All Time Top 1100 Albums (Aerosmith - Big Ones) P265

Soul music isn't my favourite. I love certain individual songs: "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay", "Heard It Through the Grapevine", "Tracks of My Tears" etc, but a whole albums of it? Even at 28 minutes, it's too much.

Yes, Aretha Franklin has a great voice, but there's more to music than a voice for me. The theme of each song is too similar, there are no interesting chord changes, the music's a bit flat. Not my cup of tea, but worth a 6/10.
 
As the Company of Strangers sang oh lay some Aretha on me.

Have to admit its not on my rotation but would have loved to see her on stage belting out some of these songs.

Actually think she is a better gospel singer and prefer her in that vain but the Motor City was just that so the machinery had to intervene given the quality of her voice.

7/10.
 
What is soul? Don't worry, it's a rhetorical question but I'm not sure I really know. In my ignorance I used to lump soul and disco together and well, don't shoot me, used to think it was music for girls. Of course I'm all woke now, a reconstructed male if you like and happy to get in touch with my feminine side and let music touch my soul, and plenty has over the years.

Leaving aside semantics I listen a lot to Michael Kiwanuka and am pretty sure he counts as soul. Generally though it's another genre I've never really got into, maybe the old instincts still edge against it.

Aretha Franklin? Everybody knows she is the queen of soul like everyone knows that Diana was the princess of hearts, even if you don't buy the sentiment you understand where it's coming from.

Many of these songs were familiar, maybe from the radio, maybe some from short failed relationships ("what do you mean you don't like the Smiths, what's this "soul disco" stuff you keep putting on"). I've also a probably unfair prejudice against cover versions and can well remember the torment of receiving Top of the Pops albums for Christmas, the only consolation being the saucily dressed young ladies on the sleeves (yes, I wouldn't see them as acceptable now). I'll admit though that Aretha's voice lifts them a little above the run of the mill cover versions you get on dodgy compilation albums and cruise ships house bands. It wasn't bad at all but half way through I was thinking of Dusty Springfield. Ah Dusty, now she was a singer and alright, she might not have written her own songs either but she was my mum's favourite and we grew up with her and oh, what a voice. Was Dusty soul? Definite similarities between the two.

Anyway, enough rambling in lieu of an intelligent dissection of the music. I quite liked some of it but it's not really my thing, even if Dusty is. I'm going to give it a six though.
 
oops! Always on the spot as always Rob
Starting to get a decent sample and cross section perhaps country , trad jazz , country and western and a few less popular genres aside so its really starting to get interesting IMO with a trend or two starting to develop.

This work requires dedication and passion to keep afloat and while Rob is always on the look out a few lapses in concentration must be taken as inevitable.

Looking forward to what comes up next.
 
Not a big Soul fan though I do the legendary singers, such as Marvin Gaye,Al Green, Otis Redding , Ray Charles and of course Aretha.
PleaSant album to listen to, I particularly like ‘Natural Born Woman’ as I remember watching a Bowie documentary when he was making ‘Young Americans’ and this was playing in the limo.

7/10
 
Aretha Franklin
Lady Soul
I would have loved to have seen her live

This album has some lovely element's to it, she does have a stunning voice that I look forward to hearing time and again, some of the orchestral back up to her is lovely and a really good fit (credit to whoever arranged it).

I bet they were collectively brilliant to be in and around in the studio listening to them all run through together with Aretha's lead.

Come on Peter Jackson, find some more tape!

And yet I am still left slightly wanting.

I'm returning back to an observation that I frequently make, it's too much of the similar for the duration of the album.

Am I looking at music the wrong way round? Do artists / should artists be sticking to their genre or theme for the album or would I just be complaining if Aretha had turned her hand at a different style?

Again, I am acutely aware that I will be using the above to demonstrate how great or limited certain musicians are as and when it suits.

In addition, we come back to the comparison between artists that are writing their own material or not.

From memory I have her other album a 6 so I think this one gets a 4/10 as I haven't enjoyed as much.

It's been fucking mental week this week at work and trying to get the last bits of Christmas bits done - I was looking for a bit more support from Aretha.

I hope everyone enjoys their Christmas period Bluemooners - stay safe.............
 
Cheers Blues! It was the return of Aretha the Queen of Soul with positive reviews and a strong score, no doubting her voice but many enjoyed the overall sound and production for this one.

Aretha Franklin / Soul Lady
10 votes
Average Score = 6.7


It is at this point and a tough decision that I am going to put this thread on hold for a little while - we're coming up to a busy Xmas period, Robs posters reviews are going really well and there's many like me struggling to fit in 2 albums a week to give a fair listen, we only just scraped the minimum 10 votes here this week.

Thanks to the regular contributors on here, I look forward to hearing others posters nominations and do not fear, this thread will return in due course!

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas, up the Hammers!
 
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Cheers Blues! It was the return of Aretha the Queen of Soul with positive reviews and a strong score, no doubting her voice but many enjoyed the overall sound and production for this one.

Aretha Franklin / Soul Lady
10 votes
Average Score = 6.7


It is at this point and a tough decision that I am going to put this thread on hold for a little while - we're coming up to a busy Xmas period, Robs posters reviews are going really well and there's many like me struggling to fit in 2 albums a week to give a fair listen, we only just scraped the minimum 10 votes here this week.

Thanks to the regular contributors on here, I look forward to hearing others posters nominations and do not fear, this thread will return in due course!

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas, up the Hammers!
Same to you BlueHammer85 fantastic effort from you this year and next year I think this thread will grow legs like nothing before.

Plenty of exciting , inspiring , controversial and dare I say rubbish to come although IMO its been a high quality to date.

Shouldn't single anyone out but a special call out to Fog who happened to pick one of my favourite songwriters of all time Paul Westerberg a true pioneer of alternative rock.
 
Same to you BlueHammer85 fantastic effort from you this year and next year I think this thread will grow legs like nothing before.

Plenty of exciting , inspiring , controversial and dare I say rubbish to come although IMO its been a high quality to date.

Shouldn't single anyone out but a special call out to Fog who happened to pick one of my favourite songwriters of all time Paul Westerberg a true pioneer of alternative rock.

absolutely! The contributions from @FogBlueInSanFran , @Onholiday(somemightsay)
@RobMCFC and many more from the very start have kept this thread going and it’s been a complete joy.

really enjoying posters nominations - so want to focus on that for the time being.

this one will resume in no time, we’ve only got another 1,067 albums to go !
 
Cheers Blues! It was the return of Aretha the Queen of Soul with positive reviews and a strong score, no doubting her voice but many enjoyed the overall sound and production for this one.

Aretha Franklin / Soul Lady
10 votes
Average Score = 6.7


It is at this point and a tough decision that I am going to put this thread on hold for a little while - we're coming up to a busy Xmas period, Robs posters reviews are going really well and there's many like me struggling to fit in 2 albums a week to give a fair listen, we only just scraped the minimum 10 votes here this week.

Thanks to the regular contributors on here, I look forward to hearing others posters nominations and do not fear, this thread will return in due course!

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas, up the Hammers!
a fair enough decision for the short term, will give me a chance to catch up with all the bands who have come up in the general discussions over the last week or so. Will look forward to the return (and hope for some more er recent selections :-) )
 

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