Young, Gifted and Black is a Top 10 Gold-certified album by Aretha Franklin, recorded August 12, 1970 - February 16, 1971 and released in 1972. The album won Aretha a Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance of the year. It takes its title from the Nina Simone song "To Be Young, Gifted and Black."
It's nearly impossible to single out any of Aretha Franklin's early-'70s albums for Atlantic as being her best, particularly given the breadth of her output during this era. In terms of albums rather than singles, it's probably her strongest era, and if you count live albums like Amazing Grace, choosing a standout or a favorite record isn't any easier. Yet of this stunning era, Young, Gifted and Black certainly ranks highly among her studio efforts, with many arguing that it may be her greatest. And with songs like "Rock Steady," that may be a valid argument. But there's much more here than just a few highlights. If you really want to go song by song, you'd be hard-pressed to find any throwaways here -- this is quite honestly an album that merits play from beginning to end. You have upbeat songs like the aforementioned "Rock Steady" that will get you up out of your seat moving and grooving, yet then you also have a number of more introspective songs that slow down the tempo and are more likely to relax than rouse. And if that wide spectrum of moods isn't enough reason to celebrate this album, you get some unlikely songs like a take on "The Long and Winding Road." Plus, you also have to keep in mind that Franklin was in her prime here, not only in terms of voice but also in terms of confidence -- you can just feel her exuding her status as the best of the best. Furthermore, her ensemble of musicians competes with any that she had worked with on previous albums. So even if this isn't the greatest Aretha Franklin album of the early '70s, it's certainly a contender, the sort of album that you can't go wrong with.
the chronological order of the last.fm track listing is totally wrong.
This is the correct one:
Track listing
1. "Oh Me Oh My (I'm a Fool for You Baby)" (Jim Doris) 3:42
2. "Day Dreaming" (Franklin) 4:00
3. "Rock Steady" (Franklin) 3:15
4. "Young, Gifted and Black" (Nina Simone) 3:34
5. "All the King's Horses" (Franklin) 3:56
6. "A Brand New Me" (Theresa Bell, Jerry Butler, Kenny Gamble) 4:26
7. "April Fools" (Burt Bacharach, Hal David) 3:29
8. "I've Been Loving You Too Long" (Jerry Butler, Otis Redding) 3:36
9. "First Snow in Kokomo" (Franklin) 4:04
10. "The Long and Winding Road" (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) 3:38
11. "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)" (Thom Bell, William Hart) 3:42
12. "Border Song (Holy Moses)" (Bernie Taupin, Elton John) 3:22
Personnel
Dr. John - Percussion
Aretha Franklin - Piano, Celeste, Electric piano, Vocals
Donny Hathaway - Organ, Electric piano
Billy Preston - Organ
Sammy Turner - Background Vocals
Hubert Laws - Alto Flute
Chuck Rainey - Bass
J.R. Bailey - Background Vocals
Carolyn Franklin - Background Vocals
Erma Franklin - Background Vocals
The Memphis Horns - Ensemble
The Sweet Inspirations - Background Vocals
Jack Adams - Engineer
Howard Albert - Engineer
Ron Albert - Engineer
Don Arnone - Acoustic Guitar
Margaret Branch - Background Vocals
Ann S. Clark - Background Vocals
Cornell Dupree - Guitar
Jimmy Douglass - Engineer
Tom Dowd - Arranger, Producer
Chuck Kirkpatrick - Engineer
Eric Gale - Bass
Lewis Hahn - Engineer
Dan Hersch - Remastering
Bill Inglot - Remastering
Wayne Jackson - Trumpet
Andrew Love - Tenor saxophone
Ray Lucas - Percussion, Drums, track 4, 10, 12
Arif Mardin - Arranger, Producer, Remixing
Michael Mazzarella - Research
Hugh McCracken - Guitar
Gene Orloff - Concert Master
Gene Paul - Engineer
Gary Peterson - Research
Robert Popwell - Bass, Percussion
Bernard "Pretty" Purdie - Percussion, Drums, track 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 11
Neal Rosengarden - Percussion, Trumpet, Vibraphone
Pat Smith - Background Vocals
Jerry Wexler - Producer
Ronald Bright - Background Vocals
Don Cassale - Engineer
Al Jackson, Jr. - Drums,track 1,6
David Nathan - Liner Notes
Geoff Gans - Reissue Art Director
Patrick Milligan - Research
Howie Albert - Engineer
Stanislaw Zagorski - Cover Design
This User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; Source: Last.fm.