I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You | 
| Manufacturer: Rhino Atlantic
Buy New: $7.99
Rating:  35 reviews
Sales Rank: 2152
Genre: soul-music
Media: MP3 Download
Running Time: 0 Minutes
ASIN: B0011Z0YYU
Release Date: April 17, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews: Read 30 more reviews...
the Queen, indeed September 10, 2004
J. Brady (PAWLEYS ISLAND, SC United States)
11 out of 13 found this review helpful
So much has been written about this album that it's really tough to add anything new. And the term "classic" is thrown around so much these days that it's hard to put it into any useful perspective. But the bottom line is this: any serious fan of music should have a copy of this; it trascends all labels, all boundaries. It is a must have. And there is a reason Rolling Stone Magazine gives this 5 stars and calls this "the Best Soul Album Ever Recorded" ( it says so right on the cd package.) From the instantly recognizable sass and strut of "Respect", to the blues belter "Dr Feelgood", through the Bossa Nova-flavoured "Don't Let Me Lose This Dream", every song is a winner. Miss Franklin even had a hand in writing several of the tracks on this album, showing she is much more than just "the world's greatest soul singer." There are more classic songs on this album than you can shake a stick at. Just read the tracklisting and see for yourself. Franklin is backed by the Muscle Shoals house band on this album, although only one song ( the incredible title track ) was recorded entirely in the famous Alabama studio, and they really deliver the goods. As good as some of her mostly overlooked Columbia Records material was ( and a lot of it was very good, although it was more "adult" in that it was more jazz oriented ) her Atlantic debut has a passion - grit and soul- that had never before been captured on tape. And Franklin has a gift of interpretation ( only hinted at during her 5 years with Columbia Records, where she mostly sang big band, jazz, blues, soul and pop covers, as well as a small handfull of self-penned originals ) that is unequaled in the world of popular music. Her covers of Otis Redding's "Respect, of "Drown In My Own Tears" ( previously recorded by both Dinah Washington and by Ray Charles ) and of Sam Cooke's beautiful ballad "A Change Is Gonna Come" make you forget the orginals. The Reign Begins Here.
R.E.S.P.E.C.T Her September 4, 2007
Josephll (CET)
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
What could I possibly say about Aretha Franklin that haven't been said before. We all know she's a tremendous singer with huge impact on Soul music, just mentioning her name is Respect giving. Aretha probably got the most recognizable female voice in history and one of the greatest too. But she also had a huge impact for female solo singers and women in general. Many of her anthems dealt with woman's emancipation in the turbulence of the late 60's just aswell as plenty of political songs for the civil rights movement. Aretha comes out as a strong independent woman with alot to say that craves respect from anyone, but she was actually one of the first female Soul/R&B singers to make it solo. Based on her magnificient voice it isn't hard to see why but back in the day there were few female singers. Most were stuck in diffrent kind of manufacted groups singing music that had been written and produced by profesionals like Phil Spector with very little artistic creativity of their own. The Ronettes, The Marvelettes, The Supremes were just a few examples in a myriad of rather simular sounding early 60's girl groups where oftengood looks were more important then actual talent. Aretha would never have fit into any of those bands cause she didn't look like Diana Ross but thanks got she went solo instead cause she opened doors to so many others and the recordings she left behind are nothing short of majestic.
Things could have gone diffrently though. Aretha was under contract with Columbia Records for six years and released several albums for them. Unfortunately, the music that was released was more Jazzy then the Gospel Soul that later became her trademark, While it wasn't bad per se it just seemed that Columbia wanted something diffrent out of her and this stopped her artistic development. After very few memorable hits and a sound that wasn't her own she accepted an offer from Atlantic in 1966. After 1 year in the studio she released this, a true landmark for Soul and Aretha would make her nickname "The Queen of Soul" justice.
The not so aptly titled album "I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You" feauture classics like "Respect", "Dr Feelgood" and the title track "I Never Loved A Man" ofcourse. Alot of the songs were actually written by men, Otis Redding who sadly died in the same year wrote "Respect" the biggest female anthem of all time but it suits Aretha perfect and became "her's" with her outstanding vocal performence and great backround choirs. The way she sings this one makes is hard for any man not to respect her. The song spent an impressive 8 weeks at #1 on the pop charts in 1967. "Drown in My Own Tears" was previously recorded by Ray Charles and it's a slower piano based song of sorrow, in this case a woman who misses her man and will literally drown in her own tears if he won't come back. Aretha puts her whole soul into this song and you will hear it time after time on this album. "I Never Loved A Man (The Way I love You)" is another strong number and the lyrics are very straight forward of a woman that had enough of her man that can't treat her right "You're a no good heart breaker/ You're a liar and you're a cheat/And I don't know why, I let you do these things to me" Aretha even gives herself dignity and sais "Baby, you know that I'm the best thing That you ever had". "Soul Serenade" is actually more or less an instrumental, she just sings the title while her band backs her up perfect. Even if many of the Aretha classics weren't written by her, she co- wrote the next song "Don't Let Me Lose This Dream" with her by then husband Ted White. Personally I think it's one of the best songs. Next song "Baby, Baby, Baby" was co-written by her and her sister. A very powerful love song with alot of soul and Aretha shows talent for writing aswell.
She and her husband wrote the song "Dr Feelgood" aswell. More bluesy, yet soulful and the most famous of Aretha originals. Based on the sexy lyrics I bet Ted White was a great lover. "Good Times" is the first of two Sam Cooke covers. This is a great but a it short recording and mostly a feel good song, backed by a jazzy band. The wonderful "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man" another female anthem is summed up perfect with these lines "A woman's only human/You should understand/She's not just a play thing/She's flesh and blood just like her man". This song was written by two young white men and it got this country feeling. Once again Aretha made it her own in her special way. She wrote "Save Me" which is an uptempo song slightly simular to "Respect" with great horns and bass. The closer "A Change Is Gonna Come" was a hit for Sam Cooke (my alltime favorite singer) and it's one of the greatest songs I know. It was a song about the civil rights movement and the message is very clear. Cooke's version was slightly diffrent, slower more forward while Aretha's is more soulish and powerful. As hard as it is to challenge Cooke's undisputed classic, Aretha makes a great job and I like both versions.
Overall, A true classic in every way. Aretha delivers from song to song and there's nothing here that isn't brilliant, the only problem I have is that too many of the recordings are cut short and would be much better if they would be longer but back then few songs were over 3 minutes. This would be a landmark for alot of upcoming soul and the new-start of a long and successful career. It's hard for me to express how good this album is, so if you haven't heard it yet go get it. This is a must have in your collection and if You're further interested in her music, check out Lady Soul aswell which is equally good. There can only be one Queen of Soul and she's in full control.
in case of loss of soul: open case, insert cd & press play February 18, 2003
R. Davis (louisville, ky)
8 out of 10 found this review helpful
i always heard me some aretha playin on the radio somewhere in my mama's house when i was growin up but my first real recollection of seeing her was in the movie 'blues brothers' (a classic!)... but, alas, i came of age in the 80's, meaning i couldnt appreciate any of the true artists that gave meaning and definition to the words "soul music"... the 80's was the antithesis of soul - electronic, synthesized and cold. so to make a short story shorter, i started gettin my soul back in the late 1990's... and aretha has been leading the way for me ever since! aretha, gladys, isaac, al, teddy, marvin, ojays, isleys, patti, smokey, stevie... if you breathe, you should own at least ONE of each of these folks cd's... this is cornerstone music... start with this one... remove the annoying protective seal,
open case,
remove cd and watch the sun reflect gently from the surface,
place cd into player,
press play...
and gitcho soul back!
R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Giving The Queen Her Propers June 14, 2000
David Wayne (Santee, CA United States)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
Aretha Franklin always had the tools. She was the daughter of a minister and grew up singing in the church. She could also play a mean piano, whether slow and soulfully, or fast and rollicking. At the age of 18 she signed with Columbia Records. For the next 6 years, she recorded a huge body of work, ranging from jazz and blues, to standards and pop, to straight R&B and soul. The label didn't seem to know what to do with her, in terms of consistent direction. But all of that dues-paying singing Aretha did in those early years would soon pay off in a big way. When her CBS contract expired, Atlantic Records snapped her up faster than you can say "Gold Records." The rest, as they say, is history. This album changed things all at once for Aretha. Its release proved to be both a coming-out party and a coronation. And a singer who, to that point, was considered an also-ran amidst the landscape of soul-singing Sisters, took her rightful place as The Queen of Soul. It is a place she still holds today. No one could do it like Aretha! This landmark set contained two singles that changed the face of pop music. The title cut set the tone with its first biting line: "You're a no good heartbreaker!" But, of course, Aretha loves him. In that way, she was like a lot of other women, especially Black women. That's really the key to Aretha's success: she knows how to talk to women. Sisterhood has really always been where she was coming from. The next single, "Respect," is considered by most to be the greatest pop single of all time. Which is amazing, considering that its writer, Otis Redding, had a big R&B hit with the song only 2 years prior. The story goes that when Otis first heard Aretha's version, he told his producer, "That girl done stole my song!" He was right. Aretha, singing and playing her heart out, was all over "Respect." She demanded her propers not only for herself, but for Black women, for women worldwide, for Black people, and for oppressed people everywhere. The album's third single, "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man," is another classic. And this deep, deep set also contains favorites like "Don't Let Me Lose This Dream" and "Soul Serenade." And Aretha showcases all she learned singing the blues at CBS, with her self-penned "Dr. Feelgood," which is still one of her biggest numbers at live shows. One listen to this song, and you can't help but say, "Right on, Sister!" or "You go, Girl!" In case you don't know, this album routinely makes the top ten of lists of the best albums ever. I rank it just behind "What's Going On" by Marvin Gaye, as the second-best soul album of all-time.
One of the best albums ever July 15, 2001
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
A lot of people have called this the best soul album ever. That's selling it short. Certainly Aretha Franklin's voice and piano playing, along with those fat horns behind her, are the very definition of soul. But this album is so good that if you made a list of the best albums of all times in ANY genre this one would have to be on it.Even if you own one of the greatest hits collections, or even the boxed set, you need this album (and probably "Lady Soul" as well). It just all hangs together so beautifully. "Respect" starts it off with a great big blast of horns and Aretha's commanding voice. Then she slows down and breaks your heart with "Drown In My Own Tears." Most of the rest of the songs on the album are more emotionally complicated, combining the qualities of the first two songs. They mine the pain of deep love and at the same time demand respect and decent treatment (You have to understand that this album came out in 1967 - several years before the modern feminist movement began - to realize how remarkable that is. And to this day I don't think any singer other than Lauryn Hill has captured women's simultaneous need for love and dignity as well). The album ends on a perfect note: Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come." Cooke originally wrote the song as a kind of response to Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are A-Changing." Cooke was more optimistic than Dylan, and the song suggests that despite the pain and turmoil of the sixties, better days were ahead, particularly in the area of civil rights. It's also a deeply religious song. When Aretha sings it, she holds out the same hope and optimism for the country that Sam Cooke did. But in the context of the album, it seems to take on a more personal meaning as well. It's not just about different races learning to get along, but about men and women learning to give each other respect as well. I literally can't listen to her sing it without crying. If this song doesn't set your soul on fire, you haven't got one. All in all, this is one of those rare albums, in the same category as Kind of Blue, Sgt. Pepper, and Blonde on Blonde, that you just have to own and listen to over and over again. It's not just great popular music, it's a work of art.
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