Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. The Sun’s Gonna Shine Again
2. Roll With My Baby
3. The Midnight Hour
4. Jumpin’ In The Mornin’
5. It Should’ve Been Me
6. Losing Hand
7. Heartbreaker
8. Sinner’s Prayer
9. Mess Around
10. Funny (But I Still Love You)
11. Feelin’ Sad
12. I Wonder Who
13. Don’t You Know
14. Nobody Cares
15. Ray’s Blues
16. I Got A Break Baby
17. Blackjack
18. I’ve Got A Woman
19. Greenbacks
20. Come Back Baby
21. A Fool For You
22. This Little Girl Of Mine
23. Hard Times (No One
24. Knows Better Than I)
25. Blues Hangover
26. Mary Ann
27. Drown In My Own Tears
28. Hallelujah I Love Her So
29. What Would I Do
30. Without You

Disc 2:

1. Dawn Ray
2. The Man I Love
3. Music, Music, Music
4. Black Coffee
5. Lonely Avenue
6. I Want To Know
7. Leave My Woman Alone
8. The Ray
9. I Surrender Dear
10. Hornful Soul
11. Ain’t Misbehavin’
12. Joy Ride
13. Sweet Sixteen Bars
14. Doodlin’
15. There’s No You
16. Undecided
17. My Melancholy Baby
18. It’s All Right
19. Ain’t That Love

Disc 3:

1. Rockhouse Parts 1 & 2
2. Get On The Right Track Baby
3. Swanee River Rock (Talkin’ ’Bout That River)
4. That’s Enough
5. Talkin’ ’Bout You
6. What Kind Of Man Are You
7. I Want A Little Girl
8. How Long Blues - Milt Jackson & Ray Charles
9. Cosmic Ray - Milt Jackson & Ray Charles
10. The Genius After Hours
11. Charlesville
12. Bags Of Blues - Ray Charles & Milt Jackson
13. Deed I Do - Milt Jackson & Ray Charles
14. Blue Funk - Milt Jackson & Ray Charles
15. Soul Brothers - Milt Jackson & Ray Charles

Disc 4:

1. Bag’s Guitar Blues - Milt Jackson & Ray Charles
2. Yes Indeed!
3. I Had A Dream
4. You Be My Baby
5. Tell All The World About You
6. My Bonnie
7. Soul Meeting - Ray Charles & Milt Jackson
8. Hallelujah I Love Her So - Ray Charles & Milt Jackson
9. Blue Genius - Ray Charles & Milt Jackson
10. X-Ray Blues - Ray Charles & Milt Jackson
11. Love On My Mind - Ray Charles & Milt Jackson
12. The Spirit-Feel (Live, 1958)
13. Blues Waltz (Live, 1958)
14. In A Little Spanish Town (Live, 1958)
15. Sherry (Live, 1958)
16. (Night Time Is) The Right Time (Live, 1958)
17. A Fool For You (Live, 1958)

Disc 5:

1. I’ve Got A Woman (Live, 1958)
2. Talkin’ ’bout You (Live, 1958)
3. Swanee River Rock (Talkin’ ’Bout That River)(Live, 1958)
4. Yes Indeed! (Live, 1958)
5. Early In The Mornin’
6. (Night Time Is) The Right Time
7. Carrying That Load (Single Version)
8. Carrying That Load (LP Version)
9. Tell Me How Do You Feel
10. Fathead - David Newman
11. Tin Tin Deo - David Newman
12. Bill For Bennie - David Newman
13. Hard Times - David Newman
14. Mean To Me - David Newman
15. Sweet Eyes - David Newman
16. Weird Beard - David Newman
17. Willow Weep For Me - David Newman
18. Tell The Truth
19. What’d I Say Parts I & II (Mono LP Version)

Disc 6:

1. What’d I Say Parts I & II (Stereo LP Version)
2. Tell Me You’ll Wait For Me
3. Come Rain Or Come Shine
4. Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Cryin’
5. Just For A Thrill
6. You Won’t Let Me Go
7. Am I Blue
8. The Spirit-Feel (Live, 1959)
9. Frenesi (Live, 1959)
10. Tell The Truth (Live, 1959)
11. Drown In My Own Tears (Live, 1959)
12. (Night Time Is) The Right Time (Live, 1959)
13. What’d I Say (Live, 1959)
14. Let The Good Times Roll
15. Alexander’s Ragtime Band
16. Deed I Do
17. When Your Lover Has Gone
18. Two Years Of Torture
19. It Had To Be You
20. I’m Movin’ On
21. I Believe To My Soul

Disc 7:

1. Rehearsal Session With
2. Ahmet Ertegun (1953)
3. Baby Let Me Hold Your Hand
4. Unknown Title
5. Piano Improvisation & Dialog #1
6. Losing Hand & Dialog #1
7. Little Rock Getaway & Dialog
8. Kentucky Waltz
9. Heartbreaker (Instrumental Version)
10. Heartbreaker & Dialog
11. Piano Improvisation & Dialog #2
12. Heartbreaker (False Starts 1–2)
13. Losing Hand & Dialog #2
14. Losing Hand & Dialog #3 (W/ Reverb)
15. Losing Hand & Dialog #4 (W/ Reverb)
16. Heartbreaker
17. It Should’ve Been Me & Dialog
18. Nobody Cares
19. Piano Improvisation & Dialog #3
20. Mess Around
21. Funny (But I Still Love You)
22. Sinner’s Prayer
23. Piano Improvisation & Dialog #4
24. Low Society & Dialog #1
25. Boogie Woogie
26. Low Society & Dialog #2
27. Worried Life Blues
28. Come Back Baby (Walter Davis Version)& Dialog
29. Low Society
30. (Night Time Is) The Right Time (Takes 1–7)& Dialog
31. Tell Me How Do You Feel (Take 1)
32. Ray’s Arrangement Suggestions For
33. The Genius Of Ray Charles Album (1959)Dialog
34. It Had To Be You & Dialog
35. My Buddy & Dialog Dialog
36. When Your Lover Has Gone & Dialog
37. I’m Beginning To See The Light.
38. Let The Good Times Roll & Dialog

Disc 8:

1. Ray Charles On Voice Of America, 1960(Live At The Newport Jazz Festival)
2. Lil’ Darlin’
3. Blues Waltz
4. Let The Good Times Roll
5. Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Cryin’
6. Sticks And Stones
7. My Baby! (I Love Her, Yes I Do)
8. Drown In My Own Tears
9. What’d I Say
10. I Believe To My Soul
11. Interview With Ahmet Ertegun

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #44560 in Music
• Released on: 2005-09-20
• Number of discs: 8
• Format: Box set

Album Description
Ray Charles is an American legend beyond compare. A ten-time Grammy-winning superstar who almost single-handedly laid the groundwork for soul music, Charles proved his mastery with countless jazz, country, R&B, and pop masterpieces as well. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame the first year they gave the honors ('86), and his extraordinary career spanned seven decades. His remarkable life was celebrated in the 2004 biopic Ray-featuring Jamie Foxx's Oscar-winning performance as the artist-and now Ray Charles' musical genius is spotlighted in this comprehensive box of his seminal Atlantic Records era, 1952-1959. As preeminent music writer David Ritz notes inside, "These are the historic years of his creative explosion, the time when he reinvented himself as a musical revolutionary. These records will live forever."

Amazon.com
Jamie Foxx's Oscar-winning turn as Ray Charles could only touch on the musical highlights of the American musical legend's career. But for those further intrigued by Charles' savory musical roots, this seven CD/one DVD anthology of Charles' epochal career at Atlantic Records (who purchased the fledgling star's contract from a small L.A. label for $2500) is the ultimate chronicle. While the singer's recorded output for the label was typically shuffled and jumbled across a series of contemporary albums and compilations, this set offers them up chronologically as originally recorded in NYC, New Orleans and elsewhere, a gambit that allows a clearer insight into the musician's artistic growth and burgeoning confidence as a performer in the bargain. Though focused on the `fervent r&b and soul sides he cut before crossing over into country and pop in the ‘60s, Charles' Atlantic tenure also includes insightful excursions into small jazz combo work that further underscored the range of his incomparable gifts.

The final CD in the set is a treasure trove of unreleased (mostly) solo performances that range from a lengthy 1953 rehearsal tape to a handful of hotel room-recorded arrangement demos for his 1959 Genius of Ray Charles collection. The set's DVD is another welcome bonus, containing the legend's complete performance at the 1960 Newport Jazz Festival (though he'd just left Atlantic, his repertoire and band for the show are rooted in the era), capped with the modern reminisces of Atlantic founder Ahmet Ertegun. Lavishly packaged in a box that replicates a ‘50's-era 45-player and featuring a hard-bound liner book that includes reprints of the original albums' liner notes, a comprehensive sessionography and an insightful new essay from noted r&b biographer David Ritz, the collection lives up to its billing at every level: Pure genius, indeed. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews

Nothing wrong with 8th disc?
Um... I don't own this, but I was looking at buying it. Looking at the reviews, I see two people complained that disc 8 won't play in their CD players. Disc 8 is listed as a DVD, so it won't play in a regular CD player (try your computer). I have to assume there it nothing wrong with the product, but rather, the user. Just thought I should point that out to anyone thinking of buying this. I am giving it 5 stars just to offset the bad (mistaken) ratings

Great Music, reasonable price, stupid people!!
This set is great as far as it goes. All of the material is typical RC: wonderful. I was surprised that there weren't more out takes, however. If you have any of the other Atlantic sets there's a fair bit of overlap. (added June 5, 2006: I've since learned that pretty near all the older Atlantic material, including alternate takes, was destroyed by a fire where the material was being stored, which explains the lack of out takes and alternate material.) This set, along with the Rhino Ray Charles country music set makes a pretty darn good overview of Ray's spectacular career.
I was really shocked that so many people don't bother to read the label on the eighth disc, which clearly is marked DVD | Video. Naturally, it won't play on CD players.

Tight and Right
Wow. All of Ray's work on Atlantic collected in one place. I was wondering why there was little of this music available last year during the hoopla over the movie "RAY" and I think they were depriving the public of some great music by saving it for a boxed set that is very expensive. But, that is a complaint about Rhino/Atlantic, not Ray Charles or the music contained herein. That said, this music ranks with the Charlie Parker sides from '45-48, late 30's Basie, classic Ellington, Aretha on Atlantic, etc. There is no doubt that it deserves all of the accolades and AT LEAST five stars. I won't analyze all of it but, rather, point out some favorite moments.
Most important is the addition of a DVD of the 1960 Newport Jazz Festival appearance by the Ray Charles Orchestra and Raelettes. For some of us, this is the Holy Grail. You see, any additional music from that particular period and group of musicians is invaluable, especially footage. In this band you have David "Fathead" Newman, one of the finest exponents of the Texas Tenor, and Hank Crawford on alto crying the blues, both at the beginning of long solo careers at Atlantic. In fact, if you like the way this band sounds, find Crawford's first four solo records as they have this band minus Ray but with incredible stripped-down moaning blues and standards arrangements. In addition, on this DVD there is the foghorn baritone sax of Leroy "Hog" Cooper, the surprisingly bluesy John Hunt on trumpet sounding like a combination of Clark Terry and Lee Morgan and the supremely lyrical Phil Guilbeau on flugelhorn. This is THE classic Ray Charles group. Many times I wished I could hear more and see them. Finally. Ray, of course, is Ray: confident, relaxed and at his most soulful. This is an important period because they have not yet left the chitlin circuit for world tours, a big band and Vegas. They may have headed for a honky tonk right after this gig, who knows?
They are tasting real success for the first time and are still hungry. They are tight and right. Analogies? A championship-caliber baseball or basketball team on the rise, taking on all comers, knowing they've got a shot at the Ring.
Other high points in this boxed set include Ray's dirty alto solo during How Long Blues with Milt Jackson, the proto-Rap of It Should Have Been Me, the extremely drawn-out, moaning version of Drown In My Own Tears from the Atlanta concert in '59, Rockhouse Parts 1 & 2, the Quincy Jones and Ernie Wilkins-voiced arrangements from "The Great Ray Charles" album, etc. So many. Long Live Ray and the Orchestra.