Well in this case, there really is nothing I can add to the hundreds of earnest obits and talking head tributes that no doubt fill today’s papers and radio/TV. Suffice to say, if you in any way like the idea of humans singing songs, you can probably dig some Aretha.

Personally, I dug out this 1973 LP which I picked up a few years ago and play often. It’s not generally regarded as her best work, but I like it a lot. It’s just spot-on cosmically-inclined Southern gospel/soul with some questing psychedelic excursions, underpinned by a proper, serious post-Black Power social consciousness agenda (on the first side, at least – side #2 goes a bit trad/show tune-ish towards the end). Beautiful Quincy Jones production – interestingly for the era, there’s not even a hint of funk or disco, but a fair bit of inspiration from ‘What’s Goin’ On’, I daresay. Slow, sun-baked Wrecking-Crew-goes-country kind of vibe (‘Sister From Texas’ could almost be a Bobbie Gentry track).

Perhaps in ’73, people thought this was a bit of a late hop on a departing counter-culture bandwagon, but today it just sounds like beautiful music, irrespective of context. Listening to it makes me want to hug somebody, be extra nice to people, and step outside to enjoy the breeze and the sunshine.

Absolutely love the crazy artwork (by Jim Dunn*) in the gatefold too. I’m sorry my photos aren’t very good, but the figure you see on the left hand side is a guy dressed as a matador, fighting a giant syringe. Nice! Love the idea of the winged, Egyptian goddess Aretha accepting an offering from her faithful supplicants (or something) too. Nice image for today. (Her microphone seems to be plugged into a potted plant, for some reason...?)

You’ll forgive me ignorance, but until yesterday I had no idea Aretha Franklin was so young during the early/defining part of her career. The fact she was belting out all those authoritative, empowering, generally un-fuckable-with performances when she was in her early/mid-20s just seems extraordinary to me; I’d always unconsciously assumed she must have had at least another decade under her belt to get to that particular level of sock-it-to-'em greatness.

No more blather needed. R.I.P., needless to say.


* Searching "Jim Dunn + artist"  doesn't seem to bring up anything of immediate relevance vis-a-vis learning a bit more about THIS Mr Dunn,  unfortunately.

Labels: album reviews, Aretha Franklin, deathblog, old LPs