Search - Ray Charles :: Anthology

BEWARE-Live Recordings of Varying Quality

iggy fripp | La Vergne, TN United States | 10/13/2005

(2 out of 5 stars)

"The sound quality of these recordings are all over the place. Some are great, others are just too horrible to bear. Most are somewhere in between. If you are looking for studio versions of the hits look elsewhere."

Facinating but uneven

finulanu | Here, there, and everywhere | 03/23/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"At its best, this Ray Charles retrospective has some of the best stuff you're likely to hear. Listen to such classics as Hit the Road Jack, Let's Go Get Stoned, Unchain My Heart, Don't Set Me Free, I Don't Need No Doctor, Hallelujah I Love Her So, Busted, One Mint Julep, I Got a Woman, You Are My Sunshine (thankfully not delivered in the stupid traditional fashion), America the Beautiful and, of course, What'd I Say. This brings out why Ray has been dubbed "Genius".

My only problem is that sometimes this collection will lapse into SAP. Songs such as Georgia On My Mind, Crying Time, Cry, Here We Go Again and Born to Lose are all pure, unadaultered SAP. I am sorry. And his cover of Eleanor Rigby is ...good, loads better than Aretha's anyway, but you're better off with the original.

But the soul outweighs the sap, and Ray was a true genius at his best. So pick this up.

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Not complete, but a good selection

James R. Michaels | Washington DC | 01/18/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This record doesn't have all of Ray's greatest hits, but it does have most of them. If you're looking for the early songs he released on Atlantic, you won't find them. But most of the songs you heard on the radio in the 1950's and 1960's are here. There are even a few songs from live album releases which are refreshing changes from the standards. If you're looking for an encyclopedic collection of Ray's works, you have other choices. If you want a one-disk collection which will keep you humming and singing along, this is a good start.



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