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Back in 2018, Rhino Records compiled Aretha Franklin’s The Atlantic Records 1960s Collection, bringing together the Queen of Soul’s first five, groundbreaking studio albums for the label originally released between 1967 and 1969 plus bonus material.  Now, BMG is picking up where that set left off with the December 1 release of A Portrait of the Queen.  The new collection, available on 5 CDs or 6 LPs, contains Franklin’s first five studio sets from the new decade:

• This Girl’s In Love With You (1970);
• Spirit In The Dark (1970);
• Young, Gifted And Black (1972);
• Hey Now Hey (The Other Side Of The Sky) (1973); and
• Let Me In Your Life (1974).

Like the earlier 1960s collection, A Portrait of the Queen will include copious bonus material including alternate takes, outtakes, non-LP single sides, and demos, totaling more than two dozen rarities on CD and ten on vinyl.  (All of the bonus material has been previously released, with most of it culled from the 2007 Rare and Unreleased Recordings compilation and the more recent 2021 Aretha career-spanning box.)

These five albums represent a peak of creativity for the singer, songwriter, pianist, and producer.  Titled after the Burt Bacharach/Hal David classic, 1970’s This Girl’s in Love with You was Aretha’s 16th overall studio album.  Even if the Queen had the unenviable task of following her Atlantic labelmate Dusty Springfield with “Son of a Preacher Man” – needless to say, Aretha made it her own – her recording of The Beatles’ “Let It Be” beat the Fabs’ own version into stores by a couple of months.  The album also featured her incendiary interpretations of material from The Band (“The Weight”), Chips Moman and Dan Penn (“Dark End of the Street”) and more Beatles (“Eleanor Rigby”) as well as her own “Call Me.”

Just a few months later in the summer, Franklin released Spirit in the Dark.  Produced again by the team of Jerry Wexler, Tom Dowd, and Arif Mardin, it yielded the hits “Don’t Play That Song (You Lied)” (No. 1 R&B/No. 11 Pop) and the title track (No. 3 R&B/No. 23 Pop).  In addition to songs from Carole King and Gerry Goffin (the sublime “Oh No, Not My Baby”), Dr. John (“When the Battle Is Over”), and B.B. King (the appropriate “Why I Sing the Blues”), Aretha provided a number of her own striking compositions.  As well as “Spirit in the Dark,” she penned “Pullin’,” “You and Me,” “One Way Ticket,” and “Try Matty’s.”  Both The Dixie Flyers and The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section added their musical acumen, and The Sweet Inspirations provided background vocals.  None other than Duane Allman popped into the sessions to add his guitar.

1971 saw the release of Live at Fillmore West (not included in this set); the next year, she released the remarkable studio album Young, Gifted, and Black – as truthful a statement as ever adorned an album cover.  The LP powerfully drew on all of the artist’s disparate influences, even beyond Nina Simone’s majestic title track.  Aretha’s own “Day Dreaming,” “Rock Steady,” and “All the King’s Horses” were among her own finest compositions, and she rounded out the album with songs from the era’s finest songwriters: Bacharach and David (a funky spin on film theme “The April Fools”), Otis Redding and Jerry Butler (“I’ve Been Loving You Too Long”), Lennon and McCartney (“The Long and Winding Road”), Elton John and Bernie Taupin (“Border Song”), Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff (“Brand New Me,” another Dusty Springfield favorite) and Thom Bell and William Hart (“Didn’t I Blow Your Mind (This Time).”)  Bell had been offered to produce Aretha when Atlantic first courted him; correctly sensing that she would do just fine on her own, he turned his attention to her friends (and opening act) The Spinners, and redefined their sound – and the sound of ’70s soul.  Young, Gifted and Black – also featuring songwriter Jim Doris’ smoldering “Oh Me, Oh My (I’m a Fool for You Baby),” previously recorded by British sensation Lulu at Atlantic – won Aretha the 1972 Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.

The penultimate LP in this collection, Hey Now Hey (The Other Side of the Sky), united Aretha with co-producer Quincy Jones.  Anchored by her own title track, the album yielded the R&B chart-topper “Angel” co-written by her sister Carolyn and an epic reinvention of Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim’s West Side Story anthem “Somewhere.”  The jazz-oriented set welcomed saxophonist Phil Woods on “Somewhere” and flautist Joe Farrell on Carolyn Plummer’s “Mister Spain.”  Aretha took the piano solo on “Somewhere” herself, while Billy Preston tickled the ivories for “Just Right Tonight.”  Another highlight was “Moody’s Mood for Love,” the signature song of jazz great (and Dizzy Gillespie associate) James Moody.

Aretha celebrated 20 albums with the final release on this set, 1974’s Let Me in Your Life.  Though the Queen’s indelible recording of Stevie Wonder, Clarence Paul, and Morris Brodnax’s “Until You Come Back to Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do)” was the biggest hit (R&B No. 1/Pop No. 1), Let Me spun off another R&B chart-topper with Bobby Womack’s “I’m in Love” and a top 10 R&B with Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson’s timeless “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing.”  Elsewhere, Aretha brought her distinctive sound to Leon Russell’s “A Song for You,” Bobby Goldsboro’s oldie “With Pen in Hand,” and Bill Withers’ title track, while she supplied her own “Oh Baby” and “If You Don’t Think.”  Later in 1974, Aretha released With Everything I Feel in Me, beginning the “lost era” of her Atlantic albums which still have not yet seen official CD release.

The albums in both the vinyl and CD versions of Portrait of the Queen have been remastered from the original analog master tapes by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering and Michael Graves at Osiris Studio, respectively.  Omnivore Recordings’ Cheryl Pawelski has produced the set which features new liner notes by SoulMusic Records’ David Nathan and Billboard‘s Gail Mitchell.

Look for this true Portrait of the Queen on December 1 from BMG.  You’ll find the track listing and pre-order links below!

Aretha Franklin, Portrait of the Queen (BMG, 2023)

5CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

CD 1: This Girl’s In Love With You (Atlantic SD 8248, 1970)

1. Son Of A Preacher Man
2. Share Your Love With Me
3. Dark End Of The Street
4. Let It Be
5. This Girl’s In Love With You
6. It Ain’t Fair
7. The Weight
8. Call Me
9. Sit Down And Cry
10. The Fool on the Hill (Outtake) (first issued on Rare & Unreleased Recordings from the Golden Reign of the Queen of Soul, Atlantic/Rhino R2 272188, 2007)
11. Pledging My Love/The Clock (Atlantic single 2650-B, 1969)
12. You Keep Me Hangin’ On (Outtake) (first issued on Rare & Unreleased Recordings from the Golden Reign of the Queen of Soul, Atlantic/Rhino R2 272188, 2007)
13. I’m Trying to Overcome (Outtake) (first issued on Rare & Unreleased Recordings from the Golden Reign of the Queen of Soul, Atlantic/Rhino R2 272188, 2007)
14. Are You Leaving Me (Demo) (first issued on Rare & Unreleased Recordings from the Golden Reign of the Queen of Soul, Atlantic/Rhino R2 272188, 2007)

CD 2: Spirit In The Dark (Atlantic SD 8265, 1970)

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 (Outtake) (first issued on Rare & Unreleased Recordings from the Golden Reign of the Queen of Soul, Atlantic/Rhino R2 272188, 2007)
14. My Way (Outtake) (first issued on Rare & Unreleased Recordings from the Golden Reign of the Queen of Soul, Atlantic/Rhino R2 272188, 2007)
15. Bridge Over Troubled Water (Long Version) (Atlantic promo single 45-2796-B, 1971)

CD 3: Young Gifted And Black (Atlantic SD 7213, 1972)

1. Oh Me Oh My (I’m A Fool For You Baby)
2. Day Dreaming
3. Rock Steady
4. Young Gifted And Black
5. All The King’s Horses
6. A Brand New Me
7. April Fools
8. I’ve Been Loving You Too Long
9. First Snow In Kokomo
10. The Long And Winding Road
11. Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time)
12. Border Song (Holy Moses)
13. My Cup Runneth Over (Outtake) (first issued on Rare & Unreleased Recordings from the Golden Reign of the Queen of Soul, Atlantic/Rhino R2 272188, 2007)
14. You’re All I Need to Get By (Take 2) (first issued on Rare & Unreleased Recordings from the Golden Reign of the Queen of Soul, Atlantic/Rhino R2 272188, 2007)
15. Lean on Me (Atlantic single 2817-B, 1971)
16. Heavenly Father (Outtake) (first issued on Rare & Unreleased Recordings from the Golden Reign of the Queen of Soul, Atlantic/Rhino R2 272188, 2007)
17. Spanish Harlem (Alternate Mix) (first issued on Aretha, Rhino R2 643464, 2021)

CD 4: Hey Now Hey (The Other Side Of The Sky) (Atlantic SD 7265, 1973)

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) (Atlantic single 45-2941, 1973)
11. Sweetest Smile and the Funkiest Style (Outtake) (first issued on Rare & Unreleased Recordings from the Golden Reign of the Queen of Soul, Atlantic/Rhino R2 272188, 2007)
12. The Boy from Bombay (first issued on Aretha, Rhino R2 643464, 2021)
13. This Is (Outtake) (first issued on Rare & Unreleased Recordings from the Golden Reign of the Queen of Soul, Atlantic/Rhino R2 272188, 2007)
14. Tree of Life (Outtake) (first issued on Rare & Unreleased Recordings from the Golden Reign of the Queen of Soul, Atlantic/Rhino R2 272188, 2007)
15. Do You Know (first issued on Rare & Unreleased Recordings from the Golden Reign of the Queen of Soul, Atlantic/Rhino R2 272188, 2007)
16. Can You Love Again (Outtake) (first issued on Rare & Unreleased Recordings from the Golden Reign of the Queen of Soul, Atlantic/Rhino R2 272188, 2007)
17. I Want to Be with You (Outtake) (first issued on Rare & Unreleased Recordings from the Golden Reign of the Queen of Soul, Atlantic/Rhino R2 272188, 2007)

CD 5: Let Me In Your Life (Atlantic SD 7292, 1974)

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 Outtake) (first issued on Rare & Unreleased Recordings from the Golden Reign of the Queen of Soul, Atlantic/Rhino R2 272188, 2007)
13. The Happy Blues (Outtake) (first issued on Rare & Unreleased Recordings from the Golden Reign of the Queen of Soul, Atlantic/Rhino R2 272188, 2007)
14. At Last (Outtake) (first issued on Rare & Unreleased Recordings from the Golden Reign of the Queen of Soul, Atlantic/Rhino R2 272188, 2007)
15. Love Letters (Outtake) (first issued on Rare & Unreleased Recordings from the Golden Reign of the Queen of Soul, Atlantic/Rhino R2 272188, 2007)
16. Til Its Over (Demo) (first issued on Aretha, Rhino R2 643464, 2021)

6LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

LP 1: This Girl’s In Love With You (Atlantic SD 8248, 1970)

Side A:

1. Son Of A Preacher Man
2. Share Your Love With Me
3. Dark End Of The Street
4. Let It Be

Side B:

5. This Girl’s In Love With You
6. It Ain’t Fair
7. The Weight
8. Call Me
9. Sit Down And Cry

LP 2: Spirit In The Dark (Atlantic SD 8265, 1970)

Side C:

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

Side D:

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

LP 3: Young Gifted And Black (Atlantic SD 7213, 1972)

Side E:

1. Oh Me Oh My (I’m A Fool For You Baby)
2. Day Dreaming
3. Rock Steady
4. Young Gifted And Black
5. All The King’s Horses
6. A Brand New Me

Side F:

7. April Fools
8. I’ve Been Loving You Too Long
9. First Snow In Kokomo
10. The Long And Winding Road
11. Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time)
12. Border Song (Holy Moses)

LP 4: Hey Now Hey (The Other Side Of The Sky) (Atlantic SD 7265, 1973)

Side G:

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

Side H:

6. Mister Spain
7. That’s The Way I Feel About Cha
8. Moody’s Mood
9. Just Right Tonight

LP 5: Let Me In Your Life (Atlantic SD 7292, 1974)

Side I:

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

Side J:

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

LP 6: Bonus Tracks – Rarities

Side K:

1. Pledging My Love/The Clock (Atlantic single 2650-B, 1969)
2. You’re Taking Up Another Man’s Place (Spirit in the Dark outtake) (first issued on Rare & Unreleased Recordings from the Golden Reign of the Queen of Soul, Atlantic/Rhino R2 272188, 2007)
3. Are You Leaving Me (Demo) (first issued on Rare & Unreleased Recordings from the Golden Reign of the Queen of Soul, Atlantic/Rhino R2 272188, 2007)
4. You’re All I Need To Get By (Take 2) (first issued on Rare & Unreleased Recordings from the Golden Reign of the Queen of Soul, Atlantic/Rhino R2 272188, 2007)
5. Spanish Harlem (Alternate Mix) (first issued on Aretha, Rhino R2 643464, 2021)

Side L:

1. Lean On Me (Atlantic single 2817-B, 1971)
2. Sweetest Smile And The Funkiest Style (Hey Now Hey outtake) (first issued on Rare & Unreleased Recordings from the Golden Reign of the Queen of Soul, Atlantic/Rhino R2 272188, 2007)
3. Do You Know (Hey Now Hey outtake) (first issued on Rare & Unreleased Recordings from the Golden Reign of the Queen of Soul, Atlantic/Rhino R2 272188, 2007)
4. At Last (Let Me in Your Life outtake) (first issued on Rare & Unreleased Recordings from the Golden Reign of the Queen of Soul, Atlantic/Rhino R2 272188, 2007)
5. Master Of Eyes (The Deepness Of Your Eyes) (Atlantic single 45-2941, 1973)
6. Til It’s Over (Demo) (first issued on Aretha, Rhino R2 643464, 2021)