Aretha, the remake queen

[glencro]

I've been having an Aretha moment lately [[translation playing a lot of her old music on a very regular basis) Over the past few weeks I've had these moments with Miki Howard and The Emotions. I've noticed that she has remade a lot of songs. Not only the Dinah Washington tribute album [[all remakes), several blues and jazz classics during her Columbia years and gospel standards on "Amazing Grace" and previous gospel recordings. Here are some of the songs that I can think of that she has remade but she's always managed to Aretharize them [[translation, put her own stank on them...lol...Here are some that I can think of:

Respect
Eleanor Rigby
96 Tears
Going Down Slow
You're All I Need To Get By
You Keep Me Hanging On
Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing
Wholly Holy
A Song For You
I'm In Love
Bridge Over Troubled Water
You Are My Sunshine
Never Let Me Go
Let Me In Your Life
Satisfaction
Hold On I'm Comin
It's My Turn
You Can't Always Get What You Want
I Wish It Would Rain
It's Your Thing

Can you think of others

[tl_harris]

One of my favorites first recorded by Bobby Blue Bland and written by the late great Al "TNT" Braggs

Share Your Love With Me

T.L. Harris

[spinningsoul]

That's the only thing that's kept me from really enjoying Aretha's entire catalogue. In my opinion, there are too many remakes and not enough original material.

Now don't get me wrong, she's the Queen of Soul for sure, but I just wish she had better songwriters [[or more time with the guys from Muscle Shoals).

It's late, so my brain isn't working at full speed, but two more that come to mind are You Send Me and Spanish Harlem. I'm sure I'll think of more later.

[sunshineonacloudyday]

Skylark
People Get Ready
Soul Seranade
A Change Is Gonna Come
Good Times
Drown In my Own Tears
My Way
Night Time Is The Right Time
See Saw
Taking Up Another Man's Place
Walk On By
Every Little Bit Hurts
A Brand New Me [[doesn't sound anything like Philly Soul, lol)
Make It With You
I Say A Little Prayer
That's The Way I Feel About Cha
Let It Be
Young, Gifted & Black
Break It To Me Gently
Mockingbird

...and many more

[sunshineonacloudyday]

You'll Lose A Good Thing
The Weight

[sunshineonacloudyday]

This Girl's In Love With You
Dark End Of The Street
Didn't I [[Blow Your Mind This Time)
It's Just A Matter Of Time
I Apologize

[daddyacey]

That's the only thing that's kept me from really enjoying Aretha's entire catalogue. In my opinion, there are too many remakes and not enough original material.

Now don't get me wrong, she's the Queen of Soul for sure, but I just wish she had better songwriters [[or more time with the guys from Muscle Shoals).

It's late, so my brain isn't working at full speed, but two more that come to mind are You Send Me and Spanish Harlem. I'm sure I'll think of more later.

I can agree with you to a degree on the remake issue ,but that [[the Arethaterpertations ,rather than calling them remakes) is part of the mystique that is Aretha. I would have also liked to see more of her doing original songs ,not only written by her ,but also more collaborations such as the Curtis Mayfield production of Sparkle and her work with Luther.
Her "Spirit In The Dark" track with Ray Charles, especially the unedited version is a masterpiece. I often wonder how she would sound if she had other collaborations with Curtis ,Ray ,Smokey and Sam Cooke. "Mary Don't You Weep" is the gospel track of hers that stands out for me.

[sunshineonacloudyday]

Ray & Aretha were a great match. My dream duet with Aretha would have been her label mate at Atlantic, Ben E. King. For some reason I always thought their voices would have complimented one another nicely.

[theboyfromxtown]

I have always wanted to hear a duet with Aretha and Dennis Edwards. I think they would be a perfect match.

I have a similar problem with so many remakes by Aretha. However, she does tend to put her own stamp on them..on most occasions.

There was another Delfonics track that I seem to recall..was it "When You Get Right Down To It".....I think it was on the flip side of one of her UK 45's. If I recall correctly it has a most beautiful string arangement.

[uptight]

Also "The House That Jack Built" and "Everchanging Times."

[theboyfromxtown]

Uptight

Who did "The House That Jack Built" before Aretha?

[nabob]

Uptight

Who did "The House That Jack Built" before Aretha?
Thelma Jones
http://www.soulwalking.co.uk/Thelma%20Jones.html

[smark21]

I'll add Jumpin Jack Flash and Pride [[A Deeper Love) to the list.

[marv2]

I've always liked Aretha's version of Stevie Wonders' "Until You Come Back to Me".

[topdiva1]

I have always wanted to hear a duet with Aretha and Dennis Edwards. I think they would be a perfect match.

I have a similar problem with so many remakes by Aretha. However, she does tend to put her own stamp on them..on most occasions.

There was another Delfonics track that I seem to recall..was it "When You Get Right Down To It".....I think it was on the flip side of one of her UK 45's. If I recall correctly it has a most beautiful string arangement.

We would surely be blessed to have Rere and Dennis record together - I say do a whole album.

[reese]

I never had a problem with Aretha doing so many remakes. Once she tackles a song, it becomes such a personal interpretation that its almost as if she wrote the song anyway. In all honesty, I never knew many of the songs were indeed remakes because I never heard the original. It was many years before I realized she wasn't the first to do THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT or SON OF A PREACHER MAN among many others. But up until probably the mid-70s, most of her albums were full of remakes. In most cases, more remakes than originals.

[Kamasu_Jr]

More Aretha covers - Everyday People
The Long And Winding Road
The Christmas Song
My Guy
Gentle On My Mind
My Cup Runneth Over
Talk To Me
The Shoop Shoop Song
God Bless the Child
The SHA-LA Bandit
How Glad I Am
Night Life
Bring It On Home
Elusive Butterfly
If You Gotta Make A Fool Of Somebody
River's Invitation
Someday We'll All Be Free
Crazy He Calls Me
Oh Me Oh My [[I'm A Fool For You)
Somewhere

[theboyfromxtown]

Thanks Nabob

[midnightman]

Once Aretha covers a song it's her's forever lol that's the case with many she did cover.

[midnightman]

Two of my favorite covers she did in the last 20 years were "Someday We'll All Be Free" [[I think even Donny would've been proud of her interpretation since she took that song to CHURCH in the beginning and the end) and "Ever Changing Times" with Michael McDonald [[originally done by Siedah Garrett but wasn't even a big hit for Siedah).

[RossHolloway]

I personally don't mind all the remakes, I think it was fairly common practice back in the '60s and early 1970's by many artists. One of my favorites is her version of Tracks of My Tears. She really does make it her own.

[smark21]

In certain respects Aretha is in the tradition and comes from the same approach to songs that Sinatra, Ella, Billie Holliday and others--they did remakes, but their artistry came from how they interpreted the song and made the songs their own.

[imnokid]

Rossi, agreed on common practice. The "singer-songwriter" thing really got going in the 70s. Up until that point, singers covered songs written by others. Let me ask the people who are disappointed that she didn't write more this: Do you dislike Frank Sinatra, Booby Bland, Johnnie Taylor, Johnny Adams,...? I could go on and on. My favorite singers are just that:singers. Just give them a good song and let them go with it. I'd rather hear someone sing a good song that someone else wrote than a shit song that they wrote.

[arrr&bee]

Nobody ever did remakes like the queen,she takes a song and makes it her own while being totally respectful to the original...these so-called singers today could learn something from her majesty the queen.