Location:  Home» New & Used Music CDs » General » Ray Sings, Basie Swings  

Ray Sings, Basie Swings

Ray Sings, Basie Swings

enlarge enlarge 
Artists: Ray Charles, Count Basie Orchestra
Label: Concord Records
Category: Music

List Price: $18.98
Buy New: $8.10
You Save: $10.88 (57%)

Qty 1 In Stock


New (50) Used (18) Collectible (1) from $3.80

Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars 36 reviews
Sales Rank: 10766

Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5

MPN: 30026
UPC: 888072300262
EAN: 0888072300262
ASIN: B000H0MNOE

Release Date: October 3, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Factory sealed > First Class Shipping within 1-3 business days in bubble pack

Tracks:

  • Oh What A Beautiful Morning
  • Let The Good Times Roll
  • How Long Has This Been Going On?
  • Every Saturday Night
  • I Can't Stop Loving You
  • Cryin' Time
  • Busted
  • Come Live With Me
  • Feel So Bad
  • The Long And Winding Road
  • Look What They've Done To My Song
  • Georgia On My Mind

Similar Items:

  • Duets: An American Classic
  • From This Moment On
  • Genius Loves Company
  • Not Too Late
  • Sinatra: Vegas (Box Set, 4CD/1DVD)

Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.com
To fake or not to fake: That is the question consumers must answer for themselves in assessing this feat of aural Photoshopping: an "imaginary concert" created by combining recently discovered soundboard tapes of Ray Charles's vocals from a mid-'70s European show and newly recorded backing by the Count Basie Orchestra--the "ghost band," still on the road 22 years after Count's passing. Charles is in exceptional voice, singing the heck out of standards like "How Long Has This Been Going On?," Genius classics like "Busted," and pop covers like Melanie's "Look What They've Done to My Song." His performance is a thrilling corrective to forgettable posthumous albums like Genius Loves Company, designed to cash in on the new audience created for him by the movie Ray. But as competently as the Basie band fill in the blanks under the direction of Bill Hughes, with Joey DeFrancesco guesting on organ, most of the new arrangements are rather pallid, and the ensemble lacks the personality of both the Basie orchestra and Charles's best groups. And as attractive as Ray Sings, Basie Swings may be for the casual listener, the gimmickry will appall serious fans, particularly since neither Charles nor Basie--who never collaborated in life--was around to lend his approval. Is The Doors Sing, Woody Herman Swings next? --Lloyd Sachs

From Amazon.ca
Ray Sings, Basie Swings proves not only that there's a market for Brother Ray's every last recorded utterance (and a breathless one at that), but that musical grafting can reap some seriously satisfying rewards. After Concord Records A&R chief John Burk mined his label's vaults in 2005 and came across tapes labeled "Ray/Basie," he made a move to re-record the songs, originally performed in the 1970s; the result is these 12 tracks, in which Charles's whiskey-weathered, old-soul vocals are laid over arrangements by the current Count Basie Orchestra. Charles fans couldn't ask for a classier pairing or more seamless studio wizardry: The classics, from "I Can't Stop Loving You" to "Busted" to "Georgia on My Mind," play as though orchestrated by the Genius himself--tight, nuanced, and intimate-sounding. Less familiar tracks, like the down-home deep-South number "Every Saturday Night" and a couple of covers ("Look What They've Done to My Song, Ma" and "The Long and Winding Road") offer so much in the way of novelty it's tempting to forget that what's playing is mostly the result of modern experimentation. Deep as the disc runs--and no one who who hears the broken-hearted "Cryin' Time" will deny it runs deep--the most essential track on Ray Sings, Basie Swings may be its most lighthearted one: There is no hearing Ray Charles sing "Oh What a Beautiful Morning"--even if it's four in the afternoon, even if it's raining torrentially--without agreeing. --Tammy La Gorce

Album Description
The producers of this CD discovered archival reels of Ray Charles and the Count Basie Orchestra performing live together in 1973. Although the vocals were superior, the remaining elements were or extremely poor quality. They decided to bring the current Count Basie Orchestra into the studio and, using the latest technology, they carefully and painstakingly laid down a new musical backdrop for Charles' towering vocals.

More from Ray Charles and the Count Basie Orchestra


Genius Loves Company

Ultimate Hits Collection

Ray!
Soundtrack

America's #1 Band: The Columbia Years

Count Basie at Newport

Swing Shift




Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Best Ray Charles CD hands down   November 3, 2008
Dave N (VA)
I can't understand why anyone would give this CD anything other than 5 stars. It is currently my favorite CD in my collection. I put it on whenever I want to feel really good. Ray is all over it. And as added bonus, this disc is filled with great B-3 alla Joey DeFrancesco and great Wurlitzer. I love Ray and I have many his albums. This is my favorite, even though he didn't really make it. The arrangements are fantastic. It is knit together seamlessly--you would never know that the vocals and the instrumental tracks were recorded 30 years apart. I'd like to buy a case of this CD and give it to everyone I know. BUT IT!


1 out of 5 stars Ignore the hype on this CD   July 15, 2008
ipod listener (scottsdale, az)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful

Despite what the producers of this album want you to believe...the vocal tracks on these tracks are not "superior". It sounds like Ray Charles is singing in the shower, and the shower is on the other side of the house....meanwhile, the basie orchestra and the backing vocal singers are blasting away on the couch right next to you.

This is a great technology achievement???? This is horrible, on many levels, and not because they merged two sets of tracks cut 30 years apart. On some tracks, Ray's vocals are basically inaudible...and Ray is just an annoying buzz in the background. Most modern bootleg recordings are way better than this. There's a reason these tapes were buried away somewhere, as good as Ray's performance may have been if you saw the show live.

Spend your hard earned money elsewhere...as another viewer noted...there are much better recordings of both Ray the the Basie Orchestra available.






5 out of 5 stars A 32 YEAR DELAY   June 30, 2008
MAZZJAZZ (LA (LOWER ALABAMA))
WHEN ONE LISTENS TO THIS ALBUM IT IS HARD TO BELIEVE THAT THE RAY CHARLES VOCALS AND THE ACCOMPANYING BASIE BAND BACKING WERE DONE 32 YEARS APART. CHARLES VOCALS ARE WONDERFUL. THE POST BASIE BIG BAND HAS NEVER SOUNDED BETTER. THE MIXING OF THE TWO RECORDINGS IS SEAMLESS! THIS IS AN AMAZING CD!


5 out of 5 stars )ne of Ray's best   April 28, 2008
J. C. Youngers (Geneseo,NY)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

This is a happy album;with a tight ,swinging band and Charles sounding as if enjoys every minute of it. There is also some great solo work by individual sidemen.


5 out of 5 stars Ray Charles and Count Basie   November 22, 2007
Bryan Duff (Thousand Oaks, CA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

Wonderful CD. It's a must own for everyone. Two of musics all time finest at work

Used CDs

Our Ebay Auctions for Ray Sings, Basie Swings


Ray Sings, Basie Swings (Category: Music )
Ray Sings, Basie Swings (Category: Music )
Ray Sings, Basie Swings (Category: Music )

Ray Sings, Basie Swings [Digipak] - Charles, Ray (CD)
17 Nov 2008 at 12:37am
US $4.99 (0 Bid)
End Date: Sunday Nov-23-2008 22:37:11 PST
Bid now | Add to watch list

Ray Charles & Count Basie: Ray Sings Basie Swings c214
25 Oct 2008 at 2:42am
US $10.99
End Date: Sunday Nov-23-2008 23:42:51 PST
Buy It Now for only: US $10.99
Buy it now | Add to watch list

Ray Sings, Basie Swings - Ray Charles
18 Nov 2008 at 2:49pm
US $0.99 (0 Bid)
End Date: Tuesday Nov-25-2008 12:49:12 PST
Bid now | Add to watch list

RAY CHARLES/COUNT BA - RAY SINGS: BASIE SWING - CD *NEW
30 Oct 2008 at 11:57am
US $16.10
End Date: Saturday Nov-29-2008 8:57:25 PST
Buy It Now for only: US $16.10
Buy it now | Add to watch list

RAY CHARLES/COUNT BA - RAY SINGS, BASIE SWINGS - CD NEW
3 Nov 2008 at 2:09pm
US $10.65
End Date: Wednesday Dec-03-2008 12:09:42 PST
Buy It Now for only: US $10.65
Buy it now | Add to watch list

RAY CHARLES Ray Sings: Basie Swings Japan CD OBI
5 Nov 2008 at 11:09am
US $11.99
End Date: Friday Dec-05-2008 9:09:10 PST
Buy It Now for only: US $11.99
Buy it now | Add to watch list

RAY SINGS, BASIE SWINGS [DIGIPAK] - RAY CD NEW SEALED
6 Nov 2008 at 3:07pm
US $14.95
End Date: Saturday Dec-06-2008 13:12:21 PST
Buy It Now for only: US $14.95
Buy it now | Add to watch list

RAY SINGS: BASIE SWINGS - CHARLES, RAY CD NEW SEALED
6 Nov 2008 at 6:16pm
US $14.95
End Date: Saturday Dec-06-2008 16:21:14 PST
Buy It Now for only: US $14.95
Buy it now | Add to watch list

RAY CHARLES Sings Basie Swings CD (2006) w/OBI RARE NEW
9 Nov 2008 at 11:07am
US $26.99
End Date: Tuesday Dec-09-2008 9:07:20 PST
Buy It Now for only: US $26.99
Buy it now | Add to watch list

RAY CHARLES/COUNT BA - RAY SINGS: BASIE SWINGS - CD NEW
11 Nov 2008 at 8:54am
US $21.30
End Date: Thursday Dec-11-2008 6:54:15 PST
Buy It Now for only: US $21.30
Buy it now | Add to watch list

Charles, Ray / Basie, Count - Ray Sings Basie Swings NE
14 Nov 2008 at 8:10pm
US $21.33
End Date: Sunday Dec-14-2008 18:10:04 PST
Buy It Now for only: US $21.33
Buy it now | Add to watch list