LPCDreissues: Looking forward to the past

As Ray Charles biographer David Ritz points out in the liner notes to this release, "Ray Charles the recording artist and Ray Charles the performing artist are separate people…. Ray the performing artist -- the inspiration for this priceless collection -- is raw Ray." Reflecting the growing size of Ray's bands -- and the growth of his legend -- the 29 tracks on this two-disc collection are gathered from five live albums: Ray Charles At Newport; Ray Charles In Person; Berlin, 1962; Ray Charles Live In Concert; and Ray Charles Live In Japan. Sequenced chronologically, the performances were recorded between 1958 and 1975. In Concert begins with Ray's septet appearance at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival. One of the great groups in jazz-based R&B, this unit features, among others, saxophonist David "Fathead" Newman and Hank Crawford in arrangements layered to approximate the sound of a big band. The power of the Raeletts singers, Margie Hendrix in particular, can be heard on the immortal "(Night Time Is) The Right Time." The same band joins Ray for the 1959 gig at Herndon Stadium in Atlanta, a performance captured with stunning clarity by a single microphone ("I got the chill bumps," recalls Atlantic's Jerry Wexler of hearing it for the first time). Included in the set is "What'd I Say," perhaps the most important hit of Ray's career. Soon Ray's lifelong dream of putting together a big band became a reality. With the hard-swinging Count Basie orchestra as its model, the '62 Berlin group brings grand-scale genius to bear on such standards as "Come Rain Or Come Shine" and "Georgia On My Mind," which was quickly becoming another Ray Charles signature song. The same basic band stirs L.A.'s Shrine Auditorium in '64, pulling back for a sparse "You Don't Know Me," which features just Ray with his rhythm section. By 1975 Ray's big band was led by Ernie Vantrease, the organist Ray called "The Deacon." The Tokyo and Yokohama tracks gathered here explode with animated stylings. Ray's preachin' stretches into a dramatic monologue during Stevie Wonder's "Living For The City." On "Feel So Bad," cut previously by Elvis, Ray muses on the very meaning of soul. Overflowing with musical excellence and emotional catharsis, the recordings on this collection span 20 of the richest years of Brother Ray's career. With many of the original albums out of print, Rhino Handmade's remastered In Concert is an essential document of Ray Charles the performer. Extensive liner notes include rare archival photos and an essay by celebrated author David Ritz. Ray Charles In Concert is available in an individually numbered limited edition of 5,000 copies. Because this title is expected to be released internationally as an unlimited edition, this Rhino Handmade edition is available only in the U.S. and Canada.
TRACK LISTING (NIGHT TIME IS) THE RIGHT TIME (3:53) TALKIN' 'BOUT YOU (4:21) A FOOL FOR YOU (6:40) SWANEE RIVER ROCK (2:08) THE SPIRIT-FEEL (4:13) YES INDEED (2:26) WHAT'D I SAY (4:20) COME RAIN OR COME SHINE (7:40) HIT THE ROAD JACK (2:19) THE DANGER ZONE (3:48) BYE BYE, LOVE (2:14) GEORGIA ON MY MIND (6:17) ONE MINT JULEP (3:00) I BELIEVE TO MY SOUL (3:49) UNCHAIN MY HEART (3:14) BABY, DON'T YOU CRY (2:36) HALLELUJAH I LOVE HER SO (2:58) YOU DON'T KNOW ME (3:09) I'VE GOT A WOMAN (6:11) HIDE 'NOR HAIR (2:50) MARGIE (2:28) DON'T SET ME FREE (3:45) LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL (2:35) BUSTED (2:15) DON'T LET HER KNOW (4:16) THEN WE'LL BE HOME (3:59) I CAN'T STOP LOVING YOU (3:09) FEEL SO BAD (9:46) LIVING FOR THE CITY (7:55)