About Live At Fillmore West by Aretha Franklin Album
Live at Fillmore West is a live album by American singer Aretha Franklin. Released on May 19, 1971, by Atlantic Records. It was reissued on compact disc in 1993 through Rhino Records. An expanded, limited edition 4-CD box set entitled, Don't Fight the Feeling: The Complete Aretha Franklin & King Curtis Live at Fillmore West was released by Rhino in 2005. This was limited to 5000 numbered copies. In addition, there is a guest duet vocal by Ray Charles on "Spirit in the Dark". Franklin played a Fender Rhodes piano on four cuts, including "Eleanor Rigby", "Spirit in the Dark", "Don't Play That Song" and "Dr. Feelgood". Backing Franklin was King Curtis' band, the Kingpins, featuring Cornell Dupree on guitar, Bernard Purdie on drums, and Jerry Jemmott on bass, Billy Preston on organ, Curtis on saxophone, together with the Memphis Horns. The album reached number one on the Billboard R&B album chart on June 19, 1971. The recording was made at the Fillmore West concert hall, the storied rock venue in San Francisco, over three nights, March 5, 6 and 7 in 1971. The album opens with Aretha's best-known song, her version of Otis Redding's "Respect". The album features Aretha's take on many "hippie" anthems as Aretha and Atlantic Records executive/album producer Jerry Wexler wanted to reach out to the expected hippie audience in San Francisco. Covers include the Bread song "Make it With You", the Stephen Stills song, "Love the One You're With", Diana Ross' "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)", the Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby" and Simon and Garfunkel's "Bridge over Troubled Water". Personnel Aretha Franklin – vocals, Fender Rhodes Cornell Dupree – guitar Jerry Jemmott – bass Truman Thomas – piano Billy Preston – organ Bernard Purdie – drums Pancho Morales – congas King Curtis – saxophone, orchestra leader Memphis Horns – horns Brenda Bryant, Margaret Branch, Pat Smith – backing vocals Arif Mardin – horn arrangements Larry Wilcox – horn arrangement on "Make It With You" Tom Dowd – horn arrangement on "Don't Play That Song" Ray Charles – piano on "Spirit in the Dark"
