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Next month sees the release of a major 12 disc set (11 CDs/1 DVD) featuring Aretha Franklin’s great early work for Columbia, including the first seven full-length albums, several compilations and a bonus DVD of live material. “Take a Look: Aretha Franklin Complete on Columbia” is released on March 22.

The set includes expanded editions of the following original Columbia albums:

• Aretha (with the Ray Bryant Combo) (released February 27, 1961)
• The Electrifying Aretha Franklin (1962)
• The Tender, the Moving, the Swinging Aretha Franklin (1962)
• Laughing On The Outside (1963)
• Unforgettable – A Tribute To Dinah Washington (1964)
• Runnin’ Out Of Fools (1965)
• Yeah!!! In Person With Her Quartet (original 1965 album recorded live in the studio with overdubbed applause, plus an unreleased version without the overdubbed nightclub atmosphere).

There are also two CDs featuring collaborations with the producers Bobby Scott and Clyde Otis that were never issued on LP:

• Tiny Sparrow: The Bobby Scott Sessions (1963)
• Take A Look: The Clyde Otis Sessions (1964).

The final CDs are compilations:

• A Bit of Soul (as compiled in 1965, but not released)
• The Queen In Waiting (the final Columbia recordings produced by Bob Johnston, and the songs “sweetened” with added instrumentation after Aretha left Capital).

The bonus DVD, “Aretha ’64! Live on The Steve Allen Show”, includes excellent performances from the sping of 1964 on the songs “Lover Come Back to Me”, “Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With A Dixie Melody”, “Won’t Be Long”, “Skylark” and “Evil Gal Blues.”

Take a Look: Aretha Franklin Complete on Columbia (promo)

A single CD titled “The Great American Songbook” and featuring highlights from the box set was released on February 1 in the US and will be released on March 21 in the UK.

Back to the stage

Aretha Franklin says that she is planning to return to live performance in May. She had surgery in December for an undisclosed condition, but has since reassured fans that some of the dire predictions about the state of her health were false. The concert return is scheduled for May 28 at the Seneca Niagara Casino in Buffalo.

Aretha is also releasing a new album titled “Aretha: A Woman Falling Out of Love” in May.

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