Search - Ray Stevens :: Turn Your Radio On: Misty

Too Good To Be True

S. Tucker | Pueblo, CO USA | 11/24/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In 1975 I purchased an 8-Track Tape that I loved. It was called "Ray Stevens Misty" and it had the most upbeat tempo for some old songs like, Over the Rainbow, Deep Purple, Oh Lonesome Me and others. Believe it or not, when my parents died, I got their 8-Track Stereo System and all their old tapes. The player worked until about February of this year. I played my Ray Stevens tape on it constantly (just ask my husband) When the player broke, so did my heart. How was I ever going to hear my favorite music again. The last 12 songs on this CD are the songs from that tape. I am ecstatic!!! (...) If you like some of the old songs you will like this, they all have a different tempo, rhythm, beat and his voice makes them unique. If you liked his version of Misty, you will like this, believe me."

Two classic albums, track order half right!

Darren Thornton | Watson, LA USA | 06/01/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Here is another Collectables reissue of 2 Ray Stevens albums. The first is my all-time favorite album, period. Ray has started recording serious music again. When are we gonna get another complete Gospel album? If it even comes close to this one, it will be well worth the wait. Turn Your Radio On became one of Ray's best showings on the country charts. The album also includes another Albert E. Brumley song, I'll Fly Away. Ray's version is slower than the traditional arrangements. I much prefer his version of "Love Lifted Me" than the usual church renditions. A local church used it in their puppet ministry. They also did "Glory Special," "Along Came Jones," and "Bridget the Midget." I saw them on Buckskin Bill's program. If you're not from the Baton Rouge area, he had the longest running local children's program. He currently serves on the school board. I was privileged to meet him years ago. These performances led me to seek this album. My first two copies were on 8-track. One was on Barnaby, the other CBS. There were some differences with track order. Both split "All My Trials" during the instrumental break. I later found a quandphonic LP. In 1982 it got reissued on the Priority label. There was a new cover and photo of Ray Stevens. This reissue doesn't mark the CD debut. These songs have been released, along with others, as "A Brighter Day," Clyde Records, "The Gospel Side of Ray Stevens," K-Tel/Arrival, and "Great Gospel Songs," Curb. Sadly, this reissue has something in common with those other albums. The track order is wrong! Here is how it appeared on my vinyl copies. 1. Turn Your Radio On2. Love Lifted Me3. Yes, Jesus Loves Me4. Let Your Love Be A Light Unto The People5. A Mama And A Papa6. Have A Little Talk With Myself7. All My Trials8. I'll Fly Away9. Why Don't You Lead Me To That Rock10. Glory Special11. Oh! Will There Be Any Stars Unfortunately, All My Trials is about a minute short. Perhaps they used a single edit. Note: Ray's incredibly talented. But the credits are a little off. Some songs he arranged, but didn't write. One of the best cuts, "Let Your Love Be A Light Unto the People" was written by his brother, John Ragsdale. (That's really their last name.) For some reason, "Have A Little Talk With Myself" got included. It was the title song of a 1969 album, his last for Monument records. I've listened to these songs numerous times. They still hold up very well. Next up is Misty. On his live album and video, he tells about an accident. He and his band were rehearsing for a TV show. During a break, they started fooling around with this old lounge song. (Does anyone remember an early SNL bit involving different singers doing this song?) It got to sounding good, so he called in the engineer. This result was his second Grammy, and another career song. We also got a whole album of interesting covers. The only original song is "Sunshine," Misty's B-side. Judging from the musician credits, they may have been recorded at the same time. YouTube has an old clip of him performing the song with his good friend, the late Jerry Reed. Indian Love Call and Young Love were also released as singles. There's also my favorite Patti Page song, "Mockingbird Hill." His take on "Oh Lonesome Me" is definitely different. Oh yeah, the track order matches my LP. I used to have this album on cassette. My collection also has it on 8-track. Misty was Ray's last original album for the Barnaby album. His Warner Brothers debut, Just for the Record, featured a similar arrangement of "You Are So Beautiful." This has been a long review. But both albums were worth it. Enjoy!"