- Audio CD (18 Dec 2008)
- Number of Discs: 1
- Format: Hybrid SACD
- Label: Telarc Jazz & Blues
- ASIN: B000UZ4FKQ
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 156,274 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
Amazon.co.uk allows you to pay for your items in your local currency. Restrictions apply. Learn More. |
Product details |
Track Listings
| 1. Oh What a Beautiful Morning |
| 2. Let the Good Times Roll |
| 3. How Long Has This Been Going On? |
| 4. Every Saturday Night |
| 5. Busted |
| 6. Crying Time |
| 7. I Can't Stop Loving You |
| 8. Come Live With Me |
| 9. Feel So Bad |
| 10. The Long And Winding Road |
| 11. Look What They've Done To My Song |
| 12. Georgia On My Mind |
Product Description
Album Description
In 2006, Concord Music Group and Starbucks Hear Music collaborated on a technologically groundbreaking project that merged the sounds of two iconic figures in American popular music. `Ray Sings, Basie Swings', released in October 2006, combined archival vocal tracks from R&B and soul icon Ray Charles with brilliant new arrangements and performances by the Count Basie Orchestra. Hailed by critics as one of the finest albums of the year, `Ray Sings, Basie Swings' marks the first and only recording in which "the genius" is backed by the legendary bandleader's orchestra.
Enter Telarc International, a member company in the multi-label Concord Music Group and a leader in digital recording technology since the late 1970s. Telarc recording engineer Michael Bishop, winner of numerous GRAMMY Awards, has taken this engineering marvel a quantum leap further by remixing Concord's original 2-channel recording for multi-channel SACD. The result is a recording that makes this perceived "collaboration" all the more real and immediate.
Personnel:
Ray Charles - (vocals), Count Basie Orchestra, directed by Bill Hughes, The Raelettes
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
A couple tracks here have the softer droning I enjoy but this cd almost universally explodes dynamically with this big band mono sounding harshness I find intrusive. It's jazzy blues then BANG! Ray is great, such a kind soul fun and seemingly sincere in his enjoyment to be singing and living in general, his delivery is fresh and welcoming. Sonically as an SACD it sounds a bit old and not terribly well mixed. If you like the separation and warmth of something like Beck -Sea Change you may not fancy the sound..
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Absolutely fantastic from start to finish.
The audio quality is just amazing.
I just cannot put into words how good this sounds, and how well it is produced.
Without doubt, the best SACD I've ever bought.
The audio quality is just amazing.
I just cannot put into words how good this sounds, and how well it is produced.
Without doubt, the best SACD I've ever bought.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
6 reviews
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Astonishing but. . .
7 Dec 2007
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I admit I'm not a great Ray Charles fan, but the closer he gets to jazz, the better I like him. Crying Time and I Can't Stop Loving You can go the way of the dodo. But Oh! What a Beautiful Morning is a gass, and Let the Good Times Roll gets cooking. I'm not sure the pop/country oriented fans will like this album as much as jazz aficionados. And somewhere the Count is smiling at how his namesake band can still flat-out swing.
This recording is a miracle of modern technology. The vast difference in time between the two recordings just isn't audible. The vintage Charles' analog recording was copied to digital using 96 Khz, 24 bit technology, and the Count's band was recorded that way. Telarc then assumed the task of making a surround SACD version of it. Unfortunately, engineer Michael Bishop chose to place Charles' voice in all 5 (or 7) speakers. Why? Keep the voice up front where it belongs. Second, Bishop also put instruments in every speaker. Likewise, wrong. Surrounds generally are best served by carrying ambience, which would have been real easy to simulate. Frankly, if there were a two-channel version available in HDCD, that would be a better sonic choice than this SACD, or just play the two-channel version. Not that the sound is bad. Heavens no! Telarc isn't capable of making bad-sounding recordings. It's their philosophy to which I object in this particular instance, although Concord may have called the technical shots.
This recording is a miracle of modern technology. The vast difference in time between the two recordings just isn't audible. The vintage Charles' analog recording was copied to digital using 96 Khz, 24 bit technology, and the Count's band was recorded that way. Telarc then assumed the task of making a surround SACD version of it. Unfortunately, engineer Michael Bishop chose to place Charles' voice in all 5 (or 7) speakers. Why? Keep the voice up front where it belongs. Second, Bishop also put instruments in every speaker. Likewise, wrong. Surrounds generally are best served by carrying ambience, which would have been real easy to simulate. Frankly, if there were a two-channel version available in HDCD, that would be a better sonic choice than this SACD, or just play the two-channel version. Not that the sound is bad. Heavens no! Telarc isn't capable of making bad-sounding recordings. It's their philosophy to which I object in this particular instance, although Concord may have called the technical shots.
Strange but Strong
7 July 2009
Format:Audio CD
The immortality of Ray Charles refuses to die, and ghost bands still have rent to pay. But as disturbingly ghoulish and potentially exploitative as this post-mortal collaboration between the voice of Ray Charles and the legacy of Count Basie may be, the signing and swinging are both quite lively. The producers of this recording have combined the vocal track from an old Ray Charles concert performance with arrangements for the Basie band, blending them together to create a swinging session of Charles standards that is truly delightful.
Ray Sings Basie Swings by Ray Charles, Count Basie Orchestra
21 Mar 2009
Format:Audio CD
Greatly recommended. Full blown big band sound. Swings, dances, rocks and space-surfs. Nothing greasy or phony throughout the whole CD. Still easily digestible for occasional Jazz listeners. Perfectly fitting vocal arrangements. All one piece. No "seams" or "glues" audible regarding the combined recordings. Very inspired and soulful singing from Ray Charles.
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Listmania!
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
