What'd I Say
by Ray Charles

What'd I Say by Ray Charles
Year: 1959
Overall rank: 1,969th   Overall chart history
Average Rating: 
77/100 (from 108 votes)
  Ratings distribution   Average rating history
Accolades:
Award Top 20 albums of 1959 (12th)
Award Top 100 albums of the 1950s (51st)
Award Best albums of all time (1,969th)

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Product Details
Availability

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RAY CHARLES - What'd I Say, Import 180 Gram BLACK VINYL LP New & Sealed!
Condition: New


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Ray Charles 4 LPs – What’d I Say-At Newport-Genius Hits The Road-Recipe For Soul
Condition: Used


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RAY CHARLES "WHAT'D I SAY" (180g) BRAND NEW! STILL SEALED LP! (MINT)
Condition: New


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Ray Charles bestography

What'd I Say is ranked 4th best out of 59 albums by Ray Charles on BestEverAlbums.com.

The best album by Ray Charles is The Genius Of Ray Charles which is ranked number 993 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 1,748.

Ray Charles album bestography « Higher ranked (1,431st)
Ray Charles
This album (1,969th)
What'd I Say
Lower ranked (3,906th) »
The Genius Sings The Blues

(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).

Upcoming concerts

Jun
06
Sat
"Forever Ray" Honoring The Music Of Ray Charles - featuring Whitley as the voice of Ray and Former Ray Charles Raelette Angela Workman
Blue Note Jazz Club, New York, United States. United States
Tickets from Ticketmaster Get tickets
 

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What'd I Say rankings

Rankings summary
Overall rank: 1,969th | 1950s rank: 51st | 1959 rank: 12th

What'd I Say collection

What'd I Say ratings

Average Rating: 
77/100 (from 108 votes)
  Ratings distribution Help Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album.  | Show all 108 ratings for this album.

Sort Sort by
RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
100/100
 
01/13/2026 11:04 Leginlists  Ratings distribution  3,04283/100
 
70/100
 
01/08/2026 20:32 Siromynian  Ratings distribution  1,62978/100
 
70/100
 
12/22/2025 00:56 Exist-en-ciel  Ratings distribution  8,21170/100
 
80/100
 
11/07/2025 19:35 Guigou  Ratings distribution  1,36575/100
 
75/100
 
11/03/2025 09:18 TonySayers61  Ratings distribution  23,98264/100

Rating metrics: Help Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 4% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 76.8/100, a mean average of 76.8/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 77.2/100. The standard deviation for this album is 12.6.

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What'd I Say favourites

Showing all 13 members who have added this album as a favourite

What'd I Say comments

Showing all 9 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First | Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)

Rating:  
85/100
From 07/27/2022 13:51 | #287888
Solid throughout...
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 11/10/2018 16:15 | #224261
I feel like the opening track was the perfect bridge between rock ‘n’ roll and funk. The emphasis seems to switch between the 1st and 3rd (like in funk) and 2nd and 4th (as in rock ‘n’ roll) to such an extent that I honestly think it depends on one’s personal interpretation.

The rest of the album seems to follow the same pattern of hovering between rock ‘n’ roll and funk. But none of them can really be compared with the opener.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 01/22/2018 03:08 | #206268
Not a bad track on this album. Hard to believe there was a time when a song like the title track might be considered too risqué!
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
75/100
From 03/03/2015 04:28 | #136033
The opening track (both parts) is epic.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 09/10/2014 12:59 | #121648
The genius at his best!
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 08/24/2014 08:05 | #120252
ein wirklich grossartiges album das man gehört haben sollte!
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 02/28/2014 00:21 | #104739
A beautiful fusion album with elements of soul, jazz, gospel and rock and roll. Unique in its day and still great today.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 04/12/2013 18:23 | #72671
Unbridled Enthusiasm.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 04/23/2012 14:36 | #40742
The fusing of Jazz and Rock n' Roll here is awesome. I have heard people say that Ray is not only one of the best singers of all time, but is also the king of time- known for his ability to do slow (if you are a musician, you know that anyone can play fast, but not everyone can play slow), and syncopation.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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Best Albums of 1959
1. Kind Of Blue by Miles Davis
2. Mingus Ah Um by Charles Mingus
3. Time Out by The Dave Brubeck Quartet
4. The Shape Of Jazz To Come by Ornette Coleman
5. Berry Is On Top by Chuck Berry
6. Moanin' In The Moonlight by Howlin' Wolf
7. Little Girl Blue by Nina Simone
8. The Genius Of Ray Charles by Ray Charles
9. Gunfighter Ballads And Trail Songs by Marty Robbins
10. Chega De Saudade by João Gilberto
11. N° 4 by Jacques Brel
12. What'd I Say by Ray Charles
13. Porgy And Bess by Miles Davis
14. Jazz In Silhouette by Sun Ra And His Arkestra
15. Ritchie Valens by Ritchie Valens
16. Go Bo Diddley by Bo Diddley
17. Chet by Chet Baker
18. Workin' With The Miles Davis Quintet by Miles Davis Quintet
19. Ella Fitzgerald Sings The George And Ira Gershwin Songbook by Ella Fitzgerald
20. I'm John Lee Hooker by John Lee Hooker