Need advice on buying Areth'a Columbia Years albums

[carlo]

I'm a big fan of Aretha. Over the years, my love and appreciation has been evolving and now I'm looking to expand my collection by purchasing her studio albums. I have a lot of her Atlantic and Arista material already, but I don't have any of her Columbia recordings in my collection. I was thinking about purchasing the box-set that was released, but I am a bit hesitant in spending the money since I've read mixed reviews. Should I simply stick to buying a compilation, such as the "American Songbook" CD or "A Queen In Waiting", or should I buy the box? My local CD store also has three of the twofers: Runnin' out of Fools/Yeah!!!, The Electrifying Aretha Franklin/Laughing on the Outside, and Soul Sister/Take It Like You Give It. Should I simply buy those three twofers instead? I'm having a hard time deciding. Last year, there was a website [[I forget which one) that offered the complete box-set for $75. I now regret not making the purchase and I am hoping that they will offer it again sometime for this same price...

[reese]

I bought the complete Columbia set, and really like it. And the dvd is an added bonus. But I must admit it took me years to appreciate Aretha's Columbia years. If such a set had come out in the 70s, I would have walked right past it.

If you're unsure, you might want to start with a two-disc compilation and work your way up. In the 90s, there was a great compilation called JAZZ TO SOUL. It is now out of print. But it captured the best of her jazz and soul recordings for the label. It left out much of the Bob Mersey-produced more pop-oriented material, which some don't like.THE QUEEN IS WAITING set is still in a print and offers a good collection of her Columbia years, and all of its genres.

Since I'm not sure what type of Aretha material you like, its hard to recommend a two-fer.

RUNNIN' OUT OF FOOLS is a covers album consisting of Aretha's versions of early 60s hits like MY GUY, WALK ON BY, plus a few originals. YEAH is a jazzier set, with fake applause added to make it seem as it if is live.

SOUL SISTER/TAKE IT LIKE YOU GIVE IT are both sort of mish-mashes of R&B oriented material, produced by Clyde Otis, with pop songs like SWANEE, and OLD MAN RIVER,produced by Bob Mersey and others.

THE ELECTRIFYING is her last album produced by John Hammond. Its sort of a big band album, with a lot of bluesy material like I TOLD YOU SO and BLUE HOLIDAY. LAUGHING ON THE OUTSIDE is an all ballads album with a lot of strings and songs like SKYLARK and MAKE SOMEONE HAPPY.

Hope this helps.

[R. Mark Desjardins]

Carlo;
My advice to you would be to try to track down a good quality used copy of the Aretha boxset. The original covers are presented in miniature cardboard format and the package is a delight. Plus, the very rare 45 rpm, "One Step Ahead" which never appeared previously on any album or CDs collection, is on this set. I personally love all the current hip hop remix versions of this forgotten gem posted on youtube.
One of Aretha's most sought after Columbia era recordings is included in the boxset is "Every Day I Have The Blues," released in 1969 after Aretha exploded on Atlantic Records. Basically, some of Aretha's earthier vocals had the original syrupy musical backings erased and replaced with new musical backing tracks featuring some of the best studio session players of the day. Even the likes of Valerie Simpson were pressed into service adding new backing vocals. In direct competition with her then current Atlantic releases, Aretha sought a court injunction to halt sales. For a short time the reworked single of the same name even received airplay. Copies that weren't recalled come up for sale from time to time and I cherish the mint DJ copy I managed to track down.
Now that many modern day recording artists have delved into the "American Songbook" for musical direction, Aretha's early recordings can be enjoyed in a whole new context.

[reese]

R. Mark, the tracks on the album above are indeed included on the complete Columbia boxed set. It isn't housed in its original cover. Instead, it is on the last disc, along with other songs that were on her later Columbia albums like SOUL SISTER and TAKE IT LIKE YOU GIVE IT, as well as some other doctored tracks like MOCKINGBIRD and CAN'T YOU JUST SEE ME.

[soulster]

Back in 1967, around the time the first Atlantic album came out, my sister bought the "Soul Sister" album, and that's how I initially became familiar with Aretha's music, aside from the first few Atlantic singles. I bought that 2-fer CD "Soul Sister/Take It Like You Give It" a couple of years ago at Amoeba in L.A..

[carlo]

Thank you guys for the info and recommendations. I am tempted to buy the box but I am worried that maybe it will be too much music to digest all at once and that I might not end up playing it very often? I really want to buy it though. lol. I am not familiar with a lot of the Columbia material, but there are a handful of songs that I play on Youtube sometimes that I like, including "Mockingbird", "Walk On By", "Accentuate the Positive" and "Rock-a-Bye Your Baby With a Dixie Melody". I am going to try to listen to some more tracks and hopefully that will help me make a decision.

[juicefree20]

Carlo,

I would go with the box set, as I find the material on her Columbia LPs to be somewhat a hodgepodge of styles. I think that they really didn't know how they wanted to market her & some of the song choices & arrangements were a bit curious.

Aretha always had that great voice, but the difference between the Columbia years & the spontaneous combustion that shhok the world during her Atlantic years is as different as fire is to water.

And much more impactful to boot!

[R. Mark Desjardins]

Reese, with egg on my face, I have to admit that I haven't listened to the the last disc in the terrific Take A Look Aretha Franklin Complete On Columbia which as you pointed out above, DOES contain the recalled Today I Sing The Blues Columbia altered sessions which Aretha objected to. Thank you for pointing that out to me. I have no defense for this major slip up except there is so much music and so little time. I was thrown off by not initially seeing the blue cover with the drawing, and the track order is different so it didn't resonate with me that this was a digital mix of the recalled vinyl record. I corrected my original post above. The lesson to be learned here is never to ass-ume anything, because one ends up looking like an ass!

[reese]

Reese, with egg on my face, I have to admit that I haven't listened to the the last disc in the terrific Take A Look Aretha Franklin Complete On Columbia which as you pointed out above, DOES contain the recalled Today I Sing The Blues Columbia altered sessions which Aretha objected to. Thank you for pointing that out to me. I have no defense for this major slip up except there is so much music and so little time. I was thrown off by not initially seeing the blue cover with the drawing, and the track order is different so it didn't resonate with me that this was a digital mix of the recalled vinyl record. I corrected my original post above. The lesson to be learned here is never to ass-ume anything, because one ends up looking like an ass!

No problem at all. In fact, your original post made me pull out the boxed set and give it another listen.

[mr_june]

I picked up a 2 disc set of Aretha's Columbia stuff thinking that a song by Aretha [[pre Atlantic) that I heard on an radio station air check was on it. It wasn't but I still listened to all the cuts and so did my wife. We didn't like any of them and I resold or traded in the set for something else.

[carlo]

Carlo,

I would go with the box set

Thanks Juice! I think that's what I'm going to do. I've been enjoying her Columbia material on Youtube. I know that if the box goes out of print and I don't end up buying it, I will end up regretting it for a long time.

[Kamasu_Jr]

Thank you guys for the info and recommendations. I am tempted to buy the box but I am worried that maybe it will be too much music to digest all at once and that I might not end up playing it very often? I really want to buy it though. lol. I am not familiar with a lot of the Columbia material, but there are a handful of songs that I play on Youtube sometimes that I like, including "Mockingbird", "Walk On By", "Accentuate the Positive" and "Rock-a-Bye Your Baby With a Dixie Melody". I am going to try to listen to some more tracks and hopefully that will help me make a decision.

I'd also recommend buying the Columbia boxed set and listening to it in small doses. There is much to learn and appreciate throughout. Aretha's debut LP for Columbia was brilliant! Running Out of Fools was good too. I was lucky enough to get the Columbia Years box set for around $40.00.

[mr soul]

I've got #747 of 5000. Just buy it, then you'll have the rest of your life to wonder why you hesitated! For my money I'd rather listen to Aretha's Columbia sides [warts & all] than the supposedly superior Atlantic sides. Right from the get go Aretha was the finished article.

[carlo]

I was lucky enough to get the Columbia Years box set for around $40.00.

Wow!! What a steal!

I've got #747 of 5000. Just buy it, then you'll have the rest of your life to wonder why you hesitated! For my money I'd rather listen to Aretha's Columbia sides [warts & all] than the supposedly superior Atlantic sides. Right from the get go Aretha was the finished article.

I agree. The more I listen to her Columbia tracks, the more I wonder why people have felt those years were very inferior to her Atlantic years? I obviously understand and agree that her time at Atlantic allowed her to be herself and record music that she was better suited for in an artistic sense. Those classic Atlantic hits made Aretha the legend that she is. However, I wouldn't go as far to say that her Columbia years were wasted or horrible or what have you. On those recordings, you can clearly hear that Aretha was a master, no matter what material she was singing. As you perfectly stated, "from the get go, Aretha was a finished article". Well said.

[keith_h]

Carlo, I recommend a CD that Kent UK issued, and is available in the US - Amazon has it available for under $20. 'Just a matter of time - Classic Columbia recordings'. Like you I was woefully unfamiliar with her Columbia recordings, and thought most of them were MOR/light jazz. Some are, but this collection is a revelation. One in particular, 'It's so heartbreakin' uses the same piano intro, note for note that she later used on 'Don't play that song'
Kent are a company that is run by genuine and very knowledgeable Soul fans, and on this compilation they have very carefully selected the very best from her Columbia years.

Keith - London

[jack020]

http://www.npr.org/2011/05/12/136238...columbia-years

http://theseconddisc.com/2011/04/04/...e-on-columbia/