Ray Stevens' Box Set

Most of this Box Set consists of Ray's Curb recordings plus some of his songs from his own label, Clyde. The version of "It's Me Again Margaret" is from the recording from COMEDY VIDEO CLASSICS...i've watched the music video so many times i can tell i'm listening to the recording on here. For those who want original recordings, seek other collections...BUT, for Ray fans, this set is a must have because Ray throws in some never before available songs that can't be bought anywhere but on this Box Set. The new material on this Box Set that can't be found anywhere else are: "Family Funeral Fight", "Driver's Education"; "Kitty Cat's Revenge"; "We're Havin' a Baby"; "When the Kids are Gone"; "The Cat Song" and the ultra-rare "Hello Mama", the sequel to Ray's hit "Osama Yo Mama" from 2002.

The rest of the songs range from his Curb material during 1990-1993 plus material from his MCA return in 1997...then we hear songs from his THANK YOU album that came out in 2003 on his own...Read more

I have always loved Ray Steven's musical banter... however, this one's really a disappointment.. Now, technically, the audio is clean and decent.. its the CONTENT itself that's the problem...

Ray re-sings these tracks- ALL of them, with the same "I-don't-care" ambiance throughout the set; to say, he sounds "BORED"!

The FLARE that was Ray Stevens is GONE! If you are a true fan of his works, then this box set will DISAPPOINT you. If you are merely interested in something that sounds "digital karaoke", then this is for you.. cause that's exactly what it is. Ray simply grabs the lyric sheets and sings-um.. SAYS the lyrics to a musical background; you can tell that he'd rather be doing something ELSE..

The Bad:

When one thinks of a CD "box set", The phrase brings to mind a set with lavish packaging and the original recordings with some rare bonus songs. Unfortunately, this collection doesn't really live up to its name with its presentation. But I suppose the name "Box set" is better than "the thousandth Ray Stevens Greatest Hits package to hit the market". I guess most record labels simply find it easier to have artists re-record their previous hits rather than go through the hassle of licensing the originals. As other reviewers have stated, all the classic hits are recent re-recordings that were readily available to Curb, Ray's current label. Unfortunately, they weren't his best versions of the songs. On top of that, the set doesn't really work as a proper career retrospective as it focuses almost solely on his comedy. Ray Stevens' musical genious shined through the most on his serious Barnaby and Monument songs and are for the most part, completely omitted...Read more