Amazing Grace | ||||
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Live album by | ||||
Released | June 1, 1972 | |||
Recorded | January 13–14, 1972 | |||
Venue | New Temple Missionary Baptist Church, Los Angeles | |||
Genre | Gospel | |||
Length | 85:43 | |||
Label | Atlantic | |||
Producer | Jerry Wexler, Arif Mardin, Aretha Franklin | |||
Aretha Franklin chronology | ||||
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Amazing Grace is a live album by American singer Aretha Franklin. It was recorded in January 1972 at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles, with Reverend James Cleveland and the Southern California Community Choir accompanying Franklin in performance. The recording was originally released as a double album on June 1, 1972, by Atlantic Records.
The album was a critical and commercial success, selling over two million copies in the United States alone and earning a double platinum certification. It also won Franklin the 1973 Grammy Award for Best Soul Gospel Performance. As of 2017, it stands as the best-selling disc of Franklin's entire fifty-plus year recording career as well as the highest-selling live gospel music album of all time.
Amazing Grace was remastered and re-released in 1999 as a two-compact disc set with many previously unreleased takes. A film documenting the making of the album premiered in 2018.
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Christgau's Record Guide | B+ [2] |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [ citation needed ] |
The Great Rock Discography | 7/10[ citation needed ] |
MusicHound R & B: The Essential Album Guide | [ citation needed ] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [ citation needed ] |
Reviewing for Rolling Stone in 1972, Jon Landau commented: "Amazing Grace is more a great Aretha Franklin album than a great gospel album. She plays havoc with the traditional styles but she sings 'like never before' on record. The liberation and abandon she has always implied in her greatest moments are now fully and consistently achieved." Landau found himself "struck first by the comprehensiveness and depth of the arrangement and then by the brilliance of her lead voice," hailing her performance as "a virtuoso display of gospel pyrotechnics, done with control and imagination." He was especially fond of the uptempo songs expressing "unqualified joy," saying they "hit with tremendous power." [3]
Robert Christgau was less enthusiastic about the album, later writing in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981): "Because I don't think God's grace is amazing or believe that Jesus Christ is his son, I find it hard to relate to gospel groups as seminal as the Swan Silvertones and the Dixie Hummingbirds and have even more trouble with James Cleveland's institutional choral style. There's a purity and a passion to this church-recorded double-LP that I've missed in Aretha, but I still find that the subdued rhythm section and pervasive call-and-response conveys more aimlessness than inspiration. Or maybe I just trust her gift of faith more readily when it's transposed to the secular realm." [2]
In another retrospective review, Ron Wynn of AllMusic regarded Amazing Grace as possibly Franklin's "greatest release ever in any style" and said, "Her voice was chilling, making it seem as if God and the angels were conducting a service alongside Franklin, Rev. James Cleveland, the Southern California Community Choir, and everyone else in attendance. Her versions of 'How I Got Over' and 'You've Got a Friend' are legendary." [1]
Rolling Stone ranked the album number 154 on the 2020 reboot of their 'The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time' list. [4]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Mary, Don't You Weep" | Spiritual | 7:29 |
2. | "Medley: Precious Lord, Take My Hand / You've Got a Friend" | Thomas A. Dorsey, Frank Frazier / Carole King | 5:34 |
3. | "Old Landmark" | W. Herbert Brewster, Adeline M. Brunner | 3:40 |
4. | "Give Yourself to Jesus" | Robert Fryson | 5:16 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "How I Got Over" | Clara Ward | 4:22 |
2. | "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" | Joseph M. Scriven, Charles Crozat Converse | 6:03 |
3. | "Amazing Grace" | John Newton | 10:45 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Precious Memories" | J.B.F. Wright | 7:20 |
2. | "Climbing Higher Mountains" | Traditional | 2:32 |
3. | "Remarks by Reverend C.L. Franklin" | 1:56 | |
4. | "God Will Take Care of You" | Traditional | 8:48 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Wholy Holy" | Marvin Gaye, Renaldo Benson, Al Cleveland | 5:30 |
2. | "You'll Never Walk Alone" | Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II | 6:31 |
3. | "Never Grow Old" | Traditional | 9:57 |
Information is based on this edition's liner notes [5]
Amazing Grace, a documentary/concert film directed by Sydney Pollack for Warner Bros., was set to be released as part of a double bill with Super Fly in 1972. [6] However, Pollack was unable to complete the film because he had not used a clapperboard to synchronize the picture and sound at the beginning of each take. [7] The film ended up in the studio vaults for over 38 years. Before Pollack's death in 2008, he turned the footage over to producer Alan Elliott, who after two years succeeded in synchronizing the picture and sound and completing the film. [7]
Elliott first planned to release the film in 2011, but was prevented from doing so when Franklin sued him for using her likeness without permission. [7] However, Franklin's original contract for the film was later discovered at Warner Bros., and Elliott planned to show the film at the Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, and Chicago International Film Festival in 2015. [7] [8] Franklin once again sued and was granted an emergency injunction against the Telluride screening, saying she had not given permission to screen the footage. [9] Franklin issued a statement saying, "Justice, respect and what is right prevailed and one's right to own their own self-image." [10] Due to the ongoing litigation, the film was then removed from the schedules of both the Chicago [8] and Toronto [11] festivals as well.
The film premiered on November 12, 2018, three months after Franklin's death. [12] [13]
Unless otherwise indicated, information is based on the album's liner notes: [14]
Chart (1972) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canada Top Albums/CDs ( RPM ) [15] | 23 |
US Billboard 200 [16] | 7 |
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [17] | 2 |
Chart (2018) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Top Gospel Albums (Billboard) [18] | 2 |
US Top Gospel Albums (Billboard) [18] The Complete Recordings | 1 |
Chart (2021) | Peak position |
---|---|
Japanese Albums (Oricon) [19] | 42 |
UK Christian & Gospel Albums (OCC) [20] | 3 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United States (RIAA) [21] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Aretha Louise Franklin was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the "Queen of Soul", Rolling Stone twice named her as the greatest singer of all time. With global sales of over 75 million records, Franklin is one of the world's best-selling music artists.
Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music, and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. Gospel music is composed and performed for many purposes. Including aesthetic pleasure, religious or ceremonial purposes, and as an entertainment product for the marketplace. Gospel music is characterized by dominant vocals and strong use of harmony with Christian lyrics. Gospel music can be traced to the early 17th century.
The 15th Annual Grammy Awards were held on March 3, 1973, at the Tennessee Theatre in Nashville, Tennessee. The event was the first Grammy ceremony not to be held in either New York City or Los Angeles. The 15th Grammys were also the first to be broadcast live on CBS, which has carried every Grammy telecast since.
The 14th Annual Grammy Awards were held March 14, 1972, and were broadcast live on television in the United States by ABC; the following year, they would move the telecasts to CBS, where they remain to this date. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the year 1971.
I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You is the tenth studio album by American singer Aretha Franklin, released on March 10, 1967 by Atlantic Records. It was Franklin's first release under her contract with the label, following her departure from Columbia Records after nine unsuccessful Jazz standard albums, and marked a commercial breakthrough for her, becoming her first top 10 album in the United States, reaching number 2 on the Billboard 200. Two singles were released to promote the album: "Respect" and "I Never Loved a Man ". The former topped the Billboard Hot 100, while latter reached the top 10.
Reverend James Edward Cleveland was an American gospel singer, musician, and composer. Known as the King of Gospel, Cleveland was a driving force behind the creation of the modern gospel sound by incorporating traditional black gospel, soul, pop, and jazz in arrangements for mass choirs. Throughout his career, Cleveland appeared on hundreds of recordings and earned four Grammy Awards. He was the first gospel musician to earn a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1984. For his trailblazing accomplishments, he is regarded by many as one of the greatest gospel singers who ever lived. His best known recordings include "Lord, Help Me to Hold Out", "Peace Be Still", "I Don't Feel No Ways Tired", “Where Is Your Faith", "The Love of God", "God Has Smiled on Me", and "Jesus Is the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me."
He Touched Me is the 17th studio album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, released in April 1972. A contemporary gospel music album, it earned him his second of three Grammy Awards. The album was his third and final studio gospel album, and the most contemporary of the three. He Touched Me was certified Gold on March 27, 1992 and Platinum on July 15, 1999 by the RIAA.
"Take My Hand, Precious Lord" is a gospel song. The lyrics were written by Thomas A. Dorsey, who also adapted the melody.
"(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" is a 1967 song by American soul singer Aretha Franklin released as a single by the Atlantic label. The words were written by Gerry Goffin from an idea by Atlantic producer Jerry Wexler, and the music was composed by Carole King. Written for Franklin, the record was a big hit reaching number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100, and became one of her signature songs. It made history on the UK Singles Chart a week after her death, finally becoming a hit almost 51 years after it was first released, entering at No. 79. Franklin also included a live recording on the album Aretha in Paris in 1968.
"Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn.
This discography documents the releases of albums and singles by Aretha Franklin. Widely regarded as the "Queen of Soul", she has sold more than 75 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling R&B female artists of all time. Billboard ranks her as the 34th Greatest Artist of all time. Franklin has scored 73 entries on the Billboard Hot 100, the most among women for nearly 50 years until Nicki Minaj passed her in 2017. Billboard listed her as the 41st Top Gospel Artist of the 2010s. She has accumulated 20 No. 1 hits on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
Thomas Anthony Whitfield was an American gospel singer, songwriter, arranger, pianist, choir director and producer best known for helping to shape the fabric of contemporary gospel music with his elaborate choral arrangements and the merging of musical styles ranging from jazz to classical into traditional gospel foundations. This style earned him the respectable title of "Maestro" by many of his colleagues and supporters. He was best known for organizing one of the popular contemporary gospel choirs of all time, the Thomas Whitfield Company, and for producing best-selling records for Vanessa Bell Armstrong, Shirley Caesar, Yolanda Adams, Douglas Miller, Keith Pringle, Paul Morton and for Aretha Franklin.
"How I Got Over" is a Gospel hymn composed and published in 1951 by Clara Ward (1924–1973). Notable recordings of this work have been made by Mahalia Jackson, and the Blind Boys of Alabama. It was performed by Mahalia Jackson at the historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963 before 250,000 people.
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.
One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism is a 1987 gospel album recorded by Aretha Franklin, for Arista Records. Recorded at New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit, Michigan, over the course of three nights, One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism became an album that combined the gospel talents of Aretha, her sisters Erma and Carolyn, and fellow gospel singer Mavis Staples.
The Southern California Community Choir is a choir founded by the Rev. James Cleveland.
"Let Us Go Back to the Old Landmark", also known as "The Old Landmark", is a gospel song. Sometimes credited as "traditional", it was written by William Herbert Brewster, Sr. and published in 1949 in an arrangement by Virginia Davis. It was recorded by Brewster's own group, the Brewster Singers, and by many other gospel performers including Edna Gallmon Cooke, Clara Ward, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, and The Staple Singers. Later recordings were made by Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick, and Sweet Honey in the Rock. Some of the recordings credit the writing of the song to Adeline Brunner. It is featured in the 1980 film The Blues Brothers, where it is performed by James Brown with the Rev. James Cleveland Choir. It also appears on the film's soundtrack album.
Aretha Franklin Sings the Great Diva Classics is the thirty-eighth and final studio album by American recording artist Aretha Franklin and was released on October 17, 2014. It features ten covers of songs made famous by female recording artists.
Amazing Grace is a 2018 concert film "realized and produced" by Alan Elliott. The film's footage was shot under the direction of Sydney Pollack, who does not receive directorial credit, just a "special thanks." Amazing Grace stars Aretha Franklin recording her 1972 live album of the same name. It co-stars James Cleveland, Alexander Hamilton, and the Southern California Community Choir, and features her father C. L. Franklin.
Respect is a 2021 American biographical musical drama film directed by Liesl Tommy, written by Tracey Scott Wilson and Callie Khouri, based on the life of American singer Aretha Franklin. The film stars Jennifer Hudson as Franklin, with Forest Whitaker, Marlon Wayans, Audra McDonald, Marc Maron, Tituss Burgess, and Mary J. Blige in supporting roles. The film follows the first three decades of Franklin's life, from being born as a musical prodigy in an affluent African-American family, the repercussions of losing her mother at age 10 to her arduous rise to international musical stardom, while enduring an abusive marriage, ultimately concluding with the recording of her influential live album Amazing Grace (1972).