Aretha Franklin was known the world over as the “Queen of Soul,” a distinction that will be honored in an upcoming box set featuring her musical catalog. Scheduled for release by BMG on December 1, A Portrait of the Queen – 1970-1974 compiles the noteworthy music of this celebrated singer-songwriter from the early 1970s.
Five classic Aretha albums presenting an early-’70s portrait of the Queen! Also includes a sixth bonus LP of session alternates, outtakes and demos. The original albums were remastered from the analog master tapes by Grammy Award-winning engineer Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering. Produced by Grammy Award-winner Cheryl Pawelski with liner notes from Billboard’s Gail Mitchell and British Ambassador of Soul, David Nathan.
Includes the hit Young, Gifted and Black, released in 1972, which hit #2 on Billboard’s R&B albums survey and #11 on the Billboard Top 200 as well as being certified GOLD. Aretha won the 1972 Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and the album ranked at number 388 on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
Also includes This Girl’s In Love With You which features the first commercial release of “Let It Be,” and came out two months ahead of The Beatles. Both this album and Spirit In The Dark feature the Muscle Shoals Rhythm section and an appearance by Duane Allman. Along with production on both from Jerry Wexler, Tom Dowd and Arif Mardin.
Track Listings
Disc: 1
1 Son of a Preacher Man
2 Share Your Love With Me
3 Dark End of the Street
4 Let It Be
5 Eleanor Rigby
6 This Girl’s in Love With You
7 It Ain’t Fair
8 The Weight
9 Call Me
10 Sit Down and Cry
11 The Fool on the Hill (This Girl’s in Love with You Outtake)
12 Pledging My Love / The Clock (2018 Mono Remaster)
13 You Keep Me Hangin’ On (This Girl’s in Love with You / Spiri
14 I’m Trying to Overcome (This Girl’s in Love with You / Spiri
15 Are You Leaving Me (Demo)
Disc: 2
1 Don’t Play That Song
2 The Thrill Is Gone (From Yesterday’s Kiss)
3 Pullin’
4 You and Me
5 Honest I Do
6 Spirit in the Dark
7 When the Battle Is Over
8 One Way Ticket
9 Try Matty’s
10 That’s All I Want From You
11 Oh No Not My Baby
12 Why I Sing the Blues
13 You’re Taking up Another Man’s Place (Spirit in the Dark Out
14 My Way (Spirit in the Dark Outtake)
15 Bridge Over Troubled Water (Long Version)
Disc: 3
1 A Brand New Me
2 April Fools
3 I’ve Been Loving You Too Long
4 First Snow in Kokomo
5 The Long and Winding Road
6 Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time)
7 Border Song (Holy Moses)
8 Young, Gifted and Black
9 All the King’s Horses
10 Rock Steady
11 Day Dreaming
12 Oh Me Oh My (I’m a Fool for You Baby)
13 My Cup Runneth Over (Young, Gifted and Black Outtake)
14 You’re All I Need to Get By (Take 2)
15 Lean on Me
16 Heavenly Father (Young, Gifted and Black Outtake)
17 Spanish Harlem (Alternate Mix)
Disc: 4
1 Hey Now Hey (The Other Side of the Sky)
2 Somewhere
3 So Swell When You’re Well
4 Angel
5 Sister From Texas
6 Mister Spain
7 That’s the Way I Feel About Cha
8 Moody’s Mood
9 Just Right Tonight
10 Master of Eyes (The Deepness of Your Eyes)
11 Sweetest Smile and the Funkiest Style (Hey Now Hey The Other
12 The Boy from Bombay
13 This Is (Hey Now Hey The Other Side of the Sky Outtake)
14 Tree of Life (Hey Now Hey The Other Side of the Sky Outtake)
15 Do You Know (Hey Now Hey The Other Side of the Sky Outtake)
16 Can You Love Again (Hey Now Hey The Other Side of the Sky Ou
17 I Want to Be With You (Hey Now Hey The Other Side of the Sky
Disc: 5
1 Let Me in Your Life
2 Every Natural Thing
3 Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing
4 I’m in Love
5 Until You Come Back to Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do)
6 The Masquerade Is Over
7 With Pen in Hand
8 Oh Baby
9 Eight Days on the Road
10 If You Don’t Think
11 A Song for You
12 Suzanne (Hey Now Hey The Other Side of the Sky Outtake)
13 The Happy Blues (Let Me in Your Life Outtake)
14 At Last (Let Me in Your Life Outtake)
15 Love Letters (Let Me in Your Life Outtake)
16 Til It’s Over (Demo)
