tunes – Lou Rawls, Aretha Franklin

Those silky voiced notes in “You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine” and “Lady Love” could empty all of the tables and the group around the bar to the dance floor any night that I can remember. Everybody wanted to dance to those songs and the sound of Lou’s voice fills up the heart with such a sweet sound. Love Song – Lou Rawls – Audio CD (January 25, 2005) Label: The Right Stuff ASIN: B0006ZXJ6Q – Is a great mix of his love tunes. Well worth the $14.99 on Amazon or the $11.99 on iTunes – myself I’d rather have the disc or the vinyl if available, but for instant gratification the download from iTunes had us filled with those velvet tunes all night. If It’s The Last Thing I Do, The Shadow of Your Smile, Love is a hurtin’ Thing, You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine, Let’s Fall in Love All Over Again, From Now On, See You When I Git There, Early Morning Love, Lady Love, Unforgettable, Ain’t That Loving You, You Are, Be Anything(But Be Mine) At Last (duet with Dianne Reeves), I’m Still In Love With You, Save All Your Love For Me, There Will Be Love, I Wish You Belonged To Me. Thanks Lou for the great tunes and the great memories.

Atlantic Recording: Artist Aretha Franklin: Soul ‘69 Stereo SD 8212. Produced by Jerry Wexler and Tom Dowd, album design: Loring Eutemey, cover photo: Jean-Pierre Leloir, arranged and conducted by Arif Mardin, recording engineer: Tom Dowd, liner notes Ritchie Yorke, The Pop Scene. This is the first of this year’s recordings digitized from the vinyl stacks, it is a discovery we hadn’t anticipated. For how long had this vinyl recording been sitting in the stacks without a turn on the turntable. Rousing renditions of the following song list keep your feet tapping, your hips grinding, your arms swinging and you voice wanting to escape the confines of it’s meagerness. I find myself now with a CD of this recording in my car – top down and wind blowing in my air – and my hands trying to move away from the steering wheel to wave in the air, of course being a safe and sane driver – I try to limit this action to when I’m stopped at a stop light, my neighbors in their Lexus’ wondering what’s with the older white guy mouthing “Crazy He Calls Me” or “Track of My Tears”. With the January sun beaming down on me I am feeling really good and I don’t have a care in the world but for singing along with Ms. Franklin. Long time coming to discover this gem. Makes me want to kick myself in the ass because we didn’t go see her when she was singing in Santa Barbara last summer. Damn. Side One: Ramblin’ by Maybelle Smith, Today I Sing The Blues by Curtis Lewis, River’s Invitation by Percy Mayfield, Pitiful by Rose Marie McCoy & Charles Singleton, Crazy He Called Me by Carl Sigman and Bob Russell, Bring It On Home To Me by Sam Cooke. Side Two: Tracks of My Tears by Robinson, Moore & Tarplin, If You Gotta Make A Fool of Somebody by Rudy Carle, Gentle On My Mind by John Hartford, So Long by Harris, Morgan & Melcher, I’ll Never Be Free by Bernie Benjamin and George Weiss, Elusive Butterfly by Bob Lind. Musicians: Saxophone and flute solos and obbligatos are by David Newman, with the exception of Pitiful, on which the sax solo is played by King Curtis. Trumpet solos and obbligatos are by Joe Newman. The brass section consists of: Ernie Royal, Snookie Young or Bernie Glow, Richard Williams & Joe Newman, trumpets: Jimmy Cleveland, Benny Powell & Urbie Greene or Thomas Mitchell, trombones: George Dorsey & Frank Wess, alto sax: Seldon Powell, King Curtis or David Newman, tenor sax: and Pepper Adams, baritone sax. Latin percussionists are Louie Goicdecha & Manuel Gonzales. Vibes: Jack Jennings. Vocal backgrounds by Wyline Ivy and Evelyn Greene. This vinyl recording is available on CD reissued 1993 Label: Atlantic / Wea Catalog Number: 71523 ASIN: B00000335I through Amazon.

Atlantic Recording: Artist: Aretha Franklin: Aretha In Paris (Recorded Live At The Olympia Theatre) . Vinyl Recording Stereo SD8207. Recorded 1968. Recording Engineer: Jean-Michael Poudubois, Cover Photo: Jim Cummins, Album Design: Haig Adishian, Production associates: Bernard de Bosson & Frank Fenter, Supervision: Jerry Wexler. Aretha Franklin, La Magnifique. Here are the songs filled with the audience’s approval, rhythms that get your blood pumping. A great companion for the Aretha Franklin Soul ‘69 above. This album was recorded in its entirety at the Olympia Theatre, 28, Blvd. des Capucines, in the 9th arrondissement Paris, France, the oldest music hall in Paris. Edith Piaf gave one of her final performances at the Olympia Theatre, other artists who have graced the stage there: Jimi Hendrix, La Goulue, The Beatles, and Luciano Pavarotti. Side One: (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction by Mick Jagger & Keith Richard, Don’t Let Me Lose This Dream by Aretha Franklin and Ted White, Soul Serenade by Curtis Ousley and Luther Dixon, Night Life by Willie Nelson, Paul Bukirk & Walt Breeland, Baby, I love You by Ronnie Shannon, Groovin’ by Felix Cavaliere & Eddie Brigati – I really like this song, Ms. Franklin mentions having met the band who recorded this song, it was about this time that I saw the Rascals perform at the Sacramento Auditorium, my first concert of many to come and although hazy I still remember them playing this song, (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman by Gerry Goffin, Carole King & Jerry Wexler. Side Two: Come Back Baby by Ray Charles, Dr. Feelgood (Love Is A Serious Business) by Aretha Franklin and Ted White – Rousing sexy piece of music that has you wanting to jump up and dance, Since You’ve Been Gone (Sweet Sweet Baby) by Aretha Franklin and Ted White, I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You) by Ronnie Shannon, Chain of Fools by Don Covay and Respect by Otis Redding. What I love about these two recordings is that they cover a wide range of composers, each bringing to the musical table a tangible lyric styled with a tune that goes deep into the soul and gets it revved up, of course Ms. Franklin’s inflections and the band and singers are all part of the mix. I am really glad we have found these two gems. This vinyl recording has been reissued Label: Atlantic / Wea Catalog Number: 71852 ASIN: B0000033FZ Curiously inside both album jackets are record sleeves from that time period, something that no longer comes with the CD – which I sadly miss – the advertisements from the recording label – enticing you to purchase music that may be of interest to you because you liked this recording.

The album cover designs and the artists make you wonder if these gems have been preserved, reissued or lost. Sergio Mendes “Favorite Things”, The Percy Sledge Way, Solomon Burke “King Solomon”, Mireille Mathieu, Roland Kirk “Here Comes The Whistleman”, Joe Turner “Big Joe Is here”, Duke Person “Prairie Dog”, etc.