Customer Reviews

Ray Stevens' Box Set

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Most of this Box Set consists of Ray's Curb recordings plus some of his songs from his own label, Clyde. The version of "It's Me Again Margaret" is from the recording from COMEDY VIDEO CLASSICS...i've watched the music video so many times i can tell i'm listening to the recording on here. For those who want original recordings, seek other collections...BUT, for Ray fans, this set is a must have because Ray throws in some never before available songs that can't be bought anywhere but on this Box Set. The new material on this Box Set that can't be found anywhere else are: "Family Funeral Fight", "Driver's Education"; "Kitty Cat's Revenge"; "We're Havin' a Baby"; "When the Kids are Gone"; "The Cat Song" and the ultra-rare "Hello Mama", the sequel to Ray's hit "Osama Yo Mama" from 2002.

The rest of the songs range from his Curb material during 1990-1993 plus material from his MCA return in 1997...then we hear songs from his THANK YOU album that came out in 2003 on his own label, Clyde. Ray even re-records his first Top-40 pop hit from 1961: "Jeremiah Peabody's Green and Purple Pills"...that is found on Disc #3, the closing track. This Box Set contains 3 CD's worth of Ray Stevens comedy and serious music...BUT none of the actual hit songs contained on here from the '60s, '70s, or '80s are the original recordings...the Box Set cover shows Ray at a table with his arms propped up looking over 4 gift boxes...he's watching the boxes sit...hence the title "Box Set". I give this collection 4 stars because i wish the original recordings of "The Streak" and "Ahab the Arab" and the other well-known hits were on here.

There also isn't any liner notes, either. A career going on 50 years but no liner notes or anything accompanying the collection was a bit strange. I recommend the collection for the casual fans and for those going on long road trips. The hardcore and more dedicated/devoted fans of which I consider myself can simply purchase the exclusive recordings from this collection at the MP3 store for 99 cents.

I have always loved Ray Steven's musical banter... however, this one's really a disappointment.. Now, technically, the audio is clean and decent.. its the CONTENT itself that's the problem...

Ray re-sings these tracks- ALL of them, with the same "I-don't-care" ambiance throughout the set; to say, he sounds "BORED"!

The FLARE that was Ray Stevens is GONE! If you are a true fan of his works, then this box set will DISAPPOINT you. If you are merely interested in something that sounds "digital karaoke", then this is for you.. cause that's exactly what it is. Ray simply grabs the lyric sheets and sings-um.. SAYS the lyrics to a musical background; you can tell that he'd rather be doing something ELSE..

The Bad:

When one thinks of a CD "box set", The phrase brings to mind a set with lavish packaging and the original recordings with some rare bonus songs. Unfortunately, this collection doesn't really live up to its name with its presentation. But I suppose the name "Box set" is better than "the thousandth Ray Stevens Greatest Hits package to hit the market". I guess most record labels simply find it easier to have artists re-record their previous hits rather than go through the hassle of licensing the originals. As other reviewers have stated, all the classic hits are recent re-recordings that were readily available to Curb, Ray's current label. Unfortunately, they weren't his best versions of the songs. On top of that, the set doesn't really work as a proper career retrospective as it focuses almost solely on his comedy. Ray Stevens' musical genious shined through the most on his serious Barnaby and Monument songs and are for the most part, completely omitted from this set. His 80s MCA era songs (when he recorded his funniest songs) is barely touched upon and we're left with, of course, most of his Curb recordings.

the Good:

- At least all the songs off the Curb albums are the original recordings
- Ear Candy! 8 tracks from the nearly impossible to find album Ray released on his own. (only Hang Up And Drive and No Lawyers In Heaven didn't make it to the unwisely named "Box Set")
- The unreleased and non-album tracks listed by the previous reviewer make this set well worth the price.
- The price. Curb Records seems to have a habit of doing things cheaply, and this 3 CD set is no exception. This is put together like a budget CD and thankfully, aptly priced. Considering the unreleased and hard-to-find gems on this set, Its a must-have for all Ray Stevens fans.
For those who want an introduction to Ray Stevens or are just casual fans, I recommend the Rhino "Best OF" and MCA "Greatest Hits 1 and 2" CDs over this one. But if you just want to spend 15 bucks on some very funny songs, you can't go wrong with this set.

Warning, warning, Danger, danger!!! If you are looking for the ORIGINAL hit versions of his songs like, "Ahab the Arab", "The Streak", "Gitarzan" then you should stay away from this compilation. So far the BEST Ray Stevens set is Rhino's "The Very Best of Ray Stevens".
All of those selections are the real deal.

Here's hoping that one day there will be a true box set compilation of Ray's career, especially his early Mercury recordings. My top wish: a song from 1964: "The Old English Surfer".

I agree with previous reviewer. NOT ORIGINAL VERSIONS, AND SUFFERS AS A RESULT. No enthusiasm, and the music and voices dffer greatly from the originals. The Haircut song leaves out two funny stanzas, and I admit I did not have the heart to listen to much of the rest. With fond memories of the old tape versions, and wanting to indoctrinate new converts, this was not the vehicle. TOSSING THEM.

I bought this at a local retailer on an impulse buy. I like Ray's music, and didn't recognize several songs. Most of the best known pieces sound like re-recordings from their original release, some just as good, some not-so-good. Almost like they were first drafts of the final product. About 2/3 are just as good as the original release and I'm glad to finally get them on CD (my turntable died a couple of years back and the albums and singles aren't available to me anymore.) No they don't sound like the original release, but if you haven't heard the original, they're still funny, still crisp, just different. Like the difference between a studio recording and a "live at ....."

I purchased this cd because of the number of great Ray Stevens Songs that I had listened to growing up. When I got the discs, I opened it up only to find that these were not the original recordings. They were more recent recordings, some without the same lyrics. The most disappointing were two of my all time favorites; "The Haircut Song" and "Ballad of the Blue Cyclone." If you are a Ray Stevens fan, don't bother with the box set. I recommend buying the original albums for original, classic Ray Stevens.

I was excited to get this box set as I Love Ray Stevens, he is hilarious! When it arrived I listened to the whole thing "cover to cover". I was actually disappoited by how few funny songs were included which is what I was looking for. There are a few but mostly it is filled with his more serious, non humorous songs. These are still good as he is a great musical artist but just not what I was hoping for when I ordered. Some of the funny songs that where included were actually a little different than the versions originally released. I know because I have the original albums on cassette and was looking to upgrade my library (or at least a portion of it) to CD in one fell swoop. (The cassettes don't work so good any more, nor do my players) Don't get me wrong the songs are still great but just not the exact same versions that I was hoping to replace. This is a great collection that spans Ray's full spectrum. However, I was hoping to stay more on the "funny side of the street". I guess it just depends on what aspect of his career you are looking for.

This collection has an overabundance of novelty songs and leaves out "Unwind" and "Mr. Businessman," as well as other hit songs. As noted in other reviews, these are not the original recordings. Look at one of his Greatest Hits albums that include the above mentioned as well as "Have A Little Talk With Myself" and "Turn Your Radio On." You won't be disappointed.

Purchased this box set of Ray Stevens CDs for my sons 13th birthday. Excellent quality. Great variety of songs. Some of the songs were re-done (some of the lyrics were changed), but still great and funny!