''Aretha Live at Fillmore West'' is a live

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

singer

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in ''Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". With ...

. Released on May 19, 1971, by

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

. It was reissued on compact disc in 1993 through

Rhino Records A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species o ...

. An expanded, limited edition 4-CD box set entitled, ''Don't Fight the Feeling: The Complete Aretha Franklin & King Curtis Live at Fillmore West'' was released by Rhino in 2005. This was limited to 5000 numbered copies. In addition, there is a guest duet vocal by

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

on "

Spirit in the Dark ''Spirit in the Dark'' is the seventeenth studio album by American singer Aretha Franklin, released on August 24, 1970, by Atlantic Records. It received critical acclaim, but was met with middling sales, despite having two hit singles, "Don't Play ...

"."Overview"

allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

. Retrieved 28 April 2013. Franklin played a

Fender Rhodes piano The Rhodes piano (also known as the Fender Rhodes piano) is an electric piano invented by Harold Rhodes, which became popular in the 1970s. Like a conventional piano, the Rhodes generates sound with keys and hammers, but instead of strings, t ...

on four cuts, including "

Eleanor Rigby "Eleanor Rigby" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1966 album ''Revolver''. It was also issued on a double A-side single, paired with " Yellow Submarine". The song was written primarily by Paul McCartney and credited to L ...

", "Spirit in the Dark", " Don't Play That Song" and " Dr. Feelgood". Backing Franklin was

King Curtis Curtis Ousley (born Curtis Montgomery; February 7, 1934 – August 13, 1971), known professionally as King Curtis, was an American saxophonist who played rhythm and blues, jazz, and rock and roll. A bandleader, band member, and session musicia ...

' band, the Kingpins, featuring

Cornell Dupree Cornell Luther Dupree (December 19, 1942 – May 8, 2011) was an American jazz and R&B guitarist. He worked at various times with Aretha Franklin, Bill Withers, Donny Hathaway, King Curtis and Steve Gadd, appeared on David Letterman,

on guitar,

Bernard Purdie Bernard Lee "Pretty" Purdie (born June 11, 1939) is an American drummer, and an influential R&B, soul and funk musician. He is known for his precise musical time keeping and his signature use of triplets against a half-time backbeat: the "Purdie ...

on drums, and

Jerry Jemmott Gerald Stenhouse Jemmott (born March 22, 1946, in the Morrisania section of the Bronx, New York City) is an American bass guitarist. Jemmott was one of the chief session bass guitarists of the late 1960s and early 1970s, working with many of th ...

on bass,

Billy Preston William Everett Preston (September 2, 1946 – June 6, 2006) was an American keyboardist, singer and songwriter whose work encompassed R&B, rock, soul, funk, and gospel. Preston was a top session keyboardist in the 1960s, during which he ba ...

on organ, Curtis on saxophone, together with the

Memphis Horns The Memphis Horns were an American horn section, made famous by their many appearances on Stax Records. The duo consisted of Wayne Jackson (November 24, 1941 – June 21, 2016) on trumpet and Andrew Love (November 21, 1941 - April 12, 2012) on ...

. The album reached number one on the Billboard R&B album chart on June 19, 1971.

Background

The recording was made at the

Fillmore West The Fillmore West was a historic rock and roll music venue in San Francisco, California, US which became famous under the direction of concert promoter Bill Graham from 1968 to 1971. Named after The Fillmore at the intersection of Fillmore Stre ...

concert hall, the storied rock venue in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

, over three nights, March 5, 6 and 7 in 1971. The album opens with Aretha's best-known song, her version of

Otis Redding Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. ...

's "

Respect Respect, also called esteem, is a positive feeling or action shown towards someone or something considered important or held in high esteem or regard. It conveys a sense of admiration for good or valuable qualities. It is also the process of ...

". The album features Aretha's take on many "hippie" anthems as Aretha and Atlantic Records executive/album producer

Jerry Wexler Jerry may refer to: Animals * Jerry (Grand National winner), racehorse, winner of the 1840 Grand National * Jerry (St Leger winner), racehorse, winner of 1824 St Leger Stakes Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Jerry'' (film), a 2006 Indian fil ...

wanted to reach out to the expected hippie audience in San Francisco. Covers include the

Bread Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of flour (usually wheat) and water, usually by baking. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cultures' diet. It is one of the oldest human-made f ...

song "Make it With You", the

Stephen Stills Stephen Arthur Stills (born January 3, 1945) is an American musician, singer and songwriter best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. As both a solo act and member of two successful bands, Stills has com ...

song, "

Love the One You're With "Love the One You're With" is a song by folk rock musician Stephen Stills. It was released as the lead single from his debut self-titled studio album in November 1970. The song, inspired by a remark Stills heard from musician Billy Preston, be ...

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups o ...

' "

Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand) "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)" is the debut solo single of singer Diana Ross, released in April 1970 as the first single from her solo self-titled debut 1970 album by Motown Records. Background Diana Ross, having just left The Suprem ...

", the

Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developme ...

' "Eleanor Rigby" and

Simon and Garfunkel Simon & Garfunkel were an American folk rock duo consisting of the singer-songwriter Paul Simon and the singer Art Garfunkel. They were one of the best-selling music groups of the 1960s, and their biggest hits—including the electric remix of " ...

's " Bridge over Troubled Water".

Track listing

Original release

''Don't Fight the Feeling: The Complete Aretha Franklin & King Curtis Live at Fillmore West''

;Disc 1 #"Intro" #"Knock on Wood" –

The Memphis Horns The Memphis Horns were an American horn section, made famous by their many appearances on Stax Records. The duo consisted of Wayne Jackson (November 24, 1941 – June 21, 2016) on trumpet and Andrew Love (November 21, 1941 - April 12, 2012) on ...

#"Whole Lotta Love" –

#"Them Changes" – King Curtis #"

A Whiter Shade of Pale "A Whiter Shade of Pale" is a song by the English rock band Procol Harum that was issued as their debut record on 12 May 1967. The single reached number 1 in the UK Singles Chart on 8 June and stayed there for six weeks. Without much promotion, i ...

" – King Curtis #"

My Sweet Lord "My Sweet Lord" is a song by English musician George Harrison, released in November 1970 on his triple album ''All Things Must Pass''. It was also released as a single, Harrison's first as a solo artist, and topped charts worldwide; it was the ...

" –

Ode to Billie Joe "Ode to Billie Joe" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bobbie Gentry released by Capitol Records in July 1967, and later used as the title-track of her debut album. Five weeks after its release, the song topped '' Billboard's'' Pop sin ...

" – King Curtis #" Mr. Bojangles" – King Curtis #"Soul Serenade" – King Curtis #"Memphis Soul Stew" – King Curtis #"

Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours "Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)" is a soul song, by American musician Stevie Wonder, released in June 1970 as a single on Motown's Tamla label. It spent six weeks at number one on the U.S. R&B chart and peaked at number three on the U.S ...

" – King Curtis #"

" – Aretha Franklin #"Call Me" – Aretha Franklin #"Mixed-Up Girl" – Aretha Franklin #"

" – Aretha Franklin #" Bridge Over Troubled Water" – Aretha Franklin #"

" – Aretha Franklin #"

Make It with You "Make It with You" is a song written by David Gates and originally recorded by American pop- rock group Bread, of which Gates was a member. Gates and drummer Mike Botts are the only members of the group to appear on the recording which was a No ...

" – Aretha Franklin #"Don’t Play that Song" – Aretha Franklin ;Disc 2 #"You're All I Need to Get By" – Aretha Franklin #"Dr. Feelgood" – Aretha Franklin #"Spirit in the Dark" – Aretha Franklin #"Spirit in the Dark" (reprise) – Aretha Franklin #"Knock on Wood" – The Memphis Horns #"Them Changes" – King Curtis #"Whole Lotta Love" – King Curtis #"A Whiter Shade of Pale" – King Curtis #"I Stand Accused" – King Curtis #"Soul Serenade" – King Curtis #"Memphis Soul Stew" – King Curtis #"Respect" – Aretha Franklin #"Call Me" – Aretha Franklin #"Love the One You’re with" – Aretha Franklin #"Bridge Over Troubled Water" – Aretha Franklin ;Disc 3 #"

Share Your Love with Me "Share Your Love with Me" is a song written by Alfred Braggs and Deadric Malone. It was originally recorded by blues singer Bobby "Blue" Bland. Over the years, the song has been covered by various artists, most notably Aretha Franklin who won a ...

" – Aretha Franklin #"Eleanor Rigby" – Aretha Franklin #"Make It With You" – Aretha Franklin #"You're All I Need to Get By" – Aretha Franklin #"Don't Play That Song" – Aretha Franklin #"Dr. Feelgood" – Aretha Franklin #"Spirit in the Dark" – Aretha Franklin #"Spirit in the Dark" (reprise) – Aretha Franklin #"Knock On Wood" – The Memphis Horns #"Them Changes" – King Curtis #"A Whiter Shade of Pale" – King Curtis #"Ode To Billie Joe" – King Curtis #"Soul Serenade" – King Curtis #"Memphis Soul Stew" – King Curtis ;Disc 4 #"Respect" – Aretha Franklin #"Call Me" – Aretha Franklin #"Love the One You're With" – Aretha Franklin #"Bridge Over Troubled Water" – Aretha Franklin #"Share Your Love with Me" – Aretha Franklin #"Eleanor Rigby" – Aretha Franklin #"Make It With You" – Aretha Franklin #"Don't Play That Song" – Aretha Franklin #"You're All I Need to Get By" – Aretha Franklin #"Dr. Feelgood" – Aretha Franklin #"Spirit in the Dark" – Aretha Franklin #"Spirit in the Dark" (reprise) – Aretha Franklin with

#"Reach Out and Touch (Somebody’s Hand)" – Aretha Franklin

Rhino Handmade Rhino Entertainment Company is an American specialty record label and production company founded in 1978. It is currently the catalog division for Warner Music Group. Its current CEO is Mark Pinkus. History Founded in 1978, Rhino was originall ...

remastered 2005 liner notes:
Disc 1 tracks 01 to 19, and Disc 2 tracks 01 to 04 were recorded on March 5, 1971.
Disc 2 tracks 05 to 15, and Disc 3 tracks 01 to 08 were recorded on March 6, 1971.
Disc 3 tracks 09 to 14, and Disc 4 tracks 01 to 13 were recorded on March 7, 1971.

Personnel

*Aretha Franklin – vocals,

Fender Rhodes The Rhodes piano (also known as the Fender Rhodes piano) is an electric piano invented by Harold Rhodes, which became popular in the 1970s. Like a conventional piano, the Rhodes generates sound with keys and hammers, but instead of strings, th ...

– guitar *

– bass *Truman Thomas – piano *

– organ *

– drums *Pancho Morales – congas *

– saxophone, orchestra leader *

– horns *Brenda Bryant, Margaret Branch, Pat Smith – backing vocals *

Arif Mardin Arif Mardin (March 15, 1932 – June 25, 2006) was a Turkish-American music producer, who worked with hundreds of artists across many different styles of music, including jazz, rock, soul, disco and country. He worked at Atlantic Records for ov ...

– horn arrangements *Larry Wilcox – horn arrangement on "Make It With You" *

Tom Dowd Thomas John Dowd (October 20, 1925 – October 27, 2002) was an American recording engineer and producer for Atlantic Records. He was credited with innovating the multitrack recording method. Dowd worked on a veritable "who's who" of recordings ...

– horn arrangement on "Don't Play That Song" *

– piano on "Spirit in the Dark"

Charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 1971 live albums Aretha Franklin live albums Albums produced by Jerry Wexler Albums arranged by Arif Mardin Albums recorded at the Fillmore Atlantic Records live albums