Single3 (A, part 1; B, part 2): Qwest 22697, October 1989.
Single3 (12" Maxi CD): Quest 0-21408, 1989.
Music clip: see this.
Album3 (LP, CD): Quincy Jones, Back On The Block, Quest 26020, 1989.
Lead vocals – Chaka Khan, Ray Charles; guitar - George Johnson; bass - Louis Johnson; keyboards - David Paich, Greg Phillinganes, Ian Prince; drums - Harvey Mason; drum sounds - Bruce Swedien; backing vocals - George Johnson, James Ingram, James Gilstrap, Louis Johnson, Phil Perry, Siedah Garrett, Syreeta Wright; programmed by - Ian Underwood, Larry Williams, Michael Boddicker, Steve Porcaro; arranged by - Quincy Jones.
The clip:
I've counted up to 8 remixes floating around, but th Maxi CD mentioned above had 5. The 4-minute videoclip of the song was based on the album release, but the single that made it for the charts actually was a compilation of the longer remixes:
12" Remix (8:06)
12" Remix Dub
Good For Your Soul Mix (8:18): additional production and remix by Arthur Baker for ABI. Rap written and performed by Skam. Programming by Mac Quayle. Mix engineer: Mark Plati at Shakedown Sound. Edits By Charlie Barbie and Vic.
Good For Your Soul Dub (4:45)
Around The House Mix: details as Soul mix, plus: edits by Oh Oh Omar Santana.
Around The House Dub
The 33 1/3 vinyl version reproduced in the soundclip below specifies 3 of the mixes in yet another order:
12" Remix 8:06
Good For Your Soul Mix 8:18
Good For Your Soul Dub 4:45
The label of this promo CD tells that there was also a 4:17 mix of the single version, plus an instrumental version with the same duration:
Album3: Quincy Jones, Q's Jook Joint, Warner/WEA B000002MXI, November 1995.
The line-up of vocalists included Ashford & Simpson, Chaka Khan, Brandy, Charlie Wilson, and Ray Charles. Greg Phillinganes played keyboards. Follow the album link above for personnel details.
Quincy's original (1978) version, in 6+ unforgettable Soul Train minutes:
On 13 September 1985 Ray Charles guested in the music TV show Smokey Robinson's Motown Revue.
He also starred in the big finale, a mash-up of That's What I Want and What'd I Say.
Fun rendition of this Leon Russell tune, with some help of Chaka, videotaped at a concert on the first night (16 July) of the 1991edition of the Montreux Jazz Festival.
The Motown Revue Starring Smokey Robinson (a.k.a. The Motown Revue) was a Friday night musical series, broadcast in the summer and autumn of '85. The format was nominated for 2 Primetime Emmys.
Ray Charles, Smokey, Chaka Khan and Tears For Fears starred in the show that aired on September 13. Arsenio Hall and George Solomon appeared in comedy routines.
Ray's performance was a big party: he started with a solo rendition of Don't Change On Me, then sang a duet with Smokey on I Can't Stop Loving You, and then starred in the big finale, a mix of That's What I Want and What'd I Say (with a.o. Smokey and Chaka Khan).
I already had quite some - and quite confusing* - information on Ray Charles' contributions to the 1991 edition of the Montreux Jazz Festival. It now is (though not yet in all details) becoming clear that Ray actually performed twice. Read this for some context.
The Concert Database of the Montreux Jazz Festival has an extensive description of Ray's concert on the 16th, at the Casino.
The video taping has a total duration of 01:27:05. Personnel: Ray Charles (voc, p), Paul Jackson Jr. (g), Steve Ferrone (tamb), Nathan East (b), Greg Phillinganes (kbds, voc), Ray Cooper (perc), Chaka Khan (guest) (voc), George Benson (guest) (g, voc), Al Jarreau (guest) (dr), George Duke (guest) (p), Rachelle Ferrell (voc). The setlist was (with obvious corrections):
1. What's Goin' On
2. Thru' The Fire
3. We Can Work It Out
4. Sign To The Limit 5.Blues For Big Scotia - Ray Charles 6. I Can See Clearly Now - Ray Charles 7. Georgia On My Mind - Ray Charles 8. Makin' Whoopee - Ray Charles 9. Your Cheating Heart - Ray Charles 10. Doodlin' - Ray Charles with George Benson 11. Masquerade - Ray Charleswith George Benson and Chaka Khan
12. Six Two Four
13. Boogie Down
Ray first came on stage for song #5, and didn't return after #11. This source describes a 47-minute tape of the show. To watch Masquerade, click here. I've just seen this program, titled Festivété, encompassing tracks #5 to #11; Ray scatted a bit in #5; Makin' Whoopee (#8) was the first recorded live version of the song since the Shrine concert in 1964 except for a duet with Engelbert Humperdinck in 1970.
* Update 12 March 2015:
Part of the confusion comes from the fact that Ray Charles also performed in Montreux - with the band & The Raelettes - on the 15th, and that this show was not part of the Jazz Fest's program...
In 1991 Ray Charles performed two or three times at the Montreux Jazz Festival - on 16 and 17 July. Footage from his performances has been produced and released in several TV and DVD formats.
Information on Ray's performances on the 16th is here and here.
Information on what he did on the 17th is ambiguous and confusing. This is the best I can presently make of it:
1.
The Concert Database of the Montreux Jazz Festival has a description of Ray's concert on 17 July 1991, at the Casino. If it's also a full description, it was a very short (00:21:24) set.
Personnel: Ray Charles (p, voc), Greg Phillinganges (kbds), Nathan East (b), Grady Tate (dr), Frank B. Foster III (lead,arr,comp,ts), William "Bill" Hughes (b, tb), Mel Wanzo (tb), Bob Trowers (tb), Clarence Banks (tp), Melton Mustafa (tp, flh), Derick Gardner (tp, flh), Mike Williams (tp, flh), Bob Ojeda (tp, flh), John Williams (bts, bcl), Doug Miller (ts, fl), Danny Turner (as, pic), Manny Boyd (as, fl), Kenny Hing (ts, fl), Charlton Johnson (acc, b), George Cadwell (p), David Gibson (dr), Cleve Eaton (b), Chaka Khan (voc), Rachelle Ferrell (voc), Keith Washington (voc), Tevin Campbell (voc). This article describes the band as a combination of the Trio Phillinganges and the Count Basie Orchestra.
1. Alexander's Ragtime Band
2. Look What They've Done To My Song, Ma
3. One Mint Julep
4. My Buddy
5. Let The Good Times Roll
6. Spirit In The Dark (probably a duet with Chaka Khan) #2:
2. Jazz On The Screen lists a (VHS? DVD?) release titled Festival De Jazz De Montreux 1991, directed by Gavin Taylor, et al., also featuring Ray, playing Without A Song. This information is probably corrupt; should it be Look What They've Done To My Song, Ma?)
3.
According to this source there was a 125-minute video taping of or program around the festival's Gala Night, with Quincy Jones, George Benson, Toots Thielemans, Clark Terry, Henry Salvador, George Duke, Grady Tate, Al Jareau, Jon Hendricks, Chaka Khan, and Ray. I don't know if this gala was on the 16th or the 17th. If Ray performed during the gala, he in fact appeared three times on stage.
This 132-minute contains all of the above. At 1:10 Ray comes on stage (at 1:10) to perform the Look What They've Done...-version that I have described below, sub 7 and 8: [Clip was removed from YouTube]
4.
I also found a TV production, entitled The 25th Montreux Music Festival, distributed by Disney Channel Productions Cable Network, a "special featuring performance highlights from the 1991 Montreux Music Festival", hosted by Al Jarreau, with Ray Charles in the line-up. This program may have entailed footage from any of Ray's performances on the 16th and/or 17th.
5.
The Montreux festival editions of 1991, 1992 and 1993 were co-produced by Claude Nobs and Quincy Jones. Sony recorded the entire festivals in 1991 and 1992 in High-Definition Television. The DVD (full title: Quincy Jones & Claude Nobs Present: Montreux Jazz Festival 1991 & 1992; for sale here; see cover above) offers a fine selection. Georgia On My Mind and My Buddy were released on Quincy Jones' 4-CD box Q, A Musical Biography (Rhino/WEA, 16 October 2001, ASIN: B00005Q3AD).
6.
On 1 July 1995 Canal+ aired Best Of Montreux, with a selection from shows given between 1988 and 1993 by Booker T, Sam Moore, Elvis Costello, The Wailers, Kool & the Gang, Ray Charles, Was Not Was, Annie Lennox, Take 6, George Duke, Al Jarreau, and Fats Domino: "De l'inusable Ray Charles à la magnifique Annie Lennox (ex-Eurythmics), les géants d'hier et d'aujourd'hui nous offrent de belles prestations live. A visionner, pour une fois, en différé." Source here. This program may have contained footage from any of Ray's performances on the 16th and/or 17th. Who knows more?
7.
This footage comes from any of the formats listed above. Look What They've Done To My Song, Ma (Montreux, 17 July 1991); Quincy Jones conducts the band: [Clip was removed from YouTube]
8. Look What They've Done... was also the opener of a 1991 festival selection titled The Montreux Years - 1991. The program looked as if it was legit, with credits and all, but it probably wasn't.
9.
For the set with George Benson and Chaka Khan on the 16th, read this article.
I'll Be Good To You originally was a 1976 hit song by R&B duo The Brothers Johnson. The Brothers Johnson's producer Quincy Jones heard the song, liked it, and convinced George to sing lead on the finished track. Released from their debut album, Look Out For #1, it was a top-ten hit on the Billboard Hot Singles Charts, peaking at number three, and a number one song on the Billboard R&B Charts.
14 years later, it became a number one R&B hit again, with Chaka Khan and Ray Charles doing the vocals on Quincy Jones' Back On the Block album (the record also went to #18 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart, and topped the American dance chart in early 1990). This was Ray Charles' first #1 R&B hit in twenty-four years.
Single (A), (B): Qwest 22697, 1989-10.
Even the video seems to have been released in two versions...
'89 Clip Good (4:00):
'89 PR Good (Remix) (4:30):
The 4-minute videoclip of the song was based on Quincy Jones' album release Back On the Block, but the single that made it for the charts actually was a compilation of much longer remixes:
12" Remix (8:06)
12" Remix Dub
Good For Your Soul Mix (8:18): additional production and remix by Arthur Baker for ABI. Rap written and performed by Skam. Programming by Mac Quayle. Mix engineer: Mark Plati at Shakedown Sound. Edits By Charlie Barbie and Vic.
Good For Your Soul Dub (4:45)
Around The House Mix: details as Soul mix, plus: edits by Oh Oh Omar Santana.
Around The House Dub
Good For [Your] Soul Mix (8:18): [Video not visible] Around The House Mix (6:54): [Video not visible]
The 33 1/3 vinyl version reproduced in the soundclip below specifies 3 of the mixes in yet another order:
12" Remix 8:06
Good For Your Soul Mix 8:18
Good For Your Soul Dub 4:45
Soundclip of a 4:54 version (possibly one of the mixes mentioned above): [Video not visible]
The label of this promo CD tells that there was also a 4:17 mix of the single version, plus an instrumental version with the same duration:
A few seconds of making of-footage in the BBC documentary The Many Lives Of Q, from 2008: start watchinghere.
Personnel:
Lead vocals – Chaka Khan, Ray Charles; guitar - George Johnson; bass - Louis Johnson; keyboards - David Paich, Greg Phillinganes, Ian Prince; drums - Harvey Mason; drum sounds - Bruce Swedien; backing vocals - George Johnson, James Ingram, James Gilstrap, Louis Johnson, Phil Perry, Siedah Garrett, Syreeta Wright; programmed by - Ian Underwood, Larry Williams, Michael Boddicker, Steve Porcaro; arranged by - Quincy Jones.
Listen Up (1990) had some marvelous making of-footage:
"If it's really something good that was not on the record, that's okay, because when I perform I can make the performance of the song better than the record was."
The Genie
Ray Charles at the Apollo (Apr. or maybe Oct. 1959), working on his Wurlitzer. Photo by Alex Harsley.
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About
The Ray Charles Video Museum is a research project, documenting live performances by The Genius.
This blog is above all aMediagraphy. It's also a discography (or, more correctly, a trackography), aggregating all tunes that Ray sang and/or played - including the "canon" of 700 tracks listed on the official Ray Charles website, but also identifying the songs that have never been officially released, and e.g. the recordings of other artists, where Ray backed them on piano. Thirdly, this blog has evolved into a multimedia Chronology (click the years in the panel al the top of this page) of Ray's productive live.
I also try to do some justice to the more than 1,000 great musicians and singers who contributed to Ray's career (1, 2).
The Quotes page lists the wisest, craziest and funniest things that the Genius ever said. If you want to read more about Brother Ray, go here.
The availability of the streaming video and audio content on this blog is constantly under pressure. Some rights owners still think that sharing these videos damages their sales. I'm keeping disfunctional clips as placeholders - to show that the footage exists, and to replace them when new uploads appear on the Web.
The articles in this blog are continuously updated and improved. Your help is more than welcome.
The Bishop seduces the world with his voice
Sweat strangles mute eyes
As insinuations gush out through a hydrant of sorrow
Dreams, a world never seen
Mounded on Africa's anvil, tempered down home
Documented in cries and wails
Screaming to be ignored, crooning to be heard
Throbbing from the gutter
On Saturday night
Silver offering only,
The Right Reverend's Back in Town
Don't it make you feel all right?
Single3 (A, part 1; B, part 2): Qwest 22697, October 1989.
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