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Aretha’s Getting a Big Box Set to Commemorate Film: Listen to Her Gorgeous, Unreleased “You Light Up My Life” Here

Roger Friedman
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Aretha’s Getting a Big Box Set to Commemorate Film: Listen to Her Gorgeous, Unreleased “You Light Up My Life” Here
4CDs, 2 LPs– Rhino is showing some “Respect’ for Aretha Franklin with a big boxed set due on July 30th. This is to commemorate the “Respect” movie starring Jennifer Hudson. There 81 tracks including 19 unreleased demos and rarities.
Arranged in mostly chronological order, “Aretha” opens with “Never Grow Old” and “You Grow Closer,” which was released as her first single in 1956 by J.V.B Records. Notably, she recorded these gospel songs at New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit, where her father, C. L. Franklin, was the longtime pastor.
The next 10 songs focus on the period between 1960 and 1966 when Franklin was signed to Columbia Records. The music includes her first single with the label (“Today I Sing The Blues”), her first single to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 (“Won’t Be Long”), plus the Top 40 R&B hits “Runnin’ Out Of Fools,” “One Step Ahead” and “Cry Like A Baby.”
And then come all the Atlantic hits in pristine recordings. This will be a must-have souvenir of the Queen of Soul, the First Lady of All Music.
About this, Aretha would be so pleased!  The movies will come and go, but the music lives on!
ARETHA FRANKLIN
ARETHA
Track Listing
Disc One
1.    “Never Grow Old”
2.    “You Grow Closer”
3.    “Today I Sing The Blues”
4.    “Won’t Be Long”
5.    “Are You Sure”
6.    “Operation Heartbreak”
7.    “Skylark”
8.    “Runnin’ Out Of Fools”
9.    “One Step Ahead”
10. “(No, No) I’m Losing You”
11. “Cry Like A Baby”
12. “A Little Bit Of Soul”
13. “My Kind Of Town (Detroit Is)” – Demo *
14. “Try A Little Tenderness” – Demo *
15. “I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You)”
16. “Do Right Woman – Do Right Man”
17. “Respect”
18. “A Change Is Gonna Come”
19. “Chain Of Fools” – Alternate Version
20. “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” – UK Single Version
21. “(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You’ve Been Gone”
22. “Ain’t No Way”
23. “My Song”
24. “You Send Me”
25. “The House That Jack Built”
26. “Tracks Of My Tears”
Disc Two
1.    “Baby I Love You” – Live
2.    “Son Of A Preacher Man”
3.    “Call Me” – Alternate Version *
4.    “Let It Be”
5.    “Young, Gifted And Black” – Alternate Longer Take *
6.    “Bridge Over Troubled Water” – Long Version
7.    “It’s Not Unusual/See Saw” – with Tom Jones *
     (Originally Broadcast On This Is Tom Jones, October, 9, 1970)
8.    “You’re All I Need To Get By” – Work Tape *
9.    “Brand New Me” – Work Tape *
10. “Spanish Harlem” – Alternate Mix *
11. “Rock Steady” – Alternate Mix/Take
12. “Day Dreaming”
13. “Share Your Love With Me” – Live
14. “Don’t Play That Song” – Live
15. “Dr. Feelgood” – Live
16. “Spirit In The Dark” (Reprise with Ray Charles) – Live
17. “How I Got Over” (Single Edit) – Live
18. “Master Of Eyes (The Deepness Of Your Eyes)”
Disc Three
1.    “Somewhere” – Alternate Version *
2.    “Angel” – Work Tape *
3.    “The Boy From Bombay” *
4.    “Til It’s Over” – Demo *
5.    “Oh Baby” (a.k.a. “There’s Something Magic About You”) – Demo *
6.    “Until You Come Back To Me” – Work Tape *
7.    “I’m In Love” – Alternate Vocal
8.    “Without Love”
9.    “Mr. D.J. (5 For The D.J.)”
10. “You”
11. “Something He Can Feel”
12. “Look Into Your Heart”
13. “Break It To Me Gently”
14. “When I Think About You”
15. “Almighty Fire (Woman Of The Future)”
16. “Ladies Only” – Short Version
17. “You Light Up My Life” *
18. “Ooo Baby Baby” – with Smokey Robinson *
     (Originally Broadcast On Soul Train, December 1, 1979)
19. “Amazing Grace”
     (Originally Broadcast On Royal Variety Performance, November 23, 1980)
Disc Four
1.    “Think”
2.    “I Say A Little Prayer” – with Dionne Warwick *
3.    “United Together”
4.    “Jump To It”
5.    “The Wind”
6.    “Freeway Of Love”
7.    “Sisters Are Doin’ It For Themselves” – Eurythmics & Aretha Franklin
8.    “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me) – Aretha Franklin and George Michael
9.    “Oh Happy Day” – with Mavis Staples (Live at New Bethel Baptist Church, Detroit, MI – July 1987)
10. “A Rose Is Still A Rose”
11. “Someday We’ll All Be Free”
12. “The Makings Of You”
13. “Nessun Dorma” – Live
14. “At Last” – with Lou Rawls *
     (Originally Broadcast On American Soundtrack: Rhythm, Love And Soul, March 2003)
15. “You’ve Got A Friend” – Ronald Isley featuring Aretha Franklin
16. “Rolling In The Deep” – The Aretha Version
17. “My Country ’Tis Of Thee”
18. “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” – Live *
     (Originally Broadcast On The 38th Annual Kennedy Center Honors, December 19. 2015)
ARETHA FRANKLIN
ARETHA (HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE BOXED SET)
2-LP Track Listing (Also Available As Single CD)
Side One
1.    “Never Grow Old”
2.     “Today I Sing The Blues”
3.     “One Step Ahead”
4.     “I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You)”
5.    “A Change Is Gonna Come”
Side Two
6.     “Respect”
7.    “Chain Of Fools” – Alternate Version
8.    “Call Me” – Alternate Version *
9.    “Rock Steady” – Alternate Mix/Take
10. “How I Got Over” (Single Edit) – Live
Side Three
11. “Master Of Eyes (The Deepness Of Your Eyes)”
12. “Until You Come Back To Me” – Work Tape *
13. “Something He Can Feel”
14. “You Light Up My Life” *
15. “Think”
Side Four
16. “Freeway Of Love”
17.  “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me) – Aretha Franklin and George Michael
18. “Someday We’ll All Be Free”
19. “A Rose Is Still A Rose”
20. “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” – Live*
     (Originally Broadcast On The 38th Annual Kennedy Center Honors 12/19/15)
*Previously Unreleased Audio

Toronto Film Festival is Happening in Person with Everything from “Dune” to a Dionne Warwick Documentary

Roger Friedman
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Toronto Film Festival is Happening in Person with Everything from “Dune” to a Dionne Warwick Documentary

TIFF is back, and we’re so excited!

The Toronto Film Festival is happening, in person. Huzzah! Hurrah!

They announced this morning all theaters will be open. Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune” will be a special presentation. Among the official films: Le Bal des Folles, Belfast, Benediction, Charlotte, Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over, Guilty, Jagged, Lakewood, Last Night in Soho, Night Raiders, Petite Maman, and The Starling.

“We are so proud of the calibre of the films and the diversity of the stories we will be presenting this year,” said Joana Vicente, TIFF Executive Director and Co-Head. “It is so powerful to be able to share these films with Festival-goers in theatres. And while the world is definitely moving towards a degree of normalcy, many of our industry and press colleagues may not be able to travel across international borders. In response, we have brought back the TIFF Digital Cinema Pro platform that will host Press & Industry screenings, the Industry Conference, press conferences, as well as the TIFF Industry Selects market. We believe that digital access is an important part of providing accessibility to audiences and will be vital to the future of film festivals. This inclusivity across all our offerings helps to ensure that, no matter where you are located, you can participate in the Festival.”

All I can say is, Full speed ahead!

 

Broadway: Hugh Jackman’s “Music Man” Revival Sets A Possible Record for One Seat at $11,777.49

Roger Friedman
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Broadway: Hugh Jackman’s “Music Man” Revival Sets A Possible Record for One Seat at $11,777.49

“The Music Man” sold out whatever seats it had left on telecharge.com Tuesday.

The musical revival starring Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster had already sold most of its seats to ticket brokers. They’re listing them on various resale sites for up to $4,000 a ticket or more.

But StubHub might have the highest price ticket yet: one seat on the night of December 22nd, for a total of $11,777.49. It’s in the fourth row center at the St. James Theater.

There’s only one of these as far as I can tell. Your plus-one or date might have to settle for something in the $4,0000 range.

You’d really have to want to see Jackman as Harold Hill in a big way. Of the total $11,777.49, $2000 of it is a service charge. You still have to pay also for a drink, a snack, merchandise, and so on. So that could run another 100 clams.

For that much money, you could take a group of friends to any other excellent show like “Hamilton” or the “Company” revival, not to mention dinner at Broadway watering hole like Joe Allen or Orso and still have money left for a limo.

StubHub for December 22nd, 2021:

Same night, on telecharge:

Charts: Joni Mitchell is Number 1 with 1971 “Blue” and Number 6 with “Blue” Outtakes EP

Roger Friedman
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Charts: Joni Mitchell is Number 1 with 1971 “Blue” and Number 6 with “Blue” Outtakes EP

Joni Mitchell remains at number 1 on iTunes with her 1971 album, “Blue.” And at number 6, the outtakes from “Blue” called “Blue 50.”

The 50 year old album tops newcomer Olivia Rodridgo with her “Sour” album and HER Music with her first actual album.

There’s a lot of irony there. Without Joni, Olivia and Gabi Wilson aka HER, wouldn’t exist.

The “Blue 50” has a song that fell through the cracks, called “Hunter,” which is fast becoming a new favorite. Here’s Joni performing it in 1970. She pulled it off “Blue” to make room for other songs because LPs could only have 20 minutes of material on each side. Now, of course, albums can be as long as you like digitally. Oh, for those innocent days!

PS The picture is c2021 Showbiz411 by me, with Roberta Flack, at Clive Davis’s pre-Grammy dinner in 2019. Joni’s actual first name is Roberta, too. Roberta Joan Anderson.

“Veep,” “Good Fight” Actor Gary Cole Coming to “NCIS” As Mark Harmon Downsizes His Role in Show

Roger Friedman
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“Veep,” “Good Fight” Actor Gary Cole Coming to “NCIS” As Mark Harmon Downsizes His Role in Show

“NCIS” is getting good at replacing aging cast members who want a rest.

First it was Linda Hunt, who will be supplemented by Gerald McRaney in next season’s “NCIS Los Angeles.”

Now it’s Mark Harmon, who’s made a zillion dollars on the “NCIS” mothership as Gibbs. He’s said to be cutting back to just a few episodes this coming season, probably during sweeps. Mark Harmon turns 70 on September 2nd, believe it or not.

So into the fray comes Gary Cole, known more in recent years for romantic roles– playing Christine Baranski’s husband on “The Good Fight” — and quipping ironically on “Veep.” Cole is a terrific actor, and capable of snarkier stuff than Harmon. If he’s coming in to run the NCIS squad, the show might actually get a hip tone.

“NCIS” is also adding Katrina Law,  as a series regular, as Special Agent Jessica Knight, She’s already been on this season and takes the place of Emily Wickersham, who left after 8 seasons. If “NCIS” is going to keep going through Season 20 in 2023, and beyond, they’ll be swapping out more expensive, older actors with younger ones. That’s the way it goes in the Navy. (Are they still in the Navy?)

David Byrne Moves One Letter Closer to “EGOT” with Special Tony Award Announced Today for “American Utopia”

Roger Friedman
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David Byrne Moves One Letter Closer to “EGOT” with Special Tony Award Announced Today for “American Utopia”

I think I first saw David Byrne and the Talking Heads in 1977 in Boston, probably at the Rathskeller. I awoke one morning to Charles Laquidara playing a song about people living in buildings “with every convenience.” It was the strangest song I ever heard, and remains a favorite 40 plus years later.

So guess what? David is receiving a Special Tony Award for his hit Broadway show, the unique “American Utopia.” He’ll receive it on September 26th at the belated 2020 Tony Awards. Bravo!

This gives David three of the four letters in “EGOT.” He has a Grammy, of course, and an Oscar for collaborating on the 1988 score of “The Last Emperor. Now he has a Tony Award. He may be Emmy nominated for “American Utopia” which was directed by Spike Lee for HBO this past year. He should win. Then he will be an EGOT.

“American Utopia” returns to Broadway this fall as soon as “Springsteen on Broadway” wraps up its summer run. The house of “Hello, Dolly!” and “The Producers” is rockin’ this year! (“American Idiot” also played there.) I could see “AU” over and over. Congrats to David!

PS Special Tony Awards are also going to Lin Manuel Miranda’s “Freestyle Love Supreme,: created by Thomas Kail and Anthony Veneziale iwith Miranda, and  was developed in the basement of The Drama Bookshop in 2004, which they now all own. The show ran at Broadway’s Booth Theatre in 2019. Directed by Kail, the acclaimed show features a comedic improvisational musical structure, and a rotating cast; Freestyle Love Supreme will return to Broadway for a strictly limited engagement at the Booth on Thursday, October 7 through Sunday, January 2, 2022.

Now the Tony’s will have some cool stuff to put on CBS September 26th. Good work!

 

’80s Pop Redux: Debbie Gibson Has First Album in 20 Years, Richard Marx Is Right Here Writing for You

Roger Friedman
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’80s Pop Redux: Debbie Gibson Has First Album in 20 Years, Richard Marx Is Right Here Writing for You

Talkin’ about the next generation:

Debbie Gibson and Richard Marx are each pop icons from the 1980s. They weren’t from my world, but they were each each very popular and continue to be.

Now comes news from both of them. Gibson will release her long- awaited new pop album on August 20th—her first in 20 years. Her 10th studio album is called “The Body Remembers,” and  features 15 new tracks written or co-written by Gibson, along with a studio version remake of her 1989 hit power ballad “Lost in Your Eyes”—now a duet with Joey McIntyre, out today.

“I’m in the zone musically on this album like never before,” says Gibson in a statement. “There’s a flow happening and it’s very exciting. I’m excited to be releasing an album that people of my generation can relate to that also feels modern.”

Gibson and McIntyre, from New Kids on the Block, are also on tour this summer.

And then there’s Richard Marx, who made the girls swoon in his 80s MTV videos. He’s got a memoir coming on July 6th called “Stories To Tell” with a two-disc companion release featuring remastered versions of his biggest hits plus never before released demos, and live tracks. Plus he’s recorded fresh interpretations of songs he wrote for other artists including NSYNC’s “This I Promise You,” Josh Groban’s “To Where You Are” and Keith Urban’s “Better Life.”

Whew! I didn’t know this but Marx is now coupled in real life with MTV’s Daisy Fuentes. He also suffers from an undiagnosed malady. He looks pretty good nonetheless in this clip from Mother’s Day:

 

 

UPDATE: “Music Man” Tickets Go on Sale Early, Smattering of $300 Seats Still Left on Telecharge

Roger Friedman
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UPDATE: “Music Man” Tickets Go on Sale Early, Smattering of $300 Seats Still Left on Telecharge

Tickets for “The Music Man” went on sale before 10am on telecharge.com

There’s a smattering of seats left in the orchestra on most nights, some in the mezzanine. Most tickets were already sold to scalpers who are reselling them for thousands of dollars.

So get in there while you can. The whole run will be sold out before the end of the morning.

ironic element in show’s poster:

Broadway: Hugh Jackman’s “Music Man” Replaces Scott Rudin with Female Producer, Readies for Ticket Onslaught

Roger Friedman
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0
Broadway: Hugh Jackman’s “Music Man” Replaces Scott Rudin with Female Producer, Readies for Ticket Onslaught

Check your clocks at 10am. That’s when “The Music Man” should send Telecharge into a frenzy. The Hugh Jackman musical revival is putting “regular priced” tickets on sale at that time. Tickets are already selling on secondary sites for thousands of dollars. Telecharge should be broken within minutes.

At the same time, producers Barry Diller and David Geffen today announced the person who would replace Scott Rudin as lead producer of the show. They’ve chosen a woman, which is was the smart movie after the ousting of Rudin– not because he was a sexual harasser of women, but because it’s a new, fresh look for the company.

The new lead producer is Kate Horton, and according to a release, she heads Fictionhouse, an independent production company making work in television, film, and theatre, alongside screen and stage director Dominic Cooke. Ms. Horton is said to be responsible for numerous commercial transfers between London and New York, including “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time.” I don’t know why that’s important since “The Music Man” is a New York show, but I guess it’s to say she’s very accomplished.

Replacing Rudin should be a challenging task. For a while, at least, no one will believe he’s not somehow pulling strings, if not throwing the potatoes.

“The Music Man” also announced some five star casting: Tony Award winner Jayne Houdyshell as Mrs. Shinn, Tony Award winner Jefferson Mays as Mayor Shinn, Tony Award winner Marie Mullen as Mrs. Paroo, and Tony Award winner Shuler Hensley as Marcellus Washburn. The principal cast will also include Remy Auberjonois as Charlie Cowell, Gino Cosculluela as Tommy Djilas, and Emma Crow as Zaneeta Shinn.

But with tickets selling for upwards of $5,000 a pair, will anyone get to see this show? Stay tuned…

Joni Mitchell’s “Blue” Was Released During Carole King’s Run with “Tapestry” 50 Years Ago Today

Roger Friedman
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Joni Mitchell’s “Blue” Was Released During Carole King’s Run with “Tapestry” 50 Years Ago Today

As you know, Joni Mitchell’s 1971 watershed album “Blue is number 1 today. When it was released 50 years ago, it never hit number 1.

The number 1 album at the time was Carole King’s Tapestry. It was in the middle of a long run at the top of the charts. Carole’s double A side single, “It’s Too Late” backed with ( or b/w) “I Feel the Earth Move” was on a similar run at number 1 on the Hot 100.

The era of the singer/songwriter, the female singer/songwriter, was now in motion. Also on the charts was Carly Simon’s “That’s The Way I’ve Always Heard it Should Be.” In the fall, Carly would release “Anticipation.” Carole would back with her “Music” album. The three ladies would be everywhere.

“Blue” grew over the years as a favorite, followed by Joni’s “For the Roses” album. But Joni wouldn’t have her biggest commercial success until 1974 and “Court and Spark.” The singles off that album — “Help Me” and “Free Man in Paris” — are her biggest hits ever, far bigger than “Blue.” But by then “Blue” was a must-have in every record collection, a classic.

And threaded through these albums were those by James Taylor, Neil Young, Jackson Browne, the guys from the singer/songwriter world, just as successful.

But that was all just one side of music. There was plenty of R&B. Besides Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, and James Brown, 1971 was full of great soul singles. There was a dogfight on the charts between Jean Knight’s “Mr. Big Stuff” and the Honeycone’s “Want Ads” right now. Aretha had “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and “Spanish Harlem.” Marvin had the songs from “What’s Going On.”  The Jackson 5 was on top with “Never Can Say Goodbye” and the Temptations lived all summer on “Just My Imagination.”

This was an era when Black and white music shared the top 40. Al Green, the Staples Singers, the Stylistics, there was no end to it. The Dramatics’ “Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get” was just this gorgeous, rhythmic opera that I could not get enough of in the summer of 71. And it all lived together happily in my 14 year old head. That was the world “Blue” was born into 50 years ago today.

The next big anniversaries come up on July 3rd and 6th, the deaths of Jim Morrison and Louie Armstrong. Jim was 27, Louis was only 69.

 

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