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Aretha Franklin’s Amazing Grace by Aaron Cohen (Continuum’s 33-1/3 Series, 2011)

November 17, 2011 by A.S. Van Dorston

Aretha Franklin’s Amazing Grace by Aaron Cohen (Continuum’s 33-1/3 Series, 2011)

When Continuum started their 33-1/3 series in September 2003, I was excited enough to plan to read all of them. As someone who enjoys reading liner notes, what better than the most complete liner notes for some of the greatest albums ever released? However, some liner notes are better than others, and ones that fail to tell a story can even be too dry for geeks like me. After reading about a dozen titles, I started falling behind. The last I had read was John Darnielle’s Master Of Reality. It definitely told a story, a harrowing account of mental illness that barely mentioned the Black Sabbath album. That was number 56 in the series. Aaron Cohen’s Amazing Grace is number 84, and by far the best I’ve read so far.

I can’t imagine anyone more perfectly suited to write about Aretha Franklin’s colossal Amazing Grace (1972). With an academic background in Latin American Studies and Caribbean ethnomusicology, he has a deep knowledge of and passion for jazz, blues, r&b, soul and gospel which is reflected in his writing and work as associate editor ofDownbeat magazine. Cohen tracked down nearly all the surviving principle people involved with the album that it reads nearly like an oral history. Unfortunately, Aretha Franklin herself remained elusive, remaining consistent with her pattern in her 55 year career. She rarely grants interviews, and when she does, has very little to say. She was quiet even behind the scenes with her band. Bassist Chuck Rainey said, “I was with Aretha for three years and if I were to count the words I heard her say, other than singing, it couldn’t have been more than 200 words.”

Even if Cohen had scored an interview with Franklin, she probably would not have revealed much more than the quotes he and his wife Lavonne dug up while researching the book. In the literally compact space allowed in the book, Cohen packs a great deal of in-depth history behind the album, including the evolution of gospel and the role of Aretha’s father Rev. C.L. Franklin and their friend James Cleveland. Her first album wasThe Gospel Soul of Aretha Franklin (1956), when she was just 14 years old. A prodigy from the start, Cohen briefly touches on the fact that Franklin’s Columbia years were not quite the lost years as often characterized. The fact that she did not have big hits had more to do with marketing than the music she created.

Franklin said she had intended to return to her roots with a gospel album for many years, while producer Jerry Wexler claimed he had been wanting her to do one all along. Everyone quoted in the book believed Franklin was at her peak in 1972. While there’s no doubt her voice was in peak form, I would disagree regarding her music. After hitting it big with arguably the greatest soul album ever, I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You (1967), she had spent the next four years struggling to reach those same heights with diminishing returns. On Soul ’69 (1969), Spirit In The Dark (1970), This Girl’s In Love With You (1970), even the acclaimed Young, Gifted And Black (1971), Franklin struggled with inconsistent material and production. There is evidence that Franklin herself was unsatisfied with the work. When she won a Grammy for Young, Gifted And Black, she gave away her award to Esther Phillips, who was also nominated for her album From A Whisper To A Scream (1972). It seemed a perfect time to go back to church and be rejuvinated.

It worked. Amazing Grace is the definitive document of Franklin’s vocal powers at her peak. Another great quote from Chuck Rainey: “She came to me one time… and said, ‘Chuck, don’t listen to me sing.’ I was listening to her, you can’t help it, she was at the apex of her voice. She knows what she does to the public and didn’t want me to get entranced in what she was doing.” From there, Cohen gives a song-by-song rundown, with wonderful insights such as what may have motivated Franklin to meld two seemingly disparate tunes, Thomas A. Dorsey’s “Precious Lord, Take My Hand” and Carole King’s “You’ve Got A Friend.” He describes, almost poetically, the differences between her performances of “Wholy Holy,” and Marvin Gaye’s original that was just released earlier in the year. To reveal any more gems would really be a spoiler. The best writing about music provides new insights that can enrich one’s listening experience. Even people who have been intimately familiar with the album for forty years could hear certain songs from a fresh perspective. To me, this is invaluable, and everyone who loves this album has something to gain by reading this book. Which means in a just world, it should sell nearly as many copies as the album, which was Franklin’s all-time best seller, topping 2 million.

If Aaron Cohen’s book is any indication, the 33-1/3 Series may have been steadily improving the quality of writing and editing. This makes me look forward to digging into their other recent entries on Television’s Marquee Moon, Portishead’s Dummy and Dinosaur Jr.’s You’re Living All Over Me.

Last year a trailer was created to announce the completion of a movie directed by Sydney Pollack documenting the recording of Amazing Grace. The footage sat untouched for nearly 40 years, before finally being edited after Pollack’s death. Had things gone on schedule, the movie might have been released at the same time as this book, which would have been so cool. Unfortunately it’s been held up with some legal wrangling. Hopefully it will be resolved and this amazing piece of history will be released to the public. Below is the trailer.

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