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Did Aretha ever appear, guest w/ any proggers?
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spacechick View Drop Down
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    Posted: January 20 2024 at 12:53
I do a weekly prog program for a non-prof entity. I am putting together a Black History Month special.   Aretha Franklin is my fave female singer.   Needless to say, I never play her (or is it needless?), but this time, looking for a way to do so.   This is a long shot I would think, but did she ever guest, appear or work with any prog musicians or on any prog. material? I suppose her Columbia catalog crosses to jazz, which to some would be proggy.   Honestly I never gravitated to that, unless there's something exceptional I overlooked.   I was actually hoping to hear about something 1969 or later, during the prog rock, post-prog or neo prog eras.   Perhaps I am revealing with this topic that I have not delved into much of Aretha's repertoire, gravitating to the same Atlantic hits here. Guilty as charged.
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She did cover a few acid rock songs, I think "Sunshine of Your Love". Let me see what I can dig up.

I couldn't find "Sunshine ...", although I still think it exists. Anyway, here she is singing Paul Simon's mega art pop song, "Bridge Over Troubled waters"



She also covers several Beatles'songs; Elanor Rigby, Fool on the Hill and The Long and Winding Road"



Edited by Easy Money - January 20 2024 at 15:42
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spacechick View Drop Down
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Thanks!! Well the Beatles are undeniably one of of the 1st prog bands. Aretha covering "Sunshine of your Love" is sure obscure. Are you sure you're not thinking of Ella Fitzgerald's cover?
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Points: 10617 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Easy Money Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 21 2024 at 19:08
A tape recording I made of an acid jazz radio show in SF had a heavy soul version of "Sunshine.." by a singer who sounded similar to Aretha. It's not the Ella version, but I guess it is not Aretha either. I wonder who that singer is.

Edited by Easy Money - January 21 2024 at 19:18
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Well Arethas go to drummer troughout the 1970's was Bernard Purdie. He plays on:

Miles Davis – Get Up with It
Steely Dan – The Royal Scam
Steely Dan – Aja
Steely Dan – Gaucho

On many of her 70's recordings you'll also find additional names such as:

Stanley Clarke (Return to Forever, solo and much more)
Joe Farrell (also Return to Forever)
Steve Gadd (Return to Forever, Kate Bush, Al De Meola...)
Eumir Deodato
+ Billy Preston "the fifth Beatle" for a short period

They basically played a lot on each others albums too.

-jazz rock fusion guys that could play circles around most prog rock groups.
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Originally posted by spacechick spacechick wrote:

Thanks!! Well the Beatles are undeniably one of of the 1st prog bands. Aretha covering "Sunshine of your Love" is sure obscure. Are you sure you're not thinking of Ella Fitzgerald's cover?

The Beatles did some progressive material but in no way, shape or form should they be considered one of the first prog bands. Anyway, no I don't think she ever collaborated with any prog bands. 
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I think her working with Frank Zappa would have been very interesting. They could have called it ArethaFrankZappalin and done "Chain of Dancin' Fools" Add a Led in there had Led Zeppelin contributed.
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AFLOWERKINGCRIMSON I did not mean in a super super literal sense that the Beatles were one of the first prog bands.   I was being social b/c someone suggested Aretha covering the Beatles. Like you're saying, the Beatles did do some progressive material. And it was influential. And it was early on.   Sgt. Peppers' ... came out in '67.   Well there was also much acid folk/ rock that year out of San Francisco.   The Nice's first album was only a year later.    The Syn was kicking around.   Some of the musicians in the future greatest prog bands were doing some interesting proto-prog things in'67. I mean who else in the rock world was doing really progressive material in this time period? I see the Moody Blues' 1st album was out, but I don't have a large list of key players for then.   I sure would like to learn more.

And by the way, your view that Aretha has no progressive material is valid.   I find the connections that the others brought up very intriguing, but it's ok not all share that view.
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spacechick View Drop Down
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Points: 6 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote spacechick Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 23 2024 at 09:11
Originally posted by Logan Logan wrote:

I think her working with Frank Zappa would have been very interesting. They could have called it ArethaFrankZappalin and done "Chain of Dancin' Fools" Add a Led in there had Led Zeppelin contributed.


That would have been an incredibly awesome release.
Let's make T-shirts of it.
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spacechick View Drop Down
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Points: 6 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote spacechick Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 23 2024 at 09:12
Originally posted by Logan Logan wrote:

I think her working with Frank Zappa would have been very interesting. They could have called it ArethaFrankZappalin and done "Chain of Dancin' Fools" Add a Led in there had Led Zeppelin contributed.
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Points: 6401 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote mathman0806 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 23 2024 at 11:28
Originally posted by Logan Logan wrote:

I think her working with Frank Zappa would have been very interesting. They could have called it ArethaFrankZappalin and done "Chain of Dancin' Fools" Add a Led in there had Led Zeppelin contributed.


Back when I was in college, there was a band called Ted Zeppelin that did Ted Nugent and Led Zeppelin covers. ArethaFrankZappalin would definitely kick up a notch.
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miamiscot View Drop Down
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Points: 3566 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote miamiscot Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 24 2024 at 07:41
Ryo Okomoto (Spock's Beard) played with Aretha at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. The video's on YouTube!!!
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