Who You Gonna Love

Promo for radio stations.

Single (B): ABC 10081, January 1960, b/w My Baby (I Love Her Yes I Do).
Compilation album: Singular Genius, Concord Records, 15 November 2011.

From the first recording session for ABC Paramount, in late 1959. With the band and The Raelettes.

(Poor audio):

At The Club (With "Friends")

Single (A): At the Club, ABC 10314, March 1962, b/w Hide Nor Hair.
Compilation album: Singular Genius, Concord Records, 15 November 2011.
An alternative track was included on Modern Sounds In Country & Western Music. The William Claxton Collection. Jazz Images 38046, 2018.

Ray built a nice little studio party with his friends (the Orchestra and a Raelette, and/or also some real friends?) around this Percy Mayfield tune.



Live:
Between 1962 and 1964 the tune was part of the live repertoire of the band. No live recordings have surfaced.

But On The Other Hand, Baby

But On The Other Hand, Baby
Single (B): ABC 10266, November 1961, b/w Unchain My Heart.
Compilation album: Singular Genius, Concord Records, 15 November 2011.

Recorded with the "Ray Charles Orchestra" (but actually only its rhythm section, with the great Phil Guilbeau on trumpet).

Another marvelous interpretation of a Percy Mayfield penned blues.



Live:
The song, according to concert souvenir programs from the period was part of the rehearsed live repertoire of the band (possibly in Hank Crawford's small band instrumental arrangement) from 1962 to 1964, and then again in 1966.

Claudie Mae

Single (A): ABC 11251, November 1969, b/w Someone to Watch Over Me.
Compilation album: Singular Genius, Concord Records, 15 November 2011.

Recorded at RPM International in Los Angeles.

Don't Set Me Free (With Margie Hendricks)

Single (A): ABC 10405, February 1963, b/w The Brightest Smile In Town.
Compilation album: Singular Genius, Concord Records, 15 November 2011.

Arranged by Gerald Wilson; produced by Sid Feller.



O Gênio, São Paulo, 1963:


Shrine Stadium, 1964:


Live:
'63 LC Paris
'63 CL Gênio - 2x - Released
'64 LC Comblain
'64 LC Shrine - Released
'67 LC Pleyel
'67 LC Berlin
'67 LC Frankfurt
'89 LC Paris - 2x
'90 LC ArtPark
'93 LC Newport
'96 LC Montauk
'90 LC Lloret

Go On Home

Single (A): ABC 11045, January 1968, b/w That's A Lie.
Compilation album: Singular Genius, Concord Records, 15 November 2011.

Recorded in January 1967 at RPM International in Los Angeles.

All musicians remained uncredited: woodwinds, Billy Preston on organ, Carol Kaye on bass, Rene Hall on guitar, Earl Palmer on drums, and The Raelettes (Gwen Berry, Alex Brown, Merry Clayton, Clydie King).

An unreleased alternate take (2'05) is known to exist.

Hide Nor Hair

Single (B): ABC 10314, March 1962, b/w At the Club.
Compilation album: Singular Genius, Concord Records, 15 November 2011.

Written by Percy Mayfield. Read this about the historic Dr. Foster.



Shrine 1964:


Live:
'62 LC Berlin - Released
'62 LC Paris - Released
'64 LC Copenhagen
'64 LC England
'64 LC Comblain
'64 LC Shrine - Released

Hit The Road Jack (With The Raelettes)

Single (A): ABC 10244, August 1961, b/w The Danger Zone.
Compilation album: Singular Genius, Concord Records, 15 November 2011.

Steve Hoffman wrote that "Ray Charles recorded both Hit The Road Jack and Unchain My Heart on one 30-minute reel of tape in real 'reel' time. In other words, both songs finished, recorded and mixed within 1/2 hour!"

When Hoffman was remastering the song at RPM one day, Ray

"[...] came in and stood right in front of the speakers. It was obvious he had not heard his recording of that song for a very long time. He nodded his head for a minute to the music, and then screamed out in time with the song: 'Oh Woman, oh woman why'dya treat me so mean, you are the meanest old woman that I've ever seen', etc. His voice roared out, louder than the blaring speakers, louder than any human voice I had ever heard. Amazing. Jumped out of my skin, actually. What a voice! I was in awe at that moment and felt very glad to be there. 

Funny thing is, he wanted to erase his old vocal track on that song and replace it with a new one. 'I sing it SO much better now,' he said! I talked him out of it, thank God!"

In 1960 Percy Mayfield pitched Hit The Road Jack to Ray Charles with a demo (released on Specialty LP 7000; also see this):

Percy and Ray in 1961.

In November '61 the record got a response song, titled Well I Told You, with Ritchie Barrett taking the male part, and The Chantels doing the response lyrics:



And also in '61 the great Nina Simone put out Come On Back, Jack on single (Colpix 614, 1961):


Another answer, by Jo Ann Campbell, in a different composition (produced by Sid Feller!) - I Changed My Mind Jack:



Live:

Paris 1961:


O Gênio, São Paulo 1963:


Edmonton 1981:


Saturday Live, London 1996:


'61 LC Zurich
'61 LC Paris - 3x - Released
'62 LC Paris - Released
'63 LC Gênio - Released
'64 LC Copenhagen
'65 FI Ballad - Film version with school choir
'64 LC Comblain
'67 LC Melbourne
'67c TV Road
'69 LC Paris
'69 DM Jack
'72 TV Cosby
'75 TV Cher
'77 TV Heart
'77 LC Gladys - With Gladys Knight & The Pips - Released
'77 TV Saturday
'78 LC Montreux - Part of medley
'79 LC Viareggio
'79 LC Austin
'81 LC Edmonton - Released
'81 LC Barcelona
'82 LC Capital
'82 LC Antibes
'82 LC Japan - Partial
'83 TV Man
'84 LC Ithaca
'87 FI Boss
'87 FI Moonlighting - TV series - Spoof
'88 LC Ballet - 2x
'89 LC Ballet - 2x
'90 LC ArtPark
'93 TV Dorothée - With Dorothée
'94 LC Moscow
'95 LC Tramps
'96 TV Saturday
'96 LC Lugano
'97 LC WolfTrap
'98 CM QVC
'00 LC Moscow
'02 LC Travis - With Travis Tritt
'02 TV Star - With Emma Daumas
'02 LC NewJersey

I Can't Stop Loving You, Baby

Single (B): ABC 11239, August 1969, b/w We Can Make It.
Compilation album: Singular Genius, Concord Records, 15 November 2011.

Recorded at RPM International in Los Angeles.

With a-typical male backing vocals (by Jimmy Lewis?).

I Chose To Sing The Blues

From Billboard, 
Oct. 15, 1966.

Single (A): ABC 10840, August 1966, b/w Hopelessly.
Compilation album: Singular Genius, Concord Records, 15 November 2011.

Recorded in June 1966 at RPM in Los Angeles.

Carol Kaye played bass. She remembered: "We cut [this tune] about the same time as I Don't Need No Doctor - mid 60s; live band in the studio... Raelettes were there [...]. A romper." Arranged by Rene Hall (see him claiming his credits in the ad!).
With uncredited horns, Earl Palmer on drums, and The Raelettes (Merry Clayton, Gwen Berry, Clydie King, Lilian Fort or possibly Edna Wright). The tenor solo was possibly played by Clifford Scott.

I Don't Need No Doctor

Single (B): ABC 10865, October 1966, b/w Please Say You're Fooling.
Compilation album: Singular Genius, Concord Records, 15 November 2011.

Radio DJs received a promo single with a rare, much longer (5'09"), version. But making this hypnotizing tune a B-side probably wasn't the smartest release decision ever made. Don't miss the marvelous performance in Stockholm (below).

Recorded at RPM International in Los Angeles. Recorded at RPM International in Los Angeles in April 1966. With uncredited musicians (incl. Preston Love on alto, Leroy Cooper on bari, Carol Kaye on bass, Rene Hall on guitar, Earl Palmer on drums) and The Raelettes (Merry Clayton, Gwen Berry, Clydie King, Lilian Fort or possibly Edna Wright).

Carol Kaye remembers that René Hall also arranged the tune.



DJ version [may be blocked in some geographies due to - disputed - copyright claim]:


Stockholm 1968:


Live:
'67 LC Pleyel
'67 LC Berlin
'67 LC Melbourne
'68 LC Stockholm
'68 LC Fresno
'68 LC Paris
00 TV McDonald NM

I Wake Up Crying

Single (B): ABC 10588, September 1964, b/w Smack Dab In The Middle.
Compilation album: Singular Genius, Concord Records, 15 November 2011.

I Want To Talk About You

Single (A): ABC 10901, February 1967, b/w Something Inside Me.
Compilation album: Singular Genius, Concord Records, 15 November 2011.

Recorded at United Studios in Hollywood in February 1965. The rhythm section included Rene Hall on guitar, and Earl Palmer on drums.

I Wonder

Single (B): ABC 10141, August 1960, b/w Them That Got.
Compilation album: Singular Genius, Concord Records, 15 November 2011.

Steve Hoffman discovered that at ABC the compiler of the Greatest Hits album (at least of the stereo version, ABC-Paramount ABCS-415, 1962) used or received the wrong take.

French EP:


Greatest Hits (ABCS-415), 1962:


Paris 1961:

Live:
'61 LC Antibes - 2x - Released
'61 LC Zurich
'61 LC Paris - 3x - Released

I'll Be Your Servant

French single.

Single (A): ABC 11193, February 1969, b/w I Didn't Know What Time it Was.
Compilation album: Singular Genius, Concord Records, 15 November 2011.

Recorded at RPM International in Los Angeles, with unnamed musicians and The Raelettes.

I'm A Fool To Care

Single (A): ABC 10700, June 1965, b/w Love's Gonna Live Here.
Compilation album: Singular Genius, Concord Records, 15 November 2011.

Recorded at the United Studios in Hollywood in January 1965. With uncredited strings, rhythm section (but with Rene Hall on guitar, and Earl Palmer on drums) and backing vocals.

Remastering engineer Steve Hoffman commented that:

"I'm A Fool To Care existed only in mono so Ray mixed it to stereo for the first time in 1987 for the first Dunhill CD (before we met him, actually). As far as I know, that stereo mix has been used ever since. Why that song was left off of any album back then is a mystery. Should have (and could have) been on ABC-Paramount 520 or 544 easily."

I'm Satisfied (With The Raelettes, Ft Susaye Greene)

Single (B): BC 11213, April 1969, b/w Let Me Love You.
Compilation album: Singular Genius, Concord Records, 15 November 2011.

In The Heat Of The Night

Single (A): ABC/Tangerine 10970, August 1967. B/w Something's Got To Change.
Album3 (soundtrack): United Artists Records, 1C 064-82 893, 1967.
Compilation album: Singular Genius, Concord Records, 15 November 2011.


The song was arranged and produced by Quincy Jones for the 1967 film with the same title. Director Norman Jewison recalled songwriters Alan and Marilyn Bergman singing their bluesy tune for Ray Charles. After they finished, Charles said to Quincy Jones, "They're brother and sister, right?" Jones replied, "No, no, they're married, they're white," To which Charles countered "No, they ain't." Jewison: "It was probably the greatest compliment he could have paid them." (Source here).
At a screening of the film in 2017, Jewison added another story: "Jewison told the audience that listening to the film’s slap scene convinced Ray Charles to write [sic!] and perform the film's title song: 'So [Charles] sat there, we turned the sound up all the way. He went on and he listened. Then, all of the sudden, he heard the slap, and he said, 'He didn’t slap him back, did he?' and I said, 'Yeah.' And he says, 'Maximum green, man! Maximum green!' He was so cool that I never knew what he was saying."

The single version (3'20) represents the complete taping. For the film a 2'35 cut-out was used, without the tenor sax-intro. The recording took place at Ray's RPM International studio in Los Angeles, probably in May or June 1967. Quincy Jones won a Grammy Award (Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media) for the album.
Carol Kaye remembers Toots Thielemans (on harmonica, in Mama Caleb's Blues? BS) as one of the session musicians, and herself playing electric bass. In an interview she elaborated, "What a great, great project. I worked with Quincy Jones on the film music, playing fuzz bass on a lot of the cues. That was pretty cool. Not many people knew you put fuzz on a bass; they thought it only worked with a guitar. Playing the title song with Ray Charles was a dream come true. Ray was so easy to work for. I thought he was a real salt-of-the-earth kind of man. We traded a lot of jokes back and forth. He was a good kidder. We cut the track at Ray's studio. I asked to have his vocal way up in my headphones because that's what I wanted to play to. On some records, you want to cook with the band. With Ray Charles, you wanted to cook with his singing. His vocal was the most important thing, so that's what you had to support." Kaye also remembers that the film version also had Ray Brown on bass. Earl Palmer possibly played the drums.
The single version is one of the very few tracks that Ray remixed for a later compilation.

Listen to some memories of Quincy here.

The not overly clear liner notes suggest that In The Heat Of The Night was taped with Roland Kirk on flute, and Don Elliot on drums, but I'm only sure about Carol Kaye's base (uncredited) and the terrific organ playing by Billy Preston.

Clip with film's credits:


The single version:

Laughin' And Clownin'

Single (A): ABC 11259, January 1970, b/w That Thing Called Love.
Compilation album: Singular Genius, Concord Records, 15 November 2011.

Sam Cooke would've been proud.



Live:
'70 TV Duke - With B.B. King
'70 TV Tom
'72 LC San Carlos - With B.B. King

Let Me Love You

Single (A): ABC 11213, April 1969, b/w I'm Satisfied.
Compilation album: Singular Genius, Concord Records, 15 November 2011.