The cover alone is worth the price. Aretha Franklin, at the height of her power in 1971, spotlighted and open-mouthed behind her mic and electric piano at the Fillmore West in San Francisco. Once you uncover the phenomenal talent sharing her stage that night (King Curtis and his Kingpins, The Memphis Horns, and Ray Charles on one of the closing numbers) and the divinely varied selection of cover material (Stephen Stills‘ “Love the One You’re With”, Simon and Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water”, The Beatles‘ “Eleanor Rigby”, and, most surprisingly, Bread’s “Make It with You”), assigning a monetary value to ownership of this record is almost embarrassing. One of the best live recordings, Soul or otherwise, of all time.
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