Spirit in the Dark

Spirit in the Dark is the seventeenth studio album by American singer Aretha Franklin, released in August, 1970, by Atlantic Records. It received critical acclaim, but met with sloping sales, despite continued hit singles.

Spirit in the Dark
Studio album by Aretha Franklin
Released	August 24, 1970[1]
Recorded	May 26–27, 1969[2] October 3, 1969[3] – March 10, 1970[4]
Studio	Criteria (Miami)
Genre	Soul R&B
Length	40:28
Label	Atlantic Rhino (1993 re-release)
Producer	Tom Dowd Arif Mardin Jerry Wexler
Aretha Franklin chronology
This Girl's in Love with You (1970) Spirit in the Dark (1970) Aretha Live at Fillmore West (1971)
Singles from Spirit in the Dark
"Don't Play That Song (You Lied)" Released: May 1970 "Spirit in the Dark" / "The Thrill Is Gone" Released: August 1970

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[5]
Christgau's Record Guide	A[6]
DownBeat	[7]
Pitchfork	9.0/10[8]
Rolling Stone	(favorable)[9]

"Don't Play That Song (You Lied)" hit #1 R&B, #11 Pop, and was another million selling 45 for Aretha. "Spirit in the Dark", peaked at #3 R&B and #23 on Billboard magazine's Hot 100. This was Aretha's first Atlantic album to fall short of the Top 20 but is still considered one of Aretha's classic Atlantic LPs.

In 1993, Rhino Records returned the album to print on compact disc.^[1] "Try Matty's" is used as the jingle for radio host Matt Siegel's Boston Kiss 108 show.^[10]

Track listing

Unless otherwise indicated, Information is based on the album's liner notes^[1][11]

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Don't Play That Song"	Ahmet Ertegün, Betty Nelson	3:02
2.	"The Thrill Is Gone (From Yesterday's Kiss)"	Rick Darnell, Roy Hawkins,[12] Art Benson, Dale Petite	4:41
3.	"Pullin'"	Jimmy Radcliffe, Carolyn Franklin,[13] Aretha Franklin	3:38
4.	"You and Me"	Aretha Franklin	3:34
5.	"Honest I Do"	Jimmy Reed, Ewart Abner Jr.	3:19
6.	"Spirit in the Dark"	Aretha Franklin	4:03

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
7.	"When the Battle Is Over"	Jessie Hill, Mac Rebennack	2:43
8.	"One Way Ticket"	Aretha Franklin	2:52
9.	"Try Matty's"	Aretha Franklin	2:32
10.	"That's All I Want from You"	Fritz Rotter	2:44
11.	"Oh No Not My Baby"	Gerry Goffin, Carole King	2:55
12.	"Why I Sing the Blues"	B. B. King, Dave Clark	3:05

Charts

Chart performance for Spirit in the Dark

Chart (1970)	Peak position
US Billboard 200[14]	25
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[15]	2

Personnel

Information is based on the album's liner notes.^[1][11]

Main

• Aretha Franklin – vocals (5, lead on 1–4, 6–12), piano (1–6, 8–12)
• Duane Allman – guitar (7)
• Margaret Branch – background vocals (1–2, 7–8, 11)
• Brenda Bryant – background vocals (1–2, 7–8, 11)
• Harold "Hog" Cowart – bass guitar (8–9, 12)
• Dave Crawford – organ (8–9, 12)
• Cornell Dupree – guitar (8, 11–12)
• Buzz Feiten – guitar (1)
• Evelyn Green – background vocals (3, 9–10, 12)
• Wylene Ivy – background vocals (3, 9–10, 12)
• Almeda Lattimore – background vocals (1–3, 9–12)
• Pat Lewis – background vocals (3, 9–10, 12)
• Ray Lucas – drums (8, 12)
• Jimmy O'Rourke – guitar (9)
• The Sweet Inspirations – background vocals (4, 6)
• Ron "Tubby" Ziegler – drums (9)

The Dixie Flyers^[16]

• Sammy Creason – drums (1–2, 4, 6, 10)
• Jim Dickinson^[17] – additional keyboards (1–2, 4, 6, 10)
• Charlie Freeman – guitar (1–2, 4, 6, 10)
• Tommy McClure – bass guitar (1–2, 4, 6, 10)
• Michael Utley – additional keyboards (1–2, 4, 6, 10)

Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section^[18][19]

• Barry Beckett – keyboards (7, additional on 3, 5, 11)
• Roger Hawkins – drums (3, 5, 7, 11)
• Eddie Hinton^[20] – guitar (3, 5, 7, 11)
• David Hood – bass guitar (3, 5, 7, 11)
• Jimmy Johnson – guitar (3, 5, 7, 11)

Production

Recorded at Atlantic South-Criteria Studios, Miami, Florida. Recording Engineers: Ron Albert, Chuck Kirkpatrick & Lewis Hahn. Produced by Jerry Wexler, Tom Dowd, Arif Mardin