Everything Is Beautiful/Unreal!!!

1. Everything Is Beautiful

2. Brighter Day

3. Early in the Morning

4. Get Together

5. Leaving on a Jet Plane

6. Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head {from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance

7. Love Theme from "Romeo and Juliet" (A Time for Us)

8. She Belongs to Me

9. She Came in Through the Bathroom Window

10. Something

11. Walk a Mile in My Shoes

12. America Communicate With Me

13. Can We Get to That

14. Come Around

15. Dream Girl

16. Imitation of Life

17. Islands

18. Loving You on Paper

19. Night People

20. Monkey See Monkey Do

See all 22 tracks on this disc

Tracks:

Everything Is Beautiful
A Brighter Day
Early In The Morning
Get Together
Leaving On A Jet Plane
Raindrops Keep Fallin On My Head
Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet (A Time For Us)
She Belongs To Me
She Came In Through The Bathroom Window
Something
Walk A Mile In My Shoes
America Communicate With Me
Can We Get To That
Come Around
Dream Girl
Imitation Of Life
Islands
Loving You On Paper
Night People
Monkey See Monkey Do
Talking
Sunset Strip

Customer Reviews:

Ray Stevens.......2007-07-15

I had this music on eight-track 30 years ago and played it hundreds of times. Been searching for a source to put on mp3. A friend can now convert LPs to digital. Ray is a talented musician beyond all of the novelty stuff he is famous for.

Multi-talented Ray Stevens.......2005-09-02

Ray is well known for Everything is Beautiful and his comedy recordings. He should also be recognized for his great singing voice. This CD is a good example of his singing and song-writing ability. He also does a great job on his gospel CD. He enunciates very well. I understand he has been sick lately but I hope he will record again.

Biased review - but nonetheless...........2005-07-12

Was thrilled to see these 2 albums on CD at last - especially since EIB was the first real album I ever owned (11th Birthday present). I still have these on vinyl (autographed by Ray himself back in 1977) and still play them - but to have the sound levels boosted like they are here is great. I didn't notice the mono mixes until it was pointed out above - just hearing these back to back at a higher sound level was enough. To the songs - EIB was of course a huge hit in the summer of 1970 and for good reason - it's just sung incredibly well and some positive lyrics where just what the country needed then - my other favorites are "Leaving On A Jet Plane" "Something" as well as a unique take on Dylan's "She Belongs To Me" - but really there's no bad tracks here - Stevens singing is up with the best of his career and having Dusty Springfield and Elvis Presley session musicians backing him up certainly didn't hurt.

Unreal!!! is a terrific sampling of Stevens originals - "Night People", "Imitation of Life" and "Islands" are some of the saddest/best "love gone wrong" songs ever written - but the real gem here is "Sunset Strip" - possibly Ray's best vocal ever with terrific horns and piano to boot - I'm amazed at how well these tunes hold up 34 plus years later!!! The re-sequencing of both albums doesn't bother me - these aren't really "concept albums" - just great early 70's pop music - now if they'd just release Ray's rare masterpiece "Have A Little Talk With Myself" (Monument label from 1969) I'd have a real sense of closure! Ray's new box set has some serious tracks as well - would like to see a return to form similar to the above classics!

botched reissue.......2005-06-07

OK, it's not like this CD is going to appeal to that many people to begin with. Ray Stevens is best known for his novelty records, and nary a joke, funny voice or overbearing laugh track is to be found in this two-fer reissue. In fact, the fact that these two underrated albums are finally in print for the first time in 30 years should be cause for rejoicing. But, as usual, the Collectables label has messed up the reissue. First and foremost, more than half of the selections -- including all but one of the tracks from "Everything is Beautiful" are reduced from glorious stereophonic sound to muddy monural. That's a real shame, because Ray Stevens was a masterful producer whose albums were sonically years ahead of their time. That they're presented here without the benefit of stereo is inexplicable. (Adding to the frustration: The same thing happened with Curb's reissue of "Turn Your Radio On.") Adding to the frustration is the lack of liner notes or full reproductions of the album covers. "Everything is beautiful..." except when Collectables gets a hold of it!

Music Album:

Music Album