Respect - The Very Best of Aretha Franklin

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Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
Respect features all the classic songs by the original Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin. Rooted in a gospel tradition that was to inform her soul-charged sound, her impact on pop music, and in particular American pop music was profound.

It was the run of late-60s Atlantic hits featured here ("Respect", "Chain of Fools", "I Say A Little Prayer") that made her a star but as this "best of" shows, there was plenty more to come. Aretha was discovered all over again by a new generation in the 80s thanks to her role and performance ("Think") in hit musical The Blues Brothers. Riding high on a wave of success, duets with latter day icons followed like the epic "I Knew You Were Waiting" with stubble-faced George Michael and the anthemic "Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves" with self-proclaimed diva Annie Lennox. Respect is certainly due to the remarkable talent of Aretha Franklin and this double disc anthology thoroughly represents the diva in her full majesty. –-Carol Baines

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Description
'Respect: The Very Best Of Aretha Franklin' is a 2CD set featuring a collection of her hits and most well known songs which span over forty years in the music industry. Includes classics such as 'Respect', '(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman', 'Chain Of Fools', and her duet with George Michael'I Knew You Were Waiting'.

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Customer reviews

review by: GINA PACINO date: 2007-09-17 rating:
SO MUCH 'RESPECT' FOR ARETHA !!!
The GREATEST SINGER EVER !!!! There are many great singers in this world but Aretha's in a class no one can top. My Elite List (which includes Aaron Neville and other legends) has Aretha at the TOP !!!

That voice is from a place none of us will ever get to. Angels blessed Aretha's vocal chords and went back and blessed them again. This album has so many unbelievable classic songs. Aretha is one of my heroes. If I could sing like her for the day it would be a dream.

An outstanding album. Listen with amazement. Enjoy every second. You will love every song. Aretha...THANK YOU SO MUCH. Your voice lifts my spirit and to be in your presence would be a dream.

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review by: RUEBEN AMOS RUNACRE date: 2007-07-22 rating:
A Must For Soul Fans!
This is a truly brilliant album by the greatest female soul singer of all time. It includes virtually all her greatest hits and a superb version of "Son Of A Preacher Man" which exceeds the Dusty Springfield verson. Aretha Franklin had the gift of making every song she sang her own. Even Otis Redding's "Respect" is immediately associated with her.

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review by: She3p date: 2006-05-21 rating:
A MUST HAVE
This compilation makes me dance and sing along. All the best in one..of course..there are other great ones which is not in here....of course..wat can you expect? She's got loads of great songs...and 2 Cds can't contain them all, but this album is really worth every penny. Just want to ensure you guys that this album is cool....but there's just one drawback...the quality of the album was compromised...well..it's not like you can't hear the music and Aretha's soulful voice...but I realized that with today's technology..it could have been done better...Enjoy~

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review by: date: 2006-05-04 rating:
The Queen Of Soul
Aretha Franklin, daughter of a famous Pentecostel pastor, inevitably began singing in a church choir at a very early age and it was clear then that she had the gift of a deep, raw talent where her vocal style was capable of such immense power and volume.

She began her career recording secular tracks for Columbia Records, none of which really bought her much chart recognition. Signed by John Hammond at the dawn of the 1960's, he tried invain to nurture her talent effectively. By the time of 1966, all she had released a string of minor selling hits.

So in 1966 she signed a new deal with Jerry Wexler (who had enjoyed enormous success with such fantastic Soul music legends as the unforgetable Ray Charles and the divine Wilson Pickett) to Atlantic Records which finally propelled her into International stardom.

The label knew how to enhance her raw talent and captured her rocketing vocal style on some of the most remarkable recordings in the history of music. If anything, Aretha Franklin went on to become the female equivalent of that godfather of soul, James Brown.

The music was tough, driving, earthy even stark at times yet was able to encapsulate a sensual, evocative air that was able to enjoy credibility in the more profitable white-buying market as well as firmly retaining her wide, loyal black base much in the way other black female singers had like Diana Ross.

Her most important and significant era in music undoubtedly was between 1967-1969. During this relativley small period she clocked up an amazing series of soul classics that set standards today and are still as instantly recognisable as they were then with them always being constantly used as backing tracks to several T.V commercials.

Aretha races along those speedy verses of Respect (origanally by Otis Redding) with such startling conviction and when she sings those lyrics you just KNOW she means every word she says. Her pronounciations and impeccable lyrical phrasing is remarkably effective on this explosive classic and Respect rates as one of her most popular classics.

As well as the more urban-contemporary material, Aretha proved adept at experimenting in a number of styles and her voicesurprisingly could sound as equally compelling on the ballads.

I Say A Little Prayer was one of her most passionate, heart-felt ballads. Whilst the lyrics were simplistic, Aretha could shrewdly plumb such depth with a straight-foward song such as this.

Dr. Feel Good, the fabulous Think (which she would update in the movie, The Blue Brothers) and the sparse production of Chain Of Fools continued her staggering run of hits and all conveyed such an undeniably infectious quality.

From the 70's onwards Aretha Franklins work became erratic, initially losing some of the fire of her famous late 60's period. She still managed to come up with the odd winner such as the exciting Rock Steady and sensational, Day Dreaming but the consistency was no longer there.

The 80's and 90's saw Aretha recording only sporadically and when so was always a conciously contemporary effort which vastly met with an indifferent view from critics.

She enjoyed a touching, vibrant duet with divine soul crooner George Benson on Love All The Hurt Way whilst the more upbeat Jump To It saw her collaborate with Luther Vandross as producer.

The jamming Pop sounds of Who's Zoomin Who in 1985 became another notably sizeable hit to her credit as did her dynamic, explosive duet with Eurythumics singer, Annie Lennox on the catchy Sisters are Doin' It For Themselves.

She also recorded one memroable duet with another one of my favourite singers, George Michael on the overly subtle and laid-back, I Knew You Were Waiting For Me where both vocal harmonies were blended beautifully together.

This compilation highlights the very best of her work (including all tracks just mentioned) and so quite possibly goes down as the definitive collection of the undisputed Queen Of Soul.





review by: date: 2005-04-17 rating:
Shame about the remastering.
There are plenty of reviews about this particular double CD which comment on the excellence of the musical content and Aretha's voice. My only concern is the poor remastering, which is a disgrace, someone at Warner Music should be shot !!! Most of the tracks have a strong background hiss which detracts from the excellence of the music. There is no excuse for this, as today's electronics and computer software can even clean up ancient 78's and make them sound far better than this!!! Unfortunately I do not know what alternative album to advise people to buy. TRY BEFORE YOU BUY.

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