Aretha Franklin - Young Gifted And Black 1971


Reviews:

 Like its predecessor, Spirit in the Dark, 1972's Young, Gifted and Black found Aretha moving with soul music's elite into a progressive phase that opened up the emotional content of her work even further. "All the King's Horses" mourns the death of her first marriage, while "Day Dreaming" and "A Brand New Me" point toward what we'd now call "healing." Two stabs at social comment, Nina Simone's title cut and, intriguingly, Elton John's "Border Song," round out this impressive portrait. --Rickey Wright


 I can remember where I was when I first heard certain Aretha Franklin songs: outside an ice cream parlour on a hot July day hearing Spanish Harlem from the shop girl's radio; driving down a dusty country road at night under a canopy of stars and groovin' to Rock Steady and lying on a beach in Tunisia, this beautiful country of ancient Carthage and mosques and hearing Don't Play That Song For Me. Young, Gifted and Black was a pivotal album for me. From the jazzy strain of the first song Oh Me Oh My, the sweet and sensual Day Dreaming, the sexy, funky groove of Rock Steady to the stirring Black consciousness raising song, Young, Gifted and Black. The covers of songs from artists Otis Redding, the Beatles, Burt Bacharach and Elton John are remarkable. In the song, I've Been Loving you too Long, hear the desperate/defiant pleading in her voice, "I've been loving and loving you too long, don't make me stop now." The raw emotion she projects gets to me every time. With the Beatle's, Long and Winding Road and Elton John's, Border Song, she takes these songs to Church, fills them with gospel fervour and testifies with them. Aretha is accompanied by the cream of session musicians, Richard Tee, Billy Preston, Grady Tate and Cornell Dupree, and vocal backing by the incomparable Sweet Inspirations. Every song on this album is a gem, a minor miracle. Aretha Franklin reached her zenith with this album. This is a timeless classic, and an essential Aretha Franklin recording.




Released January 24, 1972
Recorded August 1970 – February 1971

 Tracks:
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. Jet Boy, Jet Girl [Mix]


Personnel


  • Dr. John - Percussion (Track 3)
  • Aretha Franklin - Acoustic Piano (Tracks 1-4, 6, 8-12), Celesta (5), Electric piano (7), Lead Vocals (All Tracks)
  • Donny Hathaway - Organ (Tracks 1, 3, 5-6, 8-9), Electric piano (2)
  • Billy Preston - Organ (Tracks 4, 10, 12)
  • Sammy Turner - Background Vocals (Track 12)
  • Hubert Laws - Flute (Tracks 2, 7, 11)
  • Chuck Rainey - Bass (Tracks 2-5, 7, 9-12)
  • J.R. Bailey - Background Vocals (Track 12)
  • Carolyn Franklin - Background Vocals (Tracks 2-3, 5, 8-10)
  • Erma Franklin - Background Vocals (Tracks 2-3, 5, 8-10)
  • The Memphis Horns - Horn Section (Tracks 3, 8)
  • The Sweet Inspirations - Background Vocals (Tracks 1, 4, 6, 12)
  • Don Arnone - Acoustic Guitar (Track 2)
  • Margaret Branch - Background Vocals (Tracks 2-3, 5, 7-11)
  • Ann S. Clark - Background Vocals (Tracks 2-3, 5, 7-9, 11)
  • Cornell Dupree - Guitar (Tracks 2-5, 7-12)
  • Eric Gale - Bass (Tracks 1, 6)
  • Wayne Jackson of the Memphis Horns - Trumpet (Tracks 3, 8)
  • Andrew Love of the Memphis Horns - Tenor saxophone (Tracks 3, 8)
  • Ray Lucas - Drums (Tracks 4, 10, 12)
  • Hugh McCracken - Guitar (Tracks 1, 6)
  • Robert Popwell - Bass (Track 8), Percussion (3)
  • Bernard "Pretty" Purdie - Drums (Tracks 2-3, 5, 7-8, 11)
  • Neal Rosengarden - Trumpet (Track 9), Vibraphone (5)
  • Pat Smith - Background Vocals (Tracks 2-3, 5, 7-9, 11)
  • Ronald Bright - Background Vocals (Track 12)
  • Al Jackson, Jr. - Drums (Tracks 1, 6)

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