Was "The House That Jack Built" Released On A Aretha Album?

[mr_june]

I can't find it on any of her albums but see it on a greatest hits CD. I am trying to find why it's not on an album even though it was a big hit as was the B side "I Say A Little Prayer."

[reese]

It has only been released on compilations. I think it might have been the intended B-side as I SAY A LITTLE PRAYER was a single-edit from Aretha's then-current album ARETHA NOW. But both sides ended up being hits.

[soulster]

That sounds about right. Seems it was an outtake that they put on the "B" side. People liked it, so it charted.

[roger]

"I Say A Little Prayer" was ARETHA FRANKLIN's highest charting record in Britain, reaching #4 in the autumn [[fall) of 1968.

Roger

[GrtGzu]

I can't find it on any of her albums but see it on a greatest hits CD. I am trying to find why it's not on an album even though it was a big hit as was the B side "I Say A Little Prayer."

I thought it was on the Young Gifted and Black album [[?)...

[soulster]

I thought it was on the Young Gifted and Black album [[?)...

No way! The song clearly came out in the 60s, and that album came out in the 70s. The style is too different. Besides, Aretha, nor her producer, would not carry a track all the way from 1968 and put it on a 70s album.

[soulster]

"I Say A Little Prayer" was ARETHA FRANKLIN's highest charting record in Britain, reaching #4 in the autumn [[fall) of 1968.

Roger

That's much better than her biggest single here in the U.S., which is "I Knew You Were Waiting For Me", a suet with George Michael. Disgusting! If it hadn't been for that record "Until You Come Back To Me [[That's What I'm Gonna Do)" would have been her biggest U.S. Pop single.

The biggest U.S. R&B single is "Respect". No surprise there.

[nathanj06]

House That Jack Built got the airplay in my area and that's why I bought the single back when. I always thought Say A Little Prayer was the B side. They were included on Aretha's Gold back then.

[reese]

That's much better than her biggest single here in the U.S., which is "I Knew You Were Waiting For Me", a suet with George Michael. Disgusting! If it hadn't been for that record "Until You Come Back To Me [[That's What I'm Gonna Do)" would have been her biggest U.S. Pop single.

The biggest U.S. R&B single is "Respect". No surprise there.

Don't forget RESPECT. It hit US #1 Pop in 1967.

Funny, in the 25 or more times that I've seen Aretha, she's only performed I KNEW YOU WERE WAITING once.

[Nothing But Soul]

[QUOTE=reese;211838]Don't forget RESPECT. It hit US #1 Pop in 1967.

On the subject of the song "Respect", I remember reading once [[if I'm not mistaken it was in Smokey Robinson's autobiography) that the seeds for Aretha recording that song were sewn when Aretha, Smokey and Otis Redding were doing a show at the Regal Theater in Chicago. The three of them were back stage talking. "Try a Little Tenderness" was the then current single for Otis. Aretha remarked that she had also recorded that song. Otis responded that the difference was he had gotten a hit out of his version of the song. According to Smokey, Aretha said to Otis something like "OK, I'm going to take one of your songs and get a bigger hit than you did." She certainly accomplished her goal. While Otis' version of "Respect" got to number 4 on the R&B chart and number 35 on the pop chart in 1965, Aretha's 1967 version of the song went all the way to number 1 on both charts.

[mr_june]

Thanks for the answers and information everyone. I think I'm rediscovering Ree, Ree. What a treasure she is.

[144man]

I had heard the Thelma Jones version of "The House That Jack Built" way before Aretha's. Which was the original?

[reese]

I had heard the Thelma Jones version of "The House That Jack Built" way before Aretha's. Which was the original?

Thelma's version came out a year before Aretha's.

[soulster]

Don't forget RESPECT. It hit US #1 Pop in 1967.

Billboard ranks "Respect" as her #3 U.S. POP single. Billboard's R&B chart has it as her #1 single. Remember to make the distinction between the pop and R&B charts.

[roger]

My copy of Joel Whitburn's "Billboard Top Pop Singles" [[albeit a bit out of date as I bought it back in the early 90s so it only goes up to 1990) has ARETHA FRANKLIN having two #1s on the Billboard POP charts .. "Respect" in 1967 and her duet with GEORGE MICHAEL in 1987. However it separately ranks her Top 5 Billboard POP hits [[based upon peak position, longevity in the chart and positions each week) as follows ...

1 : "I Knew You Were Waiting for Me" .. 2 weeks at #1 and 17 weeks in the Hot 100.
2 : "Respect" - 2 weeks at #1 and 12 weeks in the Hot 100.
3 : "Chain Of Fools" - 2 weeks at #2 and 12 weeks in the Hot 100.
4 : "Spanish Harlem" - also 2 weeks at #2 and 12 weeks in the Hot 100.
5 : "Until You Come Back to Me" - peak position #3 and 21 weeks in the Hot 100.

My copy of Joel Whitburn's "Billboard Top R&B singles" [[which I bought in the late 1990s and goes up to 1995) has her having 20 #1 R&B entries [[I won't list them all but her duet with GEORGE MICHAEL is not among them as it peaked at #5 R&B). It separately ranks these as follows ..

1 : "Respect" - 8 weeks at #1 and 14 weeks in the R&B listing.
2 : "Never Loved A Man" - 7 weeks at #1 and 14 weeks in the R&B listing.
3 : "Freeway Of Love" - 5 weeks at #1 and 17 weeks in the R&B listing.
4 : "Share Your Love With Me" - 5 weeks at #1 and 13 weeks in the listing.
5 : "Something He Can Feel" - 4 weeks at #1 and 19 weeks in the listing.

Looking back on my post of a couple of days back maybe I should have mentioned that her duet with GEORGE MICHAEL also reached #1 in the U.K. in 1987, however the Guinness book of British Hit Singles treats duets such as this as separate acts so it never occurred to me to do so. Similarly her collaboration with THE EURYTHMICS, "Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves", which got to #9 in the U.K. in 1985, is treated as being by a separate act.

Back to "The House That Jack Built", It was included on the "Aretha's Gold" L.P. that was released in the summer of 1969, if we are including "Greatest Hits" compilations.

As to chart positions for "The House That Jack Built" Joel Whitburn has it peaking at #6 POP and #2 R&B in 1968, with the "B" side "I Say a Little Prayer" peaking at #10 POP and #3 R&B.

And on the subject of "The House That Jack Built" I wonder how many people here have heard the version by THELMA JONES, which gets mentioned earlier in this thread and which I believe is the original recording of the song ....


Roger

[soulster]

My copy of Joel Whitburn's "Billboard Top Pop Singles" [[albeit a bit out of date as I bought it back in the early 90s so it only goes up to 1990) has ARETHA FRANKLIN having two #1s on the Billboard POP charts .. "Respect" in 1967 and her duet with GEORGE MICHAEL in 1987. However it separately ranks her Top 5 Billboard POP hits [[based upon peak position, longevity in the chart and positions each week) as follows ...

1 : "I Knew You Were Waiting for Me" .. 2 weeks at #1 and 17 weeks in the Hot 100.
2 : "Respect" - 2 weeks at #1 and 12 weeks in the Hot 100.
3 : "Chain Of Fools" - 2 weeks at #2 and 12 weeks in the Hot 100.
4 : "Spanish Harlem" - also 2 weeks at #2 and 12 weeks in the Hot 100.
5 : "Until You Come Back to Me" - peak position #3 and 21 weeks in the Hot 100.

My copy of Joel Whitburn's "Billboard Top R&B singles" [[which I bought in the late 1990s and goes up to 1995) has her having 20 #1 R&B entries [[I won't list them all but her duet with GEORGE MICHAEL is not among them as it peaked at #5 R&B). It separately ranks these as follows ..

1 : "Respect" - 8 weeks at #1 and 14 weeks in the R&B listing.
2 : "Never Loved A Man" - 7 weeks at #1 and 14 weeks in the R&B listing.
3 : "Freeway Of Love" - 5 weeks at #1 and 17 weeks in the R&B listing.
4 : "Share Your Love With Me" - 5 weeks at #1 and 13 weeks in the listing.
5 : "Something He Can Feel" - 4 weeks at #1 and 19 weeks in the listing.

Looking back on my post of a couple of days back maybe I should have mentioned that her duet with GEORGE MICHAEL also reached #1 in the U.K. in 1987, however the Guinness book of British Hit Singles treats duets such as this as separate acts so it never occurred to me to do so. Similarly her collaboration with THE EURYTHMICS, "Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves", which got to #9 in the U.K. in 1985, is treated as being by a separate act.

Back to "The House That Jack Built", It was included on the "Aretha's Gold" L.P. that was released in the summer of 1969, if we are including "Greatest Hits" compilations.

As to chart positions for "The House That Jack Built" Joel Whitburn has it peaking at #6 POP and #2 R&B in 1968, with the "B" side "I Say a Little Prayer" peaking at #10 POP and #3 R&B.

And on the subject of "The House That Jack Built" I wonder how many people here have heard the version by THELMA JONES, which gets mentioned earlier in this thread and which I believe is the original recording of the song ....


Roger

Hi Roger,

I fumbled a tad on that pop singles part, but I am still correct about "I Knew You Were Waiting Foe Me". I have the same Joel Whitburn books you have that date to about 1993.

[thommg]

Interestingly, Wikipedia lists The House That Jack Built as the A-side and I Say A Little Prayer as the B-side of the single. Since The House That Jack Built wasn't on Aretha Now but was charting, it was just placed on her next release which was Aretha Gold. I believe the same thing happened with the Jackson 5 with Sugar Daddy. The only album it originally appeared on was a greatest Hits compilation.

[soulster]

Interestingly, Wikipedia lists The House That Jack Built as the A-side and I Say A Little Prayer as the B-side of the single. Since The House That Jack Built wasn't on Aretha Now but was charting, it was just placed on her next release which was Aretha Gold. I believe the same thing happened with the Jackson 5 with Sugar Daddy. The only album it originally appeared on was a greatest Hits compilation.

That's correct.

One thing to not is that on the Aretha 45, there is no indication of what the A or B sides are. As far as i'm concerned, it is what is know as a double-sided single.

[roger]

Interestingly, Wikipedia lists The House That Jack Built as the A-side and I Say A Little Prayer as the B-side of the single. Since The House That Jack Built wasn't on Aretha Now but was charting, it was just placed on her next release which was Aretha Gold. I believe the same thing happened with the Jackson 5 with Sugar Daddy. The only album it originally appeared on was a greatest Hits compilation.

Something similar happened with "Beauty's Only Skin Deep" by THE TEMPTATIONS, which was put on their "Greatest Hits" L.P., which came out around the same time that the single dropped off the charts.

Roger

[144man]

Thelma's version came out a year before Aretha's.

.

Thanks Reese, and to Roger for the link.

[thommg]

That's correct.

One thing to not is that on the Aretha 45, there is no indication of what the A or B sides are. As far as i'm concerned, it is what is know as a double-sided single.

I would agree - a double sided single. I could never tell which side of a single was A and which was B anyway. I always thought the one I heard on the radio must be the single.

Now that I'm thinking of it, The Happening by The Supremes appeared first on their Greatest Hits album and not a regular LP.

[mr_june]

I would agree - a double sided single. I could never tell which side of a single was A and which was B anyway. I always thought the one I heard on the radio must be the single.

Now that I'm thinking of it, The Happening by The Supremes appeared first on their Greatest Hits album and not a regular LP.

I've always thought including an unreleased and good single was even more incentive to buy a greatest hits album.

[Nothing But Soul]

I've always thought including an unreleased and good single was even more incentive to buy a greatest hits album.

There were lots of big hit singles in the 60s that never appeared on any albums except greatest hits compilations [["I Second That Emotion" by the Miracles, "A Beautiful Morning" by the Rascals, "Hot Fun In The Summertime" by Sly and the Family Stone to name just three).

By the 80s, it was uncommon to find a single that hadn't been included in an album, but by then it had become almost standard practice to include at least a couple of newly recorded and previously unreleased songs on every greatest hits album in order to get people who had all the albums to still buy the compilation, too.

[RossHolloway]

Thanks for the answers and information everyone. I think I'm rediscovering Ree, Ree. What a treasure she is.

Agreed. Two of my favorite songs by AF are Prove It and As Good To Me As I Am To You. Her late 60's material is her best IMO.

[soulster]

Since we're talking about the Queen of Soul some of you might be interested in:

http://www.hdtracks.com/the-queen-of-soul?format=FLAC

It's the same price as a CD boxed set, except in higher quality right off the master tapes. The only difference is that this set does not have all of the important mono single mixes.

[mr_june]

Since we're talking about the Queen of Soul some of you might be interested in:

http://www.hdtracks.com/the-queen-of-soul?format=FLAC

It's the same price as a CD boxed set, except in higher quality right off the master tapes. The only difference is that this set does not have all of the important mono single mixes.

I went there after learning of HDtracks from your post on another thread about high rez audio and purchased three Aretha albums, The Rascals Greatest Hits [[minus People Got To Be Free), The Ray Charles Story Pt. 2 and Archie Bell & The Drells "There's Gonna Be A Showdown album. At that time I only saw the individual Aretha albums. Shortly afterwards the Rhino 30 Greatest Hits and "The Queen of Soul" were added. On HDtracks you don't choose individual songs but all or nothing.

I seemed to jump in at the wrong time if you know what I mean but that's ok. The Queen of Soul is the most complete but when I saw the Rhino set I got that because I had already purchased 3 Aretha albums from HDtracks.

The Archie Bell album and The Ray Charles Story were real surprises. I thought I'd never see them available in a high resolution format and concerning Ray' s album I only had that on an original LP. My father liked that album very much and that's how I learned of it. He would tell us to put it on and then we'd stand by and for further instructions such as "play that one again." It's a part of my pre-teen years and Archie Bell the teen years.

Ross I've never heard those songs before. I'm going to HDtracks to see if they are on any of the albums there and if so sample them. Have you ever heard "Without The One You Love" from her Columbia Record days? It's the best one I've come across from then and I first heard it on a radio station aircheck. It's really a nice classy song.

[soulster]

I seemed to jump in at the wrong time if you know what I mean but that's ok. The Queen of Soul is the most complete but when I saw the Rhino set I got that because I had already purchased 3 Aretha albums from HDtracks.

My overriding criteria is mono. If they can't reissue the mono albums in hi-rez, I won't buy the stereo.