On The Subject Of: Ray Stevens

On the subject of:

Ray Stevens:  We share the same birthday.  He's perhaps the most versatile artist who can do just about anything and everything that comes to mind.  Who else can cover the Coasters and do a bluegrass version of Misty or You Are So Beautiful at the turn of the record?  Fact is, I do prefer  his version of You Are So Beautiful over  than the Joe Cocker version, at least you can dance to Ray's version.  I made a observation that I didn't pay much attention to Ray's output after 1978 and tried to put a humorous spin on it and blamed him for growing his beard back (and keeping it on).  Perhaps I shouldn't try dry humor, did that one time before and it didn't work either.

I checked out a comment from the person at hand, and he has probably the best reference site on Ray's recordings at hand.  Ray Stevens Music Journey it's called.  Certainly I may have missed out some of Ray's hits from 78 onward but I do recall some of the better known Shriner Convention for RCA, MCA gave us The Mississippi Squirrel Revival later on and of course Would Jesus Wear A Rolex.  For the most part Stevens' wrote the majority of his comedy hits and most are still worth listening to and get a good laugh out of.   They translate better over on the TV screen or when he plays live.   Since Ray Stevens recorded for many labels, getting the most definite package remains elusive, somehow the licensing fees are always a problem and the Curb Box Set package and the Varese Vintage best of, had re recordings of some of his earlier hits for Mercury.  Hip O 20th Century Masters cherry picks the latter day best and classics and the logical guess is that the early hits are from Mercury since Universal owns Hip O, MCA and Mercury.  The Varase All Time Greatest Hits focuses on the Monument/Barnaby sides and probably does the better job of Ray Stevens' funny and serious side.  Another good overview would be the Rhino Best Of Ray Stevens which ends at Shriner's Convention.  And the Mercury Best Of Ray Stevens (1967 reissued on CD in 1993) has the early hits in their original setting.  The frustrating factor for me is the lack of You Are So Beautiful on any of the mentioned above best ofs.  Perhaps Warner Brothers should have kept Ray's albums in tact rather than bunching them up in 3 different compilations.   The argument may have been that Ray's WB period may have been his slightest but the songs from Just For The Record and Feel The Music sounded more at home than they did on Cornball (WB 1996) .  As far as I know, I Need Your Help Barry Manilow was the last new song I heard on the AM radio in 1979 to which anything afterward made the country charts.


For myself I have been a causal fan, I remember his TV show from the mid 70s but except for his 1976 WB albums and of course, the early Monument 45s that radio played, didn't follow much of Ray's output.  In the case of myself it was too much music and so little time but I have seen his MCA and RCA CDs in the budget bins from time to time.  The follow up single to You Are So Beautiful was Honky Tonk Waltz (WB 8237) which got some country airplay but the B side was the odd and strangely beautiful Om to which I think Warners released as a stand alone single but didn't chart.

In the end, Ray Stevens may have been the greatest novelty and comedy singer out there but The Rhino and Varese sets suggest he was much more than that.  Even with Jeremiah Peabody's.....Pills Stevens made a very good rhythm and blues song and trying to sing the title track gives him big points too.  I'm sure for future reference I'll try to find the Mercury best of, then the Rhino best of for starters.  His RCA/MCA cds tend to be found from time to time (I have heard good reviews of his 1983 return to Mercury About Me LP and the MCA He Thinks He's Ray Stevens).  But I do admit that I haven't paid much attention to Ray till I came across the Jeremiah Peabody's Pills single last month and perhaps research more via You Tube and what is found at the used record stores.   I've never heard a bad Ray Stevens album or video, his musicianship and word play is far too good for redundant.  And he does have a way to get you to sing along to the song be it OM or Everything Is Beautiful.  Even in his 70s he still knows a hook or two. And his latest ditty The Skies Just Ain't Friendly Anymore is dead on and true.

The country version of Spike Jones?  Maybe so.  However as the 2000's progressed onward, Stevens has become a bit more Conservative since leaving Curb Records for his own label Clyde. Being the flaming Conservative Liberal Crab that I am, I tend to tire of the right wing rhetoric of Grandpa Voted Democrat or Obama bashing Obama Nation but at least Stevens doesn't overdo it unlike Ted Nugent.  But also being 70 years old Ray Stevens also has covered Frank Sinatra (2008's Say What??), done a Christmas album, and a gospel album to boot on the Gaither Label last year.  With a new album coming out via Player/Sony RED this year, Stevens returns more to what he does best, novelty country with Taylor Swift Is Stalking Me being the lead off video single.  But also songs that perhaps suggests that he tends to watch too much FOX news.  Throw that criticism aside and Stevens is just about 6 decades into a music career that continues to evolve what he does best; half country, half novelty, half comedy, half seriousness.   For myself I tend to enjoy his Mercury years a lot, the Monument years a little bit, and the rest off and on, You Are So Beautiful and Just For The Record the preferred album of choice.  Yours favorites will vary.   

A big fan gives tribute to Ray Stevens here: http://accountryfan.blogspot.com/

His Ray Stevens Music Journey is one of the best if not the best tribute site to Ray Stevens on the net. He has kept this up to date as possible.  If you have a question about Ray's discography or his videos or TV shows, contact this guy.  He would know more about Ray than me.