Did you see the Ray Charles record player on the auction website? my auction buddy Janet emailed me. “I didn’t know such a thing existed.”
I had not, and neither did I. So I dutifully scrambled to the site to see what she was talking about. On page 4 was a vintage gold 1950s record player along with some CDs of some of Ray Charles’ greatest hits. The juxtaposition of the two didn’t seem to go together because they were from different eras, and the description didn’t make much sense either:
“Ray Charles Faux Record Player Atlantic R2 74731
Pure Genius Complete Atlantic Recordings 1952-1959
with 8 CD’s including 191 songs, bonus tracks and out takes”
What the heck was a faux record player? Stumped, I went searching for an answer.
This so-called 45 rpm record player was actually a paper reproduction of the real thing, used in this case as a box for repackaged Ray Charles tunes from his Atlantic Records days. Called “Ray Charles Pure Genius: The Complete Atlantic Recordings (1952-1959),” the set was released in 2005.
The anthology is said to show his growth and development as an artist, and his contributions to the creation of soul music, although the compilation was not the first that tried to pull his music together.
The boxed package included an 80-page hardcover book with liner notes and a DVD that contained his Newport Jazz Festival appearance in 1960 after he left Atlantic. It also included seven CDs from his days as a sideman to jazz vibraphonist Milt Jackson and saxophonist David “Fathead” Newman, studio rehearsals, unreleased music and mixes of his chart-topping “What I’d Say” of 1959, according to a review of the set.
The DVD also included an interview with Atlantic founder and producer Ahmet Ertegun who bought out Ray Charles contract from his then-current label.
Ray Charles recorded some of his best music with Ertegun at Atlantic, including “I’ve Got a Woman,” “(Night Time Is) The Right Time” and “It Should Have Been Me” – which are on the CDs.
At auction, the boxed set was locked away inside a glass case where the auction house keeps the good stuff, and the auction staff would not allow me to remove it (although others handling much expensive Lladro, gold coins and gold watches were given free rein to touch and ogle). From what I could tell, all the pieces were there and it was in good condition.
The set originally retailed for $149.99. I wasn’t around when it sold at auction, but on the web, it was being offered for $69 to $156 new and $50 to $233 used on amazon.com. On eBay, it sold for $19.99 to $50. Most did not sell on eBay.
