleanor Rigby" and "Let It Be"), and her interesting version of "The Weight," a Top 20 single featuring slide guitar by Duane Allman. (Richie Unterberger in AllMusic)

ARETHA FRANKLIN: "Lady Soul"

Original released on LP Atlantic SD 8176

(US 1968, January 22)

Appearing after a blockbuster debut and a sophomore set that was rather disappointing (in comparison), 1968's "Lady Soul" proved Aretha Franklin, the pop sensation, was no fluke. Her performances were more impassioned than on her debut, and the material just as strong, an inspired blend of covers and originals from the best songwriters in soul and pop music. The opener, "Chain of Fools," became the biggest hit, driven by a chorus of cascading echoes by Franklin and her bedrock backing vocalists, the Sweet Impressions, plus the unforgettable, earthy guitar work of guest Joe South. The album's showpiece, though, was "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman," a song written expressly for her by Brill Building pop stalwarts Gerry Goffin and Carole King, based on a title coined by producer Jerry Wexler. One of the landmark performances in pop music, the song floats serenely through the verses until, swept up by Ralph Burns' stirring string arrangement again and again, Franklin opens up on the choruses with one of the most transcendent vocals of her career. And just as she'd previously transformed a soul classic (Otis Redding's "Respect") into a signature piece of her own, Franklin courageously reimagined songs by heavyweights James Brown, Ray Charles, and the Impressions. Brown's "Money Won't Change You" is smooth and kinetic, her testifying constantly reinforced by interjections from the Sweet Inspirations. Curtis Mayfield's "People Get Ready," a 1965 civil-rights anthem and a hit for the Impressions, is taken at a slower pace than the original; after a quiet verse, Franklin lets loose amidst a magisterial brass arrangement by Arif Mardin. Powered by three hit singles (each nested in the upper reaches of the pop Top Ten), "Lady Soul" became Aretha Franklin's second gold LP and remained on the charts for over a year. (John Bush in AllMusic)

ARETHA ARRIVES

Original released on LP Atlantic SD 8150

(US 1967, August 4)

Recorded in 1967 after the first flush of back-to-back successes with "Respect" and "I Never Loved a Man," this captures Aretha Franklin in peak form. Lady Soul provides her own piano accompaniment on the majority of tracks here, and the core band is the same one that provided the fire on her previous album. The tunes are an eclectic batch, and while "Baby, I Love You" was the hit of the album, Franklin turns in strong versions of "Satisfaction," "You Are My Sunshine," "Night Life," "Ain't Nobody (Gonna Turn Me Around)," and a quirky cover of "96 Tears" for good measure. An essential addition to her discography. (Cub Koda in AllMusic)

ARETHA FRANKLIN Debut on Atlantic

Original released on LP Atlantic SD 8139

(US 1967, March 10)

While the inclusion of "Respect" - one of the truly seminal singles in pop history - is in and of itself sufficient to earn "I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You" classic status, Aretha Franklin's Atlantic label debut is an indisputable masterpiece from start to finish. Much of the credit is due to producer Jerry Wexler, who finally unleashed the soulful intensity so long kept under wraps during her Columbia tenure; assembling a crack Muscle Shoals backing band along with an abundance of impeccable material, Wexler creates the ideal setting to allow Aretha to ascend to the throne of Queen of Soul, and she responds with the strongest performances of her career. While the brilliant title track remains the album's other best-known song, each cut on "I Never Loved a Man" is touched by greatness; covers of Ray Charles' "Drown in My Own Tears" and Sam Cooke's "Good Times" and "A Change Is Gonna Come" are on par with the original recordings, while Aretha's own contributions - "Don't Let Me Lose This Dream," "Baby, Baby, Baby," "Save Me," and "Dr. Feelgood (Love Is a Serious Business)" - are perfectly at home in such lofty company. A soul landmark. (Jason Ankeny in AllMusic) 

EP ATLANTIC 02-58 (PT, 1969)

ARETHA FRANKLIN: "THE WEIGHT"