Ray!: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Location: Home » music » General » Ray!: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Similar Items:

•	More Music from Ray
•	Genius Loves Company
•	Ray [HD DVD]
•	Walk the Line
•	Ultimate Hits Collection (2CD)

Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.com
Soul and R&B legend Ray Charles may not have lived to see the success of Hollywood's ultimate tribute to him, but director Taylor Hackford's biopic (featuring a landmark performance by Jamie Foxx as the musical legend) will further burnish his legacy as one of the cornerstones of contemporary American music. Though it stretches from 1953's ecstatic, proto-soul "Mess Around" to a sublime, bluesy live take of "Georgia on My Mind" recorded in Japan in the mid-'70s, this 17-track song-score can only be an inviting appetizer to the singer's epochal body of work. Charles's artistry may have virtually defined soul music, yet it also triumphed in genres as far afield as blues ("Nightime Is the Right Time") and country ("I Can't Stop Loving You," "Bye Bye Love") during the '60s, the impossibly rich era from which the bulk of this soundtrack is culled. Crucially, fully a third of the cuts here are live recordings--including electrifying 1965 performances of "What'd I Say," "You Don't Know Me," and "Hallelujah I Love Her So" hand-picked for the film by Charles himself--the forum in which the singer consistently operated on a whole other artistic plateau from mere mortals. -- Jerry McCulley

Album Description
This fall Universal Pictures and Walden Media will release the feature-length biopic Ray!, the never-before-told musical biographical drama of the late American legend Ray Charles. Featuring a remarkable performance from Jamie Foxx in the central role, Ray! follows the inspiring story of a one-of-a-kind genius. Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Taylor Hackford (La Bamba, An Officer And A Gentleman), the film features Foxx's uncanny lip-syncing to classic Ray Charles tracks (utilizing the artist's original master recordings). Ray! is an inspirational story about an amazing artist and human being, with Ray Charles music at the film's very core.

Album Description
Japanese pressing of 2004 soundtrack includes Japan only booklet. Details TBA. Warner. 2005.

Album Details
Japanese Version of the Soundtrack to the Ray Charles Biopic Directed by Taylor Hackford. Includes Classic Hits, plus Three Additional Tracks from 'live in Japan', Recorded in 1976. Features an Exclusive Inlay Booklet, and Different Cover Art.

Customer Reviews: Read 70 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

An essential CD to go with this film tribute to Brother Ray! November 13, 2004
101 out of 104 found this review helpful

Man, how Ray Charles could belt out a tune! He made it seem so easy; and the proof of that is on this CD. "Georgia On My Mind" is one of my favorite Ray Charles songs; this studio cut of Ray singing this is magnificent and very moving. No wonder it's Georgia's state song!

This CD starts out with the mischievous "Mess Around;" this song is so much fun you may replay it a few times before you even get to the rest of the CD! Hehehe! "I've Got A Woman" continues in this same way. There are some terrific live recordings here, too! Ray sings "Hallelujah I Love Her So," "What'd I Say," "You Don't Know Me," "Let The Good Times Roll," and "Georgia On My Mind" all live! I only wish I had been at one of these concerts; the electricity that so clearly is there in his performance would have blown my mind!

I especially liked the somewhat different arrangements on "You Don't Know Me" and "Let The Good Times Roll!" Very well done! The live recording of "Georgia On My Mind" is indeed very bluesy; a nice twist to a great song that is also here from a studio recording session Ray did.

Ray had a hand in the production of this film before he died; therefore this CD is also an excellent introduction or perhaps a single CD miniature compilation of some of his most famous songs. This is also a wonderful way for us all to remember the great Mr. Charles; since his performances here are dynamic, exciting, fresh and straight from the heart.

The CD comes with liner notes by Taylor Hackford. Hackford both directed and co-wrote the film "Ray."

In short, GET THIS CD! and help celebrate the life and art of the great Mr. Ray Charles! You won't regret this CD purchase! And while you're at it, why not see the movie, too? GRIN

5 out of 5 stars

Solid compilation November 1, 2004
76 out of 78 found this review helpful

If you saw the movie, you know by now that Ray recorded for two record companies: Atlantic and ABC Paramaount. Usually, when you buy any 'greatest hits' compilation of Ray, is either from the Atlantic sides or the ABC sides, never both. But for this CD, you get great sides from both companies. Everything here is classic. maybe too many live tracks, but as a one CD compilation to get to know Ray Charles, you can hardly find a better one. If you saw the movie, you'll remember the scenes were these tracks were played. Highly recommended if you dont have any of the Ray Charles classic recordings of the 50's & 60's.

5 out of 5 stars

The Genius! October 19, 2004
25 out of 27 found this review helpful

What can you say about Ray Charles's music that hasn't been said many times over? This soundtrack to the biopic of a true musical genius is certainly a tribute to the continuing legacy of Ray Charles. As stated by Aretha Franklin, "he's the voice of a lifetime." And that voice will continue to live on through this excellent compilation - from his Grammy winning Hit the Road Jack and Georgia on My Mind to his rendition of Don Gibson's I Can't Stop Loving You - it's perfect. To say that Ray Charles was the "greatest pop singer" does him an extreme disservice. He was a master at gospel, blues, country, jazz and big band, and forged these disparate styles into something all his own. Charles once said, "I just want to make my mark, leave something musically good behind. If it's a big record, that's the frosting on the cake, but music's the main meal." If you aren't aware of Ray's music (and I humbly suggest you move out of that drum you've been living in), this CD should give you a wonderful taste of the stunning smorgasbord that is Ray Charles' music. To Charles' comment that "[he] was just born with music inside [him]," all I can say is I'll be forever grateful that he let it out. And boy, did he ever let it out!

5 out of 5 stars

"Entertainer of the Decades ~ Ray Charles" November 3, 2004
25 out of 25 found this review helpful

Warner Music and Rhino Records presents "Ray", vintage Ray Charles from his story depicting seventeen songs that made us love this extraordinary human being ~ from the vaults of Atlantic and ABC-Paramount singles covering early '50s right up to the late '70s...classics from the git go, electrifying performances that will make the hair on the back of your neck stand on end.

Charles style is covered quite well with this collection of his long career...virtually every genre of music has its place on this compilation, he's so brilliant ~ every song here is a classic...there's nothing like listening to "MESS AROUND" [1953], from early on you knew his style would catch on..."I'VE GOT A WOMAN" [1954], "MARY ANN" [1956], "HARD TIMES (No One Knows Better Than I)" [1961], "HALLELUJAH I LOVE HER SO (Live)" [1965] and "WHAT'D I SAY (Live)" [1965], last five composed by the "Genius" himself, but you already knew that..."I CAN'T STOP LOVING YOU (Live)" [1976] and "BORN TO LOSE" [1962], are two of my favorite Country and Western tunes that Ray favored us with..."GEORGIA ON MY MIND", appears twice on the album, the 1960 studio recording and 1976 Live in Japan performance, both are truly legendary and a must have for your ever growing collection.

Was he a "Genius"...you be the judge and decide...he will be a tough act to follow encompassing an extremely broad recording career...some of the best music you'll ever hear...one of the most exceptional artists of the century ~ Ray Charles!

Total Time: 54:36 on 17 Tracks ~ Rhino Records 76540 ~ (10/19/2004)

3 out of 5 stars

Bait and switch... maybe February 24, 2006
21 out of 21 found this review helpful

The Ray Soundtrack was a disappointment in that the sound is not even close to the quality of the music on the DVD. Now to be sure, it is the same music. Allow me to explain; in the movie, each song has a dramatic "jump" to it that is absent in the soundtrack. It's like the editors pulled the original records, re-mastered them and laid the tracks down on this CD in the exact order as they appeared in the film. So what you get is Ray, but it is does not have the soul of the same music as in the movie. I'm not sure I can explain it correctly but it's as if the movie and Jamie Foxx stylized the same songs to have that "oomph" that's missing from this re-mastered collection of original tunes. To test my theory, I made a dub of "What'd I Say" from the DVD and played it back-to-back with this CD's version of the same song. The difference is unbelievable.
My conclusion; I love Ray Charles and his music but after hearing his music from the DVD in full Dolby 5.1, this CD is very disappointing. Put simply, it's like me taking my collection of Ray Charles Hi-Fidelity recordings and doing a straight transfer to CD. The music would be there but it would in no way sound like a modern day state of the art produced CD. And that's my problem; if the producers could make the film sound so good, they should have used the same music for the Soundtrack and used this collection of recordings labeled "The Originally Recorded Music" that inspired the movie Ray. That's my take for what it's worth.

Mike Way

Powered by Associate-O-Matic

T-shirts, Posters

Pentagram T-shirts, bags, etc...

Gothic Posters