Legendary
Live Fillmore West Albums Recorded in 1971 by Aretha Franklin and
King Curtis Remastered and Expanded for Deluxe Reissues
Both
became available July 11 from Rhino Records
LOS ANGELES - Looking for a way to introduce
Aretha Franklin to a
mainstream audience, Jerry Wexler - who signed the Queen of Soul
to
Atlantic Records and produced her classic albums - booked the singer
for three nights at San Francisco's Fillmore West in March 1971.
At Wexler's suggestion, Franklin tapped premier saxman King Curtis
and the Kingpins as both her opening act and backing band for the
performances. Rhino Records revisits the sweet soul magic of those
landmark live shows with remastered and expanded versions of ARETHA
LIVE AT FILLMORE WEST and Curtis' LIVE AT FILLMORE WEST. Both are
available from Rhino July 11 at regular retail outlets and at www.rhino.com
for a suggested list price of $19.98 for Franklin and $18.98 for
Curtis.
ARETHA
LIVE AT FILLMORE WEST is a two-disc set containing the original
ten-track album remastered and expanded with a bonus disc that includes
13 worthy performances not included on the original 1971 release.
Adding up to an hour of vintage Aretha, the bonus tracks first surfaced
on Rhino Handmade's rare and out-of-print collection featuring the
complete Fillmore West concert recordings.
Opening with Franklin's signature hit "Respect,"
the first disc spotlights the Queen of Soul putting her inimitable
vocal stamp on popular hits such as "Love The One You're With"
by Stephen Stills, "Bridge Over Trouble Water" by Simon
and Garfunkel, The Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby" and "Make
It With You" by Bread. The second half of the album switches
gears as Franklin launches into a cover of Ben E. King's "Don't
Play That Song" and "Dr. Feelgood" before singing
her 1971 Top 5 R&B and Top 30 Pop hit single, "Spirit In
The Dark." The song received an unexpected reprise when "The
Genius" Ray Charles was spotted in the audience and brought
onstage to perform an extended duet with Franklin.
The second disc contains 13 of the best performances
from all three nights including alternate versions of many songs
featured on the original. The disc also includes four songs that
did not appear on the original ¬ "Call Me," "Mixed-Up
Girl," "Share Your Love With Me" and Franklin's heartfelt
reading of Ashford and Simpson's "You're All I Need To Get
By." Highlights of King Curtis' performances recorded during
those three momentous nights are collected on LIVE AT FILLMORE WEST,
a single-disc collection featuring the original nine-song release
remastered and expanded with five bonus tracks. Originally released
shortly before Curtis was murdered in August 1971, the album became
Curtis' best-selling release and charted on Billboard's R&B
and Pop charts.
The album includes the powerful soul grooves
laid down by Curtis and his dream team of musicians: Cornell Dupree
on guitar, Jerry Jemmott on electric bass, Bernard "Pretty"
Purdie on drums, Truman Thomas on electric piano, Pancho Morales
on congas as well as special guests Billy Preston and The Memphis
Horns.
Opening with the torrid funk of "Memphis
Soul Stew," the album also
includes covers of Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love,"
Procol Harum's
classic 1967 hit "A Whiter Shade Of Pale," Bobbie Gentry's
hit single "Ode To Billie Joe," Stevie Wonder's "Signed,
Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)" and "Mr. Bojangles,"
Jerry Jeff Walker's tribute to the great Bill "Bojangles"
Robinson, who is often credited as the "father of tap dancing."
Originally appearing on Rhino's out-of-print
collection of the complete
Fillmore West concert recordings, the bonus tracks on LIVE AT FILLMORE
WEST include alternate performances of Buddy Miles' "Them Changes"
and Curtis' signature "Soul Serenade" along with a cover
of George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord" that did not appear
on the original release featuring the irrepressible Billy Preston.
ARETHA
LIVE AT FILLMORE WEST
Track Listing
Disc
1
1. "Respect"
2. "Love The One You're With"
3. "Bridge Over Troubled Water"
4. "Eleanor Rigby"
5. "Make It With You"
6. "Don't Play That Song"
7. "Dr. Feelgood"
8. "Spirit In The Dark"
9. "Spirit In The Dark" (reprise)
10. "Reach Our And Touch (Somebody's Hand)"
Disc
2
1. "Respect'"
2. "Call Me"
3. "Mixed-Up Girl"
4. "Love The One You're With"
5. "Bridge Over Troubled Water"
6. "Share Your Love With Me"
7. "Eleanor Rigby"
8. "Make It With You"
9. "You're All I Need To Get By"
10. "Don't Play That Song"
11. "Dr. Feelgood"
12. "Spirit In The Dark"
13. "Spirit In The Dark"
KING CURTIS LIVE AT FILLMORE WEST
1. "Memphis Soul Stew"
2. "A Whiter Shade of Pale"
3. "Whole Lotta Love"
4. "I Stand Accused"
5. "Them Changes"
6. "Ode To Billie Joe"
7. "Mr. Bojangles"
8. "Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)"
9. "Soul Serenade"
Bonus Tracks
10. "My Sweet Lord"
11. "Them Changes"
12. "Ode To Billie Joe"
13. "Soul Serenade"
14. "Memphis Soul Stew"
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