James Ray – Got My Mind Set On You – 1959-62
£8.99 inc. VAT
James Ray could and should have been a flagship artist for the newly-emerging soul music, as it transitioned from 50s R&B into a new and exciting sound for the 60s.
His early singles ‘If You Gotta Make A Fool Of Somebody’ and ‘Itty Bitty Pieces’ gave him US chart success and a high level of credibility in the UK, where both were covered successfully in the Beat Group era. His original recording of ‘I’ve Got My Mind Set On You’ brought one of his biggest fans, ex-Beatle George Harrison, back to the top of the US and US charts in the late 1980s, almost 25 years after George bought James’s lone LP on a personal trip to the US before Beatlemania arrived there.
James Ray could and should have been a flagship artist for the newly-emerging soul music, as it transitioned from 50s R&B into a new and exciting sound for the 60s.
His early singles 'If You Gotta Make A Fool Of Somebody' and 'Itty Bitty Pieces' gave him US chart success and a high level of credibility in the UK, where both were covered successfully in the Beat Group era. His original recording of 'I've Got My Mind Set On You' brought one of his biggest fans, ex-Beatle George Harrison, back to the top of the US and US charts in the late 1980s, almost 25 years after George bought James's lone LP on a personal trip to the US before Beatlemania arrived there.
Sadly James was not equipped to handle stardom himself, and not able to free himself from the clutches of long term drug abuse. He died of an overdose in 1965, leaving a pitifully small discography behind him and virtually no information about himself, or his life outside the recording studio.
James made almost all of his recordings between 1959 and the end of 1962, and this new Jasmine collection brings together everything that he cut during that time. All six singles, including the three mentioned above and his exceedingly rare debut 45 as 'Little Jimmy Ray' are featured here in their original mono, along with his lone album in its rarer stereo format. As you will hear, James could sing all kinds of material beautifully. It's such a shame that his personal demons prevented him from recording more of it.
Far and away the most comprehensive collection of James' recordings that has been assembled in the digital era, it's something that no connoisseur of 60s black American music should be without. James's star might not have shone for long, but it shone like a supernova in the few years that he recorded and the proof of his immense talent pours out of every performance in this stellar Jasmine anthology.
Track Listing
THE SINGLES IN MONO
1. YOU NEED TO FALL IN LOVE - Little Jimmy Ray
2. MAKE HER MINE - Little Jimmy Ray
3. IF YOU GOTTA MAKE A FOOL OF SOMEBODY
4. IT'S BEEN A DRAG
5. ITTY BITTY PIECES
6. YOU REMEMBER THE FACE
7. A MIRACLE
8. THINGS ARE GONNA BE DIFFERENT
9. ALWAYS
10. GOT MY MIND SET ON YOU
11. THE OLD MAN AND THE MULE
12. MARIE
THE ALBUM IN STEREO
13. THE OLD MAN AND THE MULE
14. LAZY BONES
15. GOT MY MIND SET ON YOU PARTS 1 & 2
16. ST. JAMES INFIRMARY
17. COME RAIN OR COME SHINE
18. IF YOU GOTTA MAKv E A FOOL OF SOMEBODY
19. WITHOUT A SONG
20. TEACH ME TONIGHT
21. A MIRACLE
22. IT'S BEEN A DRAG
23. WELCOME TO THE FLOOR
24. ITTY BITTY PIECES
Additional information
| Weight | 100 g |
|---|---|
| Format | |
| Price Code | |
| UPC Bar Code No | 604988119022 |
| Release Date | |
| Release Date Full | 12 October 2023 |
| Release Date Filter | October 2023 |
