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The Very Best of Ray Charles | 
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| Artist: Ray Charles
Label: Rhino / Wea
Category: Music
New (24) Used (26) Collectible (3) from $3.20
Rating:  27 reviews
Sales Rank: 20916
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
MPN: 081227982225
UPC: 081227982225
EAN: 0081227982225
ASIN: B00004R5ZP
Release Date: March 14, 2000
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| Tracks:
| • | I've Got A Woman | | • | A Fool For You | | • | Drown In My Own Tears | | • | Hallelujah I Love Her So | | • | (Night Time Is) The Right Time | | • | What'd I Say Parts I & II | | • | Sticks And Stones | | • | Georgia On My Mind | | • | One Mind Julep | | • | Hit The Road Jack | | • | Unchain My Heart | | • | I Can't Stop Loving You | | • | You Are My Sunshine | | • | Busted | | • | Let's Go Get Stoned | | • | Seven Spanish Angels |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
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Media Type: CD
Artist: CHARLES,RAY
Title: VERY BEST OF RAY CHARLES
Street Release Date: 03/14/2000
Domestic
Genre: BLUES
Amazon.com
Hard as it is to go wrong when shopping for a Brother Ray package, some career-spanning compilations bundle the decades better than others. Count this one, true to its title, among the very best. The track sequencing is straight-up chronological, opening with 1954's groundbreaking blues and gospel mingling "I've Got a Woman." From there it charges through the late-'50s Atlantic era, rounding up classic singles like "Hallelujah (I Love Her So)," "(Night Time Is) The Right Time," and "What'd I Say." By the time the disc lands us in the '60s, the Genius has saddled up to explore his country side, turning in such popular-music-altering hits as "Georgia on My Mind" and "I Can't Stop Loving You." A final cut jumps into the '80s for the Willie Nelson duet "Seven Spanish Angels," leaving the listener with a solid--and deeply satisfying--sense of Charles' bold artistic wanderings. All that's missing is his soul-dunked rendition of "America the Beautiful." -Tammy La Gorce
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| Customer Reviews: Read 22 more reviews...
 Very Best of Ray Charles March 22, 2008
I was very pleased with the cd of Ray Charles and also with the delivery time.
Thank you
Carol Dodd
 Tight As You Can August 25, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Rhino's Ray Charles collection brings together 18 tracks of classic Charles. From "I've Got A Woman" to the exuberant "Hallelujah I Love Her So" to "Georgia on My Mind" and "Unchain My Heart," Charles' music doesn't stop grabbing you. Ray had a distinctive vocal sound that made his records unlike anyone else's. "Hit the Road Jack" is such a great breakup song that it still puts a smile on my face. "I Can't Stop Loving You" is such a great classic. The sassy blues-flavored "(Night Time Is) The Right Time" bowls me over with Ray's willingness to follow the music across genres, "I want you to hold my hand tight as you can." However, Rhino doesn't do much as far as remastering and sprucing up the technical quality of the recordings. For that reason, this collection is a budget-friendly but still limited collection of one of the master musicians of the United States. Enjoy!
Very Best Of Ray Charles In A 16-track CD? Sorry, It Can't Be Done August 19, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I would think that, after putting this together and then releasing it in 2000, the folks at Rhino likely wished they had come up with a better title like, say, "16 Of His Very Best." Because, quite frankly, I don't believe it's possible to squeeze the "very best" of Ray Charles into one 16-track CD.
After all, the man put 76 selections into the Billboard Pop Top/Hot 100 between 1957 and 1989, and from 1949 to 1993 added another 26 that scored only on the R&B Top 100 singles charts [most of the others charted on both]. And just for good measure, some 29 made the Adult Contemporary (AC) charts after their introduction in 1961, while 13 scored only on the Country charts, How's that for widespread appeal?
As another reviewer points out, there are far too many notable omissions which, by any definition, would have to be included in anything labeled his "very best." For example, while track 5 was a solid R&B hit in 1959 [# 5], but a low # 95 Hot 100, songs like You Don't Know Me [# 1 AC for 3 weeks/# 2 Hot 100/# 5 R&B in 1962], Take These Chains From My Heart [# 3 AC/# 7 R&B/# 8 Hot 100 in 1963, Crying Time [# 3 AC/# 5 R&B/# 6 Hot 100 in 1965], Here We Go Again [# 5 R&B/# 15 Hot 100/# 38 AC in 1967], and Yesterday [# 9 R&B/# 25 Hot 100 in 1967] were smash hits.
However, if you can get past the title and just accept these as 16 of his very best it is a welcome addition to any Ray Charles collection. Five pages of informative background notes written by Bill Dahl, and several more shots of Ray, are augmented by a complete discography of the contents showing label and chart details and the musicians involved on each track. The sound reproduction is flawless.
The Very Best of Ray Charles May 13, 2007
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
I was very satisfied with the product and service.
 Best of Ray Charles November 11, 2006
1 out of 5 found this review helpful
OK recording. Overall flat sound quality (perhaps the time that it was recorded), but, overall OK.
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