Search - Ray Stevens :: 20th Century Masters: Millennium Collection

Original early singles

K. E. Loucks | Columbus, OH USA | 12/13/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The important thing to note about this collection is that it contains the original Mercury singles of Ahab The Arab and Harry The Hairy Ape. However, this does not contain the original single version of Freddie Feelgood, as the one included here has a dubbed laugh track (although otherwise it is the same version). It's too bad that if you want a complete collection of Ray's original recordings from the Sixties, you have to bite the bullet and buy two CDs, but this one sounds great and is the less pricey alternative for the original Ahab and Harry."

12 of Ray's best

Jerry McDaniel | 03/17/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"like most of the other Millennium Collection titles, this one did on Ray Stevens is also essential because it captures 12 of the comedian's best known songs. being a Ray Stevens nut like i am, i'd prefer obscure and little known album tracks too because they were just as good as the singles. but the 12 compiled here are chart dictated: only two singles didn't reach Top-40 status, 1966's #91 pop hit "Freddy Feelgood" and the closing song called "Would Jesus Wear a Rolex?" from 1987 fell one position short, peaking at #41 on the country chart. ironically, this CD doesn't have "Mississippi Squirrel Revival" or "It's Me Again, Margaret"...two of his most requested songs and the squirrel song actually hit the Top-40 too: peaking at #20 in early 1985. Ray's pop hits dominate the CD since the bulk of his classic singles of the '60s and '70s charted pop. it wasn't until the mid '70s that he started hitting the country chart with more frequency, and having bigger hits with that format as the decade closed. "Shriner's Convention", his final Top-10 hit released in 1980, reached #7 and it's ALSO one of his most requested songs. that hilarious story that made Bubba, Coy, and Room 321 catch-phrases is track 11. the obvious hit singles are here: "Ahab the Arab", "Gitarzan", "Everything is Beautiful", "The Streak", "Misty", and his big 1971 gospel hit "Turn Your Radio On". all in all, this is a great CD for people to have, even though the songs are available on other collections out there. for those that don't want album tracks, no matter how good they might be, this is the CD for you to have!"

Skimpy Collection

Pieter | Johannesburg | 04/26/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"
Although all of these tracks were hits, this collection is far from comprehensive and there are many better compilations available. Still, it might be the right place to start for the casual investigator as it contains the characteristic blend of styles that comprises the work of Ray Stevens.



There are the comic novelty songs like Ahab (1962), Harry The Hairy Ape (1963), Gitarzan (1969) and The Streak (1974), pop ballads like the upbeat Everything Is Beautiful (1970) and the serious Mr Businessman (1968), gospel like Turn Your Radio On (1972) and the country/bluegrass hit Misty from 1975.



The greatest omissions are the beautiful ballads Sunday Morning Coming Down and America Communicate With Me, the buoyant ditty Bridget The Midget which was a UK number 2 hit in 1971 and later songs from the 1980s like It's Me Again Margaret and The Mississippi Squirrel Revival.



So this one does provide a good cross-section of Stevens' styles and some big hits, but for those who want more of this talented and versatile artist, there are numerous Best Of and Hits collections that offer all of the aforementioned songs plus much more.



Misty: The Very Best of Ray Stevens



Ray Stevens - All-Time Greatest Hits"