"...A Soul Serenade..."
"Sock it to me! Sock it
to me! Sock it to me!" That famous refrain in a groovy take on Otis
Redding's "Respect" opens Aretha Franklin's March 1967 Atlantic
Records debut album "I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You". And by
the time you make it to Track 2 - a gorgeously arranged cover of Ray Charles'
1956 Atlantic R&B weeper "Drown In My Own Tears" – and that
amazing title track at No. 3 - those arbitrary accolades of 'Best Soul Album
Ever Released' actually start to make total sense.
Even now in sunny June 2016
- Aretha's first album for the mighty Atlantic Records is an awesome thing to
behold - so many great tracks, so much feel and it's damn moving too (I rate
her own "Baby, Baby, Baby" as one of 'the' best songs on the iconic
record). Let's get to Soul Music's real deal...
UK, Europe and USA released
June 1995 - "I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You" by ARETHA
FRANKLIN on Rhino/Atlantic Remasters 8122-719340-2 (Barcode 081227193423, UK
and Europe issue) is a CD Remaster of the 1967 11-track album with four Bonus
Tracks and plays out as follows (41:26 minutes):
Side 1:
1. Respect (Otis Redding song)
1. Respect (Otis Redding song)
2. Drown In My Own Tears
(Danny Glover song, Ray Charles cover)
3. I Never Loved A Man (The
Way I Love You) (Ronny Shannon song)
4. Soul Serenade (Curtis
Ousley/Luther Dixon song)
5. Don't Let Me Lose This
Dream (Aretha Franklin/Ted White song)
6. Baby, Baby, Baby (Aretha
and Carolyn Franklin song)
Side 2:
7. Dr. Feelgood (Love Is A Serious Business) (Aretha Franklin/Ted White song)
8. Good Times (Sam Cooke
cover)
9. Do Right Woman - Do Right
Man (Dan Penn/Chips Moman song)
10. Save Me (Curtis
Ousley/Aretha and Carolyn Franklin song)
11. A Change Is Gonna Come
(Sam Cooke cover)
Tracks 1 to 11 are the album
"I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You" - released 10 March 1967 in
the USA on Atlantic 8139 (Mono) and Atlantic SD 8139 (Stereo) and June 1967 in
the UK on Atlantic 587 066 (Mono) and Atlantic 588 066 (Stereo).
The MONO MIX is used for this CD reissue. Arranged and Directed by TOM DOWD and Produced by JERRY WEXLER - the LP was recorded in January and February of 1967 in the FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. It peaked at No. 2 in the USA on the Pop charts (No. 1 on the R&B charts) and No. 36 in the UK on the Pop charts.
The MONO MIX is used for this CD reissue. Arranged and Directed by TOM DOWD and Produced by JERRY WEXLER - the LP was recorded in January and February of 1967 in the FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. It peaked at No. 2 in the USA on the Pop charts (No. 1 on the R&B charts) and No. 36 in the UK on the Pop charts.
BONUS TRACKS:
12. Respect (Stereo Version)
Mono Version used for the
USA 7" single of "Respect" released 16 April 1967 on Atlantic
2403 - Pop and R&B No. 1
13. I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You)
(Stereo Version)
Mono Version used for the
USA 7" single of "I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You"
released 10 February 1967 on Atlantic 2386, A-side - Pop No. 9 and No. 1
R&B
14. Do Right Man - Do Right
Woman (Stereo Version)
Mono Version used for the
USA 7" single of "Do Right Woman - Do Right Man" released 10
February 1967 on Atlantic 2386, B-side
The players:
ARETHA FRANKLIN - Vocals and
Piano
SPOONER OLDHAM - Organ and
Electric Piano
JIMMY JOHNSON - Guitar (All
Tracks except 3 and 10)
CHIPS MOMAN - Guitar (Tracks
3 and 10)
TOMMY COGBILL - Bass
ROGER HAWKINS - Drums (All
Tracks except 4, 7 and 8)
GENE CHRISSMAN - Drums
(Tracks 4, 7 and 8)
MELVIN LASTIE, KEN LAXTON,
DAVID HOOD, CHARLIE CHALMERS, KING CURTIS, JOE ARNOLD and WILLIE BRIDGES -
Horns
ARIF MARDIN - Vibes
CAROLYN FRANKLIN, ERMA
FRANKLIN and CISSY HOUSTON - Backing Vocals
The 8-leaf foldout inlay has
liner notes from noted writer and Soul historian DAVID NATHAN followed by Jerry
Wexler's original album liner notes. You get a detailed history of the Muscle
Shoals sessions and how the whole thing together. There are also full album
credits and reissue details. The mighty duo of DAN HERSCH and BILL INGLOT
carried out the MONO Transfers and Remaster and it sounds just great - punchy
and vibrant - air around the loose sessions. The three STEREO versions of the
big single sides are only icing on a very tasty cake.
Knowing they were onto
something special - Atlantic rush-released the title track "I Never Loved
A Man The Way I Love You" on the 10th of February 1967 as an American 45.
Recorded a few weeks prior on the 24th of January and written by Detroit's
Ronny Shannon - it's a song that is so synonamous with Aretha that its entered
into legend and myth by now. But the moment that wicked Spooner Oldham electric
piano starts on those slinky notes - you're hooked and then moved - and that's
rare. "Soul Serenade" and "Don't Let Me Lose This Dream"
continue that Bluesy Soul vibe with only the cha-cha shuffle of "Don't Let
Me Lose This Dream" feeling slightly awkward and actually out of place.
But then you're whacked with
sheer magic - her own "Baby, Baby, Baby". As she sings "...I
didn't mean to hurt you..." - you 'feel' it - the power of the lyrics
given that extra oomph by the three ladies giving it some backing vocals (Erma
and Carolyn Franklin with Cissy Houston). Atlantic used the wickedly sexy
"Dr. Feelgood" as the B-side to "Respect" on Atlantic 2403
in April 1967. My other craves are the fab groover "Save Me", Dan
Penn's magnificent "Do Right Woman-Do Right Man" which he returned to
on his June 1994 CD album "Do Right Man" (see separate review) ands
the final nod to the master - a heartbreakingly beautiful take of Sam Cooke's
progress anthem "A Change Is Gonna Come" - the perfect ending to the most
rounded of Soul LPs from the period.
"...Woman's only
human...you should understand..." - Aretha sang on "Do Right Woman -
Do Right Man". Not sure there's anything 'human' about this superhuman LP.
A CD you should treasure - never mind own...
