''You'' is the twenty-second
studio album by
American singer
Aretha Franklin, released on October 16, 1975, by
Atlantic Records.
Background
It was a commercial disappointment, stalling at #83 on ''
Billboard''s album chart. The album's only pop chart single, "Mr. D.J." peaked at #53 on ''Billboards Hot 100, while climbing to only #13 R&B. The title track, issued as the follow-up, reached #15 R&B. The album brought an end to Aretha's long collaboration with Atlantic producer Jerry Wexler.
Critical reception
''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' named "Mr. D.J. (5 for the D.J.)" one of Franklin's "30 Greatest Songs", and called it "a horn and call-and-response vocal-laden strut that defies anyone in earshot not to dance."
Track listing
# "Mr. D.J. (5 for the D.J.)" (Aretha Franklin) - 4:25
# "It Only Happens (When I Look at You)" (Ken Gold, Michael Denne) - 4:23
# "I'm Not Strong Enough To Love You Again" (Frank Johnson) - 4:16
# "Walk Softly" (
Van McCoy
Van Allen Clinton McCoy (January 6, 1940 – July 6, 1979) was an American musician, record producer, arranger, songwriter, singer and orchestra conductor. He is known for his 1975 internationally successful song " The Hustle". He has approximat ...
) - 4:48
# "You Make My Life" (
Bettye Crutcher
Bettye Jean Crutcher (September 16, 1939 – October 20, 2022) was an American songwriter. She was a staff writer for Stax Records.Peter Barker"Bettye Crutcher, Stax Records contributor and pioneering songwriter, dies at 83" ''Tennessee News'', ...
, Frederick Knight) - 4:15
# "Without You" (Randy Stewart,
Mack Rice) - 5:13
# "The Sha-La Bandit" (Jerry Ferguson, Wade Davis) - 4:00
# "You" (
Jerry Butler
Jerry Butler Jr. (born December 8, 1939) is an American soul singer-songwriter, producer, musician, and retired politician. He was the original lead singer of the R&B vocal group the Impressions, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame i ...
,
Marvin Yancy
Marvin Jerome Yancy (May 31, 1950 – March 22, 1985) was an American gospel musician, pastor and Grammy-winning record producer, and former pastor of Fountain of Life Baptist Church. He started his music career, in 1971, with The Independents, w ...
, Randy Stewart) - 4:40
# "You Got All The Aces" (Ronnie Shannon) - 3:52
# "As Long As You Are There" (
Carolyn Franklin
Carolyn Ann Franklin (May 13, 1944 – April 25, 1988) was an American singer-songwriter. Besides her own musical success, Franklin was best known as the daughter of prominent Detroit preacher and civil rights activist C. L. Franklin and the youn ...
) - 3:44
Personnel
Performance
*
Aretha Franklin – lead vocals
*
Clarence McDonald
Clarence "Mac" McDonald (1944 or 1945 – July 21, 2021) was a Los Angeles-based American pianist, composer, arranger, and producer. McDonald was known for his musical diversity, enduring melodies and signature groove. His most famous composition ...
,
Sylvester Rivers
Sylvester Rivers (born October 28, 1953) is an American composer, arranger, pianist and producer, based in Los Angeles, California. A prolific session musician, he has recorded with numerous major artists including Aretha Franklin, Nancy Wilson ...
– keyboards
*
Jay Graydon
Jay Joseph Graydon (born October 8, 1949, Burbank, California) is an American songwriter, recording artist, guitarist, singer, keyboardist, producer, arranger, and recording engineer. He is the winner of two Grammy Awards (in the R&B category) wi ...
,
Ray Parker Jr.,
Lee Ritenour,
David T. Walker – guitar
* Scott Edwards,
Tony Newton – bass guitar
*
Ed Greene
Ed Greene is an American drummer and session musician.
In 1971 he recorded with Donald Byrd (''Ethiopian Knights'', 1972), together with Thurman Green, Harold Land, Bobby Hutcherson, Joe Sample, Bobbye Porter Hall, David T. Walker, and W ...
– drums
* Gary Coleman – percussion
*
Bobbye Hall
Bobbye Jean Hall is an American percussionist who has recorded with a variety of rock, soul, blues and jazz artists, and has appeared on 20 songs that reached the top ten in the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.
Early career, work for Motown and move to ...
– congas
*
Jim Horn
James Ronald Horn (born November 20, 1940) is an American saxophonist, woodwind player, and session musician.
Biography
Horn was born in Los Angeles, and after replacing saxophonist Steve Douglas in 1959, he toured with member Duane Eddy for f ...
– flute (2)
*
Bud Brisbois – trumpet (2)
*
Tom Scott – saxophone (6)
*
Ernie Watts – saxophone (7)
*
Gene Page
Eugene Edgar Page Jr. (September 13, 1939 – August 24, 1998) was an American conductor, composer, arranger and record producer, most active from the mid-1960s through the mid-1980s.
His sound can be heard in the arrangements he did for Jeffer ...
– arrangements
* Harry Bluestone – concertmaster of string section
* Margaret Branch – backing vocals
* Brenda Bryant – backing vocals
*
Cissy Houston – backing vocals
* Pam Vincent – backing vocals
Production
* Producers – Aretha Franklin and Jerry Wexler
* Engineer – Frank Kejmar
* Assistant Engineer – Steve Hall
* Mixing – Aretha Franklin and
Dave Hassinger
* Mix Assistant – Jim Nipar
* Copyist – George Annis
* Cover Photo – Norman Dugger
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:You (Aretha Franklin Album)
1975 albums
Aretha Franklin albums
Albums arranged by Gene Page
Albums produced by Jerry Wexler
Atlantic Records albums