Perhaps not coincidentally, I recently undertook the daunting task of wading through the dizzying, expansive Ray Charles boxed set "Pure Genius: The Complete Atlantic Recordings (1952-1959)" – it's a fantastic, 164-track examination of one of America's true musical icons and his explosive growth over less than a decade. In that same vein, the recent two-disc The Dick Cavett Show: Ray Charles Collection showcases "The Genius" in his Seventies prime – with more than a dozen songs split between three complete episodes of the late, great late-night talk show, this pair of DVDs allows a glimpse at Charles' always fascinating live performances. He easily accomplishes with 14 songs here what is revealed over the course of 164 cuts on "Pure Genius."

Charles was in his early forties and had reinvented music several times over by the time he appeared on Cavett's chat show; fusing and/or tweaking genres was a signature Charles move, one that's on ample display: from the blues to gospel to country to pop, there's very little that Charles can't tackle. (His quirky riff on the Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby" is particularly memorable.) Charles is backed by his trusty Raelettes, but the house band (who can't always keep up with Charles) provides competent support.

Perhaps the most compelling portions of these full-length, hour-long episodes – which also feature guests such as the late Tony Randall waxing perverted, former New York mayor John Lindsay and anthropologist Margaret Mead – are the brief, genuinely engaging chats that Cavett and Charles share, as well as their humorous duet on "Am I Blue." Witty, poignant and candid, these are truly human moments shared that reveal a stark honesty to Charles the person, apart from Charles the gifted musician. Packaged in a fold-out keepcase, the first two episodes are contained on disc one, while the final episode and bonus material are found on the second disc.

The episode breakdowns are as follows:

Episode One: June 26, 1972
Songs performed: "America The Beautiful," "Blues For Big Scotia" and "Am I Blue" (duet with Cavett).

Episode Two: January 26, 1973
Songs performed: "I Feel So Bad," "Georgia On My Mind," "Eleanor Rigby," "I Can't Stop Loving You," "Lift Every Voice and Sing," "America The Beautiful," "Shake" and "Am I Blue" (duet with Cavett).

Episode Three: July 9, 1973
Songs performed: "I Feel So Bad," "Born To Lose" and "Am I Blue" (duet with Cavett).

The Video:

The Dick Cavett Show: Ray Charles Collection presents the episodes as originally broadcast in 1.33:1 fullscreen – unfortunately, the image looks aged and smeary; it has a distinctly dubbed appearance which only makes that vintage set look all the more horrible. A fairly disappointing image.

Dolby 2.0 stereo is the only option available and is solid, if unremarkable – there's no distortion or drop-out and for the most part, Charles sounds terrific. The conversations aren't muffled and every snarky aside is heard loud and clear.

Cavett has recorded brief, casual introductions to each of the episodes and also sat down for the featurette "Cavett Remembers Ray," which runs 12 minutes, 17 seconds. It's a warm, heartfelt look back that reveals the genuine affection these men shared; a great inclusion to this admittedly thin set.

Fans of Ray Charles and DIck Cavett alike will find much to revel in here – it's a set that's light on extras but heavy on charm; the wide range of songs that Charles covers reveals his astounding versatility while the obvious rapport he shares with Cavett will bring a smile to the face of most every music fan. Recommended.