Lady Soul

Lady Soul
Lady Soul
Studio album by Aretha Franklin
Released	January 22, 1968
Recorded	February 16 – December 20, 1967
Studio	FAME Studios (Muscle Shoals, AL)
Genre	R&B; Southern soul; Memphis soul; soul;
Length	28:41
Label	Atlantic (#8176)
Producer	Jerry Wexler
Aretha Franklin chronology
Singles from Lady Soul
	"(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman"; Released: September 1967; "Chain of Fools"; Released: November 1967; "(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone"/"Ain't No Way"; Released: March 1968;

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	^[4]
Q	^[2]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	^[3]

Lady Soul is the twelfth studio album by American singer Aretha Franklin released on January 22, 1968, by Atlantic Records.

Background[]

Lady Soul was Franklin's third R&B chart-topper and reached number two on the Billboard 200, tying with I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You for her highest-charting album on the pop chart. The album also included some of her biggest hit singles: "Chain of Fools" (#2 Pop), and "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" (#8 Pop), and "(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone" (#5 Pop). It eventually sold well over a million copies in the United States alone. The album was reissued on Rhino Records in a deluxe edition in 1995.

Gospel/R&B singer Cissy Houston (mother of Whitney Houston) and her group the Sweet Inspirations are credited as background vocals on several tracks, along with Aretha's sisters Carolyn and Erma Franklin. Eric Clapton, at the time a member of the band Cream, is credited as the guitarist on the track "Good to Me as I Am to You".

Lady Soul peaked at #1, #2 and #3 on Billboard's Black Albums, Pop Albums and Jazz Albums charts respectively. The single "Ain't No Way" – B-Side of "Since You've Been Gone (Sweet, Sweet, Baby)" – peaked at #9 on the Black Singles chart and #16 on the Pop Singles chart.

Legacy[]

The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.^[5]

In 2003 the TV network VH1 named Lady Soul the 41st greatest album of all time. It is number 85 on Rolling Stone's list "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time".^[6] The album was rated the 29th best album of the 1960s by Pitchfork.^[7]

Track listing[]

All tracks produced by Jerry Wexler and Recording engineered by Tom Dowd.

A Side

1. "Chain of Fools" (Don Covay) 2:46

2. "Money Won't Change You" (James Brown, Nat Jones) 2:08

3. "People Get Ready" (Curtis Mayfield) 3:42

4. "Niki Hoeky" (Jim Ford, Lolly Vegas, Pat Vegas) 2:31

5. "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" (Gerry Goffin, Carole King, Jerry Wexler) 2:44

B Side

1. "(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone" (Aretha Franklin, Ted White) 2:25

2. "Good to Me as I Am to You" (Aretha Franklin, Ted White) 3:56

3. "Come Back Baby" (Walter Davis) 2:25

4. "Groovin'" (Felix Cavaliere, Eddie Brigati) 2:57

5. "Ain't No Way" (Carolyn Franklin) 4:17

CD reissue bonus tracks

1. "Chain of Fools" (Unedited Version) 4:22

Originally issued on the quad album The Best of Aretha Franklin, Atlantic #QD-8305, January 08, 1973

2. "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" (Mono Single Version) 2:49

3. "Since You've Been Gone (Sweet Sweet Baby)" (Mono Single Version) 2:28

4. "Ain't No Way" (Mono Single Version) 4:12

Charts[]

Chart (1968)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Top Pop Albums	2
U.S. Billboard Top Soul Albums	1
U.S. Billboard Top Jazz Albums	3

Singles[]

Year released	Title	US Pop	US R&B
September 7, 1967 (Atlantic single #2441)	"You Make Me Feel Like A (Natural Woman)"	8	2
November 22, 1967 (Atlantic single #2464)	"Chain of Fools"	2	1
February 9, 1968 (Atlantic single #2486)	"Since You've Been Gone (Sweet Sweet Baby)"	5	1
February 9, 1968 (Atlantic single #2486)	"Ain't No Way"	16	8

Note: Numbers in italic (following original single release information) denote peak positions on Billboard's "Top/Best Selling R&B Singles" and "Hot 100" charts respectively - courtesy BPI Communications and Joel Whitburn's Record Research Publications.

Personnel[]

Aretha Franklin – vocals, backing vocals, piano
Eric Clapton, Bobby Womack, Joe South, Jimmy Johnson – guitar
Tommy Cogbill – bass guitar
Spooner Oldham – piano, electric piano, organ
Bernie Glow, Joe Newman, Melvin Lastie – trumpet
Tony Studd – trombone
King Curtis – tenor saxophone
Frank Wess, Seldon Powell – flute, tenor saxophone
Haywood Henry – baritone saxophone
Carolyn Franklin – backing vocals
Cissy Houston – backing vocals
Roger Hawkins, Gene Chrisman – drums
Warren Smith – vibraphone

References[]

^ Bush, John. "Lady Soul - Aretha Franklin | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
^ (Q issue 7/93, p.106)
^ Hoard, Christian. "Review: Lady Soul". Rolling Stone: 214–217. November 2, 2004.
^ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
^ Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (7 February 2006). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 0-7893-1371-5.
^ "500 Greatest Albums of All Time Rolling Stone's definitive list of the 500 greatest albums of all time". Rolling Stone. 2012. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
^ "The 200 Best Albums of the 1960s | Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 2017-08-22.

[1] Bush, John. "Lady Soul - Aretha Franklin | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 May 2019.

[2] (Q issue 7/93, p.106)

[Hoard-3] Hoard, Christian. "Review: Lady Soul". Rolling Stone: 214–217. November 2, 2004.

[4] Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.

[5] Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (7 February 2006). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 0-7893-1371-5.

[6] "500 Greatest Albums of All Time Rolling Stone's definitive list of the 500 greatest albums of all time". Rolling Stone. 2012. Retrieved September 23, 2019.

[7] "The 200 Best Albums of the 1960s | Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 2017-08-22.

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