Night Life

What if Frank Sinatra was from Bikini Bottom?

Every night I feast in complete darkness. Once, I accidentally ate a Puerto Rican kid's ashes. His family were not happy.

10/10 - woeful as fuck makes we wanna get a trad wife and be emotionally absent to her

It's hard for me to sometimes give such low scores to music that sounds so honest. But within the context of this list, where it's supposed to be about albums that are actually crucial to the history of modern music, or about albums that maybe weren't that influential but are notable by themselves, this one for me doesn't come as a member of any of these two categories. Is it good music? Yes. Is it something I had to listen to get something that I wouldn't be able to get from any other album? I hardly think so

The introduction really set the tone by making the album feel more personal. Can't think of a record that starts with one, but I love it here. This is some real tears-in-your-beer kind of music, but I am here for it. Lyrically, it's great, and vocally, it's superb. Ray Price is a hell of a singer, and really conveys those emotions directly into me. Also, holy hell, Willie Nelson on bass and backing vocals? Neat. Favorite tracks: "Night Life", "Sittin' and Thinkin'", "There's No Fool Like a Young Fool"

The Price is wrong

Oh, boy. People making out to Hee Haw on the cover. Doesn't bode well. But then, Ray invites me to take off my shoes and enjoy his album. Huh. Linkin Park never invited me to take off my shoes - instead, they made me wear uncomfortable surplus army boots. Night Life gets bluesy - no mentions of broken trucks or sad dogs. Well, never mind. Lonely Street hits all of the tropes - damn, Ray. Pick yourself up, take off your shoes, and go enjoy the night life! Even so, there's a Roy Orbison quality to it - kinda like that late nineties country/pop crossover trend (no slide guitar? It's Hootie! Slide guitar? It's Darius Rucker!). Sittin' and Thinkin' - "I got loaded last night on a bottle of gin"? He just comes out and says it - I think this is probably pretty risqué for the time; 15 years later, Jimmy Buffett will make fun of the country music tendency to dance around topics, and he penned "Why don't we get drunk..." as a parody of those songs. Ray doesn't quite get there (he skips the "...and screw" part), but the first step is admitting you have a problem. He still cries for an entire hour each day - so clearly there are some unresolved issues there. Bright lights and blonde haired women - "I'm getting sick and tired of being lit up like a Christmas tree" - wow. Look, Ray, you left your brunette woman at home with a single dim bulb hanging from a chain in the middle of the room. You ain't going back. Just get used to being drunk and hanging out with the easy blonde girls. You chose this life. Take off your shoes, get your crying over with, and do what you gotta do. Overall review - I didn't hate this. Look, I'm not going to be jamming to this while sitting in carpool or docking a pontoon boat, but it is infinitely better than the mid-nineties "been working hard all week, got my good jeans on, I love America" crap that country music turned into. Ray seems like he'd be fun to hang out with - I just gotta make sure I'm "on a work call" for that one hour of crying per day...

I'm really digging this classic country. I'm so glad records like this are included in this list. It's a refreshing break from the constant onslaught of 60's-era rock this list is littered with.

I didn’t find any favorites here, but a very classic country sound with lots of steel and slide guitar. Cool find, should know the artist at least.

Shite Life

Fine as background music on this Monday morning before Thanksgiving, but let’s be honest, this sounds like just about every other country record from the late 50’s or early 60’s that you’ve ever heard.

Whether you like country or not, there are some finely crafted songs on this album delivered by some magnificent musicians and Price, who is an engaging singer with a great voice. There’s an undertone of darkness and restlessness throughout and you can depict the seediness of the nightclubs Price frequents. Frankly, if you’re not enjoying that fiddling and a backing band known as The Cherokee Cowboys; or you aren’t vibing with songs like Bright Lights and Blonde Haired Women then I don’t even want to know you.

fine

Wonderful old-timey country, reminded me of Patsy Cline and kd lang. A terrific listen for the day.

Very odd framing in he album’s intro bit, leading into a straight forward but very good honky tonk record.

A focused set of country takes, but in the honky-tonk style which has never completely won me over. Comparisons to Sinatra are ubiquitous; For my part I'll say that Price doesn't have the affect problem I mentioned. There's solid fiddling on several tunes as well, elevating the music above the level of the rest of the playing.

This is nice

It's fair to say its all a bit samey. Same pace, same chords the same baseline throughout every song It's fine. Decent, but its bit sorta just the same the whole way through, Nothing stands out, so even though it's relatively short, it feels long

The introduction track from this album is sort of a funny footnote in the history of the music industry. I can imagine it being commonplace to have a message for fans right there in the vinyl, but looking back at such a track with a 2025 mindset it is something more expected for a social media outlet. That said, it flows beautifully into the first track and the album was great all around. The more bluesy western country is almost nostalgic for a time I didn't experience, but the themes of desire, sins, heartbreak, and substance abuse are as current as anything today.

Robust, full-throated honky-tonk mostly about failing to fill a hole with booze and women. As perfect a specimen as you’ll ever hear rendered with steel guitar and piano. It literally couldn’t be better.

I didn't expect to like this, but its turns out I love it. Right from the spoken intro over the albums theme music you are taken to a different world. This guy can sing and the lyrics are still relevant today. Yes its country music, but country music before it became the schmaltzy caricature of itself that it is today.

So good I listen to it three times today

LOVE the vibes of this album Perfect title choice

Not really my sound but enjoyed the emotion and production in this album

I could listen to only records like this and be perfectly happy. Truly excellent through and through.

a really great example of itself

Good old honky tonk classics.

classic country style album. Elvis like

Night life Title song was my favorite. Vocals are great. Really smooth country crooning. There’s a low note in the pedal steel solo on nightlife that’s super cool. Johnny paycheck is the best name for a lead guitar player. The songs are all a bit sad and on the night life theme.

Total classic, sittin and thinkin is such a great song, I like the Charlie rich version better. Such an iconic record tho and the playing is top tier.

Cool sounds, familiar from samples, sent me down some fun rabbit holes

Night Life Quite the contrast to Public Enemy. I really like the crooning vocals and slightly jazzy drumming with the bluesy reverb heavy guitars and pedal steel on the title track, and I also like the more obviously Honky Tonk The Wild Side of Life. And those two songs are pretty much the general vibe for the rest of it, with it not deviating too far from either, all tied together with that kind of country-jazz crooning - e sounds a lot like Dean Martin singing on the Rio Bravo soundtrack on Sittin’ and Thinkin’ in particular. Luckily I do like those two song types, I also really like his voice and the downbeat lyrical themes, so overall this was a very pleasant 40 minutes. I’d definitely listen again, but I don’t think it's quite worthy of a 4, so I’ll stick with a solid 3. 😴😴😴 Playlist submission: Night Life

Classy country.

this would go so hard in a jpegmafia mashup

The intro made me exclaim 'why is this happening out loud'. Unfortunately, right afterwards the album immediately stops being funny and becomes a very standard affair of boomer country with autopilot instrumentation and lyrics either about moralising or jealousy towards a lost love. Coming off as a real likeable guy, Ray. Maybe it's just that I'm too much of a European youngster, but I genuinely have a hard time picturing people listening to this stuff unironically.

The introduction monologue was so hilariously bereft of confidence that I was started on a good foot. The first track was really great and holds up well. As the album progressed it slowly became apparent that every song would feature identical instrumentation, singing and lyrics. I can see why this didn’t make it on the fallout soundtrack. Rating: 1.5

Makes me want to honky-tonk.

Loved it. Willie Nelson on bass and backing vocals if you didn't know, who also wrote the title song.

Nice voice

Solid album of old style C&W. I am not a fan of country in general, but objectively for the purposes of this project, this is some high quality tear in your beer stuff. Ray is singing his heart out and the backing band is tight. Don't sleep on this one.

Virtuosic honky tonk.

Nice and romantic country music.

I was carried away with the honky tonk angels, all the way to lonely street, where in the twenty-fourth hour, I decided this album is worth five fat stars.

Fuck it

Found this so relaxing, deep down in the soul. Like the sun shining through the living room window on a Sunday afternoon.

Incredibly easy to listen to. This is a classic country album from before country was just pop with a southern accent.

Only part I did not love is how short the album is! It is obvious how many people were influenced by this sound.

cool

Classic smooth country, not a bad song in the bunch.

Classic and wonderful

Don't let the charity shop cover put you off. I'm new to Price, but took straight away to his voice. It has a purity that reminds me of Patsy Cline and a hangdog guilt that puts me in mind of some of Johnny Cash's catalogue (e.g. Sunday Morning Coming Down). The album is strongly themed, with vignettes featuring a long line of honky tonk women living the "Night Life" hanging out in bars. For the 1960s, the songs aren't actually that judgemental of these women - well, hardly more than Price is of himself for choosing this lifestyle. He asks them "Are You Sure?", but I think he's asking himself the same thing.

Memories

Lovely and short, doesn't bore at any moment nor becomes repetitive or tedious as every song is very discernible and unique

Perfect soundtrack to a sad dance in a Western bar with Sam Shepard and Jessica Lange

just some good old twangy heartbroken country music. A lot of the songs have a similar rhythm and feel but they all tell stories, some a little more bluesy, some a little more bluegrassy. the only knock is that the lyrics can be pretty simplistic (A Girl in the Night), but thats country baby, this is definitely easy listening! This album makes me think of passing through a little stopover town to have a drink at a local dive bar and falling in love with a townie.

Love this album. Ray Price has a lovely voice

Love this vibe

Really good and had never heard of him.

Amazing soft bluesy rock kind of album

I wasn’t sure that this country album would hit the spot for me, and it was a little slow to warm. But as it ended, I wanted to start it again…and I did…and really appreciated what Ray Price delivered.

Honky-tonkin’ heartbreak, drinking’ and depression… Some real classic country from a real master, this album shines a stark light on the Night Life. Each song is a cautionary tale targeting a variety of potential victims of the night life. As Ray suggests in the introduction to this Columbia album, I enjoyed sittin’ back, kickin’ off my shoes and listenin’ to Night Life. Just the perfect accompaniment to an evening of cocktails. Maybe someday I’ll make it to one of those dances…

MY LIIIIIFE

Honestly every one’s a fuckin’ banger.

Honestly very nice. I don’t really listen to this genre of music but it is surprisingly calming.

Good old country

Honky Tonk goes Music Row. A slick slice of the seedier life by a master of singing.

I absolutely love the mood and atmosphere of this album. I often think of music in terms of "day music" and "night music" and this is pretty much THE epitome of night music. Bittersweet and seductive. Romantic but honest. I feel like almost any professional musician would have to identify with that title track. I remember hearing Willie Nelson's version of it first when I was a kid, and I love that version too, but there is something about this version that is so much more haunting. The rest of the album doesn't quite have the same magic as that opening track, but it's still top notch crying-in-your-beer country. The playing, production, and arrangements are all spot on. I especially love that splash of reverb on the vocals. The fact that the songs all adhere to that theme of the trials and tribulations of life in the bar scene is what makes it so great (and believable). A perfectly executed concept album before concept albums were a thing. The intro is a bit goofy, but quaint in an old fashioned way. And goddamn that cover is so cinematic.

I am constantly impressed with early country songwriting. Ray really nails it here. At this rate, I may have to start saying I like country.

Like the old country. Almost has an Elvis feel to it. Would definitely try some of his other music.

Damn this is some good shit.

It's like an Alcoholic's Blues album. Loved it.

Loved it, transported to the 60s

Sorta country, sorta lounge and kinda frank sinatra. Pretty darn good!

I loved this. Pipe smoking rocking chair evening scotch music. Gonna explore this guy's catalog

This squeaky clean sounding cat had Willie Nelson, Johnny Paycheck, and Roger Miller in his band. He worked with Merle Haggard. This guy was an OG, even had a marijuana bust! He was a cooler guy than this album, but it’s a solid listen.

Beautiful album by a real band. It's so refreshing to hear actual musicians playing. I keep wishing country music will swing back to this down-to-earth sound, and it keeps not happening.

Not my music style but good for what it is

This was nice, like Frank Sinatra singing a country album.

Loved it

Very relaxing, tells a good story. Could be put into a country Fallout playlist. Listening to this in the wasteland would go well

Can't wait to ask my dad if he knows of this guy and probably find out he bought his albums 40 years ago and played them at home and I was just oblivious. Enjoyed his voice and some of the Prine-like humorousness?

Some smooth tunes here. The more I listened the more I really enjoyed this. Sometimes I hear this type of country and it bores me or it doesn't really move me in any way but this one really jived with me. I really love the album cover- maybe one of my favorites I've seen recently. Usually the artists tend to be the focal points of these, but this one I really feel like couple in the foreground are the stars. Here's Ray Price, a famous singer and guitarist, and people are paying to come see him perform. And yet in this dark room this cute couple can't help but turn their bodies into eachother and whisper during the performance, with Ray even looking at them. Has he reached the pinnacle of his stardom and yet he's lonely? Is he longing for a life as an everyday man with a partner? It's a great little story.

Surely this can go to make way for something better... is what I was thinking before I listened to Ray Price. That voice, like someone's pouring chocolate milk in my ears. That guitar, like watching shooting stars on a warm prairie night. Have I gone too far? I probably have, but I liked this just fine. I'm giving it a four.

I’m a sucker for old school country about drinking, loving and fucking too much. This here record ticks all those boxes.

It is what it is innit?

Classic

A good album, I really liked the music style. I liked Night Life and Lovely Street the most.

evocative

Wonderfully recorded, tear in your beer country played with yeoman-like precision and heart

Nice

Pretty solid. No thrills just easy listening music. Not as good as some others with the same type of lounge vibes. 3.5 and we will round up.

First album I was only vaguely familiar with. Also old country definitely a blind spot in my listening knowledge. Really enjoyed, tho shoulda listened after dark. As soon as I heard Willie I knew this was gonna be good

heard this before. i'm skipping the introduction in the rating Night Life - 5/5 Lonely Street - 4/5 The Wild Side of Life - 3/5 Sittin' and Thinkin' - 4/5 The Twenty-Fourth Hour - 3/5 A Girl in the Night - 4/5 Pride - 4/5 There's No Fool Like a Young Fool - 4/5 If She Could See Me Now - 3/5 Bright Lights and Blonde Haired Women - 4/5 Are You Sure - 4/5 Let Me Talk to You - 3/5 Average score - 3.8/5 (rounding up) the title track is definitely the best, and the song i go to most off of this album, but that doesn't necessarily mean the other tracks are bad by any means. Price has a smooth, crooning voice that tugs at the heartstrings (think Frank Sinatra if he decided to go down the country-western route) i think as i listen to more albums like this, i'm coming to learn that i don't necessarily hate country, just *some* country. either that, or i'm beginning to appreciate the sound as i grow older. i enjoyed this about as much as i would anything by Marty Robbins or Johnny Cash and the like, so if you're a fan of those artists you might appreciate this too

Nice classic country sound. Ray Price has such a great, and pleasant voice. I enjoyed this record but lost focus on it a few times. It would be a great record to throw on at home in the evening or a slow Sunday morning.

This is a pretty awesome record. What stands out to me is the fusion of genres. Its jazz crooning from the 40s and 50s, but played by a Texan with a guitar and a backing pedal slide. Its elements of early country and western music but carrying on the tradition that was laid before it. I also really love the songwriting. Sad songs about sinning at night. You can really hear the influence this had on Willie Nelson in particular, but also with other early country and rock and roll artists.

Yee-haw?

It gives me Pride to give this album a good rating. It had me Sittin’ and Thinkin’

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Mr. Price is crafting a wonderful story here about lost loves and dive bars. Honestly makes me nostalgic for my early days of living in Nashville, chasing the music dream, thinking that hanging out at a shitty bar at midnight on a Wednesday would help me get "plugged in" to the community.

Price's forlorn tales of love lost and hearts sinking to the bottom of bottles are ultimately transcended by his vivid storytelling and the soaring pedal steel guitar work that elevates this country concept album beyond mere melancholy.