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Aretha Franklin - 3O Greatest Hits [Best Of] Audio CD

A fair review of the Aretha Franklin "3O Greatest Hits [Best Of]" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Aretha Franklin reviews here, or go back to the Aretha Franklin tabs.

Aretha Franklin Band: Aretha Franklin
Title: 3O Greatest Hits [Best Of]
Rating:
Release Date:
Media: Audio CD

Tracks:

Definitive Collection of Lady Soul's Best Work...an Absolute Desert Island Selection
I have owned this two-disc set for over twenty years since its release in 1985, and I never tire of it. If you need validation of Aretha Franklin's legacy, look no further than this definitive collection of her best work recorded for Atlantic Records between 1967 and 1974. In fact, I return to it often and would have to conclude it to be one of my desert island selections. Teamed up with the equally legendary production team of Jerry Wexler and Arif Mardin, she sparked magic on an amazingly consistent basis during this period. Before signing with Atlantic, Franklin recorded for Columbia but was erroneously being marketed as a jazz chanteuse. After Wexler's departure from Atlantic in 1974, her work, I feel, declined artistically, and Franklin's subsequent recordings with Arista, although more commercial, were not nearly as memorable.

Disc One opens appropriately with her first breakout hit, the heart-ripping "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Loved You)". Then the onslaught of classics - her signature cover of Otis Redding's "Respect" which completely eclipses his version; the loping doo-wop of "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man"; the roof-raising take on Carole King's "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman"; the had-it-up-to-here anthem, "Chain of Fools". Her soulful covers of the Band's "The Weight" and the Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby" reflect her personal style without compromising the memory of the original performances. Franklin takes Burt Bacharach and Hal David's "I Say a Little Prayer" quite literally and converts it into a uniquely gospel-tinged love song of longing and regret. Her soaring vocals on potentially inane confections such as "See Saw" and "The House That Jack Built" elevate their substance significantly.

Disc Two continues the hits with particular standouts being a near-inspirational version of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's classic, "You're All I Need to Get By"; an almost hymnal version of Simon and Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water"; and the cruising "Spanish Harlem". My personal favorites are her dramatic cover of Lulu's 1969 hit, "Oh Me Oh My (I'm a Fool for You Baby)"; the appropriately named "Day Dreaming"; and her last big Atlantic hit, Stevie Wonder's "Until You Come Back to Me" with a playfully sauntering melody an intriguing contrast to its obsession-oriented lyrics. But honestly, there is not a single disappointment among the thirty tracks here and some, especially the religion-fueled numbers like "Wholly Holy" and "Spirit in the Dark", are simply transcendent. This set is the one to own.


You can see a complete list of all Aretha Franklin discography, or go back to the Aretha Franklin tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

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