The 2024 Aretha Franklin Gift Guide

Uncategorized Leave a comment

The holidays are officially in full force, which means it’s time to start making those lists and checking them twice. And what could be better than the gift of Aretha? Exactly, nothing. Here’s a roundup of everything Aretha you need for the 2024 holiday season for the diehard fan, the burgeoning appreciator, or the new fan. There’s music, apparel, books, and accessories, and even some Aretha wrapping paper to deliver your gifts with class. 

Music

The latest in Aretha releases is 2023’s Portrait of a Queen, a 5CD/6LP box set that compiles 5 Aretha studio LPs released from 1970 through early 1974. The LP edition contains an additional  vinyl of b-sides, outtakes, and demos, which are peppered throughout the various discs on the CD release. The liner notes were written by the British Ambassador of Soul himself, David Nathan, so you can already expect them to be a thorough, insightful, and fantastic companion to these classic albums. 

Order: 5CD or 6LP

Compilations

For the casual or new Aretha listener, sometimes it’s best to start with a set of tried-and-true hits to ease into her extensive catalog. Some of these sets cover a specific time period, while ARETHA 2021 covers Aretha’s entire career from start to finish. 

Aretha’s Gold: https://amzn.to/3MUoDwu 

Aretha’s Greatest Hits: https://amzn.to/3QQTxab 

Knew You Were Waiting: 1980-2014: https://amzn.to/3uxd1sH 

ARETHA (2021): https://amzn.to/3QQVyDh 

Studio & Live Albums

For the fan who’s wading into the water and wants the full experience, or is building out their collection, these albums are absolute essentials for every Aretha fan. These are all newer pressings of the album, some of them even remastered to enhance the listening experience. 

Lady Soul (on limited, clear vinyl): https://amzn.to/3SRrbiK 

Young, Gifted & Black (on limited yellow vinyl): https://amzn.to/3MPWUg8 

I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You: https://amzn.to/3QKAq1r 

Amazing Grace: https://amzn.to/3SPD2xK 

For any Aretha vinyl lover, there’s also an official vinyl slipmat to keep Aretha on display even when there isn’t a record on the turntable: https://arethafranklin.shop.musictoday.com/product/X3AMAF43/aretha-franklin-graphic-turntable-slip-mat

Video

Sometimes, it’s not enough to hear Aretha; you need to see her, too. There are also two tremendous portrayals of Aretha by two incredible actress/singers: Jennifer Hudson and Cynthia Erivo.

Amazing Grace: https://amzn.to/3Oz31WR

VH1 Divas 2001: The One & Only Aretha Franklin: https://amzn.to/4fQdPM9

The 25th Anniversary Rock n Roll Hall Of Fame Concerts: https://amzn.to/3CKvGW8

Respect (starring Jennifer Hudson): https://amzn.to/4g9FqHR

Genius: Aretha (starring Cynthia Erivo): https://amzn.to/4gcwD7Z

Books

Take your Aretha knowledge to the next level. Some of these volumes deliver comprehensive histories of Aretha’s life, others hone in on specific albums, and some tell stories about the Queen of Soul through the lenses of the photographers who captured her over the years. There are even two books especially for kids. The must-have release of 2024 is Matthew Jordan Smith’s Aretha Cool, which was released this spring. It features stories and photos of Aretha from her later years. Smith photographed Aretha from around 2005 on, including the covers of her final two albums. 

Apparel

There are three official places to shop for Aretha Franklin apparel: the first two are the official Aretha Franklin website and MerchBar. These sites should be viewed as goldmines, considering that there was barely any Aretha clothing in existence until about 3-4 years ago. There are some absolutely fantastic designs on both sites (I have a few from each and can vouch for the quality). There are also some absolutely terrible designs that will have you going, “why?” which are easy to avoid. With that said, these are a few of the top designs from not just both sites, but even a few less-than-official ones that are too good to miss. You can also find a mix of Aretha clothing on Amazon.

Official Site Highlights

MerchBar highlights

Note that most of these selections are not just offered in a range of colors, but also in styles (including hoodie, crewneck, men’s and women’s cuts of t-shirts and tank tops)

Other apparel

Roots of Fight has a line of three official Aretha Franklin pieces of apparel: 2 shirts and a hoodie.

On the flip side, these next two aren’t exactly official, but what Christmas is complete without a wreath of Franklin’s sweater?

https://www.teepublic.com/crewneck-sweatshirt/53975702-a-wreath-a-franklin?countrycode=US&utm_source=365DaysofAretha&utm_medium=Post&utm_campaign=2024+Aretha+Shopping+Guide+Post
https://www.teepublic.com/crewneck-sweatshirt/37201954-christmas-a-wreath-a-franklin&utm_source=365DaysofAretha&utm_medium=Post&utm_campaign=2024+Aretha+Shopping+Guide+Post

Accessories and More

Wrapping Paper

What better way to wrap these gifts up than with some Aretha wrapping paper? The official Aretha Franklin store offers two varieties: 

Leave a Reply