Product Description

Bumper 2CD best-of from the late R&B singer, whose prime period in the late 50s and 60s - where he fused jazz, blues, gospel, R&B, country and pop - was massively influential in the creation as what is now thought of as soul music. This collection brings together the best songs from all the diversegenres he dabbled in over the years, including several now considered classics and a surprising selection of cover versions.

Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Mess around
2. It should've been me
3. I've got a woman
4. This little girl of mine
5. Fool for
6. Drown in my own tears
7. Leave my woman alone you
8. Hallelujah I love her so
9. Lonely avenue
10. Night time is the right time
11. What I say (parts 1 & 2)
12. I believe to my soul
13. I'm movin' on
14. Come rain or come shine
15. Don't let the sun catch you crying
16. Sticks and stones
17. Georgia on my mind
18. Ruby
19. One mint julep
20. I'm gonna move to the outskirts of town
21. Hit the road Jack
22. Unchain my heart
23. Baby it's cold outside
24. At the club

Disc 2:

1. I can't stop loving you
2. Born to lose
3. You don't know me
4. You are my sunshine
5. Your cheatin' heart
6. Take these chains from my heart
7. Busted
8. That lucky old sun
9. Crying time
10. Cincinnati kid
11. Let's go get stoned
12. I don't need no doctor
13. In the heat of the night
14. Yesterday
15. Eleanor Rigby
16. I can make it thru' the days
17. Rainy night in Georgia
18. Jealous kind
19. Shake your tailfeather - Charles, Ray & The Blues Brothers
20. Seven Spanish girls
21. I'll be good to you
22. Imagine

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1072 in Music
• Released on: 2005-09-26
• Number of discs: 2

Amazon.co.uk Review
All Ray Charles fans will want to check out The Definitive Ray Charles, because it's the first time a compiler has been able to combine the chart-topping hits from his Atlantic and ABC-Paramount years into one package. This means that we get the Genius's hits from 1953's "Mess Around" right through his golden R&B Atlantic era ("I've Got a Woman", "Drown in My Own Tears", "Hallelujah I Love Her So", "I Believe To My Soul", "What'd I Say" and so on) alongside tracks that were not only massive worldwide hits but helped redefine popular music. "Georgia on My Mind", "Hit The Road Jack", "Unchain My Heart", "I Can't Stop Loving You" and "You Don't Know Me" not only combined superior standards and country songs with Charles's patented soul-gospel vocal style, but they were couched in an orchestral or big band setting that had simply never been utilised in this way prior to Charles's arrival. Those who know of his thorough musical background will not be surprised by this development, one that kept him high in the charts until the mid-60s. This compilation thins out after the classic "In The Heat of the Night", as well it should, his latter-day duets with the Blues Brothers and Willie Nelson tidying thing up nicely. Genius plus compilation good taste: an unbeatable combination. --Keith Shadwick

Customer Reviews

Soul began here
The first hit single in the U K by Ray Charles was Georgia on my mid in 1960 and this disc made No 24.Charles was on a new label by then and the Atlantic sides while issued here meant nothing until the Age of Merseybeat.
Hit the road Jack went top 5 and it was nothing but up from then with the Modern Sounds of Country & Western spawning a number of hit singles.
Ray's earlier work on Swingtime began apperaing on a label called Society.
This CD is a pretty comprehensive overview of the most essential recordings which include his Beatles covers and ends with his version of Imagine.
Theres never been any shortage of albums by Ray Charles and I think the first was What'd I say-which was probably too far away from general tastes at the time because America was so far in front.

inspiring
My whole career as a sound engineer started from the inspiring music from Ray Charles. Pure talent and passion. What better way to celebrate it than to have this superb CD.

A True Legend
Ray Charles is a true legend and this album is a perfect example of what he was capable of. If you are new to his music then this is a great intorduction and if you are a seasoned fan like me then this has the best of what you want to hear.

Sometimes these kind of albums are put together with a number of 'filler' tracks on them but not this one. Every track is a great tune and it is something you will want to listen to time and time again.