Hey Now Hey (The Other Side of the Sky)

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Hey Now Hey (The Other Side of the Sky)
Aretha Franklin - Hey Now Hey (The Other Side of the Sky).jpg
Studio album by
Aretha Franklin
ReleasedJune 25, 1973
RecordedApril–August 1972
Studio Record Plant, Los Angeles, California.
Length47:11
Label
Producer
Aretha Franklin chronology
Amazing Grace
(1972)		Hey Now Hey (The Other Side of the Sky)
(1973)		 The Best of Aretha Franklin
(1973)

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Christgau's Record Guide B− [2]
Ebony mixed [3]
Jazz Digestpositive [4]
Rolling Stone mixed [5]

Hey Now Hey (The Other Side of the Sky) is the nineteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Aretha Franklin.

Contents

Recorded in April, [6] May, [7] and August 1972 [8] at the Record Plant in Los Angeles and released in mid-1973 by Atlantic Records, it was the first Atlantic album by Franklin to not be produced by Jerry Wexler, instead being produced by Quincy Jones. This album was originally planned to be a straight jazz album, as Jerry Wexler told both Mark Bego and David Ritz in their respective accounts of Franklin's life. [9] [10] However, as the sessions evolved, Franklin and Jones began embracing and incorporating pop, soul, and funk. More than 20 songs were recorded for the album. Eight previously unreleased recordings were issued on 2007's Rare & Unreleased Recordings from the Golden Reign of the Queen of Soul . 2021's Aretha compilation included an additional two unreleased recordings from the sessions, an alternate take of "Somewhere" and the work tape of "Angel". [11]

The album was reissued on compact disc through Rhino Records in 1994. The song "Master of Eyes (The Deepness of Your Eyes)" was included as a bonus track on the 1994 reissue, being the only song from the sessions issued but excluded from the initial release in 1973. [12]

Reception

Commercially, Hey Now Hey was considered a failure. It was Franklin's first Atlantic album to miss the Top 25 of the main Billboard chart, peaking at number 30, and reaching number 2 on the R&B albums listing. The album's first offering, "Master of Eyes (The Deepness of Your Eyes)," was a miss, peaking at number 33 on the pop charts and number 8 on the R&B charts and was subsequently not included on the album. However, "Angel", written by Franklin's younger sister Carolyn Franklin, proved to be a redeeming entry, restoring Franklin to the No. 1 spot on the R&B chart and top 20 on the pop chart. [13]

The album divided critics at the time. Rolling Stone praised Aretha's singing and certain moments but criticized Jones' productions and called the Aretha-written compositions as underdeveloped, anemic, and not measuring up to the standards she'd set for herself previously. [14] Jazz Digest criticized the album's cover, but said that "Ms. Franklin is cooking her tail off here!" and complimented her as "the only emergent singer of the '60s with anything to say. [15] " Ebony called the album "a very mixed bag," but noted that "Angel" "presents Aretha at her best. [16] "

Track listing

Side One

  1. "Hey Now Hey (The Other Side of the Sky)" (Aretha Franklin) – 4:41
  2. "Somewhere" (Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim) – 6:14
  3. "So Swell When You're Well" (James Booker, Aretha Franklin) – 4:14
  4. "Angel" (Carolyn Franklin, Sonny Sanders) – 4:26
  5. "Sister from Texas" (Aretha Franklin) – 3:08

Side Two

  1. "Mister Spain" (Carolyn Plummer) – 6:41
  2. "That's The Way I Feel About Cha" (Bobby Womack, Jim Grisby, Joe Hicks) – 7:10
  3. "Moody's Mood" (James Moody, Jimmy McHugh, Dorothy Fields) – 2:55
  4. "Just Right Tonight" (Aretha Franklin, Avery Parrish, Buddy Feyne, Quincy Jones, Robert Bruce) – 7:42

CD reissue bonus track [17]

  1. "Master of Eyes (The Deepness of Your Eyes)" (Aretha Franklin, Bernice Hart) – 3:25

Personnel

Technical personnel

References

  1. ↑ Bedard, George. Hey Now Hey at AllMusic
  2. ↑ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: F". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies . Ticknor & Fields. ISBN   089919026X . Retrieved February 24, 2019– via robertchristgau.com.
  3. ↑ Garland, Phyl (November 1973). "Sounds". Ebony Magazine. No. 29. p. 30.
  4. ↑ Wyndham, Tex (September 1, 1973). "Album Briefs". Jazz Digest. pp. 18–19.
  5. ↑ Gersten, Russell (August 2, 1973). "Hey Now Hey The Other Side Of The Sky". Rolling Stone. No. 140. pp. 47–48.
  6. ↑ "Atlantic Records Discography: 1972; Aretha Franklin" . Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  7. ↑ "Atlantic Records Discography: 1972; Aretha Franklin" . Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  8. ↑ "Atlantic Records Discography: 1972; Aretha Franklin" . Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  9. ↑ Bego, Mark. Aretha Franklin: The Queen of Soul. Da Capo Press. p. 155.
  10. ↑ Ritz, David (2014). Respect: The Life of Aretha Franklin. Little, Brown. pp. 261–262.
  11. ↑ "Aretha [2021]". AllMusic . Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  12. ↑ "Hey Now Hey". Amazon. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  13. ↑ "Aretha Franklin Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  14. ↑ Gersten, Russell (August 2, 1973). "Hey Now Hey The Other Side Of The Sky". Rolling Stone. No. 140. pp. 47–48.
  15. ↑ Wyndham, Tex (September 1, 1973). "Album Briefs". Jazz Digest. pp. 18–19.
  16. ↑ Garland, Phyl (November 1973). "Sounds". Ebony Magazine. No. 29. p. 30.
  17. ↑ "Hey Now Hey". Amazon. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
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