Aretha (1980 album)

Aretha is the twenty-sixth studio album by American singer Aretha Franklin. It was released on September 30, 1980, by Arista Records. This is Franklin's second eponymous album, and her first for Arista Records after a 12-year tenure with Atlantic Records.

Franklin's first Arista single release, "United Together", reached number 3 on the Soul chart and crossed over to number 56 on Billboards Hot 100. The album itself peaked at number 47 and spent 30 weeks on the Billboard album chart.

The album's opening track, "Come to Me", appeared again on Franklin's 1989 album, Through the Storm.

One of the album's collaborators, Phil Perry, who helped to pen "United Together", would go on to score a number one R&B hit in 1991 with his rendition of Franklin's 1970 hit, "Call Me".

Track listing

Information is taken from the album's liner notes

Personnel

Information is taken from the album's liner notes

• Aretha Franklin – lead vocals (all tracks), backing vocals (3–7, 9), piano (8), keyboards (3–5, 7, 9), arranger (7, 9)
• David Foster – Rhodes electric piano, synthesizer (1–2, 6)
• David Paich – acoustic piano (1), Hammond organ (8)
• Todd Cochran – synthesizer programming (2, 6)
• Steve Porcaro, Bob Christianson – additional synthesizers (2)
• Ed Greene (3–5, 7, 9), Jeff Porcaro (1–2, 6, 8), Bernard Purdie (3–5, 7, 9) – drums
• Scott Edwards (3–5, 7, 9), Louis Johnson (1–2, 6), James Jamerson Sr. (3–5, 7, 9), Mike Porcaro (8) – bass guitar
• Michael McGlory, Cornell Dupree, Paul Jackson Jr. (3–5, 7, 9), Steve Lukather, David Williams (2, 6, 8) – guitar
• George Devens – percussion (1)
• Richard Tee, Michael Lang (3–5, 7, 9) – keyboards
• Tony Coleman – keyboards, bass guitar, drum overdubs, backing vocals (3–5, 7, 9)
• Michael Brecker (additional on 8), Seldon Powell (additional on 8), David "Fathead" Newman (solo on 8) – tenor saxophone
• Lew Del Gatto – baritone saxophone (8)
• Dave Tofani (8), David Sanborn (solo on 6) – alto saxophone
• Randy Brecker (additional on 8), Lew Soloff (lead on 8) – trumpet
• Barry Rogers – trombone (8)
• John T. Clark, Peter Gordon – French horns (8)
• Jonathan Abramowitz, Julien Barber, Alfred Brown, Frederick Buldrini, Peter Dimitriades, Harold Kohon, Harry Lookofsky, Alan Shulman, Joe Malin, Mitsue Takayama, Gerald Tarack, Mark Wayne-Wright, Fred Zlotkin – strings (8)
• Gene Orloff – strings, concertmaster (8)
• Strings and Horns arranged by Arif Mardin and Benjamin Wright
• Estelle Brown (2, 8), Brenda Corbett, Cissy Houston (2), Charles Jackson (3–5, 7, 9), Edie Lehmann, Myrna Matthews, Marti McCall (1, 3–5, 7, 9), Sylvia Shemwell, Myrna Smith (2, 8), Hamish Stuart (6), the Sweet Inspirations (3–5, 7, 9) – backing vocals

Production

• Produced by Chuck Jackson (tracks 3, 4, 5, 7 and 9) and Arif Mardin (tracks 1, 2, 6 and 8).
• Co-producer on track 9: Aretha Franklin
• Engineers: Lee DeCarlo and Frank Kejmar (tracks 3, 4, 5, 7 and 9); Jeremy Smith (tracks 1, 2, 6 and 8).
• Additional engineer: Lewis Hahn
• Assistant engineers: Michael O'Reilly, Stewart Whitmore
• Mixing on tracks 3, 4, 5, 7 and 9: Reginald Dozier
• Re-mixing: Lewis Hahn and Gene Paul (tracks 1–7 and 9); Arif Mardin and Michael O'Reilly (track 8).
• Re-mix assistant on track 8: Joe Mardin
• Recorded at MCA Whitney Recording Studios (Glendale), Record Plant (Los Angeles), Sound Labs Studios (Hollywood) and Atlantic Studios (New York City).
• Edited at Cherokee Studios (Los Angeles).
• Mixed at MCA Whitney Recording Studios and Cherokee Studios.
• Mastering: Ken Perry and Bill Inglot at Sterling Sound (New York).
• Art direction and design: Ria Lewerke-Shapiro
• Photography: George Hurrell

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References