Ray Charles – Living For the City
The Mighty Ray Charles
Listen/Download – Ray Charles – Living For the City
Greetings all.
I hope the new week finds you all well.
It’s been a hot weekend here in New Jersey, moving from a somewhat brisk spring to a sweltering summer in the course of a few days.
Don’t get me wrong. I dig it, but the transition has been a little bit jarring.
The tune I bring you today was something I grabbed last year during a digging trip to a store that I’d never previously explored.
When I walked in and saw how few 45s they had for sale, while I wasn’t exactly crestfallen, I was a little bit pissed off. There’s nothing like driving two hours with visions of the rare 45 dancing in one’s head, only to be faced with a whole lot of nothing at the end of the line. Fortunately for me, the few 45s they did have were pretty good, and they had a surplus of nice, cheap LPs, so the day was far from a total loss.
That said, my favorite of the handful of 45s I took home that day is today’s selection, Ray Charles’ version of Stevie Wonder’s ‘Living For the City’.
To jot it all down in shorthand: No Ray Charles, NO soul music as we know it.
Though Brother Ray made some soul records in his day, he was far more important as a synthesizer of genres, blending R&B, jazz and gospel to create a discography packed from end to end with pure genius.
Recorded in 1975 (two years after the original) for his ‘Renaissance’ album, ‘Living For the City’ is some of the finest late-period stuff Charles ever did. Working electric piano and clavinet, and tearing up the vocals, Charles has the backing of a tight horn section and some funky guitar.
The best part is about halfway through the record where the band and the backing singers drop back and Ray starts to preach, and for a few moments, you kind of forget the genius of the OG and bask in the glow of Charles’ monumental talent.
There is of course the temptation to compare and contrast the careers of Stevie – who was at the top of his game in the early 70s – and Ray, who’d blazed many a trail, but by and large was no longer steering the ship, having moved to a comfortable first class berth.
That said, Charles’ performance here is remarkable, removing ‘Living For the City’ from its original, somewhat synthesized beginnings and yanking it backward just a little bit.
If for no other reason (and there are many) listen to ‘Living For the City’ as a reminder of what a game changer Ray Charles was as a singer.
I hope you dig it, and I’ll be back on Wednesday with something cool.
Peace
Larry
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Themocracy
LOVE it!
Hey Larry,
I was talking to Soul Chef and he said it seems that a trojan may have taken over your site. He says that when he tries to enter your page, he gets a warning that “this site may harm your computer.” The only reason I am getting through is because I am on Linux. Give him a shout for more info.
I don’t think it’s my site per se, but rather another site that uses Lunarpages. I get a Norton warning, but when you open it it’s pointing to someone else’s site on Lunarpages.
What a fantastic version! Didn’t even know it existed.Thanks for sharing!
Long time favorite. I picked it up years ago from my beloved “Dollar Guys.” Every time I play it someone gives me a look and then usually says, “That was Ray Charles wasn’t it?” It certainly was and I agree, there would not be Soul as we know it without Brother Ray.
What an awesome find! I have shared this with my friends and they are diggin it! Have to say, it’s more funky than Stevie’s version…but, both versions can carry their own weight!
Keep on the keepin’ on!
Larry,
Remove my copyrighted portrait of Ray Charles immediately. How dare you take my work and treat it like you did. The portrait is represented by Getty Images. You don’t want them coming after you.
Done and done. My apologies.