Single-disc sampler of Charles on Atlantic and ABC

Songwriter, pianist and vocalist Ray Charles may be one of the most anthologized pop artists in history, with several hundred collections and repackagings issued on LP and CD. But even with so many facets of his career having been explored, there remain essential sides that have yet to see official digital reissue. Concord is kicking off an extensive redevelopment of Charles’ post-1960 catalogs on the ABC-Paramount and Tangerine labels with this 63-minute 21-track disc of career highlights, including ten R&B chart toppers and three pop #1s.

The set includes four tracks from Charles’ time on Atlantic, reaching back as early as 1955 for “I’ve Got a Woman.” The bulk of the set is drawn from 1960 through 1967, starting with Charles’ first pop chart topper, 1960’s “Georgia on My Mind,” and winding along to 1967’s “Here We Go Again” and “Yesterday.” The disc closes with Charles’ last single for ABC, 1976’s “America the Beautiful.” Throughout the twenty-one selections you can hear Charles’ develop his seminal brand of soul from roots in gospel, blues, R&B, and jazz. ABC freed Charles to explore more broadly than had Atlantic, bringing in Latin rhythms, singing the works of country and tin-pan alley songwriters, adding strings, and alternating between the sassy call-and-response of the Raelettes and a smooth backing chorus.

Concord’s digital remastering is crisp (mono for the Atlantic tracks 2, 6, 9, 17), and the non-chronological song sequence provides an excellent flow. The CD includes a 20-page booklet with liner and song notes by Don Heckman, photos, release and chart data, and an embossed cardboard wrapper. Few artists can boast as powerful a catalog as Charles, and though it’s overstatement to label any single disc an ultimate collection (there’s many times more essential sides missing than would fit), this is a welcome overture to the coming symphony of ABC/Tangerine reissues. [©2009 hyperbolium dot com]