30 Greatest Hits zeroes in on Aretha Franklin's prime recording period for Atlantic, from her breakout in 1967 with I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You) through the end of 1974, during which the Queen of Soul truly reigned over the charts -- she averaged over one pop hit every two months. This two-disc set delivers all of her classics (Respect, Do Right Woman, Do Right Man, (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman, Chain of Fools, Think, Spanish Harlem, Rock Steady), plus much more excellent material for those who won't recognize much more than the songs (and there are quite a few) that have entered the cultural consciousness (I Say a Little Prayer, The Weight, Spirit in the Dark, Day Dreaming). It's a great foundation to any collection that has yet to be equaled by a pair of Rhino sets, the two-volume Very Best of Aretha Franklin from 1994 and Aretha's Best from 2001.