Jim Reeves And Friends – Radio Days Vol. 1 / Jim Reeves – Kimberley Jim
On July 31, 1964, less than 18 months after Patsy Cline’s fatal airplane crash, Jim Reeves suffered a similar fate when his private plane went down near Brentwood, Tennessee. The smooth crooner with the amazing baritone was the most popular male purveyor of the Nashville Sound, just as Cline was its most celebrated female artist. Reeves’ balladeering style — matched with Chet Atkins’ masterful production — had resulted in country classics such as “Four Walls”, “Welcome to My World”, and “He’ll Have To Go”.
Reeves was an important predecessor to today’s country superstars. Like Garth Brooks, he had a huge international following. Like George Strait, he starred and sang in a major motion picture. Like Shania Twain, he had legions of country and pop fans, but his music was sharply criticized by honky-tonk aficionados who considered him a schmaltzy sellout. Two new reissues shed light on the legacy of the man known as “Gentleman Jim” Reeves.
Radio Days Vol. 1 is a frustratingly repetitive 4-CD box set. As Larry Jordan’s intriguing liner notes explain, Radio Days consists of transcription recordings created in Nashville over a period of years. (Exact recording dates are not provided, but Reeves’ overly polished, between-song comments provide clues.) Like many artists of the day, Reeves recorded separate versions of hits and other songs known as transcriptions. These recordings were not commercially available, as they were intended solely for radio airplay. What’s unusual about the new Bear Family tracks is that they weren’t recorded for a transcription service (such as Tiffany), but rather for “Country Music Time”, a show broadcast to members of the U.S. Air Force.
This set includes six versions of “Blue Boy”, as well as five versions of both “Am I Losing You” and Roger Miller’s “Billy Bayou”. Such overabundance of alternate takes is unjustified, as some versions vary only slightly. Furtherm, the absurd excess of including the radio show’s intro and outro music throughout the four discs is pointless. If you like “Beaumont Rag”, you can hear 30-second snippets of it no less than 36 times here. None of the 14 cuts by guest artists is indispensable. The box set costs about $100 (U.S.), but common-sense editing could’ve trimmed it down to a nice twofer with a smaller price tag.
The sound quality is pristine throughout. While it is interesting to hear Reeves sing live with a small backing band, most of these versions are inferior to the hit recordings. A glossy studio sheen actually enhanced Reeves’ best work, but these versions, do place his unforgettable voice front-and-center; the music never interferes with his velvet touch. These versions aren’t really “stripped down,” though; the vibraphone, the Jordanaires, and the Anita Kerr Singers are employed on various songs to create a fuller sound.
The most fascinating element of the set’s booklet is the reproduction of a 1957 handwritten letter from Reeves, penned in response to a fan who apparently thought his sound had become too pop-oriented. Reeves wrote, “I would truthfully much rather do the country style of the past, but it simply will not sell.”
Although this box set is a fine document for collectors already thoroughly familiar with Reeves’ oeuvre, it is certainly not an appropriate introduction for the casual fan. Many hits aren’t represented, and none of Reeves’ early, twangier work is included. For true completionists, Bear Family also offers a staggering 16-CD set called Welcome To My World, containing all of Reeves’ known studio recordings as well as many demos.
In 1963, Reeves took the starring role in Kimberley Jim, a period piece about a diamond strike filmed on location in South Africa. He was so popular there that he was mobbed by excited fans, and his records outsold those of Elvis Presley and the Beatles. (Reeves even recorded songs in Afrikaans, such as “Net’N Stille Uurtjie”.) He completed work on the film and soundtrack, but died before they were released.
The newly reissued soundtrack is musically identical to the original release. It contains four insipid, cheesy show tunes sung by the cast, along with ten cuts by Reeves. Two of the best numbers, “Could I Be Falling In Love” and “The Search Is Ended”, are string-laden, Perry Como-type ballads that were recorded for the album but not included in the film. Reeves’ voice is in typically superlative shape, but the arrangements have not aged well. The xylophone on “Strike It Rich” and the giggling children’s chorus on “I Grew Up” are simply cringe-inducing. The original liner notes are included, along with an informative essay and recent comments of fans from around the world.
Posthumous Reeves releases have been common over the past 35 years. He had many hits throughout the ’60s and ’70s, including more #1 singles than when he was alive. His chart successes, which continued until the early ’80s, led many to believe that Reeves was still living. In the liner notes to a 1993 RCA compilation, Reeves’ widow, Mary, said she still received phone calls from people inquiring about Reeves’ tour itinerary.
The singer’s legacy is guaranteed to continue for many more years. Dozens of Reeves compilations are still in print. Bear Family is slated to release more heretofore unavailable transcriptions, and Kimberley Jim is available on videotape.