This outstanding 3-CD 75-track set presents the complete 1954-62 singles recorded by the inimitable Ray Charles, which were originally produced for the Atlantic and ABCParamount labels. While on the earlier sessions nearly all of the tracks were first issued on singles, by the late 1950s, right into the LP era, the custom was to select the biggest hits from the LPs or even separate non-LP tunes for single release. The only five singles recorded for Atlantic in 1953 but released in 1954-61 have been added here as a bonus. Included on this collection are such perennial classics as Georgia on My Mind , Hard Times , What d Say , Hit the Road, Jack , and Drown in My Own Tears . 28 tracks on this set climbed to the top 20 singles in the Billboard R&B or Popcharts, 7 of which skyrocketed to #1. Includes 20-Page Booklet With Memorabilia And Updated Liner Notes.
M**N
An Essential Compilation
These 3 CDs are quite an amazing collection of Ray’s tracks and include a number of generally neglected ones, especially some special ABC-Paramount issues. For example, one of Ray’s all-time greats is “My Baby (I Love her, yes I do!)” which features some brilliant vocals by Margie Hendrix – and this puts it on a par with “You Are My Sunshine”. Just to have this on CD along with so many other brilliant tracks is well worth the price of the whole collection. This was never a single in the UK, but available only on the “Hit the Road Jack” EP (HMV label). “A Bit of Soul” (Atlantic 2094) appears as “Blues Hangover”. It is perhaps a shame that the initial cut-off date is 1954 as this excludes the 4 earliest 1952-53 Atlantic singles: “Roll With My Baby”/“The Midnight Hour” (976); “The Sun’s Gonna Shine Again”/“Jumpin’ in the Morning” (984); “Mess Around”/“Funny (But I Still Love You” (999); “Feelin’ Sad”/“Heartbreaker” (1008) – even though some of these were later reissues. But even within the specified period of this selection (1954-1962), there are some surprising omissions, which I feel obliged to point out for the sake of other potential buyers. The Atlantic track “(Night Time is) The Right Time” (2010), an indisputable classic, and “I Wonder Who” (2118) are omitted. The four missing ABC-Paramount tracks were issued as singles on the “Impulse!” label and are all on the album “Genius + Soul = Jazz”: “One Mint Julep”/“Let’s Go” (200) and “I’ve Got News For You”/“I’m Gonna Move To The Outskirts Of Town” (202). The missing tacks could have been included on a 4th CD along with additional ABC tracks, like “Don’t Set Me Free”, “I Don’t Need No Doctor”, and “In The Heat Of The Night”. But we can’t have everything and this collection is worth every cent/penny – so my congratulations go to those who dreamed up this project! I just hope they read this review and maybe they might even take up my suggestion! Midasin.
R**R
The Big Copy of the genius
Any Ray Charles fan will love this.
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