Night Life

I don’t know, it’s real subtle but i think this guy might have an alcohol problem.

Early country, simple songs, well done, I’m sure. But not my thing.

It’s not as great as Ray thinks it is.

this album kind of lopes along with every song sounding a little too much like the one just before it, and I'm not sure why I had to hear it--it doesn't sound distinctive in any way to me. Perhaps that's why? It's so generic it's genius? don't know.

Not my type of thing

The same song 12 times

Some of the vibes were cool. I enjoyed the opening to the album. I couldn’t stomach the lyrics on many of the tracks.

Not as bad as anticipated. A nice honky-tonk vibe here and there. 2.5 rounded down.

spotify bio says he brought country back to nashville and for that he is one of history's great villains

too dated lyrically for a 3

Old country. Wholesome, good voice, can’t say it really gripped me or anything. Two stars.

>We want to do something different and hope you like it >continues to make the most basic yee-haw country ever

This is lame.

nice enough but i got a bit tired of it towards the end IM SORRY RAY

2/3 border. Pretty redundant and similar to a lot of classic country with the sad sack loner repetition. Liked it enough early on but got tired of it pretty quickly

2.5 - ok

537/1001

Not my thing

I like the Orbison like vibrato on the vocals. The band sounds great too, I’m just not coming up with anything that would land it on this list. It’s a completely fine country record from the 60’s but nothing about it is remarkable at all, it just a little too generic. 4/10

It’s fine as background music I would say. It’s kind of a weird mix between crooning and honky tonk… like Sinatra and Elvis

Eh. The songs themselves aren't bad, but as a total package everything sort of runs together and doesn't really grab me.

hmmm I like old country but this is a lil too honky tonk for me.

I wonder if anyone had more 1963 Country swagger than Ray Price

I could definitely see where this album has a time and place

I’ve definitely heard the name Ray Price before. I don’t listen to country, but I kinda like the cowboy vibe it’s giving.

Picture this, you're in a bar and he's playing live because this is so boring it would force people to converse. However I decently don't hate this

Reminds me of melancholy drunks. Not really my thing

4/10 Ray Price appears, from this album at least, to be an incredibly nice man. His strange, almost shy little introduction to the album onwards, there is something very pleasant about everything he delivers. There’s more than a hint of easy listening to it, and if you’re into easy listening country, this is the album for you. He kicks things off with a track that leans a little towards bluesy jazz, which did perk my ears up a little, but unfortunately that edge fairly quickly recedes out of view, only becoming apparent the odd time here and there through the album. The rest of the album plods along nicely, never daring to raise its energy above that of a sleepy, leisurely Sunday stroll. Unfortunately for me, Ray does lean towards a more crooning vocal style for decent chunks of the record, which is something that can push the songs over the line from being pleasant if uninspiring, to something that I struggle with a little more. But it never really became offensive in any way, because it was all delivered in such a pleasant package. The band were very tight, even though they barely had to do much more than play remarkably similar parts for most of the album, but there were the odd moments of flair and interest that peeked out from the background now and again. I would say that it’s remarkable that nearly every song on the album was written by a different person, but they all sounded so similar that they could almost have been variations on the same original idea. I guess that’s what you get with such a formulaic genre, but it does beg the question how much songwriting actually goes on if you’re using essentially the same chord structure, bass line and rhythm for every song. I think part of the reason I’m giving this the score I have is that it doesn’t really stand out as anything special, despite its overall pleasantness. My streaming service started playing similar music after the album had finished on my first listen to this, and it took me a few tracks to notice, because so much of it sounded exactly the same. And while it was a nice enough listen, I won’t be bothering to listen again, and I also don’t really understand what sets this apart from so much other music in the same style. Introduction And Theme - What an oddity this is. I don’t recall ever hearing anything like this to kick off an album. He seems like a nice bloke, and the music is perfectly pleasant, but it is quite strange. Night Life - And now we’re into the album proper. It’s quite nice actually, with an edge of bluesy swing to it that’s quite pleasing on the ear. His voice is quite of its time, but doesn't feel forced in the way of someone like Elvis. There’s some pretty nice jazzy piano playing in there in the second half, which adds something to it. Not bad at all. Lonely Street - This drifts more towards the country side of things and gets a bit more croony. Again, it’s perfectly pleasant, but it lacks a little bit of the interest to me and sticks very solidly to the very static rhythmic inflection for the whole song, which makes it a little repetitive. The Wild Side Of Life - I think I might overuse the words “pleasant” and “nice” during this review. Another that is a little plodding, but has a decent bit of feel to the rhythm. It doesn’t really do a lot for me, but it’s a well written song delivered in about the most inoffensive way possible. Sittin' And Thinkin' - It’s almost like the band has just carried on playing the last song while Ray sings a slight variation. It’s funny, because tonally everything seems very similar, regardless of the lyrical content. It is getting my toe tapping along, so there is that, and they seem to be a very competent band. Everything is tight and swings nicely, despite the clear focus in the mix being the lead vocal. The Twenty-Fourth Hour - It is incredibly formulaic. Again, this is a similar composition to a lot of the previous ones. It’s super easy listening and it’s never going to hook me in much more than as pleasant background music because there are no edges at all to hang on to, but it manages to not be yawn-inducingly boring either. A Girl In The Night - We’re really not really getting much variation in pace or style here at all and it’s all blending a little into one for me at this point. It’s also making a track by track review quite difficult, because I could just say the same thing for quite a lot of the tracks. Pleasant. Competent. Starting to get a bit boring. Next. Pride - It feels like the tempo has lifted a touch now. There’s so little variation between different sections of the song that it all just kind of washes over you. The violin is at least wandering around a little and trying to do something a bit more interesting. There are the odd nice bits of guitar in there too. There's No Fool Like A Young Fool - For this one, there’s a bit more of a discernible difference between sections and it does benefit from that, although he does croon a bit too much. I’m kind of feeling like the very plodding and persistent rhythm is starting to drain me at this point. They try to break it up by slowing it down at the end, but they do it at the end of every song, so even that has become stale. If She Could See Me Now - There’s some nice moments of guitar and violin playing in here that give it a bit of a lift, which is nice. It definitely sticks to the formula in terms of songwriting, structure and vocal delivery though. Bright Lights And Blonde Haired Women - This feels a little different for once. The swing of the groove is a little more dragging and the groove is a bit more prominent. Some more good guitar work too. When he does this slightly more bluesy stuff it works so much better for me. I prefer his vocal delivery here to the more croony stuff too. Pretty good stuff. Are You Sure - And we’ve drifted back to the more plodding stuff that we had before. It continues to be pleasant and there’s some nice strings in there too, but it is all kind of a wash. Perfectly pleasant background music, but not a lot more. Let Me Talk To You - OK Ray, I’ll give you one more chance. Oh, you’re doing the same thing again? But the band do feel like they’re doing something a little more jazzy even if you’re not. Some lovely moments of piano in the background, but they almost get lost in the mix, which is a shame.

Great voice but not my style.

This was fine. Easy listening. I liked the intro, more albums should have that

Right there with Marty Robbins, Tex Ritter - I lived a while in Nashville and even there this is comic stuff. I'd give it a 1 but I reserve that for Marilyn Manson.

Forgettable background yehaw

I dislike two types of music: Country _and_ Western. That said, this wasn't _bad_, just nowhere near my comfort zone. Might put it on again semi-ironically.

C'était vraiment pas top mais pas non plus complètement horrible

Its just an ordinary country/popular music style album of its age. Nothing objectionable, nothing exceptional. Not my thing, therefore just a 2.

Doesn’t hold up. But at least it was short

Sounds like the classic tunes that my older family members used to listen to. He has a beautiful but it's not hitting my happy sensors, apart from the remembrance.

Sounds like the stuff that used to play on my grandparents' radio when I was sent to their place for summer holiday... I found it boring then, and turns out I still do now.

felt unnecessary

The "We have Sinatra at home" album. Or more like, we have Sinatra at our middle-of-nowhere truckstop cafe. Neither bad nor brilliant. I'm not an expert in the era, but I'd bet this is quite derivative of other works of the time. It starts out nice, with a "fallout retro" vibe, and the eponymous song being the best in the bunch. But listening to a full album of the same exact vibe, tempo and style, loses the magic very rapidly. And my guy, maybe give your spring reverb a raise, it's been working overtime in this album.

Not good, not bad, not for me, not gonna listen again, not sure why I needed to hear it.

2.0 - Weak

Again, fine, but not really my thing.

Changed the music as soon as the album finished so 2 stars is fair.

Inoffensive but I'd never listen to this again ever. There is a lot of existing music that sounds similar to this that pull it off a lot cleaner, unfortunately.

No private session used for Spotify. Not my thing, I certainly don't associate this music with Night Life as the album title implies. I associate it with driving down to your well in your beat up ford pickup to figure out why the well has run dry only to find your dog, Trigger, had fallen in the well and it's rotting corpse was causing the problem, then you remember you got drunk the other night because your girl left and you had kicked Trigger in the well in a fit of blind rage as Trigger liked the girl more than he liked you probably because your ex girl didn't get drunk and start kicking dogs.

Old people music

I found this a bit dated for me it’s not one of the timeless classics

Not a Price you could pay me. Literally fell asleep after the third song & thought it was alright. Then I heard the rest of the album. It’s just not my thing.

This entertainment for some, just not me. There’s talent, I just never would put this on to enjoy.

Widely regarded as country music’s first concept album (which it isn’t) it is certainly odd. There’s a rather rambling spoken word intro before Ray gets into a kind of smoky crooner vibe for the first song, as if he and his honky tonk band somehow wound up in the city, fell in with some jazz musicians and ended up in the Nighthawks diner at midnight. After that it relapses back into safe country territory like they found a residency at a country music club in the city and are trying to raise their fare home. Price has a good voice and, for what it is this album is OK but it’s not nearly as musically adventurous as that opening leads you to expect.

Musikk for hvit mann 70+

As a person not immersed into the world of country, there have been a few country albums I’ve enjoyed surprisingly well during this project, such as Marty Robbins, Nitte Gritty and Dolly Parton. This one, however, is too «nice» and one dimensional. I can’t really tell the songs apart. Not too keen on the vocals either.

Interesting

While I admire a good country crooner, and Price certainly was one, this was very much not my jam at the present moment.

This is very odd album cover at first glance. Looks like the dude is watching a couple get it on. Pretty standard country album. Nothing wrong, just boring. Glad it wasn't very long.

That into into Night Life was pretty cool. Won't work all the time but I think it works well here. Still not my fav genre, but I could get down to this a bit more than the Louvin Brothers. Are You Sure is a great song.

Standard 1960s country album that isn't something special. I liked the introduction part, though. A good listen on a Saturday.

Music for a 60s whites-only Lūʻau

no

I don't really like country but the blues influence was great.

not for me but it's not bad. im like 65% sure ive heard most of these songs before.

Music my gran would listen to - not terrible but definitely not good.

Yet another generic country album, there are so many artists in surprised aren't on this list, and yet we get stuff like this. Interesting bass lines are the kindest thing I can say about this. The intro it's just odd.

I loved The Wild Side of Life, but the rest was too similar to each other

Some good stuff but just all together too similar.

Music to get wasted on eggnog by.

The music is fine. Maybe even good. But why did I need to listen to this? It’s absolutely nothing special. It’s like a poor man’s western Elvis. And I don’t like Elvis.

Sounds like the stuff from fallout lol

Not good....

4/10

Este es un álbum bien intencionado que propone una atmósfera romántica, nostágica / melancólica y relajada. Si uno disfruta del estilo country y honky tonk, este podría ser un álbum muy disfrutable. En mi caso no es un estilo que me guste mucho, pero el verdadero problema que encuentro en este álbum es que es extremadamente monótono. Al punto tal que haber escuchado un solo tema es como escuchar el álbum completo, porque el mismo no ofrece virtualmente nada nuevo en toda su duración. Todos los temas tienen la misma rítmica, sonoridad y temática de amor / desamor. Considero que una cosa es que el álbum sea cohesivo con la temática que propone, lo cual en general lo considero positivo, pero esto tiene que venir de la mano de ofrecer algo distintivo, especial o innovador (sea en ritmo, armonía, melodía, letra, timbre, instrumentación, etc.). Este no es el caso. Como dije anteriormente, puede ser un buen álbum si te gusta el estilo, o por el hecho de ser tan monótono, uno ya sabe de antemano que todo el álbum va a generar una misma atmósfera, y por ende puede servir como música de fondo. A nivel personal no lo considero un álbum relevante como para estar en esta lista, a pesar de estar bien interpretado y de que me pareció interesante la introducción.

The album happened definitely! The bass and pedal-steel was all I can remember :)

Generic country music?

Man, white people sure know how to party am I right?

This did not catch my attention. The music is alright but the twangy old-country singing ruins the vibe for me. The songs blended together and it didn’t hit the spot

There is much better Country albums than this one. Have no idea why this made the list.

I felt like I was being serenaded. Good for a dinner party. Not a big fan of country.

2/5. I am not sure I enjoyed this fully even if his voice is very warm and deep that brings a sense of homeliness to the songs. I think I just feel like it is the balance of country and Sinatra but I'm not feeling the emotion behind these songs like I should with those influences, so it kind of feels tried than true. It's nice for what it is but it feels like part of a Holiday playlist more than anything, doesn't stand the test of time for me. Best Song: The Wild Side Of Life, If She Could See Me Now, Night Life

Mostly the worst excesses of country. Bonus point because Elvis Costello saw something in Sittin' And Thinkin' and made it acceptable. But then again it was a Charlie Rich song anyway.

Ok, I’ve had a pretty good run lately, culminating in a 5 star masterpiece yesterday, but all good things must come to an end. I listened to this walking the streets of Manchester on my office day, and it occurred to me that no one could possibly imagine the album I was listening to. This is proper country music, it’s perfectly pleasant in so many ways but it’s just not for me. I appreciate the relatively short runtime at 38 mins because all the tracks are quite samey.

Feel good songs from an era distant enough that I can both relate to the experiences and the experiences remain foreign.

I don’t understand

Прослушал этот альбом за ужином, на который у меня были 20 макнагетсов с соусом "блю чиз". Лучшая песня - Night Life.

Guess you had to be there. Not my cup of tea.

I liked a couple of the early songs and then it just got….less memorable with each song.

the definition of Easy Listening. Nice but forgettable

Not terrible country, but a bit dated and melancholy for my tastes.

Not terrible, not my cup of tea necessarily lol

A nice but forgettable honky tonk album. Wouldn't mind listening again, but none of these songs stuck in my head even a little bit.

Sorry. Not my jam.

Nah man, just annoying

Not for me

A bit too country for me

A fine album, hard not to just zone out though, nothing really drew me in.

2, big zone out time

This is fine but there's a place and time for this music- and it's not my morning commute. I'm sure this would be pretty amazing to hear live, though. Favorite track: "Night Life"

I was really expecting to hate this... but it was tolerable.

Не тронул и не заинтересовал.

Slander these hussies gramps 🔥🔥🔥

Rating: 5/10 Meh.

Some of this 50s & 60s country is just too much. It doesn’t hold up in today’s world.

Let’s just say, if you’ve hit rock bottom, torched every meaningful relationship you’ve ever had, and managed to completely derail your life, only to turn around and feel sorry for yourself while drinking yourself blind on a Tuesday morning, then congratulations, this is the perfect album for you. It’s like a warm hug from your own self destruction.

country, 1963 -> 2

More albums need an Introduction and Theme song. That was lovely. Some good old school country. Favorites: - Night Life - Sittin' and Thinkin'

Music made to be played while Robert De Niro love-bombs a woman in a Scorsese film. Faves: Night Life Country. April 1963. American/English. 12 tracks. 37:36 runtime.

I really do not enjoy music like this

Boring

Not the one for me I’m afraid, a little too swoony.

So far from what country music is today. Interesting time piece but not much in the way of amazing music or lyrics to get me to listen again.

Not a big fan of the honky tonk (-3), or this weird cuck situation on the album cover (-2). Willie Nelson is pretty cool (+1), Hank Hill likes Willie (so +0.5), and the album is short (+0.5, because why not). So let's go with 2.

Night life… I see. Time for bed, right?

ok, bit boring

1. intro - 1.5 2. night - 2.5 3. lonely - 1.5 4. uuild - 2 5. thinking - 1.5 6. hour - 2 7. girl - 1.5 8. pride - 1.5 9. fool - 1.5 10. nouu - 1.5 11. bright - 1.5 12. zure - 1 13. talk - 2

Classic country. I wasn't a huge fan

This is literally the music that plays at Cedar Point (amusement park) in the frontier cowboy place. Corny, repetitive, & boring.

Great voice. But it is still just basic country music, and maybe a little boring.

Despite all the praise I gave yesterday's Buck Owens effort, my second classic country album in a row did not result in the same appreciation. This one reminded me more of the music that blew up the aliens' heads in Mars Attacks, just without the yodeling. Maybe that's why my head remained intact. I didn't love the presentation. I didn't love the music. I didn't love the "theme" either, and the whole intro part pretty much turned me off to that immediately. It kind of reminded me of an attempt to make 50s swing music into country music instead, and I didn't think it worked very well. There wasn't much that stood out or impressed me about it. Even with all that, I still didn't hate it or think it was terrible, necessarily. I just didn't think it was good. It seemed like something I'll easily forget after listening to a few more albums from the list, and I don't see myself coming back to it. Overall: 1.8/5

Boring

• 2/5 • Good as a lounge act, but not worth an album • Nearly every song sounds the same

I see how people like it but it's not for me

Good golly, so schmaltzy. Everything that Sinatra made classy just falls so flat. Its not big band, its not blues, its just <sigh>.

you can drink to this and maybe should otherwise you'll notice how it's the same 3 songs 4 times each

Certainly better than more modern pop country, but if I’m being honest, there’s no way I would willingly put this on.

Way too much steel guitar and honky tink piano for me. Just another old country album, they all sound the same to my uneducated ears

Zoned out a bit in that one, not a fan of the old timey country.

J'ai mis ça en background en pensant que ça allait me relaxer, mais son ton de voix country lancinant et irritablement similaire d'une toune à l'autre m'a rendu au contraire extrêmement aggressif

Of all the country music this project has tried to foist on me thus far, this is easily the most pleasant on the ear. The sound of a band and a voice entirely comfortable with what they are doing, which is - by Ray's own admission in the very quaint "introduction" track - songs about happiness, sadness and heartache... and getting wasted in bars, being an asshole to girlfriends - all the usual stuff. Traditional country fare, but with a pop edge, competent production, tight playing and a decent amount of personality. Not my bag at all, but it is getting a well-deserved two stars, if nothing else for that killer chord turnaround which provides the hook on the title track. Lovely stuff, shame the rest of the album is never quite as inventive, but it is solid enough within it's own limited boundaries nonetheless.

Before listening, I can already tell that this album doesn't really belong here. If it's from the early 60s, it'd sure as heck be popular enough to justify its inclusion on the "most important 1000 albums of all time" list. Fun atmosphere, sort of an old honky-tonk style (as Price points out in The Wild Side of Life) with elements of country and blues. Price's voice is full, soulful, and has a surprisingly wide range for a baritone. But there's only so much you can do with music that absolutely refuses to push any boundaries. Harmonically: essentially just the standard 3 chords. It makes the full-album experience a bit frustrating and monotone. I suspected this would be the case from the get-go, but still enjoyed the first few tracks since I hadn't yet succumbed to the lack of interesting chord progressions (and resulting lack of creative melody). The percussion is also brutally unstimulating to the listener, right from the beginning of the album. No fills, not really any pitch (frequency) variation... The guitar plays a reggae-esque line in most tracks, but somehow even simpler. The player could be a master guitarist for all I know, but he/she certainly doesn't demonstrate it here. The bass is probably the best non-vocal instrument, but even it sticks to bass convention of playing solely arpeggios with a few transition notes scattered in there. And yes, this record came out before the huge musical/cultural revolution in the 60s. I'm not saying the record is bad for its time, just that it's a bad inclusion on this list. In terms of specific tracks: I'm not a fan of the Introduction and Theme track. It seems a pointless inclusion when the album isn't a live one. Lonely Street has some of Price's best vocals, easily earning it a spot on any "key tracks" list. There's No Fool Like a Young Fool has similarly strong vocals. A Girl in the Night is unfortunately placed right after The Twenty-Fourth Hour in the track listing, and the two are functionally identical. Similar tempos, identical arrangements/riffs/basslines, same key, and similar melody. This is one of many examples of poor album design in the 50s/60s. Artists, remember: the best albums are both a collection of songs and an artistic statement. You need to keep the listener engaged for the full runtime by varying songs sufficiently - especially consecutive songs! 2/5 Key tracks: Night Life, Lonely Street, Are You Sure

This one was new to me so as far as this 1,001 Album Challenge goes, this is why I’m doing it. Although the first impression was - eek Country Music - I did enjoy this album. HonKy Tonk Angels was a nice surprise. Great production values - I can see some of these tunes being used in a Tarantino film.

Speaks to a time and place in America that’s almost unfathomable now: twangy country dance halls on a Saturday night with a band politely singing about honky tonk angels and repentant drunks. Nothing stands out particularly, however. Like Bob Dylan, I think the idea of the music has outlived its actual quality.

This was fine, nothing really stood out, but I didn't mind it. 3/5

It’s not terrible, but it is incredibly boring and uninspired

Night Life is an album that i didn't enjoy very much. This album mainly suffers from issues that some other albums suffer from including ones like Richard Hawley's Coles Corner where the album does nothing all that horribly but its just super uninteresting. I get that this is a fairly early country album coming from the early 60s but there are country albums that released before this that are way more interesting and memorable than this one. This is just a massive nothing album to me that lacks anything to make it really good or really bad, I'm running out of things to say as it is just kinda there. Best Song: Let Me Talk To You Worst Song: Sittin' And Thinkin'

Kind of all the same song and boring at that. After listening I still don't know if overall Honky Tonks are a net positive or negative on the night life.

It was OK. Not my cup of tea, but pleasant enough for background music.

I dunno. It was definitely a product of it's time. The intro on the album. The music itself. I read that he brought a new tempo to country, and if that's so, then I can definitely see why this album was considered, and why it's revolutionary. It can stay in 1963 though. I won't play it again.

The album ended, and I didn't even realize. Which probably means that it was so backgrounded in my head. I didn't hate it, but clearly my brain also didn't like it.

Pretty unremarkable

Not for me but old country > new country for sure

It takes a special talent to make 13 songs sound identical.

2/5

If Woody from Toy Story was a singer, and not a toy, he would sound like this!

This might be the first album I’ve seen have a “false start”, where the music is turned down and the artist speaks over to introduce the album. Really caught me off guard haha. This feels like music I would picture playing in Radiator Springs at the start of the Cars movie. Its really nothing special though, I like his voice but this is a drag for an album just a half hour long.

Such a campy sameness to these bygone country artists and albums of that era. While it’s not altogether horrible, it’s just not something that survived its period as listenable today.

Trött o trist gammelcountry

Couldn't not stay on this. Not my taste. It's sounds nice, but I was not on the mood

Didn't get into it too much. Not unpleasant, but lyrics and songwriting didn't resonate with me.

An album of slow knock off Elvis crooners. Thought there was going to be a light entertainment intro to every song so was at least glad to see that didn't continue. Struggling to think of another positive note though, it was dire. 1.5.

Really enjoyed the introduction, a bit daft. Very traditional, classic country and western. Nice voice. Not again though.

Big difference between this and the black monks I just listened to! Not for me, very dated and didn't do anything for me. Didn't hate it though 1.5

Ensimmäinen biisi (enkä puhu alkutäytteestä) eroaa kuulemma siitä, mitä he yleensä soittavat. Todella hyvä biisi. Loput levystä on sentimentalisoitua kantria, johon haastan sinut keskittymään (tykkään kantrista).

Yeah, this one didn't do anything for me, but I didn't really expect it to. It's your standard honky-tonky record - short, steel-pedal-backed ballads and lovesick crooning about how much your "girl" is going to regret doing you wrong. There's an aesthetic to dig into here, but every song sounds the same at the end of the day, which was my main problem. But, admittedly, an album like this, I don't think, is meant to be experienced while sitting down on a Saturday morning with a cup of coffee. Maybe if I was getting drunk in my creased white-collar button-up after I had just caught my girl cheating on me, I'd be able to buy into this vibe, at least a little bit more. I'll give the album this: I did feel bad for Ray Price (or the protagonist he's playing as) by the time this thing was over, so I guess that speaks to the guy's lyrical ability at least; they warrant surface-level compassion. He really does hammer home the idea of how much he wants this girl back, this album cover does too.

Night Life is a well-regarded country classic, but it didn’t do much for me—and a big part of that comes down to Ray Price’s voice. He’s got that smooth, polished crooner style that leans more towards Nashville’s big-band country than the rough-edged honky-tonk sound I tend to prefer. The arrangements are lush, the pedal steel is lovely, and the songwriting (especially the Willie Nelson-penned title track) is strong, but I just couldn’t connect with the vocal delivery. It all sounds a bit too clean and controlled, which takes the edge off songs that are supposed to be about loneliness and barroom heartbreak. I can see why the album is respected, but for me, it lacked that emotional grit. Just not my kind of country.

The good: He has a really good voice and the songs are all decent. The bad: it's all the same song over and over, sometimes a little upbeat, sometimes not. Oh, and it's country. That said, not the worst thing to listen to.

I got through it. Just not a fan of this type of music.

I was a bit bored.

Not bad, but not one for me

If you quickly glance at the cover it really looks like that woman is giving him a blowie. Also, this music is more than a little bit shit.

2.4 2x not too bad just a little old timey for me

5/10. Goodnight.

Very old school

The creepy, “I’m-going-to-watch-you-make-out,” cover-art set a tone that was hard to overcome. I sort of liked the concert-like intro track, and his voice wasn’t bad. But there’s such a thing as too much slide guitar, and when set against the backdrop of the album cover…all I could visualize was the next Netflix “true crime” documentary series.

Not my kind of country. 2/5

Retro retro sin llegar a ser clásico. No veo nada original ni excepcional.

Not my vibe really but it's not unpleasant either. The intro is a bit goofy and feels VERY dated but you can't really blame them when it's 60+ years old.

Was that the same song over and over for 30+ minutes?

Kann man hören, ist aber kein Highlight für mich 2/5

A lovely voice - but the fairly pedestrian pacing and lack of variety means that it just fades into the background.

Much of it doesn't seem to offer anything except staying well within well-trodden country guidelines. So 'Pride' is just a lesser take on Everly Brothers 'Walk Right Back'. 'Lonely Street' reveals glimpses of his very nice, gritty baritone, which frustratingly often gives way to more of a croon throughout the album. The album moves from introspective ballad to jaunty country pop pretty well. There are flashes of a nice baritone; and some decent country tracks that never grate, nor excite.

nice enough for what it is

A fine example... of a genre I don't care for. I put off listening to this for over a week after it was generated, waiting until I was in a sufficiently open minded state to give it a fair chance. It's decent for country, but, you know... it's country. Sorry.

I enjoyed it

This is not my favorite genre and it's an outdated version of a genre I'm not loving. It's well done, no complaints there, but I don't see myself listening to it again.

2.5

Classic country

point8.

Was truly not expecting country when reading the name of the artist. Actually though it was a soul singer in the 50's. I think my Grandfather actually had this album in his collection. This is definitely not my style. Not a huge Country fan. The old time Country I really respect, the OG country. He has kind of an Elvis-like vocals. 2-stars because I am not a fan of this genre but do respect it

60s blues/country. Self-titled is some sleepytime depressing last call at the bar type of song. Turns out they all do. A Girl in the Night is pretty good and I think I've heard it before. Willie Nelson sings on this album too and is the better singer. Most all but one song are on the 2.5-3 min mark and sound about the same. 1 star for Ray Price, 2 stars for Willie Nelson and the violin players.

Tired of Bright Lights and Blonde Haired Women? I can’t relate Ray, sorry.

Okay. 4/10

Old school start. I seriously doubt I'd ever intentionally listen to this again. But it is an interesting change of pace.

The first track on this got my expectations up, as it's down as a country album, but the tune Night Life sounds like a country inspired big band doing a more Sinatra styled slow jam. Not a bad sound at all. But then the album just goes full honky tonk, although a bit slower. I just have got no patience in me for country music.

not for me or the vibe i was in at all, but probably really good if i just put it on in the background

Easy listen

The first few songs you think "this is alright and sounds pretty good" but then you realize that's how every song is and the heartbroken cowboy shtick gets old quick. Probably a great listen in 1963 but too dated of a sound now. 3.75/10 (1.875/5)

Sometimes, this style of music does it for me. This time it didn't. Too much whiny guitar, and his voice wasn't that great. It's too bad because I usually appreciate this older style of country music.

Old

Listened to this a couple of days ago. Don't remember a thing about it, except that it was kind of old-fashioned country. Nothing to object to in it, though.

Country der frühen 60er. Das Album wirkt sehr kitschig und besingt die heile Welt, wie sich die ältere Generation sich das erträumte. Wer das Album hört, weiß warum die Welt auf die Beatles, Stones und Who wartete.

Good or bad, I’m not a lover of classic country music.

This made for fine background noise while working, but definitely not something I'd ever return to.

Cowboy shit, altough he seemed kinda nuts

Competently covers all the typical country bases. Doesn't mean that I like it any more than any other on this inexplicably endless list of country album torture.

Why don't more albums have an introduction? oh, yeah, coz it makes 2 minutes feel like 10!

Bizarrely I didn’t mind this. I guess it made me think of my Mum & Dad. Consequently that skews my view somewhat but as I’d never listen to it again it has to be 2*

It was OK but nothing stood out.

I am not a country fan, and this sounds like just about every other country record from the late 50’s or early 60’s that you’ve ever heard. Not objectionable, but not necessarily an album I needed to hear. 2⭐️

some wannabe Sinatra with a tropical twist. not for me

I've never heard of Ray Price before, but I'm a little familiar with Willie Nelson, and I know of Johnny Paycheck and Floyd Cramer. I've enjoyed a lot of the older country music that I've reviewed so far, so I have pretty high hopes for this album. Well, even though this album had a distinct honky tonk sound (which I tend to enjoy), I found this album pretty dull overall. The songwriting was good, and I enjoyed that all of the songs felt very tied to the theme of night life, but there just wasn't much going on for me musically on this album. The arrangements, while well done, were pretty bland, and I didn't think they were particularly unique or noteworthy. The singing was pretty good, but there wasn't anything particularly novel about Ray Price's voice. While I respect and like the idea of this album, the actual result just wasn't that good in my opinion.

It's funny how tame and kinda boring this is compared to music that came only four or five years later. Ray is clearly talented, and a master of a style of music that was just tailing off in the early 60's, but it's just not something I can get excited about.

A great example of what it is - but both something I would ever reach for.

Tranzit ahh album 🧟

Decent sort of "lounge country." Lacks edge, but well executed. Willie-heads hate this version of Nightlife.

Definitely not my thing.

Pretty low-key, personable (and sorta depressing) country music. I was kind of taken aback from the intro due to how personal and direct it was actually. Outside of that, sounds like something you'd listen to whilst drinking a whiskey at home in your dimly lit living room on a weeknight.

This is fine, a bit underwhelming and not a huge amount to it, but not bad. Country-style crooning, mostly in a melancholy way, a lovely voice, but the lyrics are a bit cliched and there's not enough going on. 2/5.

It was fine, very dated in style and recording quality

Not really my thing

I’m meh on the Night Life

Eh probably will not revisit but it was fine

Nice historical listen, but not something I'd flock back to

Solid country album. Good performances, decent lyrics and melodies. The introduction made me laugh, I can't say I've heard an album where the artist thanks you at the beginning. This is probably not an album/artist I'll feel compelled to revisit but I didn't mind my stay.

Pleasant. Bit dull. Instantly forgettable, sure it was great at the time 52/100

sounds good for the genre.. but not a great album for me.

Was nice to hear something a little different, but not sure I'd come back to it.

It’s a country album that doesn’t really do anything for me. The constant slow honky-tonk swing that permeates the record isn’t my thing. While I’m sure the singing was popular for its time, it wasn’t for me. 2/5

Typical country Western for the 1960s, nothing too out there just the typical drone of the western drawl. Best: Night Life Worst: A Girl in the Night

Ok

Nothing offensive, but nothing noteworthy.

Bad, but not so bad it's actively annoying. It's so generic that I didn't notice when Spotify started playing similar artists afterwards. It was great when he sang about getting drunk and hitting his girlfriend though :/

Sounds a bit like all the 50s solo guys.

he had a great voice but this album was terrible

if I was born in the 30s, this would’ve been lit.

Varje sång låter som om den har spelats i spongebob square pants. Det är inte svinbra. Lite lattjo med enstaka låt. Men en hel skiva av detta. Nej tack.

Kände ändå lite pepp under första låten men tappade gradvis intresset då den gode Ray visade sig leverera helt generisk cowboy-country. Det är inte dåligt, men helt ointressant.

Cool glimpse into a different time and genre I’ve never sought out. That said, not for me.

Not really for me. Just don’t like country

Good to finally dig into some 60s country, but I wasnt particularly attracted to most of the songs. I liked Night Life and Bright Lights and Blonde Haired Women.

reg

This is a style of music I've always hated. Over-produced, over-orchestrated, saccharine and sentimental.

Solid Sixties country stuff, with some funny lines, but I feel like I've heard this before.

Couldn't get beyond the rambling introduction. Tell It Like It Is, etc. I stuck with it as background music. The only country I can tolerate is outsider music. Ray's view of Night Life is a little different to mine.

I like the band more than the featured artist (Willy Nelson AND Johnny Paycheck?!). This is what most 60s country albums sound like to my (admittedly untrained) ear. It's just a lot of songs about them being sad that women are out in the bars having a good time.

The backing band is great, but you can't tell me the singer didn't get this job through nepotism.

you can tell this guy was a alcoholic degenerate.

I just enjoyed it that's my note

Some people like concept albums. Some people (I suppose) like honky-tonk music. Is there really anybody out there craving a concept honky-tonk record?

Biiseinä ihan jees mut tekstit on kyllä välillä aika huoh.

Country, not for me

My favorite was sittin and thinking. But sir, leave these women alone. They are not throwing their life away. They are just being them. JUST LET THEM BE. maybe her friends are actually fine. And the “girls” who you aren’t with...there’s probably a reason.

Ihan miellyttävä ääni tällä kaverilla, blues-henkinen nimibiisi oli ihan jees. Levyllinen kantria ftitm on silti hitokseen liikaa kantria ftitm.

Rehtiä albumia..

#25 - Cool music, liked the intro and the violin. Just not my jam.

It was too old stars 2

Not really a country person. So this wasn’t bad, just not for me. 2/5 Won’t listen again

Wikipedia says this is country / hony-tonk, but the title track "Night Life", (written by Willie Nelson), is more blues than country. The rest of the album is most definitely country (which I can't stand unfortunately).

I'm not a fan of country music so I don't know if I'm missing something, but to me there doesn't seem to be anything remarkable about this album. Maybe it was ground breaking in some way, or genre defining, but I can't hear it. To me it's just a pleasant run of the mill country album, although it is well done.

I'm not the youngest myself, but this is for people older than me. It was alright at first, but after a while I got bored. Favorite song: they all sound very similar to me, so it doesn't matter.

It wasn't a bad album but completely forgettable for me. Pretty much like everything else out there. Not entirely sure how this one ended up on the list tbh.

Apparently this is Honky Tonk as we are told by the singer repeatedly through the album. This guy sings that partying is life and then gets upset that he keeps meeting party girls. A bit of an uncomfortable listen, to be honest. (Subject-wise, musically he is fine apart from the genre) Listens: 1 Rating: 2

I wasn't really into this, it's a bit of a snooze fest. A few songs had some nice pedal steel playing, but it wasn't enough to hold my interest.

A group of songs—one written by Ray—the rest forgotten covers. Is this album on here just to check a “old country western” box? There are countless better country western albums by much better artists. This album confuses more than serves as a placeholder. As for the actual quality of the album, it’s good. Ray gives a fine performance with instrumentation that’s on par. He doesn’t really do anything new, so I still wonder; what’s the point? 2/5

This is an early '60s country album and apparently is the "last grasp of true honky tonk". I still don't quite know what honky tonk means exactly. Wikipedia says it might be an onomatopoeic reference to the sound of the music, and I like that answer so I'm going with it. This thing starts off with Ray Price thanking me for listening to all his music and talking about how hard he worked on this one. Strange, but nice enough I guess. Then he sings "Night Life" the song which honestly is awesome. It's actually a very light country sound, I almost got some Sinatra-esque sound on this. I legitimately liked this song a lot, which made the rest of the album a bit of a letdown. A fairly positive spin on this album is that this is an early concept album about love (or more accurately, getting rejected by women in bars). A more negative spin is that it's a bit too thematically consistent, and some of the lyrics haven't held up particularly well. They're not awful (it's 1963, it could have been a lot worse), but the vibe I kept getting was "these women should want to be with me, they don't, why are they so dumb, they really should be with me". It's a bit exhausting, like maybe it's your personality dude. All of the songs also sound pretty much identical too. I started scrolling through songs on my phone and like every one starts with a nearly identical guitar riff. I know it's early but still, come on now. Anyway, this album is ok but not really for me. He has a nice enough voice, but one song really blends into another here and by the end I feel like I heard the intro, "Night Life" (banger), and a mish-mash of him being mad that women aren't into him. While I'm tempted to round up for "Night Life", the mish-mash has to win out here. Not much for me. Favorite song: Night Life Other: Sittin' and Thinkin', Pride 4/22/24

“The glamour of the gay night life has lured you” 😏

Imagine popping molly in the club to this album tho

Ok. Starts slowly, but gets to classic country. 2-3 stars.

I'm astounded at the fact that the writers of this book can dig up something as obscure and unimportant as this, and then forget that My Chemical Romance exists. Boo, Ray Price, boo. Get off the stage.

I felt obliged to score this more than 1 star due to the creepy introduction, alright Ray calm down I'll listen to the album. Other reviews I appreciated "The Price is Wrong" "Shite Life"

Kaunis, aurinkoinen ja lämmin päivä Munchenin puistossa jokea seuraten jalan niittymaisemissa. Puitteet päräyttävälle musikaaliselle kokemukselle viimeisen päälle olemassa, mutta tämä levy ei vastannut huutoon. Tuskin toisessakaan ajassa ja paikassa toimisi.

Ei sopinut yhtään ajankohtaan, niin oli vaikea saada irti mitään yhtään erikoisempaa. Kuuskytluvun muniinpuhalteluu

Guy can sing but old country isn’t my thing. Not terrible though.

Got so bored of it, its good but from what i could tell mostly all the same. Walking bass line is cool .

not my thing. Great voice though. Favorite Track: Pride

Патрулируя пустоши Мохаве порой задумываешься о ядерной зиме.

Made it half way through. Couldn't do the honky tonk. Not going to lie, I thought at first the album cover was him having a wank over a couple. It was downhill from there. Unnecessary intro track, a not terrible actual first track, and then loads of naff tracks before I pulled the plug. 1.5*

Wow, nightlife in the early 60s sounds pretty wild. This is a cohesive collection of (mostly) other people’s melancholic-yet-jaunty country songs, but it’s arguably too cohesive - it’s very samey, such that even 37 minutes is too long to maintain the sense of old-timey charm it starts out with.

1.5 stars for the vocals, but not a lot here for me.

every song sounds the same. 4/10

I liked how the album felt themed, like you could imagine Price playing a late-night set while the audience drinks and mingles. Songs weren’t too memorable, but were pleasant. Would have been a 3 if he didn’t say “honky tonk” so much.

Great voice and I enjoyed it more than I thought but still not something I would ever listen to again.

Not too bad but a pretty forgettable crooning country album

This isn’t the kind of night life I want. Too twingy twangy for my tastes. I much prefer to air guitar some Zeppelin covers from the dance floor that are being played by a bunch of awkward misfit goons. Rock the fuck out til I can rock no more then stumble down the road for some 2am pizza. But hey, that’s just me. Some other people might prefer to get their rocks off in front of a voyeuristic cowboy creep. And more power to them! Also, this album cover is equal parts alluring and creepy, and it’s really throwing me off how simultaneously compelled and repulsed I am by it. That’s a rare feat in this game.

Like it’s fine in the background but sooooo boring.

I pressed play and thought it was a blues album. I've never been so disappointed so quickly. Love the stereo effects; there's some decent mastering for 1963, but can't help feeling like the out-of-time, super quiet kick panned far left ruins things a little bit in Night Life. I liked the super chill, laid back blues of Night Life, but the country is bollocks. Started strong and rapidly dropped off musically, but Ray's voice is lovely at least. And how many songs need to start with violin chord stabs? Come on, lad, you've got a full band. Use them.

Country music gets on my nerves

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

This album is pretty sleepy and ho-hum for something called "Night Life." It also didn't age very well, the sounds are a bit geezer for me. It also had a hint of Beach Boys meets Sinatra that I didn't really dig. That being said, Price does have a quintessential country baritone voice and I liked the spoken intro, that was a nice touch. No doubt he makes the list for his tempo change to 4/4 and his pal Willie Nelson doing backing vocals and bass here. But if I'm doing country, I want all the tropes (rusty tractors, old dogs, and tears in beers) not seedy nightclubs, cigarettes, and depression. This was like an alcoholic blues album for a very lonely old person who sits in a rocking chair and smokes pipes. Tarantino should remash this as a movie soundtrack. I didn't hate it, there's a time and place perhaps.

Sounds like Prestley went country and stopped shaking his hips. Little luau feel on some songs with slide guitar. I did not expect Ray to have that crooner voice based on the intro. Overall a little to dull.

Another snoozy 60s country album. It's not inherently bad, its just not something I'm interested in. It's fine as background music in the right setting I guess but overall pretty meh. This album seems to do very little to differentiate it from the myriad of other folk/country artists of the day. Simple beat, light acoustic, and a crooner with gospel vibes on vocals. I've never heard of Ray Price before this and expect that all his albums sound just like this. Not sure if there is a reason Night Life stands out or was selected to be on this list but overall this is skippable. 1.55 stars

after listening to cash for so long, finally paid the price

I wanted to like this and this style was copied from this guy so much it sounds generic. It's even called the Ray Price Beat. Unfortunately this album just felt so long. Small doses would have been fine but even at only 37 minutes it felt a lot longer.

Best Song: Let Me Talk to You. Something about the audacity of its unironic commitment to the pathetic/stalker/incel is almost endearing. Worst Song: Lonely Street. It is bordering on absurd to me that anyone ever thought this kind of "street called loneliness" metaphor constituted good writing. Overall: Thank god this shit was short, because I couldn't stomach another honk nor tonk. Lyrically blegh, musically woof.

Greit, litt kjedelig

Regardless of Willie Nelson's involvement this is twangy old fashioned country and western and not my taste. The first blues track is ok, then it's back to country again.

Country, wie Elvis aber ohne R'n'R. Cheesy.

Certainly from a different era. Now a days I would only hear something like that in an SNL skit. I can appreciate classics but I think there is a reason this music has kinda been lost.

Great voice, chill country vibes, feels a bit repetitive. Dig Night Life and Lonely Street.

2.5

Kinda boring and makes me sleepy, I have enjoyed some country from this period though so I don't have anything against the genre or time period.

Woah - Really? A Country Album from 1963...Okay, I'll listen but this is so far out of what I would listen to... Great quality sound on this. However not my style in any way. For those that this fits, I give it 4 stars; however for me it is whiney stuff...So 2 Stars with that in mind

The first song could have been sung by any crooner of the time, really enjoyed the jazz/blues feel. After that I was done

Another album that I listened to without particularly feeling engaged. Pleasant enough but not my sort of thing.

A loose country-concept album of the people who live in the "night life". Country crooning with occasional flashes of blues and jazz throughout which threaten to make it interesting but it soon falls back into standard honky tonkin'. Best Tracks: Night Life; Sittin' and Thinkin'; Bright Lights and Blonde Haired Women

Not really my style

The song Are You Sure was in a season 1 episode of Lost. Enjoyable listening, but not really my style.

This all sounded pretty much the same after the first song. Good for what it is (and definitely better than modern pop-country), but not really my thing.

OK.

old but gold

Too old and the same swing beat through the album, not for me. Will I listen to again: 0%.