Aretha Franklin - Aretha (1980)
Tracklist front / back album covers
1. "Come to Me" 3:42
2. "I Can't Turn You Loose" 3:55
3. "United Together" 5:02
4. "Take Me With You" 4:05
5. "Whatever It Is" 3:38
6. "What a Fool Believes" 5:13
7. "Together Again" 3:34
8. "Love Me Forever" 4:47
9. "School Days" 4:54
Aretha Franklin Band Members / Musicians
Aretha Franklin – vocals, keyboards, piano, backing vocals
David Foster – piano, Fender Rhodes, synthesizer
David Paich – piano, Hammond organ
Todd Cochran – synthesizer, programming
Steve Porcaro, Bob Christianson – additional synthesizer
Ed Greene, Yogi Horton, Jeff Porcaro, Bernard Purdie – drums
Francisco Centeno, Scott Edwards, Louis Johnson, James Jamerson, Mike Porcaro – bass guitar
Michael McGlory, Cornell Dupree, Paul Jackson Jr., Steve Lukather, David T. Walker, David Williams – guitar
George Devens – percussion
Richard Tee, Michael Lang – keyboards
Tony Coleman – keyboards, bass guitar, backing vocals
Michael Brecker, Seldon Powell, David "Fathead" Newman – tenor saxophone
Lew Del Gatto – baritone saxophone
Dave Tofani, David Sanborn – alto saxophone
Randy Brecker, Lew Soloff – trumpet
Barry Rogers – trombone
Jerry Hey – horns
John Clark, Peter Gordon – French horn
Jonathan Abramowitz, Jack Barber, A. Brown, Peter Dimitriades, Harold Kohon, Harry Lookofsky, Joseph Malin, Alan Shulman, Mitsue Takayama, Gerald Tarack, M. Wright, Frederick Zlotkin, F. Zoltin – strings
Strings and Horns arranged by Arif Mardin and Benjamin Wright
Kitty Beethoven, Ortheia Barnes, Estelle Brown, Tony Coleman, Brenda Corbett, Preston Glass, Larry Graham, Jennifer Hall, Chuck Jackson, Liz Jackson, Edie Lehmann, Myrna Matthews, Marti McCall, Claytoven Richardson, Esther Ridgeway, Gloria Ridgeway, Sylvia Shemwell, Myrna Smith, Hamish Stuart, The Sweet Inspirations, Jeanie Tracy – backing vocals
Produced by Chuck Jackson (tracks 3, 4, 5, 7 and 9) and Arif Mardin (tracks 1, 2, 6 and 8)
Co-producer on track 9: Aretha Franklin
Engineers: Lee DeCarlo and Frank Kejmar (tracks 3, 4, 5, 7 and 9); Jeremy Smith (tracks 1, 2, 6 and 8)
Additional engineer: Lewis Hahn
Assistant engineers: Michael O'Reilly, Stewart Whitmore
Mixing on tracks 3, 4, 5, 7 and 9: Reginald Dozier
Re-mixing: Lewis Hahn and Gene Paul (tracks 1–7 and 9); Arif Mardin and Michael O'Reilly (track 8)
Re-mix assistant on track 8: Joe Mardin
Recorded at MCA Whitney Recording Studios (Glendale), Record Plant (Los Angeles), Sound Labs Studios (Hollywood) and Atlantic Studios (New York City)
Edited at Cherokee Studios (Los Angeles)
Mixed at MCA Whitney Recording Studios and Cherokee Studios
Mastering: Ken Perry and Bill Inglot at Sterling Sound (New York)
Art direction and design: Ria Lewerke-Shapiro
Photography: George Hurrell
Aretha is the 26th studio album by American singer Aretha Franklin. It was released on September 30, 1980, by Arista Records. This was the second album with this title to be released by the artist, and her first for Arista Records after a 12-year tenure with Atlantic Records.
