Ray Stevens - All-Time Greatest Hits

Ray Stevens | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 3, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Varese Sarabande
• ASIN: B00005B17A
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #35,413 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #46 in Music > Country > Comedy
  • #69 in Music > Miscellaneous > Comedy > Comedic Music > Novelty Music

Track Listings

1. Sergeant Preston of the Yukon

2. Ahab the Arab [Live]

3. Harry the Hairy Ape [Live]

4. Funny Man

5. Freddie Feelgood (And His Funky Little Five Piece Band)

6. Unwind

7. Mr. Businessman [Single Version]

8. Isn't It Lonely Together

9. Gitarzan

10. Along Came Jones

11. Sunday Morning Coming Down

12. Have a Little Talk With Myself

13. Everything Is Beautiful

14. America, Communicate With Me

15. Bridget the Midget (The Queen of the Blues)

16. All My Trials

17. Turn Your Radio On

18. Nashville

19. The Streak

20. Everybody Needs a Rainbow

See all 23 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An incredible collection!, August 9, 2004

By 

DanD - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Ray Stevens - All-Time Greatest Hits (Audio CD)

Ray Stevens is a comedian. He's a songwriter. He's a singer. He's a great performer--whether telling a joke, or provoking the conscience of upper-class America. He has a rich, full-ranged voice, and great piano playing skills. Not to mention some of the funniest voices in music. Who can beat his camel noise?

This album came as a surprise to me. I knew Stevens could be a serious singer ("Everything Is Beautiful" is an incredible song) but I hadn't expected this CD to contain so many serious numbers. I was a bit disappointed at first...then I realized that Stevens had something: serious singing/songwriting talent. I mean SERIOUS. This album just proves that Ray Stevens is one of music's best.

He made a name for himself through such comedic novelty hits as "Ahab the Arab," "Gitarzan," and "The Streak;" and to be true, he's a very funny man. But his serious side deserves a mention...and maybe first prize. "Mr. Businessman" is probably the best, most well-written song on here ("Let's have your autograph/Endorse your epitaph") about upper-class people (and those from the lower classes to, of course) who put fame and fortune before humanity. There's "Isn't It Lonley, Together", a heart-wrenching look at a couple gone wrong. "Funny Man" is absolutely stunning, a number about how even the most outgoing of people have tearful secrets. The 1970 song "America, Communicate With Me" deals with the problems concerning Vietnam; "Misty," while not too serious, is an upbeat, chared, blue-grass love song. "Indian Love Call," in the same vein as "Misty," has a steady, listenable groove. And Stevens was the first to record Kris Kristofferson's legendary "Sunday Morning Coming Down." His voice fits the song wonderfully, though the production leaves a bit to be desired.

An incredible collection, an incredible performer. Ray Stevens is one of music's most-overlooked singer/songwriters. That's probably because people take him as a joke--after all, he made his career through comedic songs. But this album with show you that he has a serious side, too, and it is much better than those of many other performers of his era. Ray Stevens may not have legendary status, but he has legendary skill, and that's all it takes.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Whoops..., December 9, 2001

By 

Zub "Zubenelgenubi" (Forks Twp., PA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Ray Stevens - All-Time Greatest Hits (Audio CD)

Though best remembered for his novelty tunes, Ray Stevens placed more than two dozen songs, mainstream as well as novelty, of several genres on the charts over a two-decade period.

This collection from Varese Vintage contains many of his most successful tunes but is limited to his Monument and Barnaby recordings. And herein lies the rub - three of his Mercury-era tunes including his first top-10 hit, "Ahab The Arab" are included here but they are not the original singles. These versions are rerecordings done for a much later Monument album. This being the case, this CD's title "All Time Greatest Hits" loses its grip somewhat. The only indication to the prospective purchaser evident on the outside of the package is a small footnote to these tunes indicating that they have been lifted from Monument albums. Unless you're uncommonly observant, this alone is barely enough to clue you in. While there is nothing particularly wrong with these rerecordings - and some purchasers may not even care - the higher road would have been to license those original Mercury recordings for this collection. And since Varese has a reputation for top-quality reissues, this represents a greater disappointment here than had it come from some other label with a lesser reputation with their reissues.

Beyond this disturbance, the remainder of the collection admirably makes it way through Stevens' Monument and Barnaby recordings but then quits before grabbing any of his Warner Brothers material. This limitation on Steven's later recordings is another strike against the title's implied purpose of this CD though this could be considered somewhat minor.

Of the material included, most tracks exhibit good sound quality although a few tracks are noisy needle drops and, to Varese's credit, are noted as such in the credits. A few of the other early tracks are noticably hissy but not particularly objectionable. Closer-to-master tapes for this material were probably not to be found as Varese can usually be depended upon to secure the best available sonic sources for their CD's. The eight-page liner notes booklet contains info on Stevens' musical career focused on the period of the included recordings.

Had this included the appropriate Mercury and WB tracks or titled itself "Monument and Barnaby recordings" or the like, it would have garnered a four-star rating.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Timeless songs from a true original, October 10, 2002

By 

Pieter "Toypom" (Johannesburg) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Ray Stevens - All-Time Greatest Hits (Audio CD)

I have always loved both the comedy hits and the serious ballads, and the fact that two tracks are not the oiginal recordings is of no concern to me. Songs like Unwind, Mr Businesman and Isn't It Lonely Together reveal lyrical depth and demonstrates his skillful vocal style, while his version of Kristofferson's Sunday Morning Coming Down stands out as one of the most beautiful amongst thousands of interpretations of this classic tune. Everything Is Beautiful wih its children's choir is inspiring and uplifting, America Communicate With Me is impressive and his country version of Misty (1976) is poignant and moving. My favorites amongst the comedy tracks include the energetic little pop opera Bridget The Midget (UK top ten in 1971), The Streak from 1974, and of course the old classics like Ahab, Harry, Gitarzan and Along Came Jones. This collection confirms this singer's originality, his versatility and his considerable songwriting skills. The album will please all those who enjoy literate pop music performed with feeling.