Get It Right
- DecSloan
- Mar 3
- 5 min read
Artist: Aretha Franklin
Released: June 1983
Length: 39m 54s
My review:
Critically acclaimed and undisputed "Queen of Soul" lends her voice to Disco on her 29th studio album release, bridging the gap between Funk, Soul and Disco - the three pillars propping up the the many dance floors of the 1980's.
1979 was, in my opinion at least, the golden age for music; if I could choose any year to be turning 18 in, this would be it, a time rife with Disco, where the likes of Michael Jackson, Earth Wind & Fire and Nile Rodgers, both with Chic and Sister Sledge, were topping the charts, and controlling the discotheques. More and more artists were jumping on the bandwagon, venturing into new genres and territory, with varying degrees of success, Get It Right was definitely one of the better examples. La Diva was probably the first Disco-oriented album from Aretha that actually came out in 1979 but was a commercial flop and for me is nowhere near the quality of this album. Produced together with Luther Vandross, this was their second time working together after the album Jump To It that came out the year before and gave us Love Me Right - one of my favourite Aretha Tunes. Special shout out needs to go to Marcus Miller who joins them on this album on bass guitar, you can not underestimate how much he brings to this record. A legendary musician, producer and composer who has worked closely with the likes of Miles Davis, Elton John, George Benson, Eric Clapton and Luther Vandross to name but a few, he has helped shape the sound of music for over a critical 30 year period, and is still going strong.
Get It Right kicks things off and straight away sets the mood for the record with a funky bass line and is my standout song from this record. Things are slowed down to under 100 BPM with a more sultry bass line for Pretender with Aretha's powerful voice flowing over the track. Every Girl (Wants My Guy) sticks to the same formula of a driving bass line with minimal components other than Aretha doing what she does best. This is one of my highlights from the album, another tune that pushes the 6 minute mark, plenty of time to really take you on a journey, with breakdowns, some spoken word sections and all with time to build back up again, the sign of a true Disco anthem to dominate the dance floor. Slowing the BPM down again while allowing the Funk to break free via the bass guitar is When You Love Me Like That, followed by more of the same with the atmospheric I Wish It Would Rain, even including thunderstorm and rain effects to really set the scene. Better Friends Than Lovers foresees a break up while I Got Your Love gives a more optimistic outlook on relationships and you can feel that positive emotion coming through in the music. Giving In rounds off the record nicely with a cheerful mood, chilled out tempo and tops things off with a George Benson-esque guitar solo around the halfway mark.
Something about this album really reminds me of Prince's Piano & A Microphone, that incidentally came out the same year, it feels very raw and stripped back with a real emphasis given to the bass guitar, akin to how the piano is used with Prince's album. For this to be effective the artist needs to be of a certain calibre, when you limit the audio elements the focus on them becomes more intense and therefore there is far less room for error. Luckily both Prince and Aretha are superior vocalists and so they easily achieve and surpass the quality needed to succeed in producing two great sounding records here.
Stand out song: Get It Right
Opening the album is Get It Right, the title track that begins with a simple drum pattern and a super funky bass line that takes centre stage and commands your attention. A little later we have the introduction of some subtle keys and Aretha's vocals, often layered and given a fuller sound with the help of backing vocalists. Just after the midpoint, when you would usually expect the song to fade out, we are instead treated to a breakdown with only a few instruments heard, most notably the drums, shortly followed by the bass playing a variation on the original lick. We then have a crescendo of vocals, where the simple and repetitive style make it easy to sing along to, building back up before we drop back into the main song for another 90 seconds. It has a really similar approach to that of remixes that were often being pressed to 12" records, reaching the peak of their popularity in the early 1980's. These were the go to choice for DJ's to spin for the dance floor but this song doesn't need an extended mix, it more than meets the requirements necessary to get the people dancing, something that I believe they very much had in mind while creating this banger.
When to listen:
I love to play this record when I want to have a real good boogie, letting loose in my front room like no one is watching. The groove and bass lines throughout this album are intoxicating, making it the perfect accompaniment for the dance floor! The slower jams are also brilliant for nourishing your body with that revitalising Soul that is so good for you, perfect for spinning on a lazy Sunday afternoon.
Spotify: Listen here
Vinyl:
I have one of the many European editions pressed in 1983, it plays like any record that has seen a fair amount of action over the 40 odd years it has been around for. I bought mine already second hand and cant complain with the audio at all, I don't think it ever received a repress (apart from in CD format) so this might be your only option for owning it on wax, but it sounds great to my ears - Discogs link
Other useful links:
Unfortunately Aretha is no longer with us, but you can explore her massive back catalogue here, I am constantly discovering more great songs and works from her
If you want to find out more about the many ventures of Marcus Miller, I invite you to check out his website below, a recent album and tour dates can all be found here and so much more - https://www.marcusmiller.com/
If you like this try these:
Bad Girls - Donna Summer
I Feel For You - Chaka Khan
Burn - Melba Moore
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