Ray Charles: What'd I Say?

Ray Charles: What'd I Say?

1959

Atlantic Records

Format I Own it on: Vinyl

Track Listing: 1. What'd I Say? (Parts 1 & 2)  2. Jumpin' in the Mornin  3. You Be My Baby  4. Tell Me How Do You Feel  5. What Kind of Man Are You  6. Rockhouse (Parts 1 & 2)  7. Roll with My Baby  8. Tell All the World About You  9. My Bonnie  10. That's Enough


I probably have no business even talking about a Ray Charles album since I know next to nothing about him,but I figured it would be something different to talk about than the usual punk, heavy metal and Captain Beefheart albums...I actually bought this for my wife who was with at me at the record store that day and said she wanted it...I thought the cover was cool as hell, so we threw it on the pile...

Now here's everything I know about Ray Charles:



1. I know he did those "Diet Pepsi Uh Huh, Uh Huh" commercials that were always on TV when I was growing up...

 2. I know he drove a bus in the cinematic masterpiece "Spy Hard"...

3. I know there's nothing wrong with the action on the piano...

 4. I know about the thick, rich Jamocha shake..."Oh, it looks good! At least, I think it looks good (Hardy har har)"....

5. I know I heard the following exchange between my two bosses (who were an elderly married couple) at the pizza place I used to work at circa 1999-2001:

 Carol (to her daughter) I got Lee and I tickets to go see Ray Charles in concert next week...

 Lee: (sticks his toungue out) Bleh! There's something about that guy that just doesn't turn me on...

Boss' Daughter: It doesn't sound like Dad wants to go...

Carol: Oh, yes he does...

Boss' Daughter: He just said he doesn't like Ray Charles...

Carol: Oh, he doesn't know what he likes! That's why I always have to tell him!

 6. I know about that old SNL Beethoven sketch...

7. I know my Mom has a copy of the Ray Charles Christmas album...And that one of the songs is in the National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation movie...


...aaaannnnd that's it...Maybe I should watch more Jamie Foxx movies...What special place (if any) does this "What'd I Say?" album hold in the vast Ray Charles discography? I dunno...What was its cultural importance? Was it considered a hit? A flop? I dunno...Never met a single other person who's ever heard it...All I know is what's in the grooves...

Hey! The title track is the same song that's in the Beethoven sketch! Ray's voice, electric piano and some fairly amazing drums are the big stars here...This is some seriously funky shit considering it predates funk and very likely predates Soul music as I know it...That growly electric piano is one of the greatest sounds in music history...So alive and leering and charming...

Nothing else on the album really comes close to the title track, but how could it? The next track, "Jumpin' in the Mornin'" seems to derail the momentum a bit...A meeting of boogie woogie R&B and big band-ish swing, with the band mixed so far in the background that they come off as a bit of a soft thump, despite Ray's spirited vocal performance.  It isn't until "You Be My Baby"  that I was able to get a proper handle on the album: Lively, rocking R&B with nice clear instrumentation...Sure, that guttural electric piano sound I loved so much is MIA for the remainder of the album and one can't help but wonder how much ballsier some of these songs would sound if they were graced by that deep, gritty sound...But oh well...

Outside of the title track, the only other song  I would consider out-and-out great would be the instrumental "Rockhouse." I guess it's no coincidence that the two album highlights are the only places where the band gets to stretch itself a bit with looser structures which encourages lots of neat-o jamming...Something about Ray's slightly off-time piano playing on this track is so damn tasty that it makes me want to take a big bite out of the record...CRUNCH! (Come to think of it, he also fits in a pretty good piano solo on " Roll with My Baby)...

I'm always kind of surprised at how much I enjoy this record when it's playing...I'm not normally a big fan of this type of thing, but the band keeps things loose and rockin' most of the time, only bogging down briefly on  "What Kind of Man Are You."  But even that one's not terrible...I'd call this a good Saturday Night record...When you're a little buzzed but not on the same debauched level as a raging Friday Night...On Friday night you want loud guitars...Raucous singalongs...But on Saturday Night you're a little cooler...Laid back, head swimming,  but having a good time nonetheless...

Here's "What'd I Say (Parts 1 &2)...Enjoy...