''Lady Soul'' is the twelfth

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 early 1968 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 ...

. The album stayed at #1 for sixteen weeks 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 ...

'' R&B album chart, and it hit number 2 on the pop album chart (underneath Paul Mauriat) during a year-long run.

Background

''Lady Soul'' was Franklin's third R&B chart-topper and reached number two on the ''Billboard'' 200, tying with '' I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You'' for her highest-charting album on the pop chart. The album also included some of her biggest hit singles: " Chain of Fools" (number 2 Pop), and " (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" (number 8 Pop), and " (Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone" (number 5 Pop). It sold more than a million copies in the United States. The album was reissued on

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 ...

in a deluxe edition in 1995. Gospel/R&B singer Cissy Houston (mother of

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer, actress, film producer, model, and philanthropist. Commonly referred to as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, the Voice", she is List of awards and no ...

) and her group the Sweet Inspirations are credited as background vocals on several tracks, along with Aretha's sisters Carolyn Franklin and

Erma Franklin Erma Vernice Franklin (March 13, 1938 – September 7, 2002) was an American gospel and soul singer. She recorded the original version of " Piece of My Heart", written and produced by Jerry Ragovoy and Bert Berns in 1967, for which she was nom ...

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...

, at the time a member of the band Cream, is credited as the guitarist on the track "Good to Me as I Am to You". ''Lady Soul'' peaked at number 1, number 2 and number 3 on ''Billboard'''s Black Albums, Pop Albums and Jazz Albums charts respectively. The single " Ain't No Way" – B-Side of "(Sweet, Sweet, Baby) Since You've Been Gone" – peaked at number 9 on the Black Singles chart and number 16 on the Pop Singles chart.

Legacy

The album was included in the book '' 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die''. In 2003, the TV network VH1 named ''Lady Soul'' the 41st greatest album of all time. In 2003 and 2012, it ranked at number 85 on ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

''s list "

The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" is a recurring opinion survey and music ranking of the finest albums in history, compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and indu ...

". It rose to number 75 in a 2020 reboot of the list. The album was rated the 29th best album of the 1960s by ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

''.

Track listing

:All tracks produced by Jerry Wexler with Tom Dowd as and recording engineer. Notes * Chain of Fools (Unedited Version) was originally issued on the 1973

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one Performing arts#Performers, performer or by several performers. If the recordings are from ...

'' The Best of Aretha Franklin''.

Charts

Singles

Note: Numbers in italic (following original single release information) denote peak positions on ''Billboard'''s "Top/Best Selling R&B Singles" and "Hot 100" charts respectively – courtesy BPI Communications and

Joel Whitburn Joel Carver Whitburn (November 29, 1939 – June 14, 2022) was an American author and music historian, responsible for setting up the Record Research, Inc. series of books on record chart placings. Early life Joel Carver Whitburn was born in W ...

's Record Research Publications.

Personnel

* Aretha Franklin – vocals, backing vocals, piano *

, Bobby Womack, Joe South, Jimmy Johnson – guitar * Tommy Cogbill – bass guitar * Spooner Oldham – piano, electric piano, organ * Bernie Glow, Joe Newman, Melvin Lastie – trumpet * Tony Studd – trombone * King Curtis – tenor saxophone *

Frank Wess Frank Wellington Wess (January 4, 1922 – October 30, 2013) was an American jazz saxophonist and flutist. He was renowned for his extensive solo work; however, he was also remembered for his time playing with Count Basie, Count Basie's band duri ...

, Seldon Powell – flute, tenor saxophone * Haywood Henry – baritone saxophone * The Sweet Inspirations – backing vocals * Carolyn Franklin – backing vocals * Cissy Houston – backing vocals * Roger Hawkins, Gene Chrisman – drums * Warren Smith –

vibraphone The vibraphone (also called the vibraharp) is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using Percussion mallet, mallets to strike the bars. A person who plays the vibraphone ...

References

{{Authority control 1968 albums Aretha Franklin albums Albums arranged by Arif Mardin Albums conducted by Ralph Burns Albums produced by Jerry Wexler Atlantic Records albums Rhino Entertainment albums 1960s covers albums Albums recorded at FAME Studios