The Birth of Soul

1991 box set by Ray Charles

The Birth of Soul

Box set by

Ray Charles

Released| October 1, 1991 (1991-10-01)
Recorded| 1952–1959
Genre|

* Rhythm and blues[1][2]
* soul[2][3]
* blues[3]

Length| 148:48
Label| Atlantic
Producer| Herb Abramson, Ahmet Ertegün, and Jerry Wexler
Ray Charles chronology
| Rhythm & Blues: Ray Charles - 1954–1966
(1991)  | The Birth of Soul
(1991)  | His Greatest Hits
(1992)

|
|

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
AllMusic| [3]
Down Beat| [4]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide| [5]

The Birth of Soul: The Complete Atlantic Rhythm and Blues Recordings is a 3-CD box set compilation by American musician Ray Charles, released in 1991.

## Critical reception

[edit]

In a contemporary review, Peter Watrous of The New York Times said that the box set "tracks the progress of a figure who profoundly changed what was possible in American music."[6] He ranked it as the twelfth best album of 1991.[7] The Birth of Soul was voted the third best reissue of the year in The Village Voice's annual Pazz & Jop critics' poll for 1991.[8]

In 2003, the album was ranked number 54 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time,[9] maintaining the rating in a 2012 revised list,[10] then dropping to number 210 in a 2020 reboot of the list.[11] In a retrospective article for the magazine, Robert Christgau wrote that, despite "caveats" such as material repeated on more "economic" releases, The Birth of Soul is "the rockingest Charles long-form you can buy" and remarked on the legacy of its recordings:

> Although Charles' fabled blues-gospel synthesis is on display from 'I Got a Woman' to 'I Believe to My Soul,' 'birth of soul' gets the emphasis wrong. Seldom conventionally catchy, this Robert Palmer-annotated collection epitomizes a world-historic catchall of a genre that Charles could only describe as 'genuine down-to-earth Negro music' — namely, rhythm & blues. Crack bands, first Atlantic's and then his own, underpin his rich, gravelly vocals with hard-hitting grooves of deceptive rhythmic and harmonic complexity. Halfway in, a female backup group soon to be known as the Raelettes starts shoring up his male voice and egging it on, an innovation that became a cliche so fast people think it was always there.[1]

Christgau recommended Rhino Entertainment's 1994 compilation album The Best of Ray Charles: The Atlantic Years as a cheaper alternative to the box set.[1]

## Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written by Ray Charles, unless otherwise noted.

Disc 1 (1952–1954)No.| Title| Writer(s)| Length

|
|
|

1.| "The Sun's Gonna Shine Again"|  | 2:36
2.| "Roll With My Baby"|  | 2:35
3.| "The Midnight Hour"| Sam Sweet| 2:59
4.| "Jumpin' in the Mornin'"|  | 2:44
5.| "It Should Have Been Me"| Memphis Curtis| 2:42
6.| "Losing Hand"| Charles Calhoun| 3:11
7.| "Heartbreaker"| Ahmet Ertegun| 2:51
8.| "Sinner's Prayer"| Lowell Fulson; Lloyd Glenn| 3:21
9.| "Mess Around"| Ahmet Nugetre| 2:38
10.| "Funny But I Still Love You"|  | 3:12
11.| "Feelin' Sad"| Eddie Jones| 2:47
12.| "I Wonder Who"|  | 2:47
13.| "Don't You Know"|  | 2:55
14.| "Nobody Cares"|  | 2:37
15.| "Ray's Blues"|  | 2:52
16.| "Mr. Charles' Blues"|  | 2:45
17.| "Blackjack"|  | 2:18
Total length:| 47:50

Disc 2 (1954–1957)No.| Title| Writer(s)| Length

|
|
|

1.| "I Got a Woman"| Ray Charles; Renald Richard| 2:50
2.| "Greenbacks"| Ray Charles; Renald Richard| 2:48
3.| "Come Back Baby"|  | 3:04
4.| "A Fool for You"|  | 3:00
5.| "This Little Girl of Mine"|  | 2:30
6.| "Hard Times"|  | 2:53
7.| "A Bit of Soul"|  | 2:17
8.| "Mary Ann"|  | 2:45
9.| "Drown in My Own Tears"| Henry Glover| 3:19
10.| "Hallelujah, I Love Her So"|  | 2:34
11.| "What Would I Do Without You?"|  | 2:34
12.| "Lonely Avenue"| Doc Pomus| 2:33
13.| "I Want to Know"|  | 2:09
14.| "Leave My Woman Alone"|  | 2:38
15.| "It's Alright"|  | 2:15
16.| "Ain't That Love"|  | 2:51
17.| "Get on the Right Track"| Titus Turner| 2:17
18.| "RockHouse (Parts 1 & 2)"|  | 3:51
Total length:| 49:08

Disc 3 (1957–1959)No.| Title| Writer(s)| Length

|
|
|

1.| "Swanee River Rock"|  | 2:18
2.| "That's Enough"|  | 2:43
3.| "Talkin' 'bout You"|  | 2:49
4.| "What Kind of Man Are You"|  | 2:47
5.| "I Want a Little Girl"| Murray Mencher; Billy Moll| 2:53
6.| "Yes Indeed"| Sy Oliver| 2:14
7.| "I Had a Dream"| Ray Charles; Ricky Harper| 2:52
8.| "You Be My Baby"| Ray Charles; Doc Pomus; Mort Shuman| 2:28
9.| "Tell All the World About You"|  | 2:01
10.| "My Bonnie"|  | 2:44
11.| "Early in the Morning"| Dallas Bartley; Leo Hickman; Louis Jordan| 2:43
12.| "(Night Time Is) The Right Time"| Lew Herman| 3:26
13.| "Carryin' that Load"| Doc Pomus; Mort Shuman| 2:22
14.| "Tell Me How Do You Feel"| Ray Charles; Percy Mayfield| 2:42
15.| "What'd I Say (Parts 1 & 2)"|  | 6:26
16.| "Tell the Truth"| Lowman Pauling| 3:03
17.| "I'm Movin' On"| Hank Snow| 2:20
18.| "I Believe to My Soul"|  | 2:59
Total length:| 51:50

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c Christgau, Robert (July 8, 2004). "The Genius at Work". Rolling Stone. New York. Retrieved March 16, 2013.
2. ^ a b The Birth of Soul on Apple Music
3. ^ a b c Allmusic review
4. ^ "Review: The Birth of Soul". Down Beat. Chicago: 36. March 1992.
5. ^ Considine, J. D.; Matos, Michaelangelo; et al. (2004). Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 154. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
6. ^ Watrous, Peter (December 15, 1991). "POP MUSIC; Already Boxed and Suitable for Wrapping". The New York Times. Retrieved July 30, 2013.
7. ^ Watrous, Peter (January 1, 1992). "The Pop Life; Top 12's, or So". The New York Times. Retrieved July 30, 2013.
8. ^ "The 1991 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll". The Village Voice. New York. March 3, 1992. Retrieved July 30, 2013.
9. ^ "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. New York. December 11, 2003. p. 112.
10. ^ "500 Greatest Albums of All Time Rolling Stone's definitive list of the 500 greatest albums of all time". Rolling Stone. 2012. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
11. ^ "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. 2020-09-22. Retrieved 2021-09-06.

## External links

[edit]

* Archived RayCharles.com album page at the Wayback Machine (archived February 3, 2009)

* v
* t
* e

Ray Charles

Studio albums|

| Atlantic|

* Ray Charles (Hallelujah, I Love Her So)
* The Great Ray Charles
* Yes Indeed!
* Soul Brothers
* What'd I Say
* The Genius of Ray Charles
* The Genius Sings the Blues
* Soul Meeting
* The Genius After Hours
* True to Life
* Love & Peace

|

ABC|

* The Genius Hits the Road
* Dedicated to You
* Ray Charles and Betty Carter
* Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music
* Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, Vol. 2
* Ingredients in a Recipe for Soul
* Sweet & Sour Tears
* Have a Smile with Me
* Together Again / Country and Western Meets Rhythm and Blues
* Crying Time
* Ray's Moods
* Ray Charles Invites You to Listen
* A Portrait of Ray
* I'm All Yours Baby!
* Doing His Thing
* My Kind of Jazz
* Love Country Style
* Volcanic Action of My Soul
* Jazz Number II
* A Message from the People
* Through the Eyes of Love

Crossover|

* My Kind of Jazz Part 3

Columbia|

* Wish You Were Here Tonight
* Friendship
* From the Pages of My Mind
* Just Between Us

Warner Bros.|

* Would You Believe?
* My World
* Strong Love Affair

Other labels|

* Genius + Soul = Jazz
* Porgy and Bess
* Genius Loves Company

Posthumous
studio creations|

* Genius & Friends
* Ray Sings, Basie Swings
* Rare Genius

Live albums|

* Ray Charles at Newport
* Ray Charles in Person
* Live in Concert
* Ray Charles Live

Notable
compilations|

* Do the Twist! with Ray Charles
* Ray Charles Greatest Hits
* A Man and His Soul
* The Best of Ray Charles
* Anthology
* The Birth of Soul
* Ray Charles in Concert
* True Genius

Billboard Hot 100
top 10 singles|

* "What'd I Say"
* "Georgia on My Mind"
* "Hit the Road Jack"
* "One Mint Julep"
* "Unchain My Heart"
* "I Can't Stop Loving You " (c/w "Born to Lose")
* "You Don't Know Me"
* "You Are My Sunshine"
* "Busted"
* "Take These Chains from My Heart"
* "Crying Time"

Other Billboard Charts
#1 singles|

* "I Got a Woman"
* "A Fool for You"
* "Mary Ann"
* "Drown in My Own Tears"
* "Together Again"
* "Let's Go Get Stoned"
* "Seven Spanish Angels"
* "I'll Be Good to You"

Grammy Awarded Works
(not included above)|

* "Let The Good Times Roll"
* "Living for the City"
* "A Song for You"
* "Heaven Help Us All"
* "Here We Go Again"

See also|

* Discography
* Tangerine Records
* David "Fathead" Newman
* Fathead / Ray Charles Sextet
* Hank Crawford
* The Raelettes
* Ray
* soundtrack
* Here We Go Again: Celebrating the Genius of Ray Charles
* Tribute to Uncle Ray
* "Confession Blues"

* Category

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

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