Johnnie Ray - Big Beat + Johnnie Ray [New CD] Spain - Import

Johnnie Ray - Big Beat + Johnnie Ray [New CD] Spain - Import2 LPs ON 1 CD + 7 BONUS TRACKSJohnnie Ray was an incredible singer whose emotionally uninhibited hit recordings in the early 1950s anticipated the rock & roll era. Ray’s performing style earned him the nickname ‘’Mr. Emotion,’’ and he became a teen idol whose popularity at its peak was comparable to the hysteria generated by Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley (though in Ray’s case, the glory was fleeting). This quintessential CD includes two of Johnnie Ray’s finest albums, which were originally released on Columbia Records and have been long unavailable. The first LP featured here is The Big Beat (1957), filled with passionate numbers such as “Pretty-Eyed Baby,” “How Long, How Long Blues,” “Lotus Blossom,” “Shake a Hand,” and “Trouble in Mind.” The second album on this release consists of the singer’s eponymous debut LP, Johnnie Ray (1952). It includes the classic “Walkin’ My Baby Back Home,” plus sublime renditions of some standards from the great American songbook, like “All of Me,” “Don’t Blame Me,” and “Coffee and Cigarettes,” all delivered with Ray’s dramatic and heart-wrenching voice.These two masterpieces have been remastered and packaged together in this collector’s edition, which also contains 7 bonus tracks from the same period (“Cry,” the million-selling ballad, among them).PERSONNEL:JOHNNIE RAY, lead vocals, plus:Mundell Lowe (guitar), John Ryan (bass), Buddy Cole (piano),Nick Fatool (drums), Lucky Thompson (saxophone), The Four Lads (backing vocals),among others.Recorded in New York, between 1951 and 1956.Arranged and conducted by Ray Ellis and Ray Conniff.Original recordings produced by Mitch Miller.TRACKS:THE BIG BEAT01 PRETTY-EYED BABY 02 HOW LONG, HOW LONG BLUES 03 SENT FOR YOU YESTERDAY 04 I’LL NEVER BE FREE 05 I’M GONNA MOVE TO THE OUTSKIRTS OF TOWN 06 SHAKE A HAND 07 LOTUS BLOSSOM 08 EVERYDAY (I HAVE THE BLUES) 09 I WANT TO BE LOVED 10 I MISS YOU SO 11 TROUBLE IN MIND 12 SO LONG JOHNNIE RAY (debut album)13 DON’T BLAME ME 14 WALKIN’ MY BABY BACK HOME 15 DON’T TAKE YOUR LOVE FROM ME 16 ALL OF ME 17 GIVE ME TIME 18 THE LADY DRINKS CHAMPAGNE 19 OUT IN THE COLD AGAIN 20 COFFE AND CIGARETTES Bonus tracks21 SUCH A NIGHT 22 UP ABOVE MY HEAD 23 PAPA LOVES MAMBO 24 CRY 25 PARADE OF BROKEN HEARTS 26 COOL WATER 27 ENDLESSLY