Search - Charlie Rich :: Complete Smash Sessions

Another masterpiece by the brilliant Charlie Rich.

Ronald Brackney | Santa Clara, CA USA | 03/15/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD combines two albums put out by Charlie Rich
in the mid-1960s - "The Many New Sides of Charlie Rich"
and "The Best Years" plus three previously unreleased tracks.
If you are a Charlie Rich fan (and you should be) and don't have this CD, your collection isn't complete. Charlie considered these tracks among his best "studio" work. There is such a variety here that listeners will be stunned and Charlie plays all the piano (something he often gave up until "Pictures and Paintings" in 1992). From rockers like "Down and Out" to incredible ballads like "The Best Years" to little gems like "Tears A Go-Go" and the magnificent, "ahead of its time" "I Can't Go On" and the wonderful rendition of "I Washed My Hands in Muddy Water," this is the eclectic master singer and pianist at his best. As liner notes writer "Dave Marsh" states: "I slipped needle into groove and entered a new world. What gave Charlie Rich his continuing grip on me is his heart." This is a must have CD - grab it!"

The Best Charlie Rich--probably the best music ever!

Cecilia C. Hull | Richmond, VA | 01/17/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"From 1965-1966 at Smash Records, as on "Pictures and Paintings" (his final album before his death), Charlie Rich worked with kindred souls who let him do what he wanted. The difference between the two albums is age. On "Pictures," Rich is wiser and mellower; on the Smash cuts he's young and full of juice. Both are essential, but the Smash sessions more so. The vitality of these recordings--as Rich rolls from hip, stuttering growls to transcendent falsetto and tosses jazzy piano arabesques against throbbing rock rhythms--is unbelievable."

Never sounded better

Nuno M. Ferreira | LISBON, PORTUGAL | 03/18/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Charlie Rich was one of the greatest singers of all time. He was brilliant singing jazz,R&B or country. Unfortunately, the charts didn't gave him the recognition he deserved. The Smash Sessions show Charlie Rich in his best moment ever. This record is part of the history of the american popular music. It's time to give the great and late Charlie Rich the credits he allways deserved."