fbpx

News

Aretha Franklin / A Portrait of the Queen 1970-1974

5CD or 6LP box set

By Paul Sinclair

Comments

33

Aretha Franklin’s first five studio albums of the 1970s are collected in a new box set called A Portrait of the Queen 1970-1974.

The albums in question are This Girl’s In Love With You (1970), Spirit in the Dark (1970), Young Gifted and Black (1972), Hey Now Hey (The Other Side of the Sky) (1973) and Let Me In Your Life (1974). They have all been remastered from the analog master tapes by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering.

The 6LP vinyl version of A Portrait of the Queen 1970-1974

These were all were produced by Tom Dowd, Arif Mardin and Jerry Wexler, except for Hey Now Hey (The Other Side of the Sky) which saw Aretha work with Quincy Jones. This Girl’s in Love With You saw the first commercial release of The Beatles’ ‘Let It Be’, which is remarkable (Paul McCartney apparently sent her a demo and Franklin’s album was issued on 15 January 1970, almost two months before The Beatles’ version).

A Portrait of the Queen is available as a 6LP set or a 5CD box. The vinyl version has a bonus disc of “session alternates, outtakes & demos” not included in the CD box which is a low blow. Both come with booklets featuring sleeve notes by Gail Mitchell and David Nathan

A Portrait of the Queen 1970-1974 will be released on 1 December 2023, via BMG.

The 5CD version of Portrait of the Queen 1970-1974

Tracklisting

A Portrait of the Queen 1970-1974 Aretha Franklin /

    • LP 1: THIS GIRL’S IN LOVE WITH YOU
       SIDE A
      1. Son Of A Preacher Man
      2. Share Your Love With Me
      3. Dark End Of The Street
      4. Let It Be
      5. Eleanor Rigby
      SIDE B
      1. This Girl’s In Love With You
      2. It Ain’t Fair
      3. The Weight
      4. Call Me
      5. Sit Down And Cry
    • LP2: SPIRIT IN THE DARK
      SIDE C
      1. Don’t Play That Song
      2. The Thrill Is Gone (From Yesterday’s Kiss)
      3. Pullin’
      4. You And Me
      5. Honest I Do
      6. Spirit In The Dark
      SIDE D
      1. When The Battle Is Over
      2. One Way Ticket
      3. Try Matty’s
      4. That’s All I Want From You
      5. Oh No Not My Baby
      6. Why I Sing The Blues
    • LP 3: YOUNG GIFTED AND BLACK
      SIDE E
      1. Oh Me Oh My (I’m A Fool For You Baby)
      2. Day Dreaming
      3. Rock Steady
      4. Young Gifted
        And Black
      5. All The King’s Horses
      6. A Brand New Me
      SIDE F
      1. April Fools
      2. I’ve Been Loving You
        Too Long
      3. First Snow In Kokomo
      4. The Long And Winding Road
      5. Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This
        Time)
      6. Border Song (Holy Moses)
    • LP 4: HEY NOW HEY (THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SKY)
      SIDE G
      1. Hey Now Hey (The Other Side Of The Sky)
      2. Somewhere
      3. So Swell When You’re Well
      4. Angel
      5. Sister From Texas
      SIDE H
      1. Mister Spain
      2. That’s The Way I Feel About Cha
      3. Moody’s Mood
      4. Just Right Tonight
    • LP 5: LET ME IN YOUR LIFE
      SIDE I
      1. Let Me In Your Life
      2. Every Natural Thing
      3. Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing
      4. I’m In
        Love
      5. Until You Come Back To Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do)
      6. The Masquerade Is Over
      SIDE J
      1. With Pen In Hand
      2. Oh Baby
      3. Eight Days On The Road
      4. If You Don’t Think
      5. A Song For You
    • LP 6: BONUS TRACKS
      SIDE K
      1. Pledging My Love/The Clock
      2. You’re Taking Up Another Man’s Place
      3. Are You Leaving Me
      4. You’re All I Need To Get By (Take 2)
      5. Spanish Harlem (Aretha 3, rough mix, reel 12150)
      SIDE L
      1. Lean On Me
      2. Sweetest Smile And The Funkiest Style
      3. Do You Know
      4. At Last
      5. Master Of Eyes (The Deepness Of Your Eyes)
      6. Til It’s Over

Tracklisting

A Portrait of the Queen 1970-1974 Aretha Franklin /

    • CD 1: THIS GIRL’S IN LOVE WITH YOU
      1. Son Of A Preacher Man
      2. Share Your Love With Me
      3. Dark End Of The Street
      4. Let It Be
      5. Eleanor Rigby
      6. This Girl’s In Love With You
      7. It Ain’t Fair
      8. The Weight
      9. Call Me
      10. Sit Down And Cry
    • CD 2: SPIRIT IN THE DARK
      1. Don’t Play That Song
      2. The Thrill Is Gone (From Yesterday’s Kiss)
      3. Pullin’
      4. You And Me
      5. Honest I Do
      6. Spirit In The Dark
      7. When The Battle Is Over
      8. One Way Ticket
      9. Try Matty’s
      10. That’s All I Want From You
      11. Oh No Not My Baby
      12. Why I Sing The Blues
    • CD 3: YOUNG GIFTED AND BLACK
      1. Oh Me Oh My (I’m A Fool For You Baby)
      2. Day Dreaming
      3. Rock Steady
      4. Young Gifted
        And Black
      5. All The King’s Horses
      6. A Brand New Me
      7. April Fools
      8. I’ve Been Loving You
        Too Long
      9. First Snow In Kokomo
      10. The Long And Winding Road
      11. Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This
        Time)
      12. Border Song (Holy Moses)
    • CD 4: HEY NOW HEY (THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SKY)
      1. Hey Now Hey (The Other Side Of The Sky)
      2. Somewhere
      3. So Swell When You’re Well
      4. Angel
      5. Sister From Texas
      6. Mister Spain
      7. That’s The Way I Feel About Cha
      8. Moody’s Mood
      9. Just Right Tonight
    • CD 5: LET ME IN YOUR LIFE
      1. Let Me In Your Life
      2. Every Natural Thing
      3. Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing
      4. I’m In
        Love
      5. Until You Come Back To Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do)
      6. The Masquerade Is Over
      7. With Pen In Hand
      8. Oh Baby
      9. Eight Days On The Road
      10. If You Don’t Think
      11. A Song For You

SuperDeluxeEdition.com helps fans around the world discover physical music and discuss releases. To keep the site free, SDE participates in various affiliate programs, including Amazon and earns from qualifying purchases.

Related Content

33 Comments

Subscribe
Notify of
33 Comments
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments