If you really want the full flavor, 100% Aretha Franklin get the original albums - you'll miss so many great songs by getting ONE "Greatest Hits" or "Vol. 1" - it isn't worth it.

Pullin' is a knock out song that I've never heard, Try Matty's and When the Battle is Over are all excellent examples, but, oh, you just want Spirit in the Dark. Too bad, you lose.

Elton John's "Border Song" is literally turned inside out, for the better, but too bad, you missed it.

Do yourself a favor and spend the extra money and treat your stero right, you deserve it - her early work at Atlantic is more than just #1 'hits' it's a body of impressive work by a talented artist. When she accompanies herself on the piano - man, make no mistake - the woman rules.

Aretha's voice, her style, delivery and interpretation of her music is incomparable. These songs are more than just classics; they're a songbook to millions of people's lives who grew up listening to her in the 60's and 70's as I did. They evolk memories of times that changed our world, and showed just how powerful and influential music could be for generations to come. There is not much that came before, and very little that came after these golden years for Aretha, that can compare to this treasury of her music. Sadly the Aretha Frankiln of 2007 pales in comparison to the Aretha Franklin of this time, who was truly and rightfully The Queen of Soul.

I enjoyed this CD, I thought it could have had some other of her greatest hits.

If you need validation of Aretha Franklin's legacy, look no further than this definitive collection of her best work recorded for Atlantic Records between 1967 and 1974. I have owned this two-disc set for over twenty years since its release in 1985, and I never tire of it. In fact, I return to it often and would have to conclude it to be one of my desert island selections. Teamed up with the equally legendary production team of Jerry Wexler and Arif Mardin, she sparked magic on an amazingly consistent basis during this period. Before signing with Atlantic, Franklin recorded for Columbia but was erroneously being marketed as a jazz chanteuse. After Wexler's departure from Atlantic in 1974, her work, I feel, declined artistically, and Franklin's subsequent recordings with Arista, although more commercial, were not nearly as memorable.

Disc One opens appropriately with her first breakout hit, the heart-ripping "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Loved You)". Then the onslaught of classics - her signature cover of Otis Redding's "Respect" which completely eclipses his version; the loping doo-wop of "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man"; the roof-raising take on Carole King's "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman"; the had-it-up-to-here anthem, "Chain of Fools". Her soulful covers of the Band's "The Weight" and the Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby" reflect her personal style without compromising the memory of the original performances. Franklin takes Burt Bacharach and Hal David's "I Say a Little Prayer" quite literally and converts it into a uniquely gospel-tinged love song of longing and regret. Her soaring vocals on potentially inane confections such as "See Saw" and "The House That Jack Built" elevate their substance significantly.

Disc Two continues the hits with particular standouts being a near-inspirational version of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's classic, "You're All I Need to Get By"; an almost hymnal version of Simon and Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water"; and the cruising "Spanish Harlem". My personal favorites are her dramatic cover of Lulu's 1969 hit, "Oh Me Oh My (I'm a Fool for You Baby)"; the appropriately named "Day Dreaming"; and her last big Atlantic hit, Stevie Wonder's "Until You Come Back to Me" with a playfully sauntering melody an intriguing contrast to its obsession-oriented lyrics. But honestly, there is not a single disappointment among the thirty tracks here and some, especially the religion-fueled numbers like "Wholly Holy" and "Spirit in the Dark", are simply transcendent. This set is the one to own.

Aretha Franklin, daughter of a famous Pentecostel pastor, inevitably began singing in a church choir at a very early age and it was clear then that she had the gift of a deep, raw talent where her vocal style was capable of such immense power and volume.

She began her career recording secular tracks for Columbia Records, none of which really bought her much chart recognition. Signed by John Hammond at the dawn of the 1960's, he tried invain to nurture her talent effectively. By the time of 1966, all she had released a string of minor selling hits.

So in 1966 she signed a new deal with Jerry Wexler (who had enjoyed enormous success with such fantastic Soul music legends as the unforgetable Ray Charles and the divine Wilson Pickett) to Atlantic Records which finally propelled her into International stardom.

The label knew how to enhance her raw talent and captured her rocketing vocal style on some of the most remarkable recordings in the history of music. If anything, Aretha Franklin went on to become the female equivalent of that godfather of soul, James Brown.

The music was tough, driving, earthy even stark at times yet was able to encapsulate a sensual, evocative air that was able to enjoy credibility in the more profitable white-buying market as well as firmly retaining her wide, loyal black base much in the way other black female singers had like Diana Ross.

Her most important and significant era in music undoubtedly was between 1967-1969. During this relativley small period she clocked up an amazing series of soul classics that set standards today and are still as instantly recognisable as they were then with them always being constantly used as backing tracks to several T.V commercials.

Aretha races along those speedy verses of Respect (origanally by Otis Redding) with such startling conviction and when she sings those lyrics you just KNOW she means every word she says. Her pronounciations and impeccable lyrical phrasing is remarkably effective on this explosive classic and Respect rates as one of her most popular classics.

As well as the more urban-contemporary material, Aretha proved adept at experimenting in a number of styles and her voicesurprisingly could sound as equally compelling on the ballads.

I Say A Little Prayer was one of her most passionate, heart-felt ballads. Whilst the lyrics were simplistic, Aretha could shrewdly plumb such depth with a straight-foward song such as this.

Dr. Feel Good, the fabulous Think (which she would update in the movie, The Blue Brothers) and the sparse production of Chain Of Fools continued her staggering run of hits and all conveyed such an undeniably infectious quality.

From the 70's onwards Aretha Franklins work became erratic, initially losing some of the fire of her famous late 60's period. She still managed to come up with the odd winner such as the exciting Rock Steady and sensational, Day Dreaming but the consistency was no longer there.

The 80's and 90's saw Aretha recording only sporadically and when so was always a conciously contemporary effort which vastly met with an indifferent view from critics.

She enjoyed a touching, vibrant duet with divine soul crooner George Benson on Love All The Hurt Way whilst the more upbeat Jump To It saw her collaborate with Luther Vandross as producer.

The jamming Pop sounds of Who's Zoomin Who in 1985 became another notably sizeable hit to her credit as did her dynamic, explosive duet with Eurythumics singer, Annie Lennox on the catchy Sisters are Doin' It For Themselves.

She also recorded one memroable duet with another one of my favourite singers, George Michael on the overly subtle and laid-back, I Knew You Were Waiting For Me where both vocal harmonies were blended beautifully together.

This compilation highlights the very best of her work (including all tracks just mentioned) and so quite possibly goes down as the definitive collection of the undisputed Queen Of Soul.

Aretha Franklin is a stalwart performer who has produced a literal library of recorded music. I enjoy the music and empathize with the intent of the words. She is a master vocalist and can bring music and text together in a seamless bond. However, the song selections used in this particular CD, representative of her past work, includes a hefty chunk of well performed work but certainly not her most popular efforts. I'm not sure that I agree with the 'cut' line that says: Aretha Franklin - 30 Greatest Hits.

If you don't own any Aretha, well this is the time to pick it up. Aretha Franklin the Queen of Soul at her best. Pouring her bare soul in the music. Aretha Franklin is my girl and she show's why she is the Queen Mother of music period! It is so many highlights on this boy that I can't name my favorite.

Aretha's voice is powerful, it swoops and she is able to control her voice to just wrap tightly across the lyrics.

I'm not gonna go into details about this which is from the best and vintage years, but the only singers that come anywhere close to hear are Laura Lee, Tommie Young and the late great Linda Jones.

This, two-disc set provides fans a good collection of Aretha's tunes. The first disc contains most of her best work. The second disc has a lot of her "forced pop" stuff from the days when producers were shaping her sound, but it is still a worthwhile buy for fans.

Aretha's best work, showcased here, proves that she has justly earned her title as Queen of soul despite some ups downs in her long career. Aretha took a long time to establish herself but once signed to Atlantic, she found a producer (Jerry Wexler) who was able to make the most of her distinctive talents.

Aretha has had many major hits in America although she has not been particularly successful in the British singles charts. During her time with Atlantic, Aretha had two UK top ten hits (Respect, I say a little prayer) and two other UK top twenty hits (Don't play that song, Spanish Harlem). All those hits are included here, together with many of Aretha's other classic recordings for Atlantic, some of which were minor UK hits but all of which did much better as singles in America. These classics include Think, You make me feel like a natural woman, I never loved a man they way I loved you, Chain of fools, Do right woman do right man, Angel, Since you've been gone and Until you come back to me.

With Aretha's distinctive voice and delivery, her cover versions are always interesting. Surprisingly, Satisfaction (Rolling Stones) is omitted, but Bridge over troubled water (Simon and Garfunkel) and Eleanor Rigby (Beatles) are among those included.

This compilation, limited to Aretha's music for Atlantic (her best years), clearly shows why she is regarded as the Queen of soul.

All i cans ay is thank you Aretha. Thank You!!

First of all, I've owned 30 Greatest Hits for a long time and always thought it was an incredible collection. But after Amazon put song samples out for practically all of Aretha's material, I realized that practically everything Aretha recorded from '67 to '74 was great, so I picked up all the available cds. After having listened to all her work from the period, I'm even more impressed with 30 Greatest Hits. The compilers have accomplished the seemingly impossible: boiling down a decade of sustained brilliance to two cds. Contrary to what another reviewer writes, the producers of this collection have chosen superior and more representative non-charting material over the safer charting choices, which was incredibly brave and astute of them. Surely this is one of the best compilations in any genre, ever. For casual fans of Aretha, 30 Greatest Hits is all you'll ever need. For diehard fans, get EVERYTHING from '67 to '74.

Originally released in Canada on vinyl way back in 1985, this collection from Atlantic records remains the absolute best overview of Aretha Franklin during her peak years from 1967 through 1974. While her subsequent work for Arista in the eighties produced some fine singles, most of those lacked the edge, energy and intensity of these earlier recordings. Of the 30 songs included on this terrific collection all but two made the Billboard Hot 100. And of these a total of 14 were Top Ten tunes. Quite surprising to me was the fact that Aretha managed only one #1 pop hit during her career and that one--you guessed it--was her 1967 smash "Respect". The story was a bit different though on the Soul/R&B charts where Aretha had a total of 20 #1 singles during her phenomenol career. She was also a significant player on Billboard's Top Pop Album charts during this period. In all, more than 30 of Arethas albums would make the charts.
Atlantic has included everything you would expect to find on a collection of one of their most prolific and successful artists ever. I can think of no major omissions. And all are the original 45 rpm recordings you heard on the radio. Enjoy once again tunes like "Chain of Fools", "Think" and the rollicking "Since You've Been Gone". You will also hear the more mellow side of Aretha with tunes like "Day Dreaming" and her big one from 1973 "Until You Come Back To Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)". Atlantic has provided an attractive booklet loaded with information and also presents the Billboard chart information on each and every tune. For collectors and fans of 1960's and 1970's popular music this 2 CD set is essential. Very highly recommended.

This is the first Aretha cd i had ever gotten. And I wore the thing out! ha ha One of my favorites was "Spanish Harlem" I would sit and play that rack over and over. I also liked the others that i'd never heard before. Though now i know the track list by heart ha ha. I loved this one until i heard that she had a box set. A BOX SET! whew i knew there had to be more songs to love on that so i set out to get it. I still had this one and gave it to a friend after i got the Queen Of Soul box set and i am grateful for getting started with this collection.

I don't have to go into full detail about this cd. You know this cd is blazing. After all, it features the Queen of Soul in all her glory and best years (the 60s and 70s).This double cd is simply amazing. Today's singers should follow her example. Only Lauryn Hill (if she ever get her act together), Jill Scott and Erykah Badu show some promise. But promise is not the real deal. Invest some money into this cd...you won't reget it.

This is the essential hits collection by the legendary, Queen Of Soul, Rock 'N' Roll Hall Of Famer. This covers her Atlantic Years only so if you want her 1980s and 1990s hits, then you need to buy her Arista hits album.

Take your pick: you can either buy this or buy the Rhino collection which separates the 1960s on one disc and the 1970s on the second disc. If sequencing is important than buy those 2 discs. If you are not sure about buying her box set, then get this collection if hits is the only thing you want. Highly Recommended.

great songs
REALLY bad sound

When are these songs going to be re-mastered or better yet--HDCDed?

In this here today, gone today music industry of 2003, many people in their 20s and 30s probably look at Aretha Franklin as a singer who has been coasting the fame train on her hit Respect and not much more. Some probably even look at her as the Whitney, Mariah, Beyounce or Ashanti of her day. That would be wrong because Aretha is in a class by herself. During her artistic pinnacle in the 60s and 70s (an era of great rock/pop/soul music), few could top Franklin.

This CD is an excellent place to start for the greatness of Aretha. With the songs I'll Never Love A Man, Ain't No Way, Since You've Been Gone and others, Franklin's sullen phrasing evokes a woman in the throes of an anguished relationship. Although such themes are prevalent today, few singers wrench as much emotion out of their material. Aretha also takes material made famous by other artists and remakes them into her own. Of course in addition to Otis Redding's Respect, there is I Say A Little Prayer, Stevie Wonder's Until You Come Back to Me and Simon/Garfunkel's Bridge Over Troubled Water. You will hit the repeat button for Don't Play That Song, a foot stomping, hand clapping remake of the old Ben E. King hit.

Although she is justifiably known for her singing and phrasing, Franklin was/is also an underrated piano player and songwriter. Check out Call Me, Spirit In The Dark and Day Dreaming. I wish today's young singers would look to Aretha's early material and take note. All the tracks on this double CD are winners.

You gotta love Aretha. Here we have a great collection of her earlier music. This is IT. Her 60's and 70's output is her most soulful, her purest and her most groove-heavy of all. Her 80's stuff sort of tried to fit in the horrible trends at the time, so it musically wasn't that good, though her voice always shined. But if you listen to this collection, you will find a great roster of musicians playing with groove and power, providing the perfect medium for Aretha's voice to shine its brightest light. This is R&B of the purest kind. REAL R&B. Put it on, dig in, and get all souled-out!

You are stranded, either on an island, a hotel, or an airplane. You sure do want this by your side.

One of the greatest voices ever. Brought up in the Churchhouse, she then decided to bring her power to secular R & B. We sure ought to be glad she did.

Even now going on thirty years later, I recall the first time hearing "I Never Loved A Man" WOW! What powerful stuff. Ditto for "Natural Woman". This collection has them all.

How one could criticize her for recording the work of others in beyond me; because say what you will, The Queen has a style all her own. Whether doing her own signature pieces like "Spirit in the Dark" (which this album sagely has included twice: her studio version and the live version with Ray Charles from the "Live at the Filmore" album) or covering the songs of others "Bridge", "You're All I Need to Get By", she can turn out the house.

Buy this. As she says in "Respect", you'll give her her propers when you get home.

This is an amazing collection of Aretha's artistry, unfortunatly the sound quality is quite awfull. I dont know if the problem was the original sources or the mastering onto CD but most of the songs sound muffled and weak. Aretha's voice is badly equalized, lost under the instruments and the chorus. The sound is fuzzy, not sharp, sort of what you get when you put a piece of cardboard over your speakers. As I said its a great collection, but due to the poor sound I rarely listen to it. This is a disc that merits a remastering procedure.

I don't know why she is the Queen of the Divas when there Tina Turner. When Tina left her abusive relationship she had no money!!! she started all over, could Aretha have done that no. Aretha just eats a lot. Now she is definitely better these tramps like Madonna and Brittney, and she is extremely talented but she does meet up to Tina's Standards.

If you want the Aretha at her best get this CD I have on Lp as well... I have always appreciate her music and this has her early and best hits....

I bought this as a cassette when I was a teenager and a decade later it's still one of my favorites. It has accompanied me on many cross-country trips and late night drives. Basically, if you love soul, blues, gospel or just beautiful music, you can't beat this collection, particularly if you like to sing along. It makes you feel by turns sultry, sad, sassy and joyful. If you have a soul and imagination, you'll love it.

How many singers can you think of with thirty great hits to their name? Hmmm... well... and then there's... um... oh that's right. Almost nobody. Aretha Franklin is the greatest voice in American history and the favorite singer of thousands (or more) for a very good reason. Not only is she in possession of the greatest voice around, but in the 60's and 70's on Atlantic Records, she had some of the best material around. You can't deny this woman's greatness. If you are vacillating between buying this and not, here's the answer... buy it! And if you don't, you are a sonically deprived individual. I hope you will come to grovel at the throne of the Queen along with me.

Two words: BUY THIS! After truly giving a close listen to this collection, I'm of the firm conviction that Aretha Franklin is the finest musical talent EVER. She's impossible to catagorize. Her God given talent is awe inspiring and her artistry matched only by the raw emotion in which it is delivered. It's almost like listening to an entire symphony when you hear her voice. She's simply the best.

You can't have too many Aretha Franklin LPs. The organic sound of her early records, combined with the greatest voice in Soul and Pop music, made for a string of records almost uniformly great.

30 GREATEST HITS sweeps through those years, and pulls up short before the embarrassing "Highway Of Love" years. Songs like "Call Me," "You're All I Need," and "Oh Me Oh My" are perfect gems that you may not have heard before, and "Until You Come Back To Me" is one of the all time great forgotten singles.

I have never been an Aretha Franklin fan, infact I never quite heard of her existence until when one of my uncle played her song once... and infact she is not my generation too...

But no one can deny the fact that Aretha is truly astounding... The fact that she experiment with so many different genres of music and gain recognition, which is something to be really proud of.... Her title as Queen of Souls is also genuinely suitable.

30 greatest hits is one of the best album that i own...

Best Tracks: Chains Of Fools, Natural Woman(You Make Me Feel)

If you are looking for the essential Aretha (and if you don't already have it, you certainly should be looking!), stop here. OK, boiling her Atlantic years down to 30 tracks definitely shorts this amazing woman, but the sound is great, the selection is great, and unless you want to shell out for the box set (on which all the '67-'68 classics are in mono, not stereo!), this is your choice.

Don't let the scarity of tracks scare you off. You won't be able to keep this out of your CD player. This woman deserves her crown. In terms of female soul singing, only Etta James can touch her. You should buy her collection (Essential) next.

I have been a fan of Aretha Franklin it seems all my life , but truth is I am only 5 years younger than Aretha. As I was reading the biography of Aretha I came to understand why this Queen of Song is so talented and special and why we as her fans love her so much. Why we don't get to see her in too many concerts because of her fear of flying. How she was brought up in the church and started her career at the tender age of 14. I have just about every alblum Aretha Franklin has made and I give each one of them a five star. Keep up the beautiful work Miss Queen of Soul I'll always be your fan and will continue to play your music and let it soothe my soul forever!

your fan, Kathy Ford

I doubt there are many people in the Western hemisphere that have not heard of Aretha Franklin. She has been hailed as the queen of Soul and I happen to think she has earned that crown. I know the lyrics to many of her songs and so will you after buying this album, because you won't be able to stop playing it. All of her work is eminently singable. You just can't help joining in. Fair warning, this can lead an unfortunate reputation when you're listening to your walkman on the bus and burst out with, "I feel like a natural woman."

ARETHA FRANKLIN is One Of THE GREATEST Artists ever.a Teacher as well.Her Music is Timeless.She Puts so much feeling into Her Material.this Two-Set Disc Showcases Her Ability to Do Many Styles&add Her Own Special TOuch.

You are stranded, either on an island, a hotel, or an airplane. You sure do want this by your side.

One of the greatest voices ever. Brought up in the Churchhouse, she then decided to bring her power to secular R & B. We sure ought to be glad she did.

Even now going on thrity years later, I recall the first time hearing "I Never Loved A Man" WOW! What powerful stuff. Ditto for "Natural Woman". This collection has them all.

How one could criticize her for recording the work of others in beyond me; because say what you will, The Queen has a style all her own. Whether doing her own signature pieces like "Spirit in the Dark" (which this album sagely has included twice: her studio version and the live version with Ray Charles from the "Live at the Filmore" album) or covering the songs of others "Bridge", "You're All I Need to Get By", she can turn out the house.

Buy this. As she says in "Respect", you'll give her her propers when you get home.

I think she has a fantastic voice. On the divas night live special on VH1 with all the popular divas such as Mariah Carey, Celene Dion, Shania Twain. They all disappered. She ruled the night with her powerful voice. The CD is great because the songs are classics!

I think she has a fantastic voice. On the divas night live special on VH1 with all the popular divas such as Mariah Carey, Celene Dion, Shania Twain. They all disappered. She ruled the night with her powerful voice.