“This is a fascinating and wide-ranging seven CD box set. CDs One to Four examine Brother Ray’s inspirations, with such revealing juxtapositions of originals and Ray’s own versions of songs as Tommy Dorsey’s ‘This Love Of Mine’, with Frank Sinatra on vocal from 1941 alongside Ray’s 1949 recording. Of course there are plenty of classic gospel originals, and many blues/ R’n’B items, with the inspiration often obvious - but sometimes a little less so. It was certainly instructive to hear Walter Davis’ ‘Come Back Baby’ alongside Ray’s song of the same name, or to compare Ray’s version of ‘Let The Good Times Roll’ side by side with Louis Jordan’s. On CDs Three and Four one original is pitted against Ray’s hit (or at least well-known) version throughout - e,g, Cecil Gant’s ‘I Wonder’, Percy Mayfield’s ‘Hit The Road Jack’, Don Gibson’s ‘I Can’t Stop Loving You’, or Charlie Parker’s ‘Now’s The Time’, the latter side by side with Ray and Milt Jackson’s reworking of it as ‘X-Ray Blues’.
CDs five, six and seven are the other half of this release’s aim, looking at Ray’s influence on others. So, Ray’s hits are included, each followed by another artist’s cover - or sometimes by several artists, and occasionally answer songs - by such expected figures as King Curtis, Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, The Isley Brothers, Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie and Elvis Presley, plus items from Pete Fountain, Sandy Nelson, Wanda Jackson, Bob Gaddy, Ford “Snooks” Eaglin, Timi Yuro and many others. There is obviously enough material here for a full-length book, though this would be impractical; what Frémeaux do offer instead to the listener are the detailed booklets, “His Influence” and “His Inspiration”, written by Joël Dufour, and which also contain the label’s customary in-depth discographical information.
There is even something for the long-time completist fan with this set, due to the inclusion of 15 previously unissued 1962 live recordings by Ray scattered across this release. In short, this is a superb reference set. It’s not just that though; it is also one that you can dip into at random, or just put on and settle in for a few hours of (mostly) top-notch listening. Even when the musical quality is not the highest (as some of the names above might indicate), the results are never less than interesting.”
By Norman Darwen – BLUES & RHYTHM
