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Songs of Faith (Aretha Franklin album)

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Songs of Faith
Live album by
Released1965
Recorded1956
VenueNew Bethel Baptist Church
(Detroit, Michigan)
GenreGospel
Length31:29
LabelChecker
ProducerJoe Von Battle
Aretha Franklin chronology
Yeah!!!
(1965)
Songs of Faith
(1965)
Soul Sister
(1966)
Singles from Songs of Faith
  1. "Never Grow Old"
    Released: 1956[1]
  2. "Precious Lord"
    Released: 1959[2]

Songs of Faith is the first live album by American singer Aretha Franklin. It was released in 1965 by Checker Records.[3] The album was recorded in 1956 by J-V-B Records at New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit, Michigan, when Franklin was aged 14.

Background

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Aretha Franklin's recording career began in 1956 with the help of local record label J-V-B Records. Recording equipment was installed in the New Bethel Baptist Church and nine tracks were recorded, featuring Franklin on vocals and piano.[4] In 1956, J-V-B released Franklin's first single, "Never Grow Old", backed with "You Grow Closer". A second single, "Precious Lord (Part One)" backed with "Precious Lord (Part Two)" was issued in 1959. These four tracks, with the addition of "There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood", were released on side one of the 1956 album, Spirituals (J-V-B 100), which was reissued in 1962 under the same title by Battle Records (Battle 6105).[5]

In 1965, Checker Records released Songs of Faith, featuring the five tracks from the 1956 Spirituals album, with the addition of four previously unreleased recordings.

Reissues

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MCA reissued the original 9 track album on Compact Disc in 1991 as Aretha Gospel. After Aretha's passing in 2018, UMG/Geffen Records reissued it as Songs of Faith: Aretha Gospel.

Track listing

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Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood"William Cowper4:26
2."Precious Lord" (Part One)Rev. Thomas A. Dorsey3:23
3."Precious Lord" (Part Two)Rev. Thomas A. Dorsey2:51
4."You Grow Closer"Joe B. Junior2:43
5."Never Grow Old"Traditional2:55
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Day Is Past and Gone"Rev. Thomas A. Dorsey, Joe B. Junior, Isaac Watts4:57
2."He Will Wash You White As Snow"Joe B. Junior4:18
3."While the Blood Runs Warm"Ralph Bass, Sonny Thompson, Harold Smith3:03
4."Yield Not to Temptation"Sonny Thompson, Harold Smith, Horatio Richmond Palmer2:56

References

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  1. ^ "Aretha Franklin - Never Grow Old / You Grow Closer". Discogs. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  2. ^ "Aretha Franklin - Precious Lord". Discogs. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  3. ^ "Aretha Franklin - Songs Of Faith". Discogs. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  4. ^ "Pickwick Group Ltd - Aretha Franklin - Songs Of Faith". www.pickwickgroup.com. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  5. ^ "J.V.B./Battle Album Discography". www.bsnpubs.com. Retrieved 22 August 2018.