Modern Sounds In Country and Western Music, Vol. 1 & 2
Ray Charles
View More by this ArtistOpen iTunes to preview, buy, and download songs from Ray Charles
| Name | Artist | Time | Price | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bye Bye Love | Ray Charles | 2:11 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
| 2 | You Don't Know Me | Ray Charles | 3:16 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
| 3 | Half As Much | Ray Charles | 3:25 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
| 4 | I Love You So Much It Hurts | Ray Charles | 3:35 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
| 5 | Just a Little Lovin' | Ray Charles | 3:27 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
| 6 | Born to Lose | Ray Charles | 3:14 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
| 7 | Worried Mind | Ray Charles | 2:53 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
| 8 | It Makes No Difference Now | Ray Charles | 3:35 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
| 9 | You Win Again | Ray Charles | 3:31 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
| 10 | Careless Love | Ray Charles | 4:01 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
| 11 | I Can't Stop Loving You | Ray Charles | 4:16 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
| 12 | Hey, Good Lookin' | Ray Charles | 2:10 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
| 13 | You Are My Sunshine | Ray Charles | 2:57 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
| 14 | No Letter Today | Ray Charles | 3:01 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
| 15 | Someday | Ray Charles | 2:40 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
| 16 | Don't Tell Me Your Troubles | Ray Charles | 2:07 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
| 17 | Midnight | Ray Charles | 3:17 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
| 18 | Oh, Lonesome Me | Ray Charles | 2:10 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
| 19 | Take These Chains from My Heart | Ray Charles | 2:56 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
| 20 | Your Cheating Heart | Ray Charles | 3:35 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
| 21 | I'll Never Stand In Your Way | Ray Charles | 2:19 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
| 22 | Making Believe | Ray Charles | 2:52 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
| 23 | Teardrops In My Heart | Ray Charles | 3:02 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
| 24 | Hang Your Head In Shame | Ray Charles | 3:15 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
| Booklet Digital Booklet - Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, Vols 1 & 2 | Ray Charles | Album Only | View In iTunes |
| Total: 25 Items |
iTunes Review
While Ray Charles is now firmly entrenched as a musical legend, there was a time when he was known mostly in R&B and jazz circles. But Charles never heard music by the rules of distinct genres and happily mixed and matched his approach to whatever quality material he ran across. In 1962, it was the unlikely world of country music that caught his ear and Charles’ choices were as eclectic as ever, including a number of Hank Williams covers, a masterstroke with Don Gibson’s “I Can’t Stop Loving You” (it went on to become a number one hit), and other tunes that ranged from classic country to the slicker, pop side of the genre. Charles brought it all together with arrangements that scaled the mix of sounds: horns blaring, background singers supporting, and his own mercurial, emotionally vulnerable voice delivering an overwhelming commitment that defines Charles’ soulful and romantic urges. The success of the first collection led to a second volume that was equally transfixing, including “You Are My Sunshine,” “Oh Lonesome Me” and more Hank Williams (“Your Cheating Heart,” “Take These Chains From My Heart”).
Recent Customer Reviews
The genius of soul re-imagines the Nashville songbook
by hyperboliumOriginally released on ABC-Paramount in 1962, Modern Sounds in Country and Western, was a revelation, both for fans of country music and for fans of Ray Charles. The former had never heard their favorites orchestrated with the depth of soul brought to the table by Ray Charles, and fans of the genius singer had never before heard him indulging his love of country songwriting so deeply. Nashville had adapted to brass and strings in an attempt to create crossover hits, but their charts and players never swung with the sort of big band finesse and bravado of these arrangements, and their vocalists rarely found the grooves mined by Charles. The second volume, issued the same year, follows the same template, with Nashville standards rearranged and conducted by Gerald Wilson and Marty Paich, and recording split between New York and Hollywood.
Having been a country music fan since his youth, Charles evidently didn’t hear any line that would separate him from the Nashville songbook. His recording supervisor, Sid Feller, was tasked with gathering songs, and ABC, thinking the whole ideas was a lark, left the pair alone to follow Charles’ muse. The album spun off four hit singles, including a chart-topping remake of Don Gibson’s “I Can’t Stop Loving You” and a heartbreaking cover of Cindy Walker’s “You Don’t Know Me” that fell just one rung shy of the top. Marty Paich’s strings brilliantly underline and shadow Charles’ vocals, adding atmosphere without ever intruding or overwhelming the singer or the song. Track after track, Charles, his arrangers and his band find wholly new ways through these songs, turning “Half as Much” into mid-tempo jazz, layering string flourishes into “Born to Lose,” laying the blues on “It Makes No Difference Now” and punching up “Bye Bye Love” and “Hey Good Lookin’” with big band sizzle.
Volume two may not have been as much of a surprise, but neither was it a second helping. Gerald Wilson’s soul vision of “You Are My Sunshine,” expertly rendered by Charles and a swinging horn section, leaves few traces of the song’s mid-20th century origin. Charles, spurred by backing vocals from the Raeletts, sounds like he’s reeling off a personal tale of devotion rather than singing someone else’s lyric. The Raeletts provide an edge to side one’s New York sessions, with the Jack Halloran Singers sitting in on side two’s Hollywood takes. Both album sides yielded hit singles, including a pained reading of “Take These Chains From My Heart,” and a slow, mournful take on “You’re Cheating Heart.” As with the first volume, Charles finds a directness in country songwriting that matches the expression he developed with the blues.
Country music and Charles’ career each received a boost from these albums. Nashville expanded its audience outside its core region, Nashville songwriters found new ears for their songs, and Charles gained an influx of fans who might otherwise have never bought R&B records. These were all lasting marks, as Charles’ fame continued to expand, and country music gained new flavors for its crossover dreams. Concord’s reissue includes the two volumes’ original twenty-four tracks, full-panel cover art (front and back!), original liner notes for each, and new liners by Bill Dahl. Volume one previously appeared as a standalone CD in the 1980s, but the complete volume two only appeared on the (out-of-print) box set The Complete Country & Western Recordings 1959-1986. This single disc is the perfect way to get Charles’ 1962 country sessions in one sweet package. [©2009 hyperbolium dot com]
Just excellent!
by Moondog151If you love Ray Charles a songs he wouldn't sing...you will run up the wall for this album. It's by far one of the greatest and should be in your arsenal of country music. Simply wonderful.
This album fills a big hole in the iTunes catalog!
by mediamanI'm sure many other Ray Charles fans have searched on iTunes fruitlessly for this classic album. I've probably examined the Ray Charles list monthly for two or three years. But today, there it was in "What we are listening to."
Originally released in 1962, "Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music" was an instant success. It can be found on many of the lists of best albums (104 on the Rolling Stone Best 500 albums) of all time. The second album is unlike the first, which alternated fast and slower tempos. The second puts big band style hits on one side, then has the country ballads on the opposite side.
Of course, with iTunes, a listener can build a playlist that meets the listener's preferences.
Next, The Beatles?
Biography
Born: September 23, 1930 in Albany, GA
Genre: R&B/Soul
Years Active: '40s, '50s, '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s, '00s
Top Albums and Songs by Ray Charles
| Name | Album | Time | Price | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgia On My Mind | Ray Sings, Basie Swings | 4:40 | $1.29 | View In iTunes |
| 2 | Seven Spanish Angels (With Ray Charles) | The Essential Willie Nelson | 3:50 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
| 3 | Mess Around | Ray Charles | 2:39 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
| 4 | I Got a Woman | Ray Charles | 2:52 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
| 5 | Hit the Road Jack | Genius - The Ultimate Ray Charles Collection | 1:57 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
