Another album in a remarkable year
Aretha Now appeared in June 1968, less than five months after Lady Soul. Its ten songs show how much music Aretha Franklin was making with her Atlantic collaborators during this period. Jerry Wexler produced, with arrangements by Tom Dowd and Arif Mardin. Franklin’s singing and piano sit within an ensemble whose instrumental and vocal contributions deserve attention of their own.
“Think” opens the record. Written by Franklin with Ted White, it is the programme’s only composition bearing her own writing credit. The remaining selections focus on her interpretation of existing material. One original and nine other songs become parts of an album held together by the musicians performing them.
A rehearsal becomes a recording
Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s “I Say a Little Prayer” had already become familiar through Dionne Warwick. Franklin and the Sweet Inspirations began singing it for pleasure while rehearsing, leading to the decision to record it. The accompanying voices offer a particularly revealing route into the resulting performance.
Follow the points at which the group takes up a phrase or places another thought beside the lead. Listening to the singers as participants in an exchange brings their role into focus. Concentrating exclusively on Franklin can make it easy to miss how much the song’s structure depends on that relationship.
Material with several histories
“See Saw” connects to Don Covay and Steve Cropper, while “You Send Me” brings in Sam Cooke’s writing. “Night Time Is the Right Time” belongs to repertoire also recorded by Ray Charles. Those links make the album a series of encounters with other musicians’ material, gathered into a concise ten-song programme.
The instrumental credits create further paths to follow. Roger Hawkins plays drums, Spooner Oldham organ and electric piano, with guitarists including Jimmy Johnson and Bobby Womack. Carolyn Franklin contributes backing vocals alongside the Sweet Inspirations. The version of “Think” here is the 1968 recording; the familiar Blues Brothers performance was newly recorded for the 1980 film.
The Atlantic 75 double LP
AAPA 040-45 spreads the album across two 180-gram records playing at 45 RPM. Kevin Gray mastered it at Cohearent Audio, with the original master tape identified as the source by the publisher. The Analogue Productions Atlantic 75 release is housed in a Stoughton tip-on gatefold and retains the ten selections from the 1968 album.
Michael 45 stores the goods in Germany and sends orders from Hilden, so buyers in Germany and across the EU can order without organising a private US import or waiting for customs processing.
More by Aretha Franklin: I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You · Young, Gifted And Black
Customer questions: Atlantic 75: which titles are worth buying? · Buying Analogue Productions records in Europe
Series: Atlantic 75 Series – all 75 albums, time journey and the people behind Atlantic
Musicians
Documented selection of participating musicians. Personnel may vary by track; this list does not claim to be complete.
| Name | Instrument / role |
|---|---|
| Aretha Franklin | Lead vocals, Piano |
| Tommy Cogbill | Electric bass, Guitar |
| Carolyn Franklin | Backing vocals |
| Roger Hawkins | Drums |
| Jerry Jemmott | Electric bass |
| Jimmy Johnson | Guitar |
| Bobby Womack | Guitar |
| Spooner Oldham | Electric piano, Piano, Organ |
| The Sweet Inspirations | Backing vocals |
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