Aretha Franklin | "ARETHA" (4CD set)

A really fantastic career-spanning collection of work from Aretha Franklin – the first we've ever seen to start with her earliest years, then follow the greatness of her voice and spirit as it blossomed strongly over the decades! Sure, most folks know Franklin's classic work on Atlantic – but this package features earlier sides for Chess and Columbia, later work from Arista – and a whole host of rare and unreleased material – plus special tracks from side projects that worked together to form a crucial part of Aretha's legacy over the years! This 4CD package is beautiful – a book-style cover, with loads of vintage and rare photos, essays on Aretha by David Nathan and Rochelle Riley, and track-by track notes on the 81 tracks included in the lavish set. 

In addition to the rare tracks, there's some other great surprises here – and titles include "Until You Come Back To Me (work tape)", "Chain Of Fools (alt version)", "Rock Steady (alternate mix)", "Call Me (alt version)", "How I Got Over (live single edit)", "Chain Of Fools (alt)", "My Kind Of Town (Detroit Is) (demo)", "Try A Little Tenderness (demo)", "Oh Baby (demo)", "Til It's Over (demo)", "Angel (work tape)", "Somewhere (alt version)", "Mr DJ", "Ooo Baby Baby (with Smokey Robinson)", "Share Your Love With Me (live)", "Spanish Harlem (alt mix)", "Bridge Over Troubled Water (long version)", "Young Gifted & Black (alt long version)", "It's Not Unusual/See Saw (with Tom Jones)", "You're All I Need To Get By (work tape)", "Don't Play That Song (live)", "Spirit In The Dark (live reprise with Ray Charles)", "Oh Happy Day (with Mavis Staples)", "Someday We'll All Be Free", "A Rose Is Still A Rose", "Master Of Eyes", "A Change Is Gonna Come (mono)", "One Step Ahead", "Never Grow Old", "Today I Sing The Blues", "You Light Up My Life (unissued)", "Think", "I Knew You Were Waiting (with George Michael)", "Respect", and her version of "Natural Woman" from the 2015 Kennedy Honors ceremony.  ~ Dusty Groove