Whether it was bad luck or stubborn indifference, Aretha’s career took a sharp turn downward for nearly a decade.

When that happens, most artists don’t recover, but we are discussing Aretha Franklin. Finally finding sympathetic producers (who were willing to handle her difficult mannerisms and work with the utmost patience), things turned around rather quickly for Aretha in the 1980’s. Apparently, her move to Arista worked even better than could have been expected. The lasting questions, though, are 1) Is she relying too heavily on others, and 2) Do the songs hold up with her earlier classics?’ We’ll let you decide.

Featured tracks (some of them edited) include:

Jump To It

Get It Right

Who’s Zooming Who?

Freeway of Love

Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves

I Knew You Were Waiting for Me

Jumpin’ Jack Flash

Gimme Your Love 

Through the Strom

If Ever a Love There Was

It Isn’t, It Wasn’t, It Ain’t Never Gonna Be