Product Description

Ray Stevens was born Harold Ray Ragsdale in Clarkdale, Georgia in January 1939. Clarkdale was a small cotton mill town 20 miles north of Atlanta. For more than 40 years, Ray Stevens has been entertaining us. From his novelty songs like "The Streak", to his tender ballads he has touched us. As with all outstanding writers, Stevens has away of creating characters and situations that highlight the humor in everyday life as well as larger issues and lifestyle trends.

Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. It's Me Again, Margaret
2. Too Drunk to Fish
3. Misty
4. Freudian Slip
5. Sittin' Up with the Dead
6. Everything Is Beautiful
7. Power Tools
8. Drivers Education
9. Hang Up and Drive
10. Ahab the Arab
11. Ballad of the Blue Cyclone (The Beginning)
12. Blue Angel
13. Ballad of the Blue Cyclone (The End?)
14. Pledging My Love
15. Woogie Boogie
16. Love Will Beat Your Brains Out
17. Haircut Song

Disc 2:

1. Streak
2. Mississippi Squirrel Revival
3. Family Funeral Fight
4. Deerslayer
5. Safe at Home
6. Boogie Woogie
7. Virgil and the Moonshot
8. Hustler
9. Osama Yo' Mama
10. Hello Mama
11. Let's Roll
12. We're Havin' a Baby
13. When the Kids Are Gone
14. Turn Your Radio On
15. Kitty Cat's Revenge
16. Juanita & the Kids
17. Thank You

Disc 3:

1. Shriner's Convention
2. Nashville
3. Erik the Awful
4. Dog Song
5. Cat Song
6. When I Get Over You
7. Pirate Song
8. Come on Home to Baseball
9. Gitarzan
10. Bridget the Midget
11. Bon Temps Roulette
12. Freddie Feelgood (And His Funky Little Five Piece Band)
13. Gone for Good
14. Stand Up
15. King of Christmas
16. Be Your Own Best Friend
17. Jeremiah Peabody's Polyunsaturdated Quick-Dissolving Fast-Acting ...

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1911 in Music
• Released on: 2006-02-28
• Number of discs: 3
• Format: Box set

Customer Reviews

Ray's Anniversary
Most of this Box Set consists of Ray's Curb recordings plus some of his songs from his own label, Clyde. The version of "It's Me Again Margaret" is from the recording from COMEDY VIDEO CLASSICS...i've watched the music video so many times i can tell i'm listening to the recording on here. For those who want original recordings, seek other collections...BUT, for Ray fans, this set is a must have because Ray throws in some never before available songs that can't be bought anywhere but on this Box Set. The new material on this Box Set that can't be found anywhere else is: "Driver's Education"; "Kitty Cat's Revenge"; "We're Havin' a Baby"; "When the Kids are Gone"; "The Cat Song" and the ultra-rare "Hello Mama", the sequel to Ray's hit "Osama Yo Mama" from 2002 that was only available on the limited edition single "Osama Yo' Mama" / "Hello Mama". The rest of the songs range from his Curb material during 1990-1993 plus material from his MCA return in 1997...then we hear songs from his THANK YOU album that came out in 2003 on his own label, Clyde. Ray even re-records his first Top-40 pop hit from 1961: "Jeremiah Peabody's Green and Purple Pills"...that is found on Disc #3, the closing track. This Box Set contains 3 CD's worth of Ray Stevens comedy and serious music...BUT none of the actual hit songs contained on here from the '60s, '70s, or '80s are the original recordings...the Box Set cover shows Ray at a table with his arms propped up looking over 4 gift boxes...he's watching the boxes sit...hence the title "Box Set". I give this collection 4 stars because i wish the original recordings of "The Streak" and "Ahab the Arab" and the other well-known hits were on here in their original status. There also wasn't any liner notes, either. A career going on 50 years but no liner notes or anything was kind of a let-down...but enjoy the music, that's the bottom line. I am sure Ray's career can be looked up on-line if one is inclined to read about him. He has a fascinating career full of unique recordings and a one of a kind delivery.

Sad, Sad Ray Stevens!
I have always loved Ray Steven's musical banter... however, this one's really a dissappointment.. Now, technically, the audio is clean and decent.. its the CONTENT itself thats the problem...

Ray re-sings these tracks- ALL of them, with the same "I-don't-care" ambiance throughout the set; to say, he sounds "BORED"!

The FLARE that was Ray Stevens is GONE! If you are a true fan of his works, then this box set will DISSAPPOINT you. If you are merely interested in something that sounds "digital karaoke", then this is for you.. cause thats exactly what it is. Ray grabs the lyric sheets and sings- but you can tell that he'd rather be doing something ELSE..

A Mixed Bag in terms of quality
The Bad:

When one thinks of a CD "box set", The phrase brings to mind a set with lavish packaging and the original recordings with some rare bonus songs. Unfortunately, this collection doesn't really live up to its name with its presentation. But I suppose the name "Box set" is better than "the thousandth Ray Stevens Greatest Hits package to hit the market". I guess most record labels simply find it easier to have artists re-record their previous hits rather than go through the hassle of licensing the originals. As other reviewers have stated, all the classic hits are recent re-recordings that were readily available to Curb, Ray's current label. Unfortunately, they weren't his best versions of the songs. On top of that, the set doesn't really work as a proper career retrospective as it focuses almost solely on his comedy. Ray Stevens' musical genious shined through the most on his serious Barnaby and Monument songs and are for the most part, completely omitted from this set. His 80s MCA era songs (when he recorded his funniest songs) is barely touched upon and we're left with, of course, most of his Curb recordings.

the Good:

- At least all the songs off the Curb albums are the original recordings
- Ear Candy! 8 tracks from the nearly impossible to find album Ray released on his own. (only Hang Up And Drive and No Lawyers In Heaven didn't make it to the unwisely named "Box Set")
- The unreleased and non-album tracks listed by the previous reviewer make this set well worth the price.
- The price. Curb Records seems to have a habit of doing things cheaply, and this 3 CD set is no exception. This is put together like a budget CD and thankfully, aptly priced. Considering the unreleased and hard-to-find gems on this set, Its a must-have for all Ray Stevens fans.
For those who want an introduction to Ray Stevens or are just casual fans, I recommend the Rhino "Best OF" and MCA "Greatest Hits 1 and 2" CDs over this one. But if you just want to spend 15 bucks on some very funny songs, you can't go wrong with this set.