RAY CHARLES "The Complete Country & Western Recordings" 1959-1986

The soul and spirit in this collection is far beyond description. The feelin' starts on track 1 of disc 1 and continues on to track 22 of disc 4, and stays with you long after that. Sure, Ray Charles is a household name. But I don't think many people realize how deep of a soul singer and songwriter he is.
If you have any inkling as to who Ray Charles is and what he's about--and it appeals to you--then you will *LOVE* this entire collection (FORGET about "country"/"R&B" classifications--it is SOUL music). Some box sets are overkill with the content, making it hard to truly enjoy everything from beginning to end. This is a major exception. The songs range from the 1950s to the 1980s, and, to my wonderful surprise, the 1980s tracks don't have that fake, overproduced sound that most records from the 1980s have. And the tracks from the 1950s and 60s, of course, have that wonderful "live" sound that only recordings from that time could have. It's all good!
I was hesitant to buy this entire collection, and it makes me so happy to know that I took the chance because I wouldn't know what I was missing if I had simply gotten the "Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music" album. Ray Charles RULES! (Record Runner)Ray Charles' explorations into country music were no mere dalliance. They have their genesis in "I'm Movin' On," the last record he made for Atlantic before moving on to ABC Paramount in 1960. But it was with the enormously successful Modern Sounds in Country & Western series of albums in 1962 (and the career making single "I Can't Stop Lovin' You") that made their mark, crossing over genre boundaries that were unthinkable at the time. An African-American doing hillbilly music was not a first, nor were uptown arrangements of hillbilly songs, but here was the Genius of Soul validating the music of the white working class, plain and simple. He was putting his own spin to it (hence the Modern Sounds), not merely a black voice singing Gene Autry songs, investing them with pain, emotion, and sorrow. It was an unprecedented achievement, both commercially and artistically, and now -- decades later -- it's viewed as just another genre-bender in the grand Ray Charles tradition. But this 92-track, four-CD box set is the first to gather them all in one place and view it as a consistent piece of work spread over a career as a stylist that's second to none. The first disc combines both volumes of the Modern Sounds albums; the rest of the anthology moves through singles, various returns to the concept over the years, and stray tracks from his later stretch at Columbia to spice it all up. This multi-disc set contains some very special music, nicely packaged -- a moment in American music well worth investigating. (Cub Koda, Allmusic)

trax disc 1:

01 Bye Bye, Love 02 You Don't Know Me 03 Half as Much 04 I Love You So Much It Hurts 05 Just a Little Lovin' 06 Born to Lose 07 Worried Mind 08 It Makes No Difference Now 09 You Win Again 10 Careless Love 11 I Can't Stop Loving You 12 Hey Good Lookin' 13 You Are My Sunshine 14 No Letter Today 15 Someday (You'll Want Me to Want You) 16 Don't Tell Me Your Troubles 17 Midnight 18 Oh Lonesome Me 19 Take These Chains from My Heart 20 Your Cheating Heart 21 I'll Never Stand in Your Way 22 Making Believe 23 Teardrops in My Heart 24 Hang Your Head in Shame

trax disc 2:

01 I'm Movin'on 02 Busted 03 No One to Cry To 04 Move It on Over 05 Love's Gonna Live Here 06 I'm a Fool to Care 07 Crying Time 08 Together Again 09 I've Got a Tiger by the Tail 10 I Don't Care 11 Blue Moon of Kentucky 12 Don't Let Her Know 13 Please Say You're Fooling 14 A She's Lonesome Again 15 A Born Loser 16 Girl I Used to Know 17 Here We Go Again 18 When I Stop Dreamin' 19 If You Were Mine 20 Your Love Is So Doggone Good 21 Don't Change on Me 22 Till I Can't Take It Anymore 23 You've Still Got a Place in My Heart 24 I Keep It Hid 25 Sweet Memories 26 Good Morning Dear.mp3

trax disc 3:

01 Ring of Fire 02 What Am I Living For 03 The Three Bells 04 All I Ever Need Is You 05 Wichita Lineman 06 Down in the Valley 07 Take Me Home, Country Roads 08 Never Ending Song of Love 09 Come Live with Me 10 Sunshine 11 We Had It All 12 (Turn out the Light And) Love Me Tonight 13 I Wish You Were Here Tonight 14 Ain't Your Memory Got No Pride at All 15 Born to Love Me 16 I Don't Want No Stranger Sleepin'in My Bed 17 Let Your Love Flow 18 You Feel Good All Over 19 You've Got the Longest Leaving Act in Town 20 String Bean

trax disc 4:

01 3/4 Time 02 Shakin' Your Head 03 I Had It All 04 Do I Ever Cross Your Mind 05 Woman Sensuous Woman 06 Then I'll Be Over You 07 If I Were You 08 Workin' Man's Woman 09 Two Old Cats Like Us 10 This Old Heart (Is Gonna Rise Again) 11 We Didn't See a Thing 12 Who Cares? 13 Friendship 14 It Ain't Gonna Worry My Mind 15 Little Hotel Room 16 Crazy Old Soldier 17 Seven Spanish Angels 18 The Pages of My Mind 19 Slip Away 20 Anybody with the Blues 21 A Little Bit of Heaven 22 Dixie Moon

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