Sounds For Sunday on a midweek! With the weather outside feeling more like November some little gems of sunshine for you. I've got some Aretha Franklin and some Stevie Wonder today.
First up is Aretha with 'Until You Come Back To Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do), which is probably my all time favourite Aretha. I love the flute and the little skip in the rhythm when she sings 'I'm gonna knock on your door'. It's also for the most part very restrained for Aretha, which is something I like. I prefer subtle sometimes. It also features a writing credit by Stevie Wonder.
'Nothings Too Good For My Baby' comes from Stevie's album 'Up-tight'. It's basically a rewrite of 'Up-tight' but what a song. It's a classic stomper. Then I've a trio of Aretha tunes that are better known by other people. 'Groovin' is best known by The (Young) Rascals and the original ranks up amongst my all time favourite songs. I featured a version by Marvin Gaye a few weeks back. Then we've got Smokey's classic 'Tracks Of My Tears'. And a very sexy version of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's 'You're All I Need To Get By'. And just to round up the Aretha/Stevie connections we've Stevie's groovy version of 'Respect'.
I have to admit I'm on a bit of a alternate versions kick lately. I've been listening to the original versions of some of these songs for years and years. It's kind of nice to hear a fresh version. Even if it's not as good it brings new appreciation for the more familiar version.
A final extra tune in keeping with the alternate versions theme...Aretha's, and Jimmy Ruffin's versions of garage classic 96 Tears.
Aretha Franklin - Until You Come Back To Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)
Stevie Wonder - Nothings Too Good For My Baby
Aretha Franklin - Groovin'
Aretha Franklin - Tracks Of My Tears
Aretha Franklin - You're All I Need To Get By
Stevie Wonder - Respect
Aretha Franklin - 96 Tears
Jimmy Ruffin - 96 Tears
And if you're in the mood for some more, earlier Aretha head over to see Davy at The Ghost Of Electricity. He won't bite! Well maybe just a little.... Extra: Head over to Planet Mondo as well for an absolutely storming version of Say A Little Prayer....http://planetmondo.blogspot.com/2008/02/funky-friday-queen-of-soul.html
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11 comments:
I had a triple album retrospective of Stevie that I played a lot in the early 80s. 'You Met Your Match', 'Until You Come Back To me', 'Shoo be Doo be Doo Be Doo Dah Day', 'High Heeled Sneakers', 'I Never Dreamed You'd Leave In Summer', 'A Place In The Sun', 'Get Yourself Together'...all classics I haven't heard for a long time. And don't get me started on Motown Chartbusters.
I love the Motown Chartbusters series. About ten years ago they came out on CD, all at midprice. I bought the lot. Some of my favourite possessions!
That is a real grab bag of goodies - there's a couple of 'retha obscurities on PM if you dig round - including 'You Keep Me Hanging On', a youtube team up with Tom Jones and probably the most scorching version of 'Say A Little Prayer'
It'd be a tough call to make on the best chartbuster album but my first Tamla album (vinyl) was the Big Wheels of Motown - what a winner
You're right about that Say A Little Prayer. Wow. I had chills all the way through it. That was absolutely superb!
....It's not biting, it's just high-spirited playing.
Hah, take those teeth out before you say that!
It's well worth grabbing those Tom DVDs crazy cheap new and used via Amazon - there's amazing guests on them
Aretha is at her best when she is restrained. On Daydreaming she is at once cool and warm.
Anyway, Stevie has a writing credit on "Until You Come Back To Me' because he wrote and recorded it in 1967. Yiu can download it here:
http://www.divshare.com/download/3030130-412
Luther Vandross used the song in the intro to his fantastic cover of Leon Russell's "Superstar". Here's a link to that:
http://www.zshare.net/audio/4059268031ecbd/
so it goes, that 3-LP set was the one with the purple cover, wasn't it? I have that still.
Cool; I don't have the Stevie version and I wanted to hear it! Thanks!! Welcome to the comments!
i've always thought of 'until you come back...' as the stalkers anthem. it's very scary.
Ha, I paid about the same for that in ca. 1989. In South Africa, mind.
ally, I made that very same point when I wrote about Stevie's version over at my place. Banging on her windows and doors is just going to earn him a restraining order, no matter his naive hopefullness that such behaviour will win him her love.
How would the modern version go: "I'm gonna message your phone, and join all your Facebook groups"?
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