Titles include "Just You Just Me", "Body And Soul", "Gone With The Wind", "Alone Together", "Seems Like Old Times", and "I Only Have Eyes For You" – 16 tracks total. CD

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20 classics from Ray Charles' big country soul and jazz years on ABC Records! CD

Includes 41 tracks on 2 CDs. CD

You know, over the years, you get exposed to so many cliches about Ray Charles that it's easy to forget how great he is – but you won't after hearing this set! This totally essential box pushes way past any other collection to pull together the raw early R&B sides by Ray – much harder stuff than any of his later country soul work, and way more rockin than even his instrumental sides that show up more as "jazz" efforts. No, this stuff kicks ass – and is right up there with the best 50s R&B work by artists like Tiny Bradshaw, Wynonie Harris, or Ray Brown. Plus, a huge amount of the cuts on here never really appeared on full LPs, so it's not like you'll be able to track them down that easily on other reissues. There's a wealth of excellent material here that will open up a whole new side of Ray for you – and which will fill in loads of holes if you've already got some of his work. There's a total of 53 tracks in all, plus a great set of notes and a very handsome box – and titles include "What Kind Of Man Are You", "Get On The Right Track", "Leave My Woman Alone", "Roll With My Baby", "Jumpin In The Morning", "It Should Have Been Me", "Feelin Sad", "Mess Around", "I Wonder Who", "Blackjack", "Greenbacks", "A Fool For You", "Hard Times", "A Bit Of Soul", "I Want To Know", "It's Alright", "Ain't That Love", and "That's Enough". All cuts are vocal – and this is some of the most satisfying Ray Charles you could ever buy! CD

Includes 40 tracks on 2 CDs. CD

Sublime stuff! Sure, it's easy to sit back and say that you don't really dig Ray Charles albums that mix together country music and soul, and that you prefer his hard raw raunchy Atlantic recordings from the earlier days. But let's be honest, Ray really made his biggest splash with this stuff – and although it became extremely popular over the years, it's also part of a huge country soul tradition that's a very accurate representation of the rich crossover culture going on in southern soul, a tradition that for some reason always gets underplayed by folks who want to carve up the world in easy racial lines. Truth is, Ray was not the only soul artist to embrace country, and we can think of a host of others – including Solomon Burke, Ivory Joe Hunter, Joe Simon, Clarence Carter, Brook Benton, and Bobby Womack who all participated in this rich tradition. This set's essential if you're interested in checking out this side of Ray's career – and the price is pretty nice, considering that you get 4CDs, a great book, and 92 songs in all! Work is pulled from Ray's classic ABC sides in the format, plus others from before and after that generation. Titles include "A Born Loser", "I'm Movin On", "Busted", "Crying Time", "Teardrops In My Heart", "Half As Much", "No Letter Today", "Oh Lonesome Me", "Ring Of Fire", "What Am I Living For", "Let Your Love Flow", "Down In The Valley", and "Take These Chains From My Heart". CD

Titles include "Crying Time", "Tears", "Going Down Slow", "Peace Of Mind", "Drifting Blues", and "You've Got A Problem". LP, Vinyl record album

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A wonderful chapter in the career of Ray Charles – and a key album in helping raise his respect level a notch or two in the early 60s! We might argue with the mathematics in the title – or at least joke that Ray was using equations as titles years before Anthony Braxton – but you can't contest the fact that this one's a classic treat, and a legendary attempt to class up Ray's bluesy style for the masses. Quincy Jones and Ralph Burns handled the arrangements, and given that the record was issued by ABC a few years before they brought Ray into a country mode, it's interesting to think what might have happened had his career continued this way. There's only a small number of vocal tracks on the record, and most of the rest feature Ray at the organ, grooving away very nicely! Titles include "One Mint Julep", "Moanin", "I've Got News For You", "Mister C", and "Stompin Room Only". CD

A wonderful chapter in the career of Ray Charles – and a key album in helping raise his respect level a notch or two in the early 60s! We might argue with the mathematics in the title – or at least joke that Ray was using equations as titles years before Anthony Braxton – but you can't contest the fact that this one's a classic treat, and a legendary attempt to class up Ray's bluesy style for the masses. Quincy Jones and Ralph Burns handled the arrangements, and given that the record was issued by ABC a few years before they brought Ray into a country mode, it's interesting to think what might have happened had his career continued this way. There's only a small number of vocal tracks on the record, and most of the rest feature Ray at the organ, grooving away very nicely! Titles include "One Mint Julep", "Moanin", "I've Got News For You", "Mister C", and "Stompin Room Only". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful chapter in the career of Ray Charles – and a key album in helping raise his respect level a notch or two in the early 60s! We might argue with the mathematics in the title – or at least joke that Ray was using equations as titles years before Anthony Braxton – but you can't contest the fact that this one's a classic treat, and a legendary attempt to class up Ray's bluesy style for the masses. Quincy Jones and Ralph Burns handled the arrangements, and given that the record was issued by ABC a few years before they brought Ray into a country mode, it's interesting to think what might have happened had his career continued this way. There's only a small number of vocal tracks on the record, and most of the rest feature Ray at the organ, grooving away very nicely! Titles include "One Mint Julep", "Moanin", "I've Got News For You", "Mister C", and "Stompin Room Only". LP, Vinyl record album

A stunning standout from Ray Charles' years on ABC Records – and a set that brings in a bit of hard-swinging jazz to the country-styled groove Ray was hitting at the time! Backings are by Ralph Burns, who keeps things pretty hip – not as modern as some of his 50s charts for other singers, but with some great horns that cascade beautifully alongside Ray's raspy vocals in the lead. The "road" title leads to a bunch of travel-themed tunes – but that approach also yields one of Charles' biggest classics – his version of "Georgia On My Mind" – heard here amidst other tracks that include "New York's My Home", "Moonlight In Vermont", "Deep In The Heart Of Texas", "Blue Hawaii", "Carry Me Back To Old Virginny", "Alabamy Bound", and "Mississippi Mud". LP, Vinyl record album

Later Atlantic Records material from the legendary Ray Charles – a set that definitely lives up to the genius of the title, in that it shows a real sense of development in Ray's music! Charles has moved from the shorter R&B of his early Atlantic singles, to embrace some greater jazz-based sophistication – served up here with players who include Paul Gonsalves and Zoot Sims on tenor, Clark Terry and Joe Newman on trumpets, Melba Liston and Al Gray on trombones, and Freddie Greene on guitar – all players who really shift things towards a richer, fuller sound – setting the stage for Charles 60s growth at ABC Records, but with less of the country modes. Titles include Charles takes on classics like "Just For A Thrill", "Don't Let The Sun Catch You Cryin", "Am I Blue", and "It Had To Be You" – and the record also features a young Marcus Belgrave delivering a trumpet solo on "Alexander's Ragtime Band". CD

Ray Charles in a nicely maturing mode – on a record from later in his Atlantic Records years, definitely paving the way forward for his 60s classics on ABC! The tunes are blues, but not in the way that Charles first started recording on earlier singles for Atlantic – as there's a bit more class, care, and a strong current of jazz that Ray was bringing more and more to his music as the years went on. Titles include the Charles originals "Hard Times", "I Believe To My Soul", "Mr Charles Blues", "I Wonder Who", "Some Day Baby", and "Nobody Cares" – plus nice takes on "I'm Movin On" and "The Midnight Hour". LP, Vinyl record album

A 60s remastering of early Ray Charles gems for Atlantic Records – titles that include "Carrying That Load", "Tell Me How Do You Feel", "I'm Movin On", "You Be My Baby", "Early In The Mornin", "I Believe To My Soul", and "I Had A Dream". LP, Vinyl record album

More of a jazz album than the early vocal singles of Ray Charles – but a set that definitely is as great as promised by the title! Ray's in the lead on piano – taking some strong solos, and showing us what a sensitive phraseologist he can be when needed – really showcasing that side of his talents even more strongly away from his vocals. The album's got some great sidemen, too – David Newman on alto and tenor, Joe Bridgewater and John Hunt on trumpets, Emmott Dennis on baritone, and even a bit of guest work on bass from Oscar Pettiford. Newman and Bridgewater get in some nice solos – and titles include "Black Coffee", "The Ray", "Doodlin", "There's No You", and "Sweet Sixteen Bars". LP, Vinyl record album

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Tracks include "Hit The Road Jack", "Busted", "Them That Got", "I'm A Fool To Care", "Ruby", "Baby It's Cold Outside", and "Eleanor Rigby" – 20 tracks total. CD

Ray Appleton on drums – with Slide Hampton on trombone, Charles McPherson on alto, Jim Rotondi on trumpet, John Hicks on piano, Peter Washington on bass, and Rumah Saafir on congas! CD

Duets with Diana Krall, Natalie Cole, BB King, Stevie Wonder, and Ray Charles. CD

An incredible early experimental album from Art Blakey – one of the first to feature him in expanded percussion format! Side one of the album features the extended "Drum Suite" – a set of 3 tracks ("The Sacrifice", "Cubano Chant", and "Oscalypso") that has Blakey and Jo Jones on drums, joined by Sabu Martinez on bongos and Charles Wright on tympani and gong. Ray Bryant snakes some soulful piano through the set and Oscar Pettiford is on bass and cello – and the overall feeling of the side is similar to some of Blakey's work in the format for Blue Note – like the albums Afro-Drum Orgy or Holiday for Percussion. Side two has straight hard bop, played by Blakey's 1957 combo that included Jackie McLean and Bill Hardman – and the group grooves hard on a classic reading of "Nica's Tempo", plus the cuts "D's Dilemma" and "Just For Marty". CD features 3 bonus tracks – unedited versions of "Lil'T" and "The New Message"! CD

An incredible early experimental album from Art Blakey – one of the first to feature him in expanded percussion format! Side one of the album features the extended "Drum Suite" – a set of 3 tracks ("The Sacrifice", "Cubano Chant", and "Oscalypso") that has Blakey and Jo Jones on drums, joined by Sabu Martinez on bongos and Charles Wright on tympani and gong. Ray Bryant snakes some soulful piano through the set and Oscar Pettiford is on bass and cello – and the overall feeling of the side is similar to some of Blakey's work in the format for Blue Note – like the albums Afro-Drum Orgy or Holiday for Percussion. Side two has straight hard bop, played by Blakey's 1957 combo that included Jackie McLean and Bill Hardman – and the group grooves hard on a classic reading of "Nica's Tempo", plus the cuts "D's Dilemma" and "Just For Marty". CD features 3 bonus tracks – unedited versions of "Lil'T" and "The New Message"! CD

An incredible early experimental album from Art Blakey – one of the first to feature him in expanded percussion format! Side one of the album features the extended "Drum Suite" – a set of 3 tracks ("The Sacrifice", "Cubano Chant", and "Oscalypso") that has Blakey and Jo Jones on drums, joined by Sabu Martinez on bongos and Charles Wright on tympani and gong. Ray Bryant snakes some soulful piano through the set and Oscar Pettiford is on bass and cello – and the overall feeling of the side is similar to some of Blakey's work in the format for Blue Note – like the albums Afro-Drum Orgy or Holiday for Percussion. Side two has straight hard bop, played by Blakey's 1957 combo that included Jackie McLean and Bill Hardman – and the group grooves hard on a classic reading of "Nica's Tempo", plus the cuts "D's Dilemma" and "Just For Marty". LP, Vinyl record album

The funky freaky soundtrack to Ralph Bakshi's animated feature Fritz The Cat – a really messed-up little film based around the original character created by Robert Crumb! Like the movie, the album's got a very skittish kind of feel – leaping from one genre to the next with each different track – but mostly featuring some older numbers from the Fantasy catalog, plus some key newer tracks for the set that are nice and funky! Original tunes include the bad-rapping "Fritz The Cat", by Ed Bogas and The Watson Sisters – plus the instrumentals "Duke's Theme" and "Bertha's Theme" by Ray Shanklin, and "The Riot" and "Winston" by Ed Bogas. Also includes "Love Light Of Mine" by The Watson Sisters, "Black Talk" by Charles Earland, and "Mamblues" by Cal Tjader. LP, Vinyl record album

Genius – pure genius! Solomon Burke is one of those soul singers you always hear folks about, but who you never seem to get to hear as much as folks like Otis Redding, Ray Charles, Wilson Pickett, or any of his other label-mates on Atlantic. This excellent 2CD set will correct that problem – as it brings together 41 tracks from Solomon's glory days at Atlantic, and the selection of material is fantastic all the way through. Solomon's voice is indescribably majestic – soaring over the top of the tightly-woven arrangements that were some of Atlantic's first real forays into soul music. The set does a good job of showing the full range of his talents during the 60s – and it moves way past the few hits he had, which always seem to get repeated endlessly when anyone brings up his name. Tracks include "Save It", "Get Out Of My Life Woman", "Detroit City", "Take Me (Just As I Am)", "When She Touches Me (Nothing Else Matters)", "Looking For My Baby", "I'm Hanging Up My Heart For You", "Cry To Me", "If You Need Me", "The Price", "You're Good For Me", "Words", "It's Been A Change", "Time Is A Thief", "Stupidity", and "Woman, How Do You Make Me Love You Like I Do". CD

Johnny first LP collaboration with his soon to be wife June Carter, and it's a nice one! Carryin' On has it's share of sweet, lovely moments shared by the two, but also has a lot more cool 60s oddball touches than one would expect. The couple cover Dylan's "It Ain't Me Babe" and two Ray Charles tunes, "I Got A Woman" and "What I Say". All three sound pretty strange coming out of hard-nosed Johnny, and prove to be quite fun and endearing, and very indicative of the freedom he had at Columbia to do whatever the heck he wanted. Other tracks include "Shantytown", "Pack Up Your Sorrows", "Jackson", "What A Good Thing We Had", and "No, No, No". Includes two bonus tracks from the sessions, and new liner notes by old pal Carl Perkins. CD

A title that seems to take off from Chubby Checker's bit trademark hit, but the overall groove is a lot better than you might expect – set for twisting, sure, but in a nicely rough and ready style that's almost equal parts soul and R&B! Some tunes are familiar, but twist-ified – and others are standout originals that really make the album sparkle. Titles include "The Ray Charles-ton", "Dance A Long", "Takes Two To Tango", "Continental Walk", "The Jet", "I Could Have Danced All Night", and "Peanut Butter". LP, Vinyl record album

Hank's blowing it in that stock soulful style he used with Ray Charles – over slightly larger arrangements that feature players like Wendell Harrison, David Newman, Melvin Latiste, and Carl Lynch. Jack McDuff plays piano on "In The Heat Of The Night", and other tracks include "Glue Fingers", "Jimmy Mack", "Double Cross", and "Mud Island Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

31 tracks from Hank Crawford, Hank Crawford with the Marty Paich Orchestra, and Hank Crawford with Ray Charles, David Newman, Jimmy McGriff, BB King, and Etta James. CD

A sweet soulful stepper from the mighty Hank Crawford – a set that's got a bit of the bluesy lines promised by the title, but which also has some snappier soul jazz modes played by a larger ensemble! Hank plays a bit of piano, in addition to his trademark alto sax – and the set's got a style that bridges his roots with Ray Charles and some of the cooler, groovier modes of Atlantic Records jazz in the 60s. Other players include Wendell Harrison on reeds, and Sonny Forriest on guitar – and titles include the originals "Mr Blues", "Smoky City", "Hush Puppies", and "The Turfer" – plus versions of "Danger Zone", "Route 66", and "Lonely Avenue". LP, Vinyl record album

Hank Crawford takes a decidedly mellower approach on this set – working with warm and wonderful arrangements by Marty Paich, in a series of soulful readings of familiar ballads and love songs – all of which come out in a dreamy late night mode! There's still a fair bit of Ray Charles soul in the set overall – no surprise, considering Hank's roots in Charles band – and it's almost a Charles-like sound that Paich seems to be conjuring for the set – slightly bluesy undercurrents, which offer Hank some great space to voice his own solos on the alto sax. Titles include "Sweet Slumber", "Blueberry Hill", "Stormy Weather", "Any Time", "Whispering Grass", and "Have A Good Time". LP, Vinyl record album

Early CTI/Kudu material from alto legend Hank Crawford – part of a strong 70s run that helped him find a whole new audience for his soulful sound! Crawford got his start with Ray Charles, and cut some classic albums for Atlantic in the 60s – but during the 70s, his sound really warmed up a lot with the right electric touches – providing a flow in the backdrops while Hank too off on tight, well-blown solos – almost the alto sax equivalent to what the tenor of Stanley Turrentine was crafting at the time. Arrangements here are by Don Sebesky and Bob James – sometimes a bit funky, sometimes laidback – and other musicians include James on Rhodes and George Benson on guitar. Titles include a great funky take on "Alone Again Naturally" – plus "We Got A Good Thing Going", "I Don't Know", "A Little Tear", and "Down To Earth". CD

An amazing meeting of two very different players who might not normally record together – although maybe not as much of a surprise, given that the set was recorded in the St Louis home turf of both Miles Davis and Jimmy Forrest! At the time, Miles was already a star, but Jimmy was becoming a hell of a tenor player – one that seems to have more of a bop affinity here than on later records – blowing head to head with Davis, and really stretching out on long solos throughout. The rhythm section features Charles Fox on piano, Johnny Mixon on bass, and Oscar Oldham on drums – and titles on this first volume include "Ray's Idea", "Night In Tunisia", "Wee Dot", and "What's New". LP, Vinyl record album

Mighty nice material from the earliest years of Jackie DeShannon – a full unreleased album for Liberty, plus a bunch of other rare tracks too! The album is fascinating – as it's a tribute to Ray Charles, and has Jackie not singing her own songs, as she would do famously later – but instead taking on tunes from the Ray Charles songbook, especially heavy on the Atlantic years – which come across with this soulful style that's really a change for Jackie! And sure, she's always had a current of soul in her music – but here, she has raspy vocals on a number of cuts, almost echoing Etta James – and great arrangements that really fit the vibe. Ray Charles titles include "Night Time Is The Right Time", "Georgia On My Mind", "I'll Drown In My Own Tears", "Ain't That Love", "Hallelujah I Love Him So", and "What'd I Say". The bonus material is also heavy on soulful styles too – in part because a number of them were recorded with great R&B producer Clyde Otis – and the set features a total of 24 tracks, with other titles that include "Wishin Won't Get It", "I Must Be Dreaming", "Shed A Tear", "Don't You Feel Sorry For Me", "Gonna Search", and "Nothing Can Stop Me". CD

A fantastic lost set from modernist genius Gil Evans – one that expands on some of the larger group territory he was exploring with Miles Davis at Columbia Records – but with an even hipper range of soloists overall! The lineup on the record is an all-star one – mostly top shelf players, not studio musicians – and the set has Evans making room in the arrangements for key solo performances by giants who include Johnny Coles on trumpet, Steve Lacy on soprano sax, Budd Johnson on tenor, Ray Crawford on guitar, and both Curtis Fuller and Jimmy Cleveland on trombones – all players who each bring some key moments of magic to the larger arrangements on the album. Evans himself plays piano, and drums are by Elvin Jones and Dennis Charles – which should give you an idea of the modernist inclinations in the music. And although the title says "standards", the tunes here are definitely on the hipper side of the jazz spectrum of the 50s, expanded with beautiful modern arrangements by Gil – on versions of "Joy Spring", "Ballad Of The Sad Young Men", "Django", "Straight No Chaser", and "Chant Of The Weed". CD

A fantastic lost set from modernist genius Gil Evans – one that expands on some of the larger group territory he was exploring with Miles Davis at Columbia Records – but with an even hipper range of soloists overall! The lineup on the record is an all-star one – mostly top shelf players, not studio musicians – and the set has Evans making room in the arrangements for key solo performances by giants who include Johnny Coles on trumpet, Steve Lacy on soprano sax, Budd Johnson on tenor, Ray Crawford on guitar, and both Curtis Fuller and Jimmy Cleveland on trombones – all players who each bring some key moments of magic to the larger arrangements on the album. Evans himself plays piano, and drums are by Elvin Jones and Dennis Charles – which should give you an idea of the modernist inclinations in the music. And although the title says "standards", the tunes here are definitely on the hipper side of the jazz spectrum of the 50s, expanded with beautiful modern arrangements by Gil – on versions of "Joy Spring", "Ballad Of The Sad Young Men", "Django", "Straight No Chaser", and "Chant Of The Weed". LP, Vinyl record album

Seminal pre-Verve work by Ella Fitzgerald – a variety of early singles from the late 40s and early 50s, collected together in one full album by Decca! Even at this point in her career, the Fitzgerald magic is firmly in place – sensitively taking on familiar lyrics on some tunes, scatting breezily on others – all with a lot more jazz in the mix than her contemporaries, but not nearly as much pyrotechnics as the bebop-era vocalese crowd. Backings are by Sy Oliver on many numbers, by small groups on others – and a few tracks feature backing vocals by the Ray Charles singers. Titles include "Lullaby Of Birdland", "Rough Ridin", "Smooth Sailing", "Later", "Ella Hums The Blues", "How High The Moon", "Air Mail Special", and "Flying Home". CD

Seminal pre-Verve work by Ella Fitzgerald – a variety of early singles from the late 40s and early 50s, collected together in one full album by Decca! Even at this point in her career, the Fitzgerald magic is firmly in place – sensitively taking on familiar lyrics on some tunes, scatting breezily on others – all with a lot more jazz in the mix than her contemporaries, but not nearly as much pyrotechnics as the bebop-era vocalese crowd. Backings are by Sy Oliver on many numbers, by small groups on others – and a few tracks feature backing vocals by the Ray Charles singers. Titles include "Lullaby Of Birdland", "Rough Ridin", "Smooth Sailing", "Later", "Ella Hums The Blues", "How High The Moon", "Air Mail Special", and "Flying Home". CD