''Spirit in the Dark'' is the seventeenth
studio album
An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...
by American singer
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Honored as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Soul", she was twice named by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine as the Roll ...
, released in August, 1970, by
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...
. It received critical acclaim, but met with sloping sales, despite continued hit singles.
"
Don't Play That Song (You Lied)" hit #1 R&B, #11 Pop, and was another million selling 45 for Aretha. "
Spirit in the Dark", peaked at #3 R&B and #23 on ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' magazine's Hot 100. This was Aretha's first Atlantic album to fall short of the Top 20 but is still considered one of Aretha's classic Atlantic LPs.
In 1993,
Rhino Records
A rhinoceros ( ; ; ; : rhinoceros or rhinoceroses), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant taxon, extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates (perissodactyls) in the family (biology), famil ...
returned the album to print on compact disc.
"Try Matty's" is used as the jingle for radio host
Matt Siegel's Boston
Kiss 108 show.
Track listing
Unless otherwise indicated, Information is based on the album's liner notes
[Franklin, Aretha. "Spirit in the Dark" (Original Album Notes). Atlantic. 1970.]
Charts
Personnel
Information is based on the album's liner notes.
;Main
*Aretha Franklin – vocals (5, lead on 1–4, 6–12), piano (1–6, 8–12)
*
Duane Allman – guitar (7)
*Margaret Branch – background vocals (1–2, 7–8, 11)
*Brenda Bryant – background vocals (1–2, 7–8, 11)
*Harold "Hog" Cowart – bass guitar (8–9, 12)
*
Dave Crawford – organ (8–9, 12)
*
Cornell Dupree
Cornell Luther Dupree (December 19, 1942 – May 8, 2011) was an American jazz fusion and Rhythm and blues, R&B guitarist. He worked at various times with Aretha Franklin, Bill Withers, Donny Hathaway, King Curtis, and Steve Gadd, appeared on ''L ...
– guitar (8, 11–12)
*
Buzz Feiten – guitar (1)
*Evelyn Green – background vocals (3, 9–10, 12)
*Wylene Ivy – background vocals (3, 9–10, 12)
*Almeda Lattimore – background vocals (1–3, 9–12)
*
Pat Lewis – background vocals (3, 9–10, 12)
*Ray Lucas – drums (8, 12)
*Jimmy O'Rourke – guitar (9)
*
The Sweet Inspirations – background vocals (4, 6)
*Ron "Tubby" Ziegler – drums (9)
;The Dixie Flyers
*
Sammy Creason – drums (1–2, 4, 6, 10)
*
Jim Dickinson – additional keyboards (1–2, 4, 6, 10)
*Charlie Freeman – guitar (1–2, 4, 6, 10)
*Tommy McClure – bass guitar (1–2, 4, 6, 10)
*
Michael Utley – additional keyboards (1–2, 4, 6, 10)
;
Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section
*
Barry Beckett – keyboards (7, additional on 3, 5, 11)
*
Roger Hawkins – drums (3, 5, 7, 11)
*
Eddie Hinton – guitar (3, 5, 7, 11)
*
David Hood – bass guitar (3, 5, 7, 11)
*
Jimmy Johnson – guitar (3, 5, 7, 11)
Production
Recorded at Atlantic South-
Criteria Studios, Miami, Florida.
Recording Engineers:
Ron Albert, Chuck Kirkpatrick & Lewis Hahn.
Produced by
Jerry Wexler,
Tom Dowd,
Arif Mardin
References
1970 albums
Aretha Franklin albums
Albums produced by Tom Dowd
Albums produced by Arif Mardin
Albums produced by Jerry Wexler
Atlantic Records albums
Rhino Entertainment albums
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