A Major Single Release Is Finally Available!

Most of the songs on this three disc set have been addressed on the 2-CD set Jazz To Soul and more recently, The Queen In Waiting. Those familiar with Aretha's Columbia recordings from the early 60's will attest that her top 40 smash from 1961, "Rock-A-Bye Your Baby" has been avoided like the plague. On this import set, that omission is finally set right. But don't be so quick to completely replace Jazz To Soul with this set because it doesn't have "I'm Losing You", her R&B hit from 1965. Aside from "Rock-A-Bye Your Baby", most of the material will be unfamiliar to those who only remember the Atlantic hits, which were undenialby her best recordings. Yet, these sessions should not go entirely overlooked, as there are some gems here as well, including her hit from 1964, "Running Out Of Fools". (This was covered by Elvis Costello on Kojac Variety a few years ago.) She was a regualar on Jim O'Neil's Shindig show during this time and performed the song and it is shocking she didn't find mass popularity then. A commanding performer, she went on to record more covers for the next two years. After joining Atlantic in 1967, Jerry Wexler put her in Muscle Shoals Studios and the rest you know. The material on "The Great Aretha Franklin" ranges from standards and blues to pop and pure soul. It showcases her ability to sing anything and do it so well that she was concidered by many to be the Dinah Washington of the mid-sixties. Most of the essentials are repeated here, such as Mockingbird, Every Little Bit Hurts, Blue Holiday and Unforgettable, but at last a major single release is finally available.