Michael Fremer's 100 Recommended All-Analog LP Reissues Worth Owning - Rated 54/100!
TAS Super LP List! Special Merit: Informal
Aretha Franklin Aretha's Gold on Numbered Limited Edition 180g 45RPM 2LP from Mobile Fidelity!
Mastered From Original Master Tapes & Pressed at RTI!
Strictly Limited To 4000 Numbered Copies!
This item not eligible for any further discount offers!
Astonishing Collection of The Queen of Soul's Greatest Songs for Atlantic Records: Aretha's Gold Includes Nine Top Ten Hits: "Respect," "Chain of Fools," and "Think" Among Them
Aretha Franklin made her Hall of Fame reputation at Atlantic Records between 1967-1968. This astonishing two-year period witnessed the singer score nine Top 10 hits and define soul music, a era chronicled on Aretha's Gold. Pairing with producer Jerry Wexler and a flawless Muscle Shoals studio band, Franklin unleashed bolder sides of her artistry kept under wraps during her tenure at Columbia. The rest is history – a history that, until now, has never been in heard in true audiophile sound. And if there's any voice you want to experience to the most realistic extent, it's that of the vocalist Rolling Stone crowned the Greatest Singer of All Time.
Mastered from the original master tapes and pressed at RTI, Mobile Fidelity's 180g 45RPM 2LP of Aretha's Gold presents Franklin's most seminal early Atlantic songs with reference-standard sonics. Finally, hear the full range of the Queen of Soul's depth, reach, and expressiveness. Complementing her timeless classics with tremendous dynamics, restored balances, and stunning clarity, this collectable analog set sheds new light on Franklin's power and technique, honesty and confidence, enunciation and directness.
Hear why Franklin is even better than you likely think or remember. You just haven't been able to hear the Detroit native on a format that mirrors exactly what went down in the studios when she recorded songs that, to this day, remain the bar by which all other singers are measured. The same goes for Franklin's backing band, known as the Swampers, whose instrumental savvy, feel, and textures are so unique, the group is credited with creating its own style: The Muscle Shoals Sound. On this vinyl edition of Aretha's Gold, experience every picked guitar note, brushed snare, and fluid bass line. Seldom has a band and vocalist ever made a more formidable, memorable, and emotional combination.
The evidence plays out across these 14 songs, each a soul landmark, each unforgettable thanks to Franklin's impassioned performances and empowering attitude. The Sweet Impressions (Franklin's backing vocalists) and sweeping string arrangements bolster the foundation, but the material belongs to Franklin. A veritable hit parade, the track listing on Aretha's Gold reads like a dictionary of soul.
"I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Loved You)," "Respect," "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman," "Chain of Fools," "Since You've Been Gone (Sweet Sweet Baby)," "Think," "The House That Jack Built," "I Say a Little Prayer," "Baby I Love You": All Top 10 hits. Plus five more tunes, including a riveting cover of Sam Cooke's "You Send Me," that charted.
You know the songs by heart. You know the voice by memory. But you've never quite known them so intimately. Aretha's Gold on Mobile Fidelity gives the Queen the royal treatment she deserves.
"Mobile Fidelity's double 45rpm reissue of Aretha's Gold (originally issued in 1969 as Atlantic SD 8227) gets off to not such a great sonic start because though 'I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You)' and 'Do Right Woman-Do Right Man' are musical classics that belong at the head of the hits lineup, the Rick Hall engineered recordings at his Fame Record Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama pale in comparison to everything else in this molten set recorded at Atlantic Studios in New York City. Once you get past those two tracks the sound gets crazy stupid good compared to however you've previously consumed these tracks, especially if you have the original 33 1/3 version of this hits package, which was mastered strictly for bright, edgy and compressed commercial purposes to pop on the kiddie phonographs. It's not that the original sounds bad—it kind of sounds like a good juke box rendering, with lots of echo trailing off Aretha's voice and a hard candy-apple glaze. But if you want to hear into these mixes and especially if you want to feel as if you're right there in the studio with Aretha, this is as thrilling as it gets. Hell, it's almost worth buying just to hear Joe South's tremolo drenched guitar opening to Don Covay's 'Chain of Fools.' That is so deep! Also here: "Respect", "Dr. Feelgood", "Baby, I Love You", "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman", "Think" and the other Aretha hits arranged by Arif Mardin and Tom Dowd and engineered by Dowd who has had his good engineering days and some not so good ones but for Aretha, he brought his 'A' game. And Mo-Fi brings its AAA game. Mo-Fi spreads the original's back cover photos across the inside gatefold to add visual interest. Fourteen of Aretha's greatest spread over four 180gram RTI cut sides sounding better than ever and as good as they will ever sound, limited to 4000 copies. Now, or kick yourself later. I got this a while back but didn't review because I figured by the time I did, it would be sold out, but no! It's still available." - Michael Fremer, Analog Planet, Music 10/11, Sound 9/11
Features:
• Numbered, Limited Edition - Strictly Limited To 4000 Numbered Copies
• 45rpm
• Production and Mastering by Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
• Specially Plated and Pressed on 180 grams of High Definition Vinyl
• Special Static Free - Dust Free Inner Sleeve
• Heavy Duty Protective Packaging
• Mastered From Original Master Tapes
• Pressed at RTI
Selections:
Side One:
1. I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You)
2. Do Right Woman-Do Right Man
3. Respect
4. Dr. Feelgood
Side Two:
1. Baby, I Love You
2. (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman
3. Chain Of Fools
Side Three:
1. Since You've Been Gone (Sweet Sweet Baby)
2. Ain't No Way
3. Think
4. You Send Me
Side Four:
1. The House That Jack Built
2. I Say A Little Prayer
3. See Saw
TAS Super LP List! Special Merit: Informal
Aretha Franklin Aretha's Gold on Numbered Limited Edition 180g 45RPM 2LP from Mobile Fidelity!
Mastered From Original Master Tapes & Pressed at RTI!
Strictly Limited To 4000 Numbered Copies!
This item not eligible for any further discount offers!
Astonishing Collection of The Queen of Soul's Greatest Songs for Atlantic Records: Aretha's Gold Includes Nine Top Ten Hits: "Respect," "Chain of Fools," and "Think" Among Them
Aretha Franklin made her Hall of Fame reputation at Atlantic Records between 1967-1968. This astonishing two-year period witnessed the singer score nine Top 10 hits and define soul music, a era chronicled on Aretha's Gold. Pairing with producer Jerry Wexler and a flawless Muscle Shoals studio band, Franklin unleashed bolder sides of her artistry kept under wraps during her tenure at Columbia. The rest is history – a history that, until now, has never been in heard in true audiophile sound. And if there's any voice you want to experience to the most realistic extent, it's that of the vocalist Rolling Stone crowned the Greatest Singer of All Time.
Mastered from the original master tapes and pressed at RTI, Mobile Fidelity's 180g 45RPM 2LP of Aretha's Gold presents Franklin's most seminal early Atlantic songs with reference-standard sonics. Finally, hear the full range of the Queen of Soul's depth, reach, and expressiveness. Complementing her timeless classics with tremendous dynamics, restored balances, and stunning clarity, this collectable analog set sheds new light on Franklin's power and technique, honesty and confidence, enunciation and directness.
Hear why Franklin is even better than you likely think or remember. You just haven't been able to hear the Detroit native on a format that mirrors exactly what went down in the studios when she recorded songs that, to this day, remain the bar by which all other singers are measured. The same goes for Franklin's backing band, known as the Swampers, whose instrumental savvy, feel, and textures are so unique, the group is credited with creating its own style: The Muscle Shoals Sound. On this vinyl edition of Aretha's Gold, experience every picked guitar note, brushed snare, and fluid bass line. Seldom has a band and vocalist ever made a more formidable, memorable, and emotional combination.
The evidence plays out across these 14 songs, each a soul landmark, each unforgettable thanks to Franklin's impassioned performances and empowering attitude. The Sweet Impressions (Franklin's backing vocalists) and sweeping string arrangements bolster the foundation, but the material belongs to Franklin. A veritable hit parade, the track listing on Aretha's Gold reads like a dictionary of soul.
"I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Loved You)," "Respect," "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman," "Chain of Fools," "Since You've Been Gone (Sweet Sweet Baby)," "Think," "The House That Jack Built," "I Say a Little Prayer," "Baby I Love You": All Top 10 hits. Plus five more tunes, including a riveting cover of Sam Cooke's "You Send Me," that charted.
You know the songs by heart. You know the voice by memory. But you've never quite known them so intimately. Aretha's Gold on Mobile Fidelity gives the Queen the royal treatment she deserves.
"Mobile Fidelity's double 45rpm reissue of Aretha's Gold (originally issued in 1969 as Atlantic SD 8227) gets off to not such a great sonic start because though 'I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You)' and 'Do Right Woman-Do Right Man' are musical classics that belong at the head of the hits lineup, the Rick Hall engineered recordings at his Fame Record Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama pale in comparison to everything else in this molten set recorded at Atlantic Studios in New York City. Once you get past those two tracks the sound gets crazy stupid good compared to however you've previously consumed these tracks, especially if you have the original 33 1/3 version of this hits package, which was mastered strictly for bright, edgy and compressed commercial purposes to pop on the kiddie phonographs. It's not that the original sounds bad—it kind of sounds like a good juke box rendering, with lots of echo trailing off Aretha's voice and a hard candy-apple glaze. But if you want to hear into these mixes and especially if you want to feel as if you're right there in the studio with Aretha, this is as thrilling as it gets. Hell, it's almost worth buying just to hear Joe South's tremolo drenched guitar opening to Don Covay's 'Chain of Fools.' That is so deep! Also here: "Respect", "Dr. Feelgood", "Baby, I Love You", "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman", "Think" and the other Aretha hits arranged by Arif Mardin and Tom Dowd and engineered by Dowd who has had his good engineering days and some not so good ones but for Aretha, he brought his 'A' game. And Mo-Fi brings its AAA game. Mo-Fi spreads the original's back cover photos across the inside gatefold to add visual interest. Fourteen of Aretha's greatest spread over four 180gram RTI cut sides sounding better than ever and as good as they will ever sound, limited to 4000 copies. Now, or kick yourself later. I got this a while back but didn't review because I figured by the time I did, it would be sold out, but no! It's still available." - Michael Fremer, Analog Planet, Music 10/11, Sound 9/11
Features:
• Numbered, Limited Edition - Strictly Limited To 4000 Numbered Copies
• 45rpm
• Production and Mastering by Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
• Specially Plated and Pressed on 180 grams of High Definition Vinyl
• Special Static Free - Dust Free Inner Sleeve
• Heavy Duty Protective Packaging
• Mastered From Original Master Tapes
• Pressed at RTI
Selections:
Side One:
1. I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You)
2. Do Right Woman-Do Right Man
3. Respect
4. Dr. Feelgood
Side Two:
1. Baby, I Love You
2. (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman
3. Chain Of Fools
Side Three:
1. Since You've Been Gone (Sweet Sweet Baby)
2. Ain't No Way
3. Think
4. You Send Me
Side Four:
1. The House That Jack Built
2. I Say A Little Prayer
3. See Saw
