Ray Stevens - Greatest Hits

Ray Stevens

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 23, 1991)
• Original Release Date: 1971
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Curb Special Markets
• ASIN: B000000D0S
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #260,520 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. Everything Is Beautiful

2. Misty

3. Turn Your Radio On

4. Mr. Businessman

5. Nashville

6. Indian Love Call

7. Isn't It Lonely Together

8. Along Came Jones

9. Would Jesus Wear a Rolex

10. There's a Star Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An odd collection, but a definite must-have, May 31, 2000

By	John A. Kuczma "RogueUlfric" (Marietta, GA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

From a strictly commercial perspective, this is not a Greatest Hits album. It features only one Top Ten hit, although that one, "Everything is Beautiful" was a number one. The collection has a decidedly country flavor, including songs like "Nashville", "Would Jesus Wear a Rolex" and "There's a Star-Spangled Banner" which did fairly well on the country charts but were virtually ignored on the pop side of the house.

That said, this is not a bad album. In fact, it is a very good album. It displays a versatility that most of Ray's numerous GH collections choose to ignore in favor of focussing on the "musical clown" image. There is the gospel/spiritual influenced "Turn Your Radio On", the socially conscious and fairly successful (Number 28 on the charts) "Mr Businessman", and the profound and somewhat disturbing "Isn't It Lonely Together?", a bittersweet ballad that reveals a surprising depth of feeling. The last two songs alone are worth much more than the price of the album.

If you want to laugh along with Ray Steven's well-known musical histrionics, this isn't the album for you. However, if you want to see and hear Ray in a completely different and very revealing light, this collection is genuine buried treasure. Highly recommended.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a fabulous spotlight on his serious hits, January 29, 2003

By	Jerry McDaniel (Ohio USA) - See all my reviews

this CD is a great introduction to the serious Ray Stevens four years before Warner Brothers released their 3 CD set of his serious 1976-1979 material. on CURB's 1991 'GREATEST HITS', we have eight hit songs and two album tracks. the non-hits are 1968's "Isn't It Lonely Together" and 1989's "There's a Star Spangled Banner". here's some trivia: the version of "There's a Star Spangled Banner" on this CD features a new opening verse. the original opening verse off his 1989 'BESIDE MYSELF' album contains a man being in Beirut instead. "Indian Love Call" includes a brilliant doo-wop arrangement and "Nashville" has a country arrangement.the hits are all great and they showcase his versatility in going from pop, gospel, country, novelty, social commentary, jingoistic, satiric..., etc."Everything is Beautiful" hit #1 pop and #39 country; "Misty" hit #14 pop and #3 country; "Turn Your Radio On" hit #63 pop and #17 country; "Mr. Businessman" hit #28 pop; "Nashville" hit #37 country; "Indian Love Call" hit #68 pop and #38 country; "Along Came Jones" hit #27 pop; and "Would Jesus Wear a Rolex?" hit #41 country. what all of this says is that Ray Stevens had a genre-bending career the likes we will never see again in this restricted age of one artist HAS to be on one format or the other. sure, a country act or a pop act might have a fluke cross-over but there will never be another artist who will chart as consistently country and pop for a long time and get away with it. Ray charted country and pop from 1969 through 1979. he charted pop only in 1961, 1962, 1963, and 1968. he's been on country charts only since 1980.

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Service Always, September 7, 2008

By	Peter J. Sheldon "Celtic" (Green Valley, Arizona United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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