Ray Price- Night Life

DSCN2312As this month’s block of albums comes to a close, I am ending it with a bang.  This is, hands down, simply a great country album.  And I got it for only a dollar. The record itself was in excellent condition.ray-price-650-430

Released in 1963, this was Perryville-born Ray Price’s 6th record.  Allmusic.com hits the nail right on the head: “This 12-song collection is the last gasp of true honky tonk, the first stab at mainstreaming it into the Nashville sound of the 1960’s or country music’s first concept album”.  The 12 songs all discuss the glamour and the sorrow, the bright lights and the dark shadows, the joys and ultimate loneliness that comes with the night life. It would be his first #1 album on the US country charts.

Price’s Allmusic page

Willie Nelson as bass player with Ray Price´s Cherokee Cowboys
Willie Nelson as bass player with Ray Price´s Cherokee Cowboys

As the Allmusic quote might suggest, this album started country music’s decent into the Nashville Sound.  However, it is still very much rooted in the old honky tonk style of country music.  Nashville Sound musicians Buddy Eamons and Floyd Kramer would play on it, however.  Later albums would incorporate the true Nashville Sound arrangements and instrumentations.  As a result, Price was blacklisted for awhile by country purists.  This according to some stranger at Half Price Books.

The songs on the album are great.  It kicks off with an introduction followed by the title track, co-written by Willie Nelson.  Price seamlessly follows with a slew of songs by such luminaries as Patsy Cline and Hank Thompson.  All the songs really go well together to support the night life theme.  I really can not list individual highlights as both sides of this album are strong.

DSCN2313For samples, I had to go with a tune done by Patsy Cline,”Lonely Street”.  The instrumentation on this song is great and Price’s woeful singing really brings it home.  To me, this is the album’s high point.  Also, “A Girl in the Night” is pretty good as well.

Easily a Top Rated album.

 

 

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