Listmania!
10 Essential Ray Charles Albums
By an Amazon.com customer
Ray!: Original Motion Picture SoundtrackRay!: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Buy new: $18.98 / Used from: $0.01
A better compilation than most greatest hits packages. An excellent introduction with some fine live cuts.
What'd I SayWhat'd I Say by Ray Charles
Buy new: $17.98 / Used from: $50.30
Features Ray's cross-over hit. An all time classic. R&B had seldom sounded Funkier.
Modern Sounds in Country and Western MusicModern Sounds in Country and Western Music by Ray Charles
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Ray's biggest artistically and commercial success. By combining Jazz and Country Ray broke the rules and rewrote them.
Ray Charles at NewportRay Charles at Newport by Ray Charles
Buy new: $14.98 / Used from: $5.25
Ray's quintessential live album. A coockin' set of R&B and Jazz
The Genius of Ray CharlesThe Genius of Ray Charles by Ray Charles
Buy new: $13.96 / Used from: $4.44
Ray teams up with Quincy Jones and the Basie Orchestra. The result is one of the finest album of Jazz Standards ever.
Genius + Soul = Jazz/My Kind of JazzGenius + Soul = Jazz/My Kind of Jazz by Ray Charles
Buy used from: $20.00
Ray in a Jazz setting. Charles takes on an organ and creates one hell of a Funky record
The Genius Hits the RoadThe Genius Hits the Road by Ray Charles
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An eccentric concept album. Features the classic Georgia on my Mind. The official anthem for the state.
Blues + JazzBlues + Jazz by Ray Charles
Buy new: $44.98 / Used from: $5.75
Digs deep into the Blues and Jazz recordings Ray did for Atlantic. Features cuts he did with Milt Jackson with Ray on Sax.
Ray Charles: The Complete Country & Western Recordings 1959-1986Ray Charles: The Complete Country & Western Recordings 1959-1986 by Ray Charles
Buy used from: $67.50
The Complete Country & Western shows how versatile Ray was in the medium. Not always groundbreaking but compelling throughout
Pure Genius: The Complete Atlantic Recordings (1952-1959)Pure Genius: The Complete Atlantic Recordings (1952-1959) by Ray Charles
Buy used from: $69.62
For the completists under us. This boxed set is beautifully done. When they say complete, they mean complete.