Tag Archives: Aretha Franklin

DVDs, Movies, Music

One special ticket or ride: the must-have 5-DVD collection, “The Soul of the Midnight Special”

We offer you one special ticket to ride: The Soul of the Midnight Special. This must-have 5-DVD (Time Life) brings home audiences and music lovers everywhere an unforgettable collection of legendary soul artists performing their hits in the prime of their careers—uncut performances, just straight-from-the-heart soul singing with live musicians in front of a live audience.
In the period between American Bandstand and MTV, there were sev­eral shows that tried to bring new music to television, but it wasn’t until The Midnight Special, premiered on August 19, 1972, that live music found a home on the air. Burt Sugarman, producer of Grammy Awards telecasts, was frustrated by television’s lack of programming after The Tonight Show ended; the screen reverting to test patterns at 1:00 a.m. Recognizing this valuable airtime could cater to a brand-new audience that craved its latest musical heroes, he created The Midnight Special, which ran every Friday night on NBC from 1972 to 1981.

https://youtu.be/T1ui5x-9zd8

The’70s was a special time for soul music and The Midnight Special truly had an affinity for the genre. Week after week, home audiences would have virtual front row seats for performances by the greatest soul performers of the time including Al Green, Earth Wind & Fire, Patti LaBelle, Bill Withers, Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, Spinners, The O’Jays, Teddy Pendergrass, The Stylistics, Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight and the Pips and so many more. The Midnight Special was the only show where you could see real live performances week after week.

Now, the first time ever,  The Soul of the Midnight Special brings together the greatest soul performances handpicked from thousands in one very special collection. Included is an incredible collection of true soul classics, many of which haven’t been seen since their original broadcast: from Let’s Stay Together to Midnight Train to Georgia to love songs like the Stylistics’ Betcha by Golly, Wow to dance grooves like Sly & the Family Stone’s Dance to the Music and Ohio Players’ Fire. All-time classic performances include Back Stabbers by the O’Jays, Tired of Being Alone by Al Green, Could It Be I’m Falling in Love by Spinners, Lean on Me by Bill Withers, The Love I Lost by Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, and I Want to Take You Higher by Sly & the Family Stone. Also included are exclusive interviews with James Brown, Gladys Knight, Patti LaBelle, Maurice White of Earth, Wind & Fire The O’Jays, Russell Thompkins Jr. of The Stylistics, Bobby Womack, Ted Mills of Blue Magic, Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff, Gerald Alston, The Manhattans and George Benson.
The Soul of the Midnight Special includes (in alphabetical order):
  • Al Green — Tired of Being Alone (8/3/73), How Can You Mend a Broken Heart (8/3/73), I’m Still in Love with You (11/29/74), Let’s Stay Together (11/29/74)
  • Al Wilson — Show and Tell (3/1/74)
  • Barry White — You’re the First, the Last, My Everything (11/15/74), Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe (12/13/74), Never, Never Gonna Give You Up (12/13/74)
  • Bill Withers — Ain’t No Sunshine (3/22/74), Lean on Me (3/22/74)
  • Billy Preston — Will It Go Round in Circles (1/4/74)
  • Blue Magic — Sideshow (12/13/74)
  • Bobby Womack — Lookin’ for a Love (12/13/74)
  • Chuck Berry — Johnny B. Goode (11/2/73)
  • Curtis Mayfield — Back to the World (6/8/73), Freddie’s Dead (Theme from Superfly) (9/21/73), Superfly (1/4/74)
  • Earth, Wind & Fire — Devotion (4/18/75)
  • George Benson — This Masquerade (7/30/76)
  • Gladys Knight & the Pips — Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye) (4/6/73), I Heard It through the Grapevine (4/6/73), Midnight Train to Georgia (10/5/73), Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me (12/20/74)
  • Gladys Knight/B. B. King —The Thrill Is Gone (10/5/73)
  • Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes — Bad Luck (5/23/75), The Love I Lost (5/23/75), Let’s Get Together Soon (Hope That We Can Be Together Soon) (5/23/75)
  • James Brown — Sex Machine (8/6/76), Get Up Offa That Thing (8/6/76), Cold Sweat/Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag (10/8/76),
  • Johnnie Taylor — Who’s Making Love (11/2/73)
  • Kool & the Gang — Hollywood Swinging (12/20/74), Jungle Boogie (12/20/74)
  • LaBelle — Lady Marmalade (4/18/75)
  • Love Unlimited Orchestra — Love’s Theme (11/15/74)
  • Minne Riperton — Lovin’ You (7/18/75), Inside My Love (7/18/75)
  • Ohio Players — Fire (4/4/75), Skin Tight (4/4/75)
  • Ohio Players — Love Rollercoaster (12/19/75), Honey (12/19/75)
  • Ray Charles — Georgia on My Mind (3/30/73), What’d I Say (3/30/73)
  • Ray Charles/Aretha Franklin — Takes Two to Tango (3/30/73)
  • Rufus featuring Chaka Khan — Sweet Thing (12/12/75), Once You Get Started (12/12/75)
  • Sly & the Family Stone — Stand! (10/26/73), I Want to Take You Higher (10/26/73), Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin), (10/26/73), Dance to the Music (10/26/73)
  • Spinners — Could It Be I’m Falling in Love (2/9/73), I’ll Be Around (2/9/73), One of a Kind (Love Affair) (6/8/73), Sadie (2/14/75), Then Came You (2/14/75)
  • The Brothers Johnson– I’ll Be Good to You (10/8/76)
  • The Chi-Lites — Oh Girl (9/21/73)
  • The Main Ingredient — Just Don’t Want to Be Lonely (10/11/74), Everybody Plays The Fool (10/11/74)
  • The Manhattans — Kiss and Say Goodbye (12/3/76)
  • The Miracles — Love Machine (12/3/76)
  • The O’Jays — Back Stabbers (3/23/73), Love Train (3/23/73), Put Your Hands Together (913/74), Sunshine (9/13/74)
  • The Staple Singers — Let’s Do It Again (1/16/76), Respect Yourself (1/16/76)
  • The Stylistics — Betcha by Golly, Wow (6/1/73), Break Up to Make Up (6/1/73), I’m Stone in Love with You (6/1/73), You Make Me Feel Brand New (3/1/74)
  • The Sylvers — Boogie Fever (7/30/76)
  • Wilson Pickett — In the Midnight Hour (9/21/73)
Music

ACCLAIMED JOSS STONE’s “THE SOUL SESSIONS VOLUME 1” GETs VINYL REISSUE

Her real name is Joscelyn Eve Stoker, but she’s better-known as Joss Stone. She was born in Dover, Kent, England, and grew up listening to Dusty Springfield and Aretha Franklin, emulating their gritty, soulful style on her groundbreaking 2003 debut album, The Soul Sessions, Volume 1, which proved a worldwide sensation and has just been released on vinyl by UMe.

Image resultStone appeared on several U.K. TV talent shows, but was discovered by British producers Andy Dean and Ben Wolfe, who in turn convinced S-Curve Records founder U.S. label executive Steve Greenberg to audition Stone. Greenberg enlisted veteran Miami soul singer Betty Wright to work on what became The Soul Sessions album, with local musicians such as Benny Latimore, Timmy Thomas and Little Beaver as well as contemporaries Angie Stone and The Roots.

The idea behind the album was for Stone to record more obscure soul tracks by the likes of Aretha Franklin (“All the King’s Horses”), Carla Thomas (“I’ve Fallen in Love with You”), the Isley Brothers (“For the Love of You, Pts. 1 & 2”). Willy “Sugar Billy” Garner (“Super Duper Love [Are You Diggin’ On Me] Pt 1”), Laura Lee (“Dirty Man”), Bettye Swann (“Victim of a Foolish Heart”) and the Soul Brothers Six (“Some Kind of Wonderful”) as well as offbeat choices such as Waylon Jennings (Harlan Howard’s “The Chokin’ Kind”) and even Woodstock hero John Sebastian (“I Had a Dream”). The first single was Stone’s cover of the White Stripes’ “Fell in Love with a Girl,” transposed to “Fell in Love with a Boy,” and produced by the Roots’ Questlove. That single reached the Top 20 of the U.K. Singles chart, as did the follow-up her version of Sugar Billy’s “Super Duper Love.”

The Soul Sessions, Pt. 1 entered the U.K. Albums chart at No. 89, and eventually peaked at #4 in its fifth week, with the British Phonographic Society certifying it triple platinum.  It has since sold more than a million copies in the U.K.  In the U.S., The Soul Sessions peaked in the Top 40 on the Billboard 200, and within six months, was certified gold.  The album is now nearing platinum in this country. The album was also an international hit throughout Europe, where it hit the Top 5 in Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Portugal, Top 10 in Belgium and Italy, Top 12 in Sweden and Top 15 in Switzerland as well as No. 4 on the European Top 100 albums. It was awarded a Platinum Europe Award by IFPI for sales in excess of one million across the Continent. The Soul Sessions earned platinum in both Australia and New Zealand, and as of July 2012, had sold five million worldwide.

The critics were mostly effusive, with Rolling Stone’s Jon Caramanica enthusing, “Stone shines on this impressive covers set… she chooses songs wisely.  AllMusic’s Thom Jurek said Stone “has unique phrasing and a huge voice that accents, dips and slips never overworking a song or trying to bring attention to itself via hollow acrobatics.” The A.V. Club’s Keith Phipps said, “Sessions established Stone as a formidable interpreter.” The album was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize and was nominated for a MOBO Award for Best Album.  Stone released the sequel to the album, The Soul Sessions, Volume 2 in 2012.