The The Essential

The The Essential

by Ray Price
The The Essential

The The Essential

by Ray Price

CD

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Overview

There was a previous Ray Price compilation on Columbia/Legacy, The Essential Ray Price: 1951-1962, with an almost identical title to this 2007 release. This one is an entirely different anthology, however; not only is it merely titled The Essential Ray Price, but it's considerably bigger and its chronological span is much wider, as the two-CD, 40-track set covers material from 1950 to 1980. An astonishing 31 of these recordings were Top Ten country hits, which alone makes it a valuable summary of Price's most well known music. Of more importance, however, is how it charts Price's artistic journey from a fairly raw honky-tonker to one of country's most popular country-pop crooners. Hard country fans, of course, will be most impressed by the honky tonk sides (especially on disc one, all of which was cut in 1950-1961), and those who know Price primarily for smoothies like "For the Good Times" (which is on disc two, of course) will be surprised by the relatively hard-kicking tracks from his early years (including huge hits like "Heartaches by the Number" and "Crazy Arms"). There's a mixed blessing to a Price comp that covers thirty years, though; for all the success of his later work, there's no denying that it helped paved the way for bland countrypolitan, particularly when he started piling on strings and vocal choruses. Even in those years, however, he was recording songs by top composers like Willie Nelson, Hank Cochran, the team of Boudleaux Bryant and Felice Bryant, and (on his 1970 smashes "For the Good Times" and "I'd Rather Be Sorry") Kris Kristofferson. The Essential Ray Price: 1951-1962 is probably essential enough for those who prefer to remember Price in his honky-tonkiest days, but this two-disc anthology gives a more complete view of why he was a country music giant, without sacrificing much from the early years in which he was truest to his roots. ~ Richie Unterberger

Product Details

Release Date: 05/29/2007
Label: Columbia
UPC: 0827969456224
Rank: 41890

Tracks

Disc 1

  1. Jealous Lies
  2. If You're Ever Lonely Darling
  3. Weary Blues (From Waiting)
  4. Talk to Your Heart
  5. Release Me
  6. I'll Be There (If You Ever Want Me)
  7. Crazy Arms
  8. You Done Me Wrong
  9. Wasted Words
  10. I've Got a New Heartache
  11. My Shoes Keep Walking Back to You
  12. Curtain in the Window
  13. Invitation to the Blues
  14. City Lights
  15. Heartaches by the Number
  16. The Same Ole Me
  17. One More Time
  18. I Wish I Could Fall in Love Today
  19. Heart Over Mind
  20. Soft Rain

Disc 2

  1. San Antonio Rose
  2. I've Just Destroyed the World (I'm Living In)
  3. Pride
  4. Walk Me to the Door
  5. Night Life
  6. Make the World Go Away
  7. Burning Memories
  8. The Other Woman
  9. Don't You Ever Get Tired of Hurting Me
  10. A Way to Survive
  11. I'm Still Not Over You
  12. I Let My Mind Wander
  13. Danny Boy
  14. She Wears My Ring
  15. You Wouldn't Know Love
  16. For the Good Times
  17. I Won't Mention It Again
  18. I'd Rather Be Sorry
  19. You're the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me
  20. Faded Love

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Ray Price   Primary Artist,Guitar
Willie Nelson   Primary Artist,Vocals,Guitar
Bee Spears   Guitar (Bass)
Chris Ethridge   Guitar (Bass)
Van Howard   Vocals (Background),Guitar,Vocal Harmony
Lefty Perkins   Guitar
Bob Keller   Guitar (Bass),Bass
Buddy Killen   Guitar (Bass),Bass
Clay Allen   Guitar,Guitar (Rhythm)
Buddy Griffin   Guitar
Eddie Martin   Guitar (Steel),Guitar (Steel)
Howard Watts   Guitar (Bass),Bass
Willie Ackerman   Drums
Bob Preston   Drums
Art Bishop   Guitar,Guitar
Floyd T. Lightnin' Chance   Guitar (Bass)
Jack Evins   Guitar (Steel),Guitar (Steel)
Red Kidwell   Guitar (Bass)
Georgia Slim Rutland   Fiddle
Jim Belkin   Fiddle
Don Poole   Guitar (Bass),Bass
Ray Edenton   Guitar,Guitar (Rhythm)
Darrell McCall   Guitar,Guitar (Rhythm)
Harold Bradley   Guitar (Bass),Guitar,Bass (Electric)
Bob Moore   Bass (Acoustic)
Tommy Williams   Guitar
Blondie Calderon   Keyboards,Vibraphone
Hank Cochran   Guitar
George McCoy   Guitar (Steel)
Buddy Griffin & His Orchestra   Guitar (Rhythm)
Spider Wilson   Guitar
E.A. "Highpockets" Busse   Accordion
Floyd Chance   Bass
William Paul Ackerman   Drums
Bob Moore & His Orchestra   Bass,Bass (Acoustic)
Wilson "Lefty" Perkins   Guitar
Robert "Georgia Slim" Rutland   Fiddle
Tommy Williams Jr.   Fiddle,Guitar
Paul Blunt   Guitar (Steel)
Shorty Lavender   Fiddle
Farrell Morris   Percussion,Vibraphone
Bill Pursell   Piano
Chet Atkins   Guitar (Electric)
Paul English   Drums
Dale Potter   Fiddle
Don Helms   Guitar (Steel)
Floyd Cramer   Piano
Crystal Gayle   Vocals (Background)
Jody Payne   Guitar
Roger Miller   Guitar
Jan Kurtis   Drums
Farris Coursey   Drums
Joe Zinkan   Bass,Bass (Acoustic)
Leon Rhodes   Guitar
Cecil Brower   Fiddle
Jimmy Day   Guitar (Steel)
Pete Drake   Guitar (Steel)
Jimmy Belkin   Fiddle
Velma Smith   Guitar
Jerry Kennedy   Guitar
Marvin Hughes   Piano
Marvin Montgomery   Mandolin
Donny "Johnny Paycheck" Lytle   Guitar
Buddy Emmons   Guitar (Steel)
Ray Sanders   Guitar
Buddy Spicher   Fiddle
Steve Bess   Drums
Douglas Kirkham   Drums
Tommy Jackson   Fiddle
Buddy Harman   Drums
Grady Martin   Guitar
Rusty Gabbard   Guitar
Walter Haynes   Guitar (Steel)
Hargus "Pig" Robbins   Piano
Leon Russell   Piano
Johnny Gimble   Fiddle
Pete Wade   Fiddle,Guitar
Samuel K. "Sammy" Pruett   Guitar,Guitar (Electric)
Jerry Rivers   Fiddle
Carroll Hubard   Fiddle
Fred Burkhalter   Piano

Technical Credits

Howard Fritzson   Art Direction
Lauren Dooreck Camara   Design
Tim Morse   Design
Steven Berkowitz   A&R
Gregg Geller   Compilation Producer
Frank Jones   Producer
Don Law   Producer
John Jackson   Project Director
Jim Weatherly   Composer
Willie Nelson   Duet,Producer
Grady Martin   Producer
Vic Anesini   Mastering
Jim Beck   Producer
Rich Kienzle   Liner Notes
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