The Best of Charley Pride [Curb]

by Charley Pride

Overview

The career of Charley Pride is worthy of record collecting beyond the confines of a greatest-hits set, but a listener who went out shopping for this type of item alone might find himself buried by a variety of volumes, few of which have any duplication. The first of several chapters' worth of retrospective collections released by RCA, this is a fine example of Pride's performing style. Some of the trademarks are his superb voice, often enveloped by background singers as if he were trying to hide from the producer, dead-on accompaniment that basically sticks to the roots sound of country & western, and an emotional depth that makes the country artists of later decades sound like they are scribbling in the margins of greeting cards. The Pride live album In Person has long been considered one of his masterpieces, especially for fans of hot pedal steel playing. The radio hit "Kawliga" was originally on that record, and was wisely chosen as part of this collection, demonstrating not only Pride's flair for Hank Williams but his relaxed delivery. The casual feeling extends to the production, and it would be indeed hard to conceive of a country radio hit of today in which the singer would toss off a comment along the lines of "have a good time!" in the direction of the audience, right in the middle of a song. The Mel Tillis song "The Snakes Crawl at Night" is a cold-chills affair, and other great tracks include "Just Between Me and You" and "Gone, on the Other Hand." "The Day the World Stood Still" reveals the baritone side of Pride's vocalizing. Some nice production touches are evident courtesy of Jack Clement, who is also writer or co-writer of a good chunk of the tunes here. ~ Eugene Chadbourne

Product Details

Release Date:	05/21/1991
Label:	Curb
UPC:	0715187747128
Rank:	92491

Tracks

1. Whole Lotta Things to Sing About
2. Sail Away
3. Moody Woman
4. White Houses
5. Can't Stop the Mississippi
6. Heaven Help Us All
7. I Made Love to You in My Mind
8. After Me, After You
9. The More I Do
10. You Put It There
11. Amy's Eyes

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Charley Pride   Primary Artist,Vocals
The Jordanaires   Vocals (Background)
Gary S. Paxton   Vocals (Background)
The Nashville Edition   Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Doris Clement   Composer
Bill Rice   Composer
Kenny Gamble   Composer
Joe "Cannonball" Lewis   Composer
Jack Clement   Composer
Fred Burch   Composer
Eric Burdon   Composer
Ben Peters   Composer
Charley Pride   Producer
Fred Rose   Composer
Donny Kees   Composer
Don Robertson   Composer
Lee Cathy   Composer
Jerry Crutchfield   Composer
Jerry Foster   Composer
Jerry Butler   Composer
Richard Ross   Composer
Mel Tillis   Composer
Mickey Newbury   Composer
Hank Williams   Composer
Theresa Bell   Composer
Jerry Bradley   Producer
Bill Shore   Composer
Jack Keller   Composer
Charles Cochran   Arranger
Jimmy Jay   Composer
A.L. Owens   Composer
Byron Gallimore   Composer
Dallas Frazier   Composer
Bill Harris   Engineer
David Briggs   Arranger
Don Ovens   Liner Notes
Charles L. Seitz   Composer