Aretha Franklin R.I.P. (March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018)*

The Queen is Dead. What a voice, oh my.

 

From the NY Times

For the roughly seven million times Aretha's recording of "Respect" has been played on American radio stations, she was paid nothing.

 

Should be pointed out that no one gets paid performance royalties for American radio plays. Written into law long ago when radio was nascent technology/business model which was seen as needing nurturing. Some people are trying to change this.

Publishing is a different matter. Radio plays result in revenue to the authors, eventually, through a fairly complex setup with ASCAP and BMI. It's not a direct x-cents-per-spin formula.

 

I feel about this one sort of the way I felt about Bowie. I have tons of Bowie albums, and one Aretha one, but when a really great music star that has been alive and active my whole life passes on, it's as if a really, really small piece of me goes away.

I didn't feel that way when Garcia died, because I was 27-28 at the time. But now, forget it. I certainly feel these losses more.

I have Live At Fillmore West. Listening to it now.

 

Very rare Aretha clips from 1967 featuring then husband Ted White and also then backing vocalist Cissy Houston, Whitney's mama.



Her outfits are so late 60's chic here.

 

Stopping to pay my respects.
I never even liked soul music until sometime in the early nineties when I stumbled across a cheap CD, Aretha Franklin's 30 Greatest Hits, and decided to give it a go. I fell in love with those Atlantic recordings from then on and have continued to listen to Aretha ever since. There's nothing I can say about her voice, charisma and musicianship that hasn't been said already. One of the true greats has left us.

 

You Tube presents this with a WGN Superstation logo. And,yes,folks suggest that it wasn't the performance as much as it was the memories from the song. For me, Ruben's take was safe,making sure to not step beyond either the Queen or showcase his limited abilities.

You may get over it. Always bring what you got from them into the present. Pass on their legacy. There are too many folks in your life right now who need the stories of those that came before them.

 

Well, she didn't write it.

 

PBS New Hour put together a rushed tribute that can now be seen via thirteen.org. They borrow so heavily from a 30 year old American Masters,just hoping that the AM show gets a fresh coat of paint for viewing. This tribute-meh. Outside of Fallon's show(I can't believe I'm typing that),but Questlove & the Roots were the,brains,heart & soul behind this and at least Fallon & the powers- that- be got out of the way),radio did a much better job that TV. Makes sense,as I think almost everyone on this forum probably heard her voice through radio first,and probably in mono.
She deserves so much better than a quickly assembled 1/2 of clips and thoughts.

 

She was pretty much fully formed ay 14 if you go back and listen to her earliest gospel recordings.

 

Oh, yes, that excuses everything.

 

Thanks for 'Day Dreaming' and so much more Aretha. RIP.

 

As Chess Records recorded her father frequently and as she was there singing frequently, it is amazing that many moe recordings from 1956 to 1960 have not been issued

 

I understand that, having been in radio for nearly 50 years. But it wasn't written into law due to radio needing nurturing at all. Radio needed no nurturing from its first breakthrough, which was well before anyone ever thought about playing a phonograph record on the air. Lobbyists have been in control of the American legal system since long before radio was invented. The laws related to radio revenues were created to put more money into the radio broadcast owners pockets and less money into the artists pockets. It was simple.

 

I played I Never Loved a Man The Way I Love You on Thursday. It's been framed on my wall for two decades. Every time I play it, I feel like I'm listening to a live broadcast......that's how immediate, raw and brilliant it is......hasn't aged one minute in 51 years. She did for voice in popular music what Hendrix did for guitar......but that's only part of it and understates that these tracks, the rhythms....were built around her piano.....the voice alone is astounding, her musical talent feels a bit under-reported......maybe that's because, for all of the intensity that could have been overbearing in the wrong hands, she always served the song rather than herself (unlike so many of her disciples).

 

I had a cheapo cd that had old gospel recordings that aren't on Songs of Faith.
Unfortunately they were overdubbed with extremely cheesy synths and drum machines!

 

Wow. What a chaotic but brilliant concert. Practically no separation between the audience and performer. I almost always prefer a good live concert to studio recordings. This is amazing.

In spite of myself I was tearing up during the tributes to Aretha on the BBC on the day she died. RIP and thanks.

 

Just showing respect. Her spirit is like every other thought and feeling in my world. Does feel like an era has died with her, though. We'll all miss "Re-Re".

 

Keith Richards:
It’s a sad day but what a glorious lady. Her voice says it all!

Benmont Tench:
what a miracle you were, and are, and will forever be. there is no line of succession: reign on, reign on.

 

Benmont speaks the Truth.

 

I don't know if this one was posted yet but this is one of favorite lesser known songs.

From the pen of Mr. Percy Mayfield, "River's Invitation":

 

You'll find no more sympatico ranter and ally than me when it comes to the myriad injustices done wrt copyright, recording labels, broadcasters, etc.

But the current suggested legislative remedy to radio's free ride on performance royalties is just the result of one set of titans' lobbyists battling another, neither of whom I'm particularly rooting for in this fight.

Your remarks were a manipulative and context-free (Is the Times entering the broadcast performance fray? Saying she got no coin from radio spins is like saying the sky is blue.) injection into an RIP thread.

 

I believe many of the comments here are now about Aretha, in general. That isn't bad. An active thread attracts more participation and communication among her fans. Manipulative?

Aretha was a strong artist, and fortunately gained some control over her career and her recordings in the latter half of her days. Too many people assume that the best known artists are getting their fair due, but it isn't true. Resolution of broadcast performance rights issues has become far less meaningful, as most radio today is primarily talk.

The Times article is here

How Aretha Franklin’s ‘Respect’ Became a Battle Cry for Musicians Seeking Royalties

 

I just now dragged out a scrapbook where I kept tickets, dates, and playbills from concerts and other performances.

We saw Aretha in 1991 at a small, ampitheater-like venue. The notes were hastily scribbled, but it seems 'her kids' (?) were the opening act.... Paul Sheaffer was in the audience, dancing in his seat... a drunk rambled onto the stage, grabbed the mic and spent some incoherent moments before security got hold of him.

I had also commented on her 'cute little beehive hairdo,' and scribbled that, '....even with most of her top notes missing, (she) is still lethal!'

 

Funny you mentioned Bowie because when I read that Aretha had passed away, the first thing I thought of was a skeletal Bowie enjoying her song in the back of a car (4:43).