''Spirit in the Dark'' is the seventeenth

studio 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 ...

by American 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 August 24, 1970, 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 received critical acclaim, but was met with middling sales, despite having two hit singles, "

Don't Play That Song (You Lied) "Don't Play That Song (You Lied)" is a song written by Ahmet Ertegun and Betty Nelson, the wife of soul singer Ben E. King. It was first recorded by King and was the title track on his third album '' Don't Play That Song!'' (1962). The song reac ...

", which peaked at #1 R&B, #11 on the Hot 100, and "

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 ...

", peaking at #3 R&B and #23 Hot 100, in ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' magazine. It was Aretha's first Atlantic album to fall short of ''Billboards Top 20, but it is now considered to be one of Aretha's classic Atlantic LPs. In 1993,

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 ...

re-issued the album on compact disc. "Try Matty's" is used as the jingle for radio host

Matt Siegel Matt Siegel (born March 27, 1950) is an American retired radio personality. He was the host of the ''Matty in the Morning Show'' in Massachusetts on KISS 108 for 41 years, from 1981 to 2022. The show has a legacy in Boston, Matt has worked with ...

's Boston

Kiss 108 WXKS-FM (107.9 FM), branded as ''Kiss 108'', is a commercial top 40/CHR radio station licensed to serve Medford, Massachusetts, and covering Greater Boston. Owned by iHeartMedia, the WXKS-FM studios are in Medford and the transmitter sits ato ...

show.

Track listing

Unless otherwise indicated, Information is based on the album's Liner NotesFranklin, Aretha. "Spirit in the Dark" (Original Album Notes). Atlantic. 1970.

Personnel

Information is based on the album's Liner Notes ;Main *Aretha Franklin – vocals (5, lead on 1–4, 6–12), piano (1-6, 8–12) *

Duane Allman Howard Duane Allman (November 20, 1946 – October 29, 1971) was an American rock guitarist, session musician, and the founder and original leader of the Allman Brothers Band, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in ...

– guitar (7) *Margaret Branch – background vocals (1-2, 7–8, 11) *Brenda Bryant – background vocals (1-2, 7–8, 11) *Harold "Hog" Cowart – bass guitar (8-9, 12) * Dave Crawford – organ (8-9, 12) *

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,

– guitar (8, 11–12) *

Buzz Feiten Howard "Buzz" Feiten (born November 4, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, session musician, and luthier. He is best known as a lead and rhythm guitarist and for having patented a tuning system for guitars and similar instruments. ...

– guitar (1) *Evelyn Green – background vocals (3, 9–10, 12) *Wylene Ivy – background vocals (3, 9–10, 12) *Almeda Lattimore – background vocals (1-3, 9–12) *

Pat Lewis Pat Lewis is an American soul singer and backing vocalist since the 1960s. Biography Patsy Lewis was born October 23, 1947 in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, United States, and moved to Detroit, Michigan in 1951. In the early 1960s, Pat, her sister Dia ...

– background vocals (3, 9–10, 12) *Ray Lucas – drums (8, 12) *Jimmy O'Rourke – guitar (9) *

The Sweet Inspirations The Sweet Inspirations were an American R&B girl group mostly known for their work as backup singers on studio recordings for other R&B and rock artists. A founding member of the group was Dionne Warwick, who was later replaced by her aunt, Cis ...

– background vocals (4, 6) *Ron "Tubby" Ziegler – drums (9) ;The Dixie Flyers *

Sammy Creason Sammy Lee Creason (27 November 1944 – 21 December 1995) was an American session drummer who played with Tony Joe White, Kris Kristofferson and Bob Dylan amongst others. Life and career Growing up in Jonesboro, Arkansas, United States, he l ...

– drums (1-2, 4, 6, 10) *

Jim Dickinson James Luther Dickinson (November 15, 1941 – August 15, 2009) was an American record producer, pianist, and singer who fronted, among others, the band Mud Boy and the Neutrons, based in Memphis, Tennessee. Biography Dickinson was born in Lit ...

– additional keyboards (1-2, 4, 6, 10) *Charlie Freeman – guitar (1-2, 4, 6, 10) *Tommy McClure – bass guitar (1-2, 4, 6, 10) *

Michael Utley Michael Edward Utley is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer for Jimmy Buffett's Coral Reefer Band. He is the musical director of the band. Born in Blytheville in Mississippi County, Arkansas, he graduated from the Univer ...

– additional keyboards (1-2, 4, 6, 10) ;

Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section is a group of American session musicians based in the northern Alabama town of Muscle Shoals. One of the most prominent American studio house bands from the 1960s to the 1980s, these musicians, individually or as ...

Barry Beckett Barry Edward Beckett (February 4, 1943 – June 10, 2009) was an American keyboardist, session musician, record producer, and studio founder. He is best known for his work with David Hood, Jimmy Johnson, and Roger Hawkins, his bandmates in th ...

– keyboards (7, additional on 3, 5, 11) * Roger Hawkins – drums (3, 5, 7, 11) *

Eddie Hinton Eddie Hinton (15 June 1944 – 28 July 1995) was an American songwriter and session musician, best known for his work with soul music and R&B singers. He played lead guitar for Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section from 1969 to 1971 and after leaving th ...

– guitar (3, 5, 7, 11) *

David Hood David Hood (born September 21, 1943) is an American bassist from Muscle Shoals, Alabama. He also plays the trombone. He is a member of the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. Early life and education Hood was born in Sheffield, Alabama and attende ...

– bass guitar (3, 5, 7, 11) * Jimmy Johnson – guitar (3, 5, 7, 11)

Charts

References

1970 albums Aretha Franklin albums Albums produced by Tom Dowd Albums produced by Arif Mardin Albums produced by Jerry Wexler Atlantic Records albums Rhino Records albums {{1970s-R&B-album-stub