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Ray Charles - Genius & Soul: The 50th Anniversary Collection

Track listing:
Volume 1
  1. Confession Blues (The Maxin Trio) 2:29
  2. Baby Let Me Hold Your Hand (Ray Charles Trio) 3:07
  3. Kissa Me Baby 3:06
  4. It Should've Been Me 2:40
  5. Don't You Know 2:58
  6. Come Back Baby 3:07
  7. I've Got A Woman 2:55
  8. A Fool For You 3:03
  9. This Little Girl Of Mine 2:33
  10. Blackjack 2:20
  11. Greenbacks 2:52
  12. Drown In My Own Tears 3:23
  13. Halleujah I Love Her So 2:36
  14. Lonely Avenue 2:36
  15. Leave My Woman Alone 2:41
  16. Ain't That Love 2:54
  17. Swanee River Rock 2:21
  18. My Bonnie 2:48
  19. Rockhouse Parts 1 & 2 3:56
  20. (Night Time Is) The Right Time 3:25
  21. What'd I Say Parts I & II 5:07
  22. Tell The Truth 3:06
  23. I Believe To My Soul 3:02
  24. Don't Let The Sun Catch You Cryin' 5:15
Volume 2
  1. Let The Good Times Roll 2:53
  2. Come Rain Or Come Shine 3:43
  3. Tell The Truth 3:28
  4. Drown In My Own Tears 6:25
  5. I'm Movin' On 2:23
  6. My Baby! (I Love Her, Yes I Do) 3:02
  7. Sticks And Stones 2:15
  8. I Wonder 2:31
  9. Georgia On My Mind 3:40
  10. Them That Got 2:50
  11. Ruby 3:53
  12. Hardhearted Hannah 3:17
  13. I've Got News For You 4:32
  14. One Mint Julep 3:05
  15. I'm Gonna Move To The Outskirts Of Town 3:45
  16. Hit The Road Jack 1:58
  17. The Danger Zone 2:24
  18. Unchain My Heart 2:52
  19. But On The Other Hand Baby 3:15
  20. Baby, It's Cold Outside (with Betty Carter) 4:11
  21. Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye (with Betty Carter) 4:40
  22. At The Club 2:58
Volume 3
  1. Hide 'nor Hair 3:11
  2. I Can't Stop Loving You 4:17
  3. Bye, Bye Love 2:12
  4. Born To Lose 3:18
  5. You Don't Know Me 3:15
  6. You Are My Sunshine 2:59
  7. Your Cheating Heart 3:35
  8. Take These Chains From My Heart 2:56
  9. The Brightest Smile In Town 2:49
  10. Without Love (There Is Nothing) 3:35
  11. Busted 2:11
  12. That Lucky Old Sun 4:25
  13. Ol' Man River 5:34
  14. Smack Dab In The Middle 3:21
  15. Makin' Whoopee 6:20
  16. Without A Song (Parts 1&2) 6:34
  17. The Cincinnati Kid 2:24
  18. Crying Time 2:58
  19. Let's Go Get Stoned 3:02
  20. I Chose To Sing The Blues 2:31
  21. Together Again 2:40
  22. I Don't Need No Doctor 2:32
Volume 4
  1. Eleanor Rigby 2:58
  2. Yesterday 2:47
  3. Understanding 3:11
  4. Drifiting Blues 6:25
  5. Here We Go Again 3:17
  6. In the Heat of the Night 2:37
  7. Gee Baby, Ain't I Good To You? 2:54
  8. I Didn't Know What Time it Was 4:57
  9. If It Wasn't for Bad Luck 4:59
  10. We Can Make It 3:44
  11. Don't Change on Me 3:26
  12. Feel So Bad 3:15
  13. Look What They've Done to My Song Ma 3:44
  14. Spirit in the Dark (Reprise) 8:30
  15. Booty-Butt 4:14
  16. I Can Make It Thru The Day 3:56
  17. Rainy Night in Georgia 6:14
  18. America The Beautiful 5:21
Volume 5
  1. Living for the City 6:06
  2. Till There Was You 5:49
  3. Am I Blue? 7:11
  4. How Long Has This Been Going On? 5:25
  5. The Jealous Kind 4:40
  6. Is There Anyone Out There? 5:59
  7. Don't You Love Me Anymore? 5:31
  8. One of These Days 3:35
  9. Seven Spanish Angels 3:53
  10. We Didn't See A Thing 2:13
  11. Two Old Cats Like Us 2:38
  12. Shake a Tail Feather 2:50
  13. I'll Be Good To You 4:57
  14. That's Where It's At 3:14
  15. A Song for You 4:17
  16. Still Crazy After All These Years 6:23

Notes


Feb 1949 - 1993

As the first comprehensive, multi-label box set assembled on Ray Charles, the five-disc, 102-song Genius & Soul: The 50th Anniversary Collection is an extensive overview of one of the greatest musicians of the 20th century. Charles produced a body of work so rich and diverse that even five CDs only scratches the surface of his accomplishments. None of his instrumentals are on Genius & Soul, nor are his jazz and traditional pop efforts spotlighted. Instead, the box traces the evolution of his career, as he moves from an R&B pioneer to a mainstream pop crooner to a country-pop vocalist to a contemporary soul singer. Charles was a gripping, captivating vocalist, capable of making even bland music sound vital, but the fact is, his '70s and '80s recordings pale in comparison to his seminal '50s and '60s sides. Which means that the set becomes less compelling as it reaches the fifth disc, but the first three and a half discs are filled with timeless music that remains exciting, vital and altogether wondrous.