Search - Ray Charles :: Anthology

Sixties Highlights From The Genius

Steve Vrana | Aurora, NE | 05/26/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"To most people under thirty, Ray Charles is known only as a pitchman for Pepsi and Arby's. That's too bad. Charles arrived on the music scene fifty years ago and first made his mark at Atlantic in the Fifties and then after switching labels to ABC Paramount dominated the charts in the Sixties, which is the focus of this set. Every major hit from the Sixties is here (with the exception of the No. 2 hit "You Don't Know Me," taken from his country album Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music). You get his No. 1 hits "Georgia on My Mind," "Hit the Road Jack" and "I Can't Stop Loving You," along with other notable hits like "One Mint Julep," "Busted" and "Crying Time." Throughout the Sixties, Charles released several albums using the word "genius": Genius Hits the Road, The Genius After Hours, The Genius Sings the Blues; in the case of Ray Charles it was simply a matter of truth in advertising. Charles' influences were diverse. He could play R&B, jazz, gospel and even country & western. While his hits dropped off as the Sixties wore on, his influence on other artists continued. [Listen especially to Steve Winwood's work with the Spencer Davis Group.] In 1986, Charles was part of the first group of inductees into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame. This CD should help explain why.This is not the definitive collection. The 2-CD Ultimate Hits duplicates this plus adds some of his earlier Atlantic work. If you really want to do it right you could get the 5-CD Genius & Soul box set. But Anthology is an excellent place to start. ESSENTIAL"

The Genius Swings The Sixties

Anthony G Pizza | FL | 02/25/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ray Charles, more than any musician, understood "soul" as more than musical style. It was a way to sing (and live, really) that reached a listener deeper than anything else he or she would hear that day."Anthology," comprises hits, favorites and live versions originally released on ABC-Paramount in the 1960s. Soul pours over this collection like thick, sweet maple syrup: over C&W standards ("I Can't Stop Loving You," "Born to Lose," "Crying Time") rhumbas ("Unchain My Heart," "Don't Set Me Free"), work songs ("You Are My Sunshine," That Lucky Old Sun") and especially on the soulful, witty live versions of his Atlantic hits (including a snippet of a Beethoven sonata before charging into "I Got A Woman.")Yes, a lot of songs ("Ruby," "No Letter Today" and his great covers of Hank Williams) are missing. But what is here is as eclectic and beautiful as American music gets. Highly recommended."

Almost perfect.......

Steve Vrana | 03/10/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the best mini-collections one can get of Ray's music. I think it's a crime that so many of our legends that are still living are virtually invisible, drowned out by the thunder-thump of some of the digital wizards that pretend to be musical artists today. There is one song I really like that wasn't included her. It's "You Don't Know Me" ("You give your hand to me....and then you say hello...."). This is the music of my early childhood, and it was played around my house along with Cannonball Adderley, Lou Rawls, Nancy Wilson, Wes Montgomery..... oh man, the list could go on and on! I find myself reminiscing every time I come to these Amazon music pages! If you are on a budjet, this CD gives you the most for the least dough. Ray Charles is part of the royalty that gave us the best music of the 20th century. He will be eulogized and all after he passes away, but it's just a shame there isn't enough room in the mainstream spotlight for those that got us here."