| The Very Best of Ray Stevens | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | December 1975[1] | |||
| Genre | Pop, country, novelty, comedy | |||
| Label | Barnaby | |||
| Ray Stevens chronology | ||||
| ||||
The Very Best of Ray Stevens is a collection of 12 previously released singles that were hits for novelty/country artist, Ray Stevens;[2] it was released in December 1975 by Barnaby Records. While this collection has more emphasis on Stevens' hits for Barnaby, it also contains three from the label of Monument Records ("Unwind," "Mr. Businessman," and "Gitarzan") and two from Mercury Records (Stevens' first label). The version of "Mr. Businessman" is the single release. "Gitarzan" is the album version that begins with an audience cheering and applauding. "Ahab the Arab" is the original recording that was released by Mercury (Stevens had re-recorded the song for his album Gitarzan in 1969).
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Misty" | Erroll Garner, Johnny Burke | 2:53 |
| 2. | "Unwind" | Ray Stevens | 3:05 |
| 3. | "Turn Your Radio On" | Albert E. Brumley | 2:09 |
| 4. | "Everything Is Beautiful" | Ray Stevens | 3:29 |
| 5. | "Mr. Businessman" | Ray Stevens | 3:39 |
| 6. | "Indian Love Call" | Rudolph Fainl, Otto Harbach, Oscar Hammerstein II | 3:26 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Streak" | Ray Stevens | 3:15 |
| 2. | "Jeremiah Peabody's Poly-Unsaturated Quick Dissolving Fast Acting Pleasant Tasting Green and Purple Pills" | Ray Stevens | 2:22 |
| 3. | "Nashville" | Ray Stevens | 3:05 |
| 4. | "Moonlight Special" | Ray Stevens | 3:47 |
| 5. | "Gitarzan" | Ray Stevens, Bill Everette | 3:13 |
| 6. | "Ahab the Arab" | Ray Stevens | 3:45 |
| Chart (1075) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| USBillboard Top LPs & Tape | 173 |
| US Billboard Top Country LPs | 19 |
