Search - Ray Stevens :: Classic (Not Greatest Hits)

A very deserving title

Jerry McDaniel | 12/20/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD is classic...and it couldn't have been more truthfully titled. On this latest comedy CD, Ray tackles everything from Jesus and Uncle Sam to over-zealous security guards and annoying motels.The CD opens up with his IRS lament, "If Ten Percent Is Good Enough for Jesus it Oughta Be Enough for Uncle Sam" and from that point forward he doesn't let up on the nuttiness. Only one song is actually 'serious' and that's the great "Meanwhile" ballad but it does have an up-tempo chorus that kicks into high gear to balance out the slow passages.



As with all Ray Stevens albums, there's the stand-out track that makes the album worth buying. On this CD there are a couple of stand-outs: "Super Cop" tells the zany story of a mall security guard that was inspired by Barney Fife, RoboCop, and the 'Tackleberry' character in the Police Academy movies. "The Ballad of Jake McCluskey" is sort of like a new twist on the stereotype that small-town America is full of sex-crazed vixens and good ol' boys. The other stand-out is the "The Motel Song" even though it's satire will only be appreciated by fellow entertainers and regular travelers of the road. The concept of the song deals with the monotony of staying in motels and how they all start to look the same after awhile. A demented gem is "The Bricklayer's Song" in which Ray recounts the hilarious story of what happened to him as he was laying bricks. 'Classic Ray Stevens' is a must for those seeking wonderfully produced and performed comedy songs. One of Ray's most over-looked talents is how respectful he is to comedy and how he almost always doesn't go for the cheap laugh unless the subject matter of a song is so universally loathed that laughs come easily.



The title of the CD is based on the cover picture...the classical music spoof of the piano, violin, rose, and the bust of Ray. Some people think these songs are re-recordings of previous songs because of the title but all of these songs were brand new at the time. The only cover is "The Bricklayer's Song", which had been recorded by it's writer, Noel Murphy, prior to Ray singing his own version."