Similar Albums:
- Artist: Ray Charles
- Rating:
- Release Date: September 20, 2005
- Type: Compilation (best of), Box set
- Genre: Rhythm & Blues
Review
Ray Charles' seminal recordings for Atlantic have been boxed once before, as the triple-disc 1991 set The Birth of Soul. That box contained 53 tracks, the best moments of what is arguably the best period of Charles' career, but Rhino/Atlantic's 2005 seven-disc sequel, Pure Genius, doesn't bother with merely the highlights: as its subtitle makes clear, this is The Complete Atlantic Recordings (1952-1959). This is undeniably a major historical release, since it gathers all of the recordings Charles made at his creative peak, not just as a leader, but as a sideman for his saxophonist David "Fathead" Newman and sides he recorded with jazz vibraphonist Milt Jackson. Also, it's not limited to studio recordings -- live sessions, later issued on the LPs Ray Charles in Person and Ray Charles at Newport, are here too. Despite the abundance of music here, there's not much that hasn't seen the light of day before. It may not seem that way at first glance, since the seventh disc contains nothing but unreleased material, but the great majority of that is devoted to a full-length rehearsal session with producer Ahmet Ertegun from 1953 -- something that is interesting to hear once, since it does give some insights into Ertegun and Charles' working relationship and how Ray acted in the studio, but even then, it's not exactly revelatory. So, apart from that rehearsal, outtakes of "(Night Time Is) The Right Time" and "Tell Me How Do You Feel" and an excellent DVD of Ray live at Newport from 1960, Pure Genius is devoted to material that has been reissued extensively during the CD era -- which is another way of saying that most fans will have this music already. Still, presented here in chronological order according to recording sessions, it's hard not to marvel at Charles' development as an artist and be astonished by his range. That is what makes this set worthwhile as something more than a library piece -- listening to the first six discs from beginning to end reveals exactly how restless and creative Ray was during this period. Most listeners will be satisfied by more concise collections of this period -- and even those who truly love the hard R&B and soul of Charles' Atlantic hits will likely find The Birth of Soul a more satisfying box, since it is devoted to that sound, whereas the rest of the music here that's not on the 1991 box is largely devoted to jazz sides and live performances -- but any serious fan or historian of American music will find this set essential. (Nevertheless, they may find the packaging of the set somewhat infuriating: it's a clever, well-designed replica of an old-fashioned, all-in-one record player, with the hardcover book and eight discs stored inside. It's a nice package, but a bit impractical, particularly for those who just want the music.) ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music GuideTracks
CD 1
CD 2
CD 3
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| Rockhouse, Pts. 1 & 2 | Ray Charles | Ray Charles | (3:52) |
| Get on the Right Track Baby (Lyrics) | Titus Turner | Ray Charles | (2:19) |
| Swanee River Rock (Talkin' 'Bout That River) | Ray Charles | Ray Charles | (2:17) |
| That's Enough | Ray Charles | Ray Charles | (2:46) |
| Talkin' 'Bout You | Ray Charles | Ray Charles | (2:49) |
| What Kind of Man Are You (Lyrics) | Ray Charles | Ray Charles | (2:50) |
| I Want a Little Girl (Lyrics) | Ray Charles | (2:56) | |
| How Long Blues | Leroy Carr | Ray Charles, Milt Jackson | (9:17) |
| Cosmic Ray | Ray Charles | Ray Charles, Milt Jackson | (5:24) |
| The Genius After Hours | Ray Charles | Ray Charles | (5:24) |
| Charlesville | Ray Charles | Ray Charles | (4:56) |
| Bags of Blues | Milt Jackson | Ray Charles, Milt Jackson | (8:53) |
| 'Deed I Do (Lyrics) | Fred Rose, |
Ray Charles, Milt Jackson | (5:51) |
| Blue Funk | Ray Charles | Ray Charles, Milt Jackson | (8:12) |
| Soul Brothers | Milt Jackson | Ray Charles, Milt Jackson | (9:33) |
CD 4
CD 5
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| I Got a Woman [Live] | Ray Charles, |
Ray Charles | (6:19) |
| Talkin' 'Bout You [Live] | Ray Charles | Ray Charles | (4:22) |
| Swanee River Rock (Talkin' 'Bout That River) [Live] | Ray Charles | Ray Charles | (2:09) |
| Yes, Indeed! [Live] | Sy Oliver | Ray Charles | (2:40) |
| Early in the Morning (Lyrics) | Henry Glover | Ray Charles | (2:48) |
| (Night Time Is) The Right Time | Ray Charles | (3:26) | |
| Carrying That Load [Single Version] | Mort Shuman, Doc Pomus | Ray Charles | (2:16) |
| Carrying That Load [LP Version] | Mort Shuman, Doc Pomus | Ray Charles | (2:24) |
| Tell Me How Do You Feel (Lyrics) | Percy Mayfield, Ray Charles | Ray Charles | (2:44) |
| Fathead | David "Fathead" Newman | David "Fathead" Newman | (5:23) |
| Tin Tin Deo | Chano Pozo | David "Fathead" Newman | (5:22) |
| Bill for Bennie | David "Fathead" Newman | (4:17) | |
| Hard Times | David "Fathead" Newman | (4:43) | |
| Mean to Me | Fred E. Ahlert, Roy Turk | David "Fathead" Newman | (4:16) |
| Sweet Eyes | David "Fathead" Newman | (3:45) | |
| Weird Beard | David "Fathead" Newman | (4:49) | |
| Willow Weep for Me | Ann Ronell | David "Fathead" Newman | (4:59) |
| Tell the Truth | Lowman Pauling | Ray Charles | (3:06) |
| What'd I Say, Pts. 1 & 2 [Mono LP Version] | Ray Charles | Ray Charles | (5:04) |
CD 6
CD 7
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| Baby Let Me Hold Your Hand [#] | Ray Charles | Ray Charles | (:21) |
| Unknown Title [#] | Ray Charles | (1:16) | |
| Piano Improvisation & Dialog #1 [#] | Ray Charles | (:31) | |
| "Losing Hand" & Dialog #1 [#] | Ray Charles | (1:47) | |
| "Little Rock Getaway" & Dialog | Joe Sullivan | Ray Charles | (1:16) |
| Kentucky Waltz [#] | Ray Charles | (1:23) | |
| Heartbreaker [#][Instrumental] | Ray Charles | (2:13) | |
| "Heartbreaker" & Dialog [#] | Ray Charles | (1:13) | |
| Piano Improvisation & Dialog #2 [#] | Ray Charles | (:42) | |
| Heartbreaker [False Starts 1-2][#] | Ray Charles | (1:12) | |
| "Losing Hand" & Dialog #2 [#] | Ray Charles | (1:20) | |
| "Losing Hand" & Dialog #3 [W/Reverb][#] | Ray Charles | (1:27) | |
| "Losing Hand" & Dialog #4 [W/Reverb] | Ray Charles | (4:55) | |
| Heartbreaker [#] | Ray Charles | (2:53) | |
| "It Should've Been Me" & Dialog [#] | Ray Charles | (2:56) | |
| Nobody Cares [#] | Ray Charles | Ray Charles | (3:57) |
| Piano Improvisation & Dialog #3 [#] | Ray Charles | (:33) | |
| Mess Around [#] | Ahmet Ertegun, Jesse Stone | Ray Charles | (2:39) |
| Funny (But I Still Love You) [#] | Ray Charles | Ray Charles | (3:17) |
| Sinner's Prayer [#] | Lowell Fulson, Lloyd Glenn | Ray Charles | (3:44) |
| Piano Improvisation & Dialog 4 [#] | Ray Charles | (1:01) | |
| "Low Society" & Dialog, No. 1 [#] | Lowell Fulson, Lloyd Glenn | Ray Charles | (3:08) |
| Boogie Woogie [#] | Count Basie, Jimmy Rushing | Ray Charles | (1:56) |
| "Low Society" & Dialog, No. 2 [#] | Lowell Fulson, Lloyd Glenn | Ray Charles | (3:28) |
| Worried Life Blues [#] | Big Maceo Merriweather | Ray Charles | (3:01) |
| "Come Back Baby" [Walter Davis Version][#] | Walter Davis | Ray Charles | (1:59) |
| Low Society | Lowell Fulson | Ray Charles | (2:56) |
| (Night Time Is) The Right Time [Takes 1-7][#] | Ray Charles | (8:17) | |
| Tell Me How Do You Feel [Take 1][#] | Percy Mayfield, Ray Charles | Ray Charles | (3:21) |
| Dialog [#] | Ray Charles | (1:01) | |
| "It Had to Be You" & Dialog [#] | Isham Jones, Gus Kahn | Ray Charles | (1:40) |
| "My Buddy" & Dialog [#] | Walter Donaldson, Gus Kahn | Ray Charles | (1:45) |
| Dialog [#] | Ray Charles | (:18) | |
| "When Your Lover Has Gone" & Dialog [#] | Ray Charles | (1:50) | |
| I'm Beginning to See the Light [#] | Johnny Hodges, Harry James, Duke Ellington, Don George | Ray Charles | (1:26) |
| "Let the Good Times Roll" & Dialog [#] | Ray Charles | (2:46) |
CD 8
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| Lil' Darlin' [DVD][Live][#] | Neal Hefti | Ray Charles | |
| Blues Waltz [DVD][Live][#] | Max Roach | Ray Charles | |
| Let the Good Times Roll [DVD][Live][#] | Ray Charles | ||
| Don't Let the Sun Catch You Cryin' [DVD][Live][#] | Ray Charles | ||
| Sticks and Stones [DVD][Live][#] | Titus Turner, Henry Glover | Ray Charles | |
| My Baby! (I Love Her, Yes I Do) [DVD][Live][#] | Ray Charles | Ray Charles | |
| Drown in My Own Tears [DVD][Live][#] | Henry Glover | Ray Charles | |
| What'd I Say [DVD][Live][#] | Ray Charles | Ray Charles | |
| I Believe to My Soul [DVD][Live][#] | Ray Charles | Ray Charles | |
| Interview with Ahmet Ertegu [DVD][#][*] | Ray Charles |
