Het opduiken van de beelden van dit inderdaad legendarische optreden van Aretha Franklin op de pieken van haar artistieke vermogens is een gebeurtenis van jewelste. Paul Acket boekte haar in Nederland en had een primeur want niet eerder was The Queen Of Soul in Europa en dat zou daarna helaas ook niet meer voorkomen. In een kolkende zee van volkomen uit hun plaat gaande jongelui, zowel blank als zwart, heupwiegt Aretha soepel op de beperkte vierkante meters die over blijven op het met idioten bevolkte podium. Een regen van rozen daalt op haar neer, maar de charismatische zangeres schrikt nergens van. Ook niet als haar fans bijna boven op haar piano zitten, als zij een bloedstollende versie van Dr. Feelgood speelt. Deze DVD bevat veel van Aretha's songs uit de vermaarde beginperiode op Atlantic. Soul heeft niet beter, Aretha is de ab-so-lu-te top en deze wonderlijke film geeft een prachtig tijdsbeeld.
01. Arrival at the Concertgebouw + Interview
02. Satisfaction
03. Don't let me lose this dream
04. Soul Serenade
05. Groovin'
06. A Natural Woman
07. Come Back Baby
08. Dr Feelgood
09. Since You've Been Gone (Sweet Sweet Baby)
10. Good To Me As I Am To You
11. I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You)
12. Chain Of Fools
13. Respect
This DVD shows very rare and unique footage of Aretha in a very
productive and creative part of her career. Like Ray Charles,
Aretha is a true original with the deepness, power and soul that
trancends the decades. Every vocalist in soul music owes
something to Aretha Franklin. In the land of Soul she reigns
supreme.
The Amsterdam concert kicks off with an energetic version of the
Mick Jagger/Keith Richards hit Satisfaction. For the next tune the
tempo comes down for Don’t Let Me Lose This Dream, written by
Aretha and her husband cum manager Ted White. Next on the
programme is Willie Mitchell’s 1968 hit Soul Serenade. Originally
written as an instrumental, lyrics were later supplied by
producer/writer Luther Dixon. The trumpets miss just about
everything but it’s Aretha’s powerful delivery that keeps the thing
together. After a short version of The Young Rascals’ Groovin’,
it’s time for Natural Woman, written by songwriter couple Carole
King and Gerry Goffin. This is followed by Ray Charles’ Come
Back Baby and the audience, having been summoned to stay in
their seats, continues to dance sitting down. These last three
tunes came from Aretha’s LP Lady Soul that had been released
three months earlier. For the next three songs Aretha changes
places with the very able pianist Gary Illingworth to accompany
herself doing Dr. Feelgood and her latest hit Since You’ve Been
Gone. Both were written by Aretha and Ted White. The slow
blues Dr. Feelgood is one of the sublime moments of the concert.
It has Aretha doing what she does best; deep, soulful gospel with
impeccable piano accompaniment and Aretha laying it down and
telling it like it is. Dutch newspaper critics at the time thought this
was the best song of the concert. The third song of this segment
of the show is Good To Me As I Am To You, another emotional
blues from Aretha’s pen. With Illingworth back at the keyboard
Aretha returns to centre stage and goes into Ronnie Shannon’s I
Never Loved A Man (The Way I Loved You) which was her first
hit on Atlantic. In retrospect Aretha’s ad-lib “and I want to leave
him right here with you tonight” which is also on the Paris
concert, can be construed as a reference to the waning of marital
bliss between Aretha and Ted White (whom she would divorce
the next year) or as a remark about the band that he put
together. Next is a great version Don Covay’s Chain
Of Fools and Aretha closes her concert with a roaring version of
what is perhaps Aretha’s greatest hit, Otis Redding’s Respect.
