But that got me to thinking, just what would have been the RIGHT steps for her to take after, say 76 or so?? Wasn't that brand of "soul" done with in popularity for the most part. Either she could have kept churning out the same things till she was labeled as not being able to do anything else, or do what she has done since then. It's a total non-win situation isn't it??
Popularity fades for everyone, but she seems to take a particlarly hard beating for not just going away like so many others is all.
...just wonderin'
― Phil Dokes (sunny), Saturday, 19 March 2005 22:35 (nineteen years ago) link
― Aaron A., Saturday, 19 March 2005 22:39 (nineteen years ago) link
― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Sunday, 20 March 2005 00:06 (nineteen years ago) link
― Each time he goes to bed, Ian Riese-Moraine PREYS like Aretha Franklin! (Eastern, Sunday, 20 March 2005 00:12 (nineteen years ago) link
― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Sunday, 20 March 2005 00:54 (nineteen years ago) link
― Jody Rosen, Sunday, 20 March 2005 01:34 (nineteen years ago) link
― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Sunday, 20 March 2005 03:26 (nineteen years ago) link
It's funny that you mention Al Green, that kind of nudged me into thinking about Aretha in my question. Been playing his new album (Don't think it's nearly as good as I Can't Stop. But i may be jumping the gun a bit on that, first spin) But he seems to be getting wonderful reviews all the way around. Anyways, i don't think Wexler's gonna hop behind the console at this stage of his life. But man, i have to admit that the idea is very exciting!!
― Phil Dokes (sunny), Sunday, 20 March 2005 04:53 (nineteen years ago) link
who says she would have had anything interesting to say?
― gabbneb (gabbneb), Sunday, 20 March 2005 05:16 (nineteen years ago) link
anyway, aretha was hardly alone among the soul singers in her generation to see her artistic worth pretty much go down the tubes... due to an inability to keep up with shifting genres, or an indifference? i mean, even al green went into gospel.
― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Sunday, 20 March 2005 06:13 (nineteen years ago) link
Stevie Wonder: With two or three exceptions, pretty much anything after Hotter than July has been tepid crap. "Part Time Lover"? "I Just Called to Say I Love You"?
Diana Ross: Um, need I say anything other than just invoking her name? Do I need to bring up Swept Away, released the same year as Aretha's not-perfect but still great Who's Zoomin' Who? (And yes, "Sweet Bitter Love" is one of her more amazing ballads. Jody Rosen OTM.)
Smokey Robinson: What has Smokey done that's worth comment since One Heartbeat other than cannibalize his past?
And Aretha can still outperform, outsing, and outdo any Alicia Keys or any Ashanti out there. Even at 300+ pounds and sitting in a chair.
― ffirehorse (firehorse), Sunday, 20 March 2005 23:10 (nineteen years ago) link
― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Sunday, 20 March 2005 23:12 (nineteen years ago) link
― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Sunday, 20 March 2005 23:14 (nineteen years ago) link
― edd s hurt (ddduncan), Monday, 21 March 2005 01:55 (nineteen years ago) link
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3494/635/1600/aretha1.2.jpg
― jed_ (jed), Monday, 4 September 2006 22:04 (seventeen years ago) link
― el borracho (Jody Beth Rosen), Monday, 4 September 2006 22:08 (seventeen years ago) link
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Monday, 4 September 2006 22:10 (seventeen years ago) link
1) Sign with Factory; 2) get Martin Hannett and Kid Creole to co-produce her comeback album.
― mark 0 (mark 0), Monday, 4 September 2006 22:11 (seventeen years ago) link
― Thomas Tallis (Tommy), Monday, 4 September 2006 22:44 (seventeen years ago) link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7a0-gFOUp-Y
― timmy tannin (pompous), Monday, 4 September 2006 23:05 (seventeen years ago) link
― Rev. Hoodoo (Rev. Hoodoo), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 00:36 (seventeen years ago) link
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 01:05 (seventeen years ago) link
― Euai Kapaui (tracerhand), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 01:46 (seventeen years ago) link
― Thomas Tallis (Tommy), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 02:05 (seventeen years ago) link
― Euai Kapaui (tracerhand), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 02:15 (seventeen years ago) link
― timmy tannin (pompous), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 02:17 (seventeen years ago) link
OMG, Aretha as Triumph the Insult Comic Dog!
― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 02:33 (seventeen years ago) link
Yes! Now if she'd done a bunch of hard gospel elpees in a row, we wouldn't be havin' this discussion!!
Nope. Her classic Atlantic recordings were SETTING trends.
Unfortunately, yes. If that's the best you can do for her Arista years, I'm sticking with "I Never Loved A Man...".
― Rev. Hoodoo (Rev. Hoodoo), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 03:03 (seventeen years ago) link
a) response to Tallis wondering why ONE LORD doesn't count (or rather, doesn't fit in with the rest of her 80's shite)
b) response to the person who wondered if her classic recordings didn't follow the trends of the time
c) to the person who asked me if i heard "Jimmy Lee," "Get It Right" and two other 80's era songs
― Rev. Hoodoo (Rev. Hoodoo), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 03:07 (seventeen years ago) link
― m coleman (lovebug starski), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 09:15 (seventeen years ago) link
You better tell David Bowie.
― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 09:20 (seventeen years ago) link
― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 09:31 (seventeen years ago) link
― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 09:40 (seventeen years ago) link
― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 09:41 (seventeen years ago) link
― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 09:42 (seventeen years ago) link
― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 09:45 (seventeen years ago) link
Bowie follows trends a lot more these days than he did when he did actually sell lots. Back then, he was the one who introduced the trends and everybody else followed them.
― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 12:59 (seventeen years ago) link
― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 13:06 (seventeen years ago) link
she didn't do anything wrong of course. but i imagine what the original poster might have been looking for is something like what Bonnie Raitt did in the '90s. which of course isn't much different from what Aretha's done, except it doesn't have beats.
― gabbneb (gabbneb), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 13:24 (seventeen years ago) link
― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 13:26 (seventeen years ago) link
(But you still could be right - I don't know enuff about Bowie to say so either way.)
xpost
― M. Agony Von Bontee (M. Agony Von Bontee), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 13:37 (seventeen years ago) link
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 13:42 (seventeen years ago) link
this is not necessarily a criticism, unless you're in the camp that says innovation alone makes for excellence, in which case good luck to you
― Thomas Tallis (Tommy), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 13:43 (seventeen years ago) link
― Thomas Tallis (Tommy), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 13:44 (seventeen years ago) link
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 13:47 (seventeen years ago) link
yikes
something about the melody of adele's song doesn't suit her (it's like she doesn't really want it to stay on one chord as long as it does, but her attempts at elaboration just weaken the through-line), and her voice is strained much of time.
― I dunno. (amateurist), Wednesday, 1 October 2014 14:22 (nine years ago) link
http://gawker.com/aretha-franklin-annihilated-rolling-in-the-deep-on-le-1640784983
She barrels through it
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 2 October 2014 22:34 (nine years ago) link
Audio version and Letterman show versions there
― curmudgeon, Friday, 3 October 2014 13:40 (nine years ago) link
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/aretha-franklin-talks-adele-cover-clive-davis-influence-and-real-singers-20141002
Aretha Franklin Sings the Great Diva Classics track list.
1. "At Last" (Etta James Cover)2. "Rolling In The Deep" (Adele Cover)3. "Midnight Train To Georgia" (Gladys Knight and The Pips Cover)4. "I Will Survive" (Gloria Gaynor Cover)5. "People" (Barbra Streisand Cover)6. "No One" (Alicia Keys Cover)7. "I’m Every Woman" (Chaka Khan Cover) / "Respect"8. "Teach Me Tonight" (Dinah Washington Cover)9. "You Keep Me Hangin’ On" (The Supremes Cover)10. "Nothing Compares 2 U" (Sinéad O’Connor Cover)
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/aretha-franklin-covers-adele-details-new-diva-classics-tribute-lp-20140929#ixzz3F8fVP1HV
― curmudgeon, Saturday, 4 October 2014 02:19 (nine years ago) link
seriously cannot stand to hear people talk even a small amount of shit about Aretha
she is the fucking best, the end
― The Complainte of Ray Tabano, Saturday, 4 October 2014 02:37 (nine years ago) link
Sorry dude.
― curmudgeon, Monday, 6 October 2014 13:53 (nine years ago) link
she is hardly unimpeachable!
― I dunno. (amateurist), Monday, 6 October 2014 20:55 (nine years ago) link
If the rest of this is made on the same level as Rolling in the Deep, then burn all the copies!
― Johnny Fever, Monday, 6 October 2014 20:58 (nine years ago) link
The concept isn't as suspect, but this is done with as much care for the finished product as when Pat Boone did his metal covers album.
― Johnny Fever, Monday, 6 October 2014 21:00 (nine years ago) link
It was Clive Davis’ idea to team up with Franklin for a concept album of contemporary classics, and he initially sent the singer an extensive list of titles. “I picked the ones I thought were the best to perform, the most classic, and that I enjoyed the most,” she says. “I came up [in the business] with a lot of those songs, and I bought a lot of this music myself.” However, it was “Rolling In The Deep” that immediately stuck out. Davis, who executive produced the album, envisioned the project as a return to vocal-centric performers of the past.
http://www.vh1.com/music/tuner/2014-10-06/aretha-franklin-adele-rolling-in-the-deep-cover-interview/
― curmudgeon, Monday, 6 October 2014 21:05 (nine years ago) link
Clive Davis is a human turd.
― Johnny Fever, Monday, 6 October 2014 21:06 (nine years ago) link
he is very old
― I dunno. (amateurist), Monday, 6 October 2014 21:12 (nine years ago) link
a turd with grey hair then
― guess that bundt gettin eaten (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 6 October 2014 21:13 (nine years ago) link
he's utterly loathsome
― Οὖτις, Monday, 6 October 2014 21:17 (nine years ago) link
has new bio been discussed somewhere?
― things lose meaning over time (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 11 December 2014 18:05 (nine years ago) link
Hmmmm, maybe on the "Good Books about Music" thread, but not sure. How is it? Have only read about it...http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/30/books/respect-tells-aretha-franklins-life-story.html
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 11 December 2014 19:47 (nine years ago) link
me too
A.F. has always sounded like "a piece of work," at book length this wd probably depress me.
― things lose meaning over time (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 11 December 2014 19:53 (nine years ago) link
There's a playlist (waiting for me). I compiled twenty-five of my favorite Aretha tunes and performances.
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 18 October 2016 02:12 (seven years ago) link
Nice to see "get it right" on there, great tune
― Inspired by an argument in the Stereogum comment section (brimstead), Tuesday, 18 October 2016 02:25 (seven years ago) link
Very nice.
― Sketches by T-Boz (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 18 October 2016 02:26 (seven years ago) link
Yes, although anytime I see a list of Aretha songs I am reminded in my head of the time I saw Aretha in NYC at Radio City Music Hall sometime in the 1990s. A fan kept yelling very loudly through the whole show "do "The House that Jack Built""....Alas, she did not do it, or acknowledge that fan. At the time I was not that familiar with that song, whose version by Aretha made it to #2 on the US r'n'b chart in 1968, but later I did and it is now a fave of mine.
― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 18 October 2016 14:17 (seven years ago) link
― Inspired by an argument in the Stereogum comment section (brimstead
better realized than "Jump To It" imo
Y'all need to watch this if you haven't:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHsnZT7Z2yQ
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 18 October 2016 14:21 (seven years ago) link
Yes, although anytime I see a list of Aretha songs I am reminded in my head of the time I saw Aretha in NYC at Radio City Music Hall sometime in the 1990s. A fan kept yelling very loudly through the whole show "do "The House that Jack Built""....Alas, she did not do it, or acknowledge that fan. At the time I was not that familiar with that song, whose version by Aretha made it to #2 on the US r'n'b chart in 1968, but later I did and it is now a fave of mine
I saw Aretha at Radio City around 2008 and she did very few of her '60s hits, like maybe two. That surprised me, I didn't know that that's her MO. She did, however, let her son come out and do a long rap number (my friend's nickname for him = MC Ill Advised)
― Josefa, Tuesday, 18 October 2016 14:41 (seven years ago) link
An Aretha gig I saw at a big outdoor place was kinda like that, but when I saw her in 2008 do a special MLK Holiday gig at the Kennedy Center in DC with old school civil rights folks in the audience and Cicely Tyson, she played piano and did more '60s material.
― curmudgeon, Wednesday, 19 October 2016 04:30 (seven years ago) link