Respect (Aretha Franklin) (LP 821 - 822)

Aretha Franklin Aretha In Paris (Vinyl, Atlantic Records, 1968) ****  

Aretha Franklin This Girl's In Love With You (Vinyl, Atlantic Records, 1970) ***** 

Genre: Soul

Places I remember: Paris is from Spellbound Wax Company in Gisborne, This Girl is from Real Groovy Records.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Let it Be (versions of Lennon/McCartney are difficult as the original has such a cultural imprint, but it's easy to see what Macca was aiming for with Let It Be when you hear Aretha do it)

Gear costume: This Girl's in Love with You

Active compensatory factors: These two are from the late sixties when she was interpreting hits du jour.

Less so in '68 on the live set - (I Can't get No) Satisfaction and Groovin', but by 1970's studio album she was doing terrific versions of Son Of A Preacher Man, Let It Be, Eleanor Rigby, The Weight and the Bacharach/David title song - This Girl's In Love With You.

All that (plus Duane Allman's guitar) makes it one of my favourite Aretha albums.

Where do they all belong? A cornerstone of any Soul section.

Ain't wastin' time no more (The Allman Brothers Band) (LP 111)

The Allman Brothers Band Eat A Peach (CD and double vinyl - Capricorn, 1972) *****

Genre: American pop/ rock

Places I remember: RCA record club catalogue/ Real Groovy/ The Warehouse Hastings.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Blue Sky (5 plus minutes of blue sky brilliance from Dickey Betts and Duane Allman; first solo is Allman's, then Betts).




Gear costume: Mountain Jam

Active compensatory factors: This album had such an aura around it as I was growing up. First awareness of it came in a record catalogue and it was clearly different from a Hollies/ Merseybeat/ Bubblegum pop context.

This was grown up music. A double album. With ONE song spread over two sides. A picture on the cover of a truck with a giant peach. Wowsers. 

I had to wait a while, until I was more grown up, before I could appreciate its richness.

Compared to their previous albums, the interesting thing about Eat A Peach is the breadth of material from acoustic to pastoral to progressive to creative improv jam to southern boogie. All masterfully executed.

It's a peak - not only for the band, but for American music. Full stop.

Where do they all belong? This was the last of the Duane Allman influenced Allman Brothers Band albums, next up was the equally classic Brothers and Sisters album.

Have you ever loved a woman? (Billy Myles) (LP 9)

Derek and the Dominos 
Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs (CD - Polydor, 1970) *****

Genre: Blues

Places I remember: This is a remixed CD version bought in 1990 from Marbecks Records in Queen St., Auckland - at the time the best record shop in New Zealand.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Have You Ever Loved a Woman is amazingly emotional for Eric. He pours his heart and soul out in this song with passionate vocals and heart wrenching guitar. This slow blues is a standout on a classic collection of songs.




Gear costume: Extremely high quality here - Key to the Highway is a guitar feast/fest/master class from Duane Allman and Eric; the version of Hendrix' Little Wing is innovation on a stick and all that leads to Layla as the climax.

Active compensatory factors: Wow - Eric Clapton is in peak form here in a way that he could never reach again. 

His work in Cream, Yardbirds, Bluesbreakers, Blind Faith all seemed to be a precursor to this outpouring of raw lust, emotion, depression and elation.

The back story of his ultimately doomed love of Pattie Harrison (Pattie Boyd that was) is well known, but listening to this group of brilliant songs in 2016 is as refreshingly relevant as it was in 1970.

A remarkable achievement! Whether he could have done it without being fired up by Pattie AND Duane Allman is a moot point. Clapton and Allman are just on fire together.

Bit of a mystery as to why he hasn't thought to do co-lead guitars with a master musician in a studio setting since this. Maybe he realised he'd never top it.

This is the first bone fide Wozza classic in the countdown so far.

Where do they all belong? Next stop for Eric was his solo career - paradoxically a retreat of sorts away from groups to having assorted guests join in the fun.