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In the liner notes to Columbia/Legacy's 2005 reissue of Ray Charles' 1984 album Friendship Gregg Geller calls the record "the crowning achievement" of the phase of Ray's career where he "would cater to current tastes and draw from contemporary sources." That's an accurate assessment of the LP in two ways: first of all, Friendship was a big hit, really the last genuine hit when Charles was alive, reaching number one on the country charts, where it stayed for 70 weeks; second, it is the pinnacle of his '80s country-pop records, the one where Ray truly captured the sound of the era (as evidenced by its chart success), thanks in no small part to producer Billy Sherrill, who gave this the same clean, slick, punchy sound that he brought to many of the Columbia/Epic records he produced in the early '80s. Of course, that doesn't necessarily make Friendship a great record, or even a good one. The very things that made it a hit in 1984 make it very dated -- apart from a cut or two, such as the good-humored opener, "Two Old Cats Like Us," the songs are as generic as Nashville product comes, and the overly bright sound of the album may have made it slip easily onto the charts in 1984, but has lost whatever charm it had over the years. Nevertheless, this is a record made by old pros, so it's never bad. At its best -- meaning when there is some real interaction between Ray and his guests, as there is with Hank Williams, Jr. (the aforementioned "Two Old Cats Like Us"), the Oak Ridge Boys ("This Old Heart [Is Gonna Rise Again]"), and George Jones ("We Didn't See a Thing") -- it's merely pleasant; at it's worst, it's simply dull, and duets between Ray and such greats as Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, and Willie Nelson simply should not be dull, yet they are here and sound even duller with decades of hindsight. While Friendship is by no means embarrassing, it's also not particularly interesting, and it's more of a testament to the power of Sherrill's Music City machine than it is to Charles' greatness.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
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Billy Sanford, Electric Guitar - Billy Sherrill, Producer - Bobby Wood, Keyboards - Dale Sellers, Acoustic Baritone Guitar - Denis Solee, Saxophone - Diane Tidwell, Background Vocal - Hank Williams, Jr., Performer - Hank Williams, Jr., Vocal - Henry Strzelecki, Bass - Hershel Washington, Background Vocal - Jerry Carrigan, Drums - Lisa Silver, Background Vocal - Louis Nunley, Background Vocal - Pete Bordonali, Electric Guitar - Pete Drake, Steel Guitar - Ray Charles, Performer - Ray Charles, Vocal - T. Seals, Composer - T. Seals, Lyricist - Terry McMillan, Harmonica
(P) 1984 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
B. Jones, Composer - B. Jones, Lyricist - Billy Sanford, Acoustic Baritone Guitar - Billy Sherrill, Producer - Dale Sellers, Acoustic Baritone Guitar - Hargus "Pig" Robbins, Keyboards - Henry Strzelecki, Bass - J. M. Johnson, Composer - J. M. Johnson, Lyricist - Kenneth Malone, Drums - Oak Ridge Boys, Performer - Pete Bordonali, Electric Guitar - Pete Drake, Steel Guitar - Ray Charles, Performer - Ray Charles, Vocal - Terry McMillan, Harmonica - Terry McMillan, Percussion
(P) 1984 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Billy Sanford, Acoustic Baritone Guitar - Billy Sherrill, Producer - Buddy Emmons, Steel Guitar - Chet Atkins, Guitar - Chet Atkins, Performer - G. Gentry, Composer - G. Gentry, Lyricist - George Jones, Performer - George Jones, Vocal - Hargus "Pig" Robbins, Keyboards - Henry Strzelecki, Bass - Kenneth Malone, Drums - Pete Bordonali, Acoustic Baritone Guitar - Pete Drake, Dobro - Ray Charles, Performer - Ray Charles, Vocal - Reggie Young, Electric Guitar - Robert Ogdin, Keyboards - Ron "Snake" Reynolds, Percussion - Terry McMillan, Harmonica
(P) 1984 Sony Music Entertainment
Billy Sanford, Acoustic Baritone Guitar - Billy Sherrill, Producer - Dale Sellers, Acoustic Baritone Guitar - Diane Tidwell, Background Vocal - G. Gentry, Composer - G. Gentry, Lyricist - Hargus "Pig" Robbins, Keyboards - Henry Strzelecki, Bass - Hershel Washington, Background Vocal - Janie Fricke, Vocal - Janie Frickie, Performer - Jerry Kroon, Drums - Lisa Silver, Background Vocal - Louis Nunley, Background Vocal - Pete Bordonali, Electric Guitar - Pete Drake, Steel Guitar - Ray Charles, Performer - Ray Charles, Vocal - Ron "Snake" Reynolds, Percussion - S. Kennedy, Composer - S. Kennedy, Lyricist - Terry McMillan, Percussion
(P) 1984 Sony Music Entertainment
B.J. Thomas, Performer - B.J. Thomas, Vocal - Billy Sanford, Acoustic Baritone Guitar - Billy Sherrill, Producer - Dale Sellers, Electric Guitar - G. Lyle, Composer - G. Lyle, Lyricist - Hargus "Pig" Robbins, Keyboards - Jerry Kennedy, Acoustic Baritone Guitar - Kenneth Malone, Drums - P. Kennerley, Composer - P. Kennerley, Lyricist - Pete Drake, Steel Guitar - Ray Charles, Performer - Ray Charles, Vocal - Robert Wray II, Bass - Terry McMillan, Percussion
(P) 1984 Sony Music Entertainment
Billy Sanford, Acoustic Baritone Guitar - Billy Sherrill, Producer - C. Porter, Composer - C. Porter, Lyricist - Dale Sellers, Acoustic Baritone Guitar - Hargus "Pig" Robbins, Keyboards - Jerry Douglas, Dobro - Kenneth Malone, Drums - Pete Bordonali, Electric Guitar - Pete Drake, Steel Guitar - Ray Charles, Performer - Ray Charles, Vocal - Ricky Skaggs, Acoustic Baritone Guitar - Ricky Skaggs, Performer - Ricky Skaggs, Vocal - Robert Wray II, Bass - Terry McMillan, Percussion
(P) 1984 Sony Music Entertainment
Billy Sanford, Acoustic Baritone Guitar - Billy Sherrill, Producer - Dale Sellers, Acoustic Baritone Guitar - Hargus "Pig" Robbins, Keyboards - Jerry Carrigan, Drums - Mickey Gilley, Performer - Mickey Gilley, Vocal - Pete Bordonali, Electric Guitar - Pete Drake, Steel Guitar - R. LEIGH, Composer - R. LEIGH, Lyricist - Ray Charles, Performer - Ray Charles, Vocal - Robert Wray II, Bass - Ron "Snake" Reynolds, Percussion - Terry McMillan, Harmonica - The "A" Strings, Strings
(P) 1984 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Billy Sanford, Acoustic Baritone Guitar - Billy Sherill, Producer - Buddy Emmons, Steel Guitar - F. Powers, Composer - F. Powers, Lyricist - Hargus "Pig" Robbins, Keyboards - Henry Strzelecki, Bass - Kenneth Malone, Drums - Merle Haggard, Performer - Merle Haggard, Vocal - Pete Bordonali, Acoustic Baritone Guitar - Pete Drake, Dobro - Ray Charles, Performer - Ray Charles, Vocal - Reggie Young, Electric Guitar - Terry McMillan, Harmonica - Terry McMillan, Percussion - The "A" Strings, Strings
(P) 1984 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Billy Sanford, Acoustic Baritone Guitar - Billy Sherrill, Producer - Dale Sellers, Acoustic Baritone Guitar - Hargus "Pig" Robbins, Keyboards - Henry Strzelecki, Bass - Hershel Wiginton, Background Vocal - Johnny Cash, Performer - Johnny Cash, Vocal - Kenneth Malone, Drums - Louis Nunley, Background Vocal - P. Kennerley, Composer - P. Kennerley, Lyricist - Pete Bordonali, Electric Guitar - Pete Drake, Steel Guitar - Ray Charles, Performer - Ray Charles, Vocal - Rodman Judy, Background Vocal - T. Seals, Composer - T. Seals, Lyricist - Terry McMillan, Harmonica - Terry McMillan, Percussion - The "A" Strings, Strings - Wendy Suits, Background Vocal
(P) 1984 Sony Music Entertainment
Bill McElhiney, Trumpet - Billy Sherrill, Producer - Dale Sellers, Acoustic Baritone Guitar - Diane Tidwell, Background Vocal - E. SETSER, Composer - E. SETSER, Lyricist - Hargus "Pig" Robbins, Keyboards - Hershel Wiginton, Background Vocal - Jose McElhiney, Trumpet - Kenneth Malone, Drums - Lisa Silver, Background Vocal - Louis Nunley, Background Vocal - Pete Drake, Steel Guitar - Ray Charles, Vocal - Robert Wray II, Bass - T. Seals, Composer - T. Seals, Lyricist - Terry McMillan, Harmonica - The "A" Strings, Strings - Willie Nelson, Guitar - Willie Nelson, Vocal - Willie Nelson with Ray Charles, Performer
(P) 1984 Sony Music Entertainment
D. Bennett, Producer - E. Stratta, Producer - J. Taylor, Composer - J. Taylor, Lyricist - Joe LaBarbera, Drums - Jorge Calandrelli, Conductor - Jorge Calandrelli, Orchestrator - Paul Langosch, Bass - Ray Charles, Piano - Ray Charles, Vocal - Tony Bennett, Performer - Tony Bennett, Vocal
(P) 1986 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Billy Joel, Composer - Billy Joel, Lyricist - Billy Joel, Piano - Billy Joel, Vocal - Billy Joel duet with Ray Charles, Performer - Dean Parks, Guitar - Neil Stubenhauss, Bass - Phil Ramone, Producer - Ray Charles, Piano - Ray Charles, Vocal - Vinny Calaiuta, Drums
(P) 1986 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Albumbeschreibung
In the liner notes to Columbia/Legacy's 2005 reissue of Ray Charles' 1984 album Friendship Gregg Geller calls the record "the crowning achievement" of the phase of Ray's career where he "would cater to current tastes and draw from contemporary sources." That's an accurate assessment of the LP in two ways: first of all, Friendship was a big hit, really the last genuine hit when Charles was alive, reaching number one on the country charts, where it stayed for 70 weeks; second, it is the pinnacle of his '80s country-pop records, the one where Ray truly captured the sound of the era (as evidenced by its chart success), thanks in no small part to producer Billy Sherrill, who gave this the same clean, slick, punchy sound that he brought to many of the Columbia/Epic records he produced in the early '80s. Of course, that doesn't necessarily make Friendship a great record, or even a good one. The very things that made it a hit in 1984 make it very dated -- apart from a cut or two, such as the good-humored opener, "Two Old Cats Like Us," the songs are as generic as Nashville product comes, and the overly bright sound of the album may have made it slip easily onto the charts in 1984, but has lost whatever charm it had over the years. Nevertheless, this is a record made by old pros, so it's never bad. At its best -- meaning when there is some real interaction between Ray and his guests, as there is with Hank Williams, Jr. (the aforementioned "Two Old Cats Like Us"), the Oak Ridge Boys ("This Old Heart [Is Gonna Rise Again]"), and George Jones ("We Didn't See a Thing") -- it's merely pleasant; at it's worst, it's simply dull, and duets between Ray and such greats as Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, and Willie Nelson simply should not be dull, yet they are here and sound even duller with decades of hindsight. While Friendship is by no means embarrassing, it's also not particularly interesting, and it's more of a testament to the power of Sherrill's Music City machine than it is to Charles' greatness.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 12 track(s)
- Total length: 00:37:06
- Main artists: Ray Charles
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Columbia - Legacy
- Genre: Soul/Funk/R&B
(P) 1984, 1986, 2005. All rights reserved by SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
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