Laughing on the Outside
Laughing on the Outside | ||||
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Studio album by Aretha Franklin | ||||
Released | August 12, 1963 | |||
Recorded |
April 17, 1963 June 12–14, 1963 at Columbia Recording Studios, (New York/Hollywood) | |||
Genre | Jazz, soul, stand arts, R&B | |||
Length | 41:00 | |||
Label |
Columbia (8879) | |||
Producer | Robert Mersey | |||
Aretha Franklin chronology | ||||
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Professional ratings | |
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [1] |
Laughing on the Outside is the fifth studio album by American singer Aretha Franklin, Released on August 12, 1963 by Columbia Records. The album was recorded at Columbia Recording Studios in New York and Hollywood. These sessions found a 21-year-old Aretha Franklin recording Jazz Music and Pop Music standards, from Johnny Mercer to Duke Ellington. She is backed by the arrangements of Columbia producer Robert Mersey. One of the most popular songs from the album is Aretha's interpretation of the classic "Skylark". A minute and fifty eight seconds into the song, Aretha sings the word "Skylark" with power and emotion. This was one of the first times in which Aretha recorded one of her written compositions, "I Wonder (Where Are You Tonight)", on an album. Though somewhat overlooked in her Columbia catalog, this album was jointly re-released with The Electrifying Aretha Franklin in June 2008.
Track listing
Side One
- "Skylark" (Johnny Mercer, Hoagy Carmichael) 2:49
- "For All We Know" (Sam M. Lewis, J. Fred Coots) 3:25
- "Make Someone Happy" (Betty Comden, Adolph Green, Jule Styne) 3:48
- "I Wonder (Where Are You Tonight)" (Aretha Franklin, Ted White) 3:16
- "Solitude" (Duke Ellington, Eddie DeLange, Irving Mills) 3:50
- "Laughing on the Outside" (Bernie Wayne, Ben Raleigh) 3:14
Side Two
- "Say It Isn't So" (Irving Berlin) 3:05
- "Until The Real Thing Comes Along" (Sammy Cahn, Saul Chaplin, L.E. Freeman) 3:04
- "If Ever I Would Leave You" (Alan Jay Lerner, Frederick Loewe) 4:04
- "Where Are You?" (Harold Adamson, Jimmy McHugh) 3:50
- "Mr. Ugly" 3:22
- "I Wanna Be Around" (Johnny Mercer, Sadie Vimmerstedt) 2:25
Bonus Tracks on Later Re-issues
- "Ol' Man River" (Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II) 4:01
Mono Mixes
- "You've Got Her" (working title "Let Me Be") (Fred Johnson, Leroy Kirkland, Pearl Woods, Terry Melcher) 2:40
- "Here's Where I Came In (Here's Where I Walk Out)" (Art Wayne, Ben Raleigh) 2:53
- "Say It Isn't So" (Irving Berlin) 3:08
Personnel
- Aretha Franklin - vocals
- Robert Mersey - producer, arranger, conductor
- Earl Van Dyke or Andrew Acker - piano
- C. Bosler - bass
- Hindel Butts - drums
- Don Arnome - guitar
- Jimmy Nottingham - trumpet
- Robert Ascher - trombone
- Bernard Eichenbaum, Julius Schacter, Leo Kahn, Berl Senofsky, Felix Gigol, Max Pollikoff, George Ockner and John Rublowsky - violin
- R. Dickler, Theodore Israel and Jacob Glick - viola
- Anthony Twardowsky and Joseph Tekula - cello
- The contractor was Robert Ascher
On "Say It Isn't So", "You've Got Her" and "Here's Where I Came In," the musicians include:
- Dave Grusin - piano
- William "Billy" Strange - guitar
- Melvin Pollan - bass
- Russe I Bridges (Leon Russell) - piano
- Ray Pohlman - bass
- Hal Blaine - drums
- Tommy Tedesco - guitar
- Plas Johnson - saxophone
- Sid Sharp, Tibor Zelig, George Poole, Irving Lipschultz, Irving Weinper, Darrel Terwilliger - violin
- Jesse Erlich - cello
- The contractor was Steven Kreisman (Steve Douglas)