Charlie Rich Album: “Feel Like Going Home: The Essential Charlie Rich”

The blackdirt farming land of Arkansas (just across the big river from Memphis) produced a jazz loving, gospel reared piano tickler who Sam Phillips (SUN RECORDS GENIUS/SAVANT) called the most talented performer he ever worked with. Great growling voice that could sing the blues, gospel and twist them into his own sound which I just call SOUL MUSIC 'cause, hell, that's what it is. Music to be played somewhere in the lost territory found after midnight when the Jim Beam bottle's losing weight and your baby is gone and you don't know why.

I've requested that the demo of "Feel Like Going Home" be played at my funeral services. That's it, indeed.

A friend of mind showed up at my house a couple of years ago all excited about this CD. To say the least I was very skeptical but I decided to humor him and listen to this for myself. Guess what? I ordered this 2 CD set the very next day. Based on my limited exposure to the music of Charlie Rich I had absolutely no idea what a talent he was. Let me be clear here....this is not a "Greatest Hits" package. There are several of those available. Rather, after his untimely death in 1995, Epic Records decided to showcase the considerable talents of this man in one 2 disc package. This retrospective covers his entire career from the early years at Sun Records until his final album in 1992.

Over the years, Charlie Rich recorded for five different record labels. For most of his career no one seemed to know just what to do with him. His earliest recordings at Sam Phillips legendary Sun Records were mainly rockabilly, but one can sample an early country ballad "Who Will The Next Fool Be" from 1961. Charlie Rich loved and recorded all kinds of music. Although his recordings could most often be found on the Billboard Top Country Singles chart, he recorded a lot of R&B, soul, pop standards and even a little jazz. And the remarkable thing that you will discover when listening to this collection is that it is all great stuff!!! Listen and enjoy Charlie's unique interpetations of Roy Hamiltons "You Can Have Her", Sinatra's "Nice'n Easy" and Lenny Welch's great standard "Since I Fell For You". Charlie Rich was also a tremendous piano player and a prolific song writer. There are a dozen or so of this own compositions on this collection including familiar favorites like "Lonely Weekends" and the awesome "Mohair Sam" from 1965. And you cannot help but be moved by the amazing "Feel Like Going Home". There are 2 different versions presented here, his original 1973 demo and the version from his 1992 album "Pictures and Paintings". Two other tracks deserving of mention are "When Something Is Wrong With my Baby" and of course the title song of his final album "Pictures and Paintings." So take my advice and pick up this CD. Then decide whether Charlie Rich was a country singer, a crooner or a soul singer. Like so many others along the way, you probably will be unable to make up your mind.

There could be a third disc of Charlie Rich's songs in this set without a loss of quality or enlightenment for the listener. Pity that most people will remember him only for his "countrypolitan" years. It was thirteen years between "Lonely Weekends" and "Behind Closed Doors". Someone might have promoted Charlie Rich after 1965's "Mohair Sam" for another record company or saw the potential for his true stardom after "Life Has Its Little Ups and Downs" in the late 60s. Didn't happen. After the countrypolitan style's popularity faded in the early 80s, so did Charlie's career. But his experimentation in jazz then came forth, once again without proper appreciation. Only now with this 2-disc set can the world see the breadth of his talent. I saw Charlie in concert in the 70s; Kris kristofferson was in the crowd who came to see the Silver Fox. Charlie didn't disappoint us. Sometimes you want to hear "just the hits" but if you really want to know Charlie Rich, this is the music you'll want to have.

This is one of the best compilations I have ever

purchased. I have listened to it over and over but,

to my surprise, my 18-year old grandson got pretty

excited over it and asked me to pick it up for him

if I could find it and he would pay me. I had

played "Mohair Sam" for him, then "Big Boss Man".

This album shows how Charlie Rich started out, with

mostly rock-a-billy as did many other country

artists, and shows how very versatile he was and

what a consummate musician. I really never realized

what a great musician he was until I bought this

set. I thought he sang mostly country

ballads.

In reviewing the reviews, it became apparent to me that a little more comprehensive and forthright analysis was in order~~

So far everyone raves about this collection and indeed it does cover a wide cross section of Charlie's amazing talent. A talent that gloriously spans a multitude of genres. And it's the first compilation that dips into most of the many labels he recorded for over the decades and that in itself is a tall order.

But there's a problem here: When you call something "essential" it darn well better represent most of the artist's best and most popular work. This compilation does not. If you have any doubts...read on.

>There are no less than 22 hits that aren't here!

Some of those missing songs are signature Charlie Rich.

Six were #1 songs

1. Very Special Love Song

2. I Don't See Me In Your Eyes Anymore

3. She Called Me Baby

4. Rolling With The Flow

5. I Love My Friend

6. On My Knees (duet w/ Janie Fricke)

Other missing hits include:

Tomorrow Night (#29)

It's All Over Now #23)

My Mountain Dew (#24)

Part Of Your Life (#35)

I Take It On Home (#6)

My Elusive Dreams (#3)

Everytime You Touch Me (#3)

All Over Me (#4)

America The Beautiful (#22)

Easy Look (#12)

Raggedy Ann (#45)

Beautiful (#10)

Spanish Eyes (#20)

I'll Wake You Up When I Get Home (#3)

A Man Just Doesn't Know...(#12)

Another serious omission was one of Charlie's personal favorites-

"July 12, 1939" which hit #47

Certainly all of these would not fit on a double comp - along with the best of what's already there.

But there are about a baker's dozen on this list that are truly "essential" songs that needed to pre-empt some of the lesser titles that strangely made the cut on this release.

BOTTOM LINE: The world yet awaits a true Essential or Definitive (or whatever you what to call it) release by Charlie that truly represents him and his hits.