I'm may have heard this when it "Arrived" in 1976, but other than the singles, it did not make any kind of mark.
Fifty years on, I can appreciate the music, especially the melody and arrangement of Money, Money, Money, but themany of the lyrics made me cringe, and I could have died happy bypassing this album.
"Dancing Queen" is a song of its time and still affects people half a century later, but i'd take "The Day Before You Came" over any of these songs.
So excited to have this one! Havent heard the whole thing in 30 or so years.
Thanks to my floormates at the University of Victoria in 1978 for the chance to hear this and "77" in their entireties for the first time. Loved it from the first. That cover of Take Me to the River still grabs me today as one of those great ones that becomes a different song completely
This listen has the benefit of hearing all that came after, and it is still so good I had to listen again right after.
A great collection of songs and performances. Had never listened to an entire Aretha album before, and a bit overwhelmed by some of the "bombast" to the point of relief when the softer songs arrived.
I own this album but haven't listened in at least 40 years. I liked it then.
This time I had to listen to it twice - first in my car., then second on headphones in an effort to hear the nuance through the reverb.
I'm glad I listened that second time. I heard a musicianship I hadn't heard before and the range of style, emotion, and musicianship I didn't know was there before.
I will listen many more times now.
First heard this in the mid seventies when an English teacher suggested I might like it.
I thought it was weird then but remember liking the title song. Now, I can understand a bit more of why this is held in such high regard. Can hear what influence this was on other music that came after that I love.
But as for listening to the whole again, probably not
Its interesting. I may have liked it more at a different time in my life.
A great album. Not much more to say.
I have heard these songs many times. The additional voices and sounds of the album as a whole is something I hadn't noticed before during the few times listening to the album decades ago.
A good one.
Was familiar with This Corrosion from back in the day, which at the time was an ok departure from what was even on alternative radio. Never liked it enough to seek out anything more.
Didn't completely hate it, but not for me
Not much to say that hasn't already been said.
Really? I don't think I did.
Not sure how anyone would ever find this enjoyable.
This is not bad music, but it's place, for me, is not for "listening", but for dancing or maybe background.
Still marvellous and infuriating.
See will be missed
Still my favorite EC album. Always listen the whole through.
This was a huge favorite album for my friends and me in the early 80s. I couldn't listen to this today with hearing some of their voices singing along, and one doing his best Morrison as our part time garage band tried to do LA Woman.
Today, just listening and trying to separate the actual music from the past experience, I could not rate this a 5 as I might have then.
I bought this album the day it was released back in 1977, and first listened to it on a friend's fantastic quadrophonic audio system. It was a beautiful Vancouver afternoon and the view from the 15th floor overlooking the water was amazing. But what came over those speakers when the needle hit the vinyl was even better than that.
That day is burned in my memory, and I have listened to this in its entirety at least once evrey couple of weeks over the almost 50 years since that September afternoon.
If I could rate this with an 11, I would.
It is, without a doubt, my absolute favorite album by any artist, and I hope i get to listen a thousand more times before I die.
