Search - Ray Stevens :: Everything Is Beautiful/Unreal!!!

Back in 1970...

Jerry McDaniel | 10/13/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I feel silly...i bought this CD 2 years ago and just now am reviewing it. Anyway, when the CD was released, combining Ray's first two albums for the Barnaby label, it was the 35th anniversary of their release. The albums both go back to 1970. The first 11 songs come from EVERYTHING IS BEAUTIFUL which was named after his Grammy winning #1 pop hit of the same name. The single, like all singles in that era in both pop and country, was the centerpiece of the album. This isn't to say the remaining 10 songs are inferior, though. Far from it. Ray tackles several contemporary pop songs on this album. We hear Ray's versions of "Something", "Walk a Mile in My Shoes", "Get Together", "Leaving on a Jet Plane", and a few more. The first two songs, "Everything is Beautiful" and "A Brighter Day", were the A and B sides of the commercial single out at the time and both written by Ray. The songs on EVERYTHING IS BEAUTIFUL are of mixed tempo's. I'm not much of an expert in sound quality but to me the songs sound wonderful. EVERYTHING IS BEAUTIFUL is also noted for it containing "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head", which Ray originally turned down in 1969 and the song was recorded by B.J Thomas for the 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid' movie. However, Ray apparently had a change of heart about the song and recorded it for EVERYTHING IS BEAUTIFUL. The arrangement is almost similar to the arrangement B.J Thomas used. The rest of the 11 songs are from UNREAL...another quality album and an album almost written entirely by Ray himself. Only two songs on here were NOT written by Ray and those are: "Come Around" and "Talking". The songwriter credits show Ray's brother, John Ragsdale, as the writer of "Talking". There are a lot of horns and other instruments utilized on these recordings...specifically making efforts for an all-around pop feel. "America, Communicate With Me" i think is a great account of the conflicts and emotions that were rampant in 1970 America...Ray doesn't take sides in this cleverly written summarization of current events. There is a funky song on here, but it isn't a novelty song...it's track number 20, "Monkey See, Monkey Do", which is basically a song about how people conduct their lives. "Talking" is a brilliant war song...other songs on UNREAL that use socially aware lyrics are "Can We Get To That", "Come Around", and a second war song, "Loving You On Paper". The song, "Night People", to me is a haunting song that i think is about a couple who aren't too lovey-dovey but for the sake of propriety remain an item because divorce would look bad in social circles and the couple deal with their animosity and failed marriage by running around with friends partying and being people of the night: "...all the world's a stage; and the audience is waiting just outside the door...and as you put on your make-up and paint a smile just like you've did so many times before; and i'll wear my silly grin, let the babysitter in, leave on the front porch light, kiss the kids goodnight; for their sakes we'll cover up the fact at the party where we'll try and counteract and hide all our mistakes with charm intact; yeah, time for us to go into our act...". The CD closes with "Sunset Strip", which can be seen as a homage to the sounds of Brian Wilson and Beach Boys music...the high tenor in the background by Ray and the song about the west coast lifestyle...well, the romantic image of the west coast lifestyle with such lines like "all the happy hearts are here; with their minds all free and clear...". It was a great recording. A lot of the singles from these 1970 albums were hits on the then-obscure easy listening format which is now widely known as Adult Contemporary music now. The Middle of the Road charts, MOR for short, is where Ray had his best chart placings when compared to the Hot 100 placings of his singles. "America, Communicate With Me" for example almost reached the pop Top-40, peaking at #45 but on the Easy Listening chart, the same single reached #12. "Sunset Strip" peaked at #81 pop but managed a more better #17 placing on the Easy Listening chart. This is why going with Hot 100 statistics can do a disservice to Ray because a critic or a historian may look and say "well, Sunset Strip only hit #81...it must've not been any good" when it fact it's a good song...but didn't catch the ear of the target audience at Top-40 pop radio as it did the listening audience of MOR radio and the chart placings of the same song on two separate formats show that. Here's some trivia about UNREAL. This UNREAL album was recorded in early 1970 and was ready for release but then news of Ray having a summer TV show put UNREAL on hold and the focus was on "Everything is Beautiful" which Ray wrote for his upcoming summer TV show and had released to radio a month or two before the TV show hit the air. Then, when the single exploded on the airwaves and was reaching a million in sales, Barnaby released an EVERYTHING IS BEAUTIFUL album...that, in my opinion, is why the majority of that album contains cover songs by Ray instead of new material...Barnaby wanted something out there in LP format to tie in with the single, "Everything is Beautiful". So, after the success faded from EVERYTHING IS BEAUTIFUL, Barnaby released UNREAL in late 1970."

Botched reissue

M. Frost | Alexandria, Va | 06/07/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"OK, it's not like this CD is going to appeal to that many people to begin with. Ray Stevens is best known for his novelty records, and nary a joke, funny voice or overbearing laugh track is to be found in this two-fer reissue. In fact, the fact that these two underrated albums are finally in print for the first time in 30 years should be cause for rejoicing. But, as usual, the Collectables label has messed up the reissue. First and foremost, more than half of the selections -- including all but one of the tracks from "Everything is Beautiful" are reduced from glorious stereophonic sound to muddy monural. That's a real shame, because Ray Stevens was a masterful producer whose albums were sonically years ahead of their time. That they're presented here without the benefit of stereo is inexplicable. (Adding to the frustration: The same thing happened with Curb's reissue of "Turn Your Radio On.") Adding to the frustration is the lack of liner notes or full reproductions of the album covers. "Everything is beautiful..." except when Collectables gets a hold of it!"

Two great albums, wrong track order!

Darren Thornton | Watson, LA USA | 05/10/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ray Stevens remains my favorite singer. Too often his funny side is dominant. I enjoy the comedy stuff. But his serious side remains my favorite. His catalogue has been poorly treated. There are numerous overlapping compilations. How many copies of "The Streak" do you really need? I've always preferred original albums. If nothing else, my favorite cuts aren't always the hits. Thankfully some of his great albums are finally out on CD. Varese Sarabande reissued two of his Monument albums. Collectables offers some of his Barnaby releases. This CD features the first two. Both albums sound great! However, the track order doesn't match my vinyl copies. What gives? The sparse notes come from the back covers. Some web sites show the order featured here. But even Ray Stevens' own web site has the order I'm used to. Here is the correct order. Everything Is Beautiful 1. Everything Is Beautiful2. Get Together3. Walk A Mile In My Shoes4. Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head5. Leaving On A Jet Plane6. (Side 2) Love Theme From "Romeo and Juliet" (A Time For Us) 7. She Bleongs To Me8. Early In The Morning9. A Brighter Day10. She Came In Through The Bathroom Window11. Something Unreal! 1. Sunset Strip2. Can We Get To That3. Imitation Of Life4. Night People5. America, Communicate With Me 6. (Side 2) Come Around7. Loving You On Paper8. Dream Girl9. Monkey See Monkey Do10. Talking11. Islands Now let's talk about the albums. Some folks say that "Unreal!" was recorded first. It's possible. But the "Everything Is Beautiful" album is closer in spirit to his final Monument album. "Have A Little Talk With Myself" also featured several covers, with a few originals. Both albums had songs by Joe South and the Beatles. Everything Is Beautiful is still my favorite song. Ray's two daughters were part of the group singing "Jesus Loves the Little Children" at the beginning. Its B-side, "A Brighter Day" could have been a hit too. Check out these great covers! We get to hear him sing a song he once turned down. One of my vinyl copies has a sticker noting the inclusion of "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head." His arrangement is a near copy of B. J. Thomas' version. Nothing personal, B.J. But you owe Ray a huge favor. His version's good too. "Unreal!" has one of my favorite album photos of Ray's. We get a Beach song with "Sunset Strip." There's also one of his most socially revelant songs. I'm surprised that "America, Communicate With Me" hasn't been revived in recent years. The interview part at the beginning could be a prelude to a bigger hit. He even asks, "pardon me sir." This album has more Ray originals. "Can We Get To That" is another personal favorite. It, along with "A Brighter Day," got covered by the Christian group The Imperials. I could say much more about these two great albums. Hopefully Collectables will straighten out the track order. Perhaps these albums were released with the order here in different areas. I would have liked some liner notes. Also, give us full prints of the album covers! That goes for both sides. Another twofer needs to be issued. Why not team up "Have A Little Talk With Myself" with his other Barnaby album, "Featurin' Losin' Streak?" I'd buy a copy gladly."