Posted by JULIE (Webmistress) on July 7, 2014, 7:59 am
Depending on where you live in the world, you may already be seeing "Christmas in July" promotions. QVC, the Home Shopping Network and other television shows are already selling Christmas decorations and products for the holidays, for those who like to get a head start on their shopping!
Some of the TV networks have also been running "Christmas In July" programs -- old sitcoms that had a holiday theme. I guess the idea behind this is to make people forget the sometimes oppressive heat that July can bring.
Well last night, after watching a bit of one of the home shopping TV shows talk about Christmas, I put on CD #7 "New Songs and Christmas" from the SPECTACULAR new 8 CD set, "The Great Jim Reeves," and sat back and listened to Jim croon in those stunning new musical settings. It was like hearing them for the first time!
I wonder if people who have NOT bought the new set really have any idea of how incredible this all sounds? I think not. If they did, they would this very moment order the new release...176 tracks for only $49.95. It comes in a silver trimmed, high-gloss, unique case, along with a colorful 48-page booklet written by Reeves biographer Larry Jordan (and daughter Sara), who present fascinating details about every track on the set! Plus there are very rare b&w and COLOR photos throughout.
There's just nothing out there in the marketplace that even remotely begins to compare to this set and I am absolutely mystified by why every person who calls themselves a Jim Reeves fan, and who visits my site (thousands per month), hasn't bought this set.
The last time I checked Amazon, there were over 4,400 Jim Reeves CDs available, but NOTHING LIKE THIS.
Would you rather buy the same old same old same old same old? The audio quality of most of those rehashes has suffered over the years and the tracks have been copied so many times Jim's music is often not clear, or it is raspy or it is even running at the wrong speed! We have heard some really BAAAAAAAD copies of Jim's songs on some of these CDs, and they don't bother to even try to clean up the audio or come up with a new picture for the front of the CD.
What is amazing is that this stuff sells at all. But you just know that the various record labels would NOT be releasing so much of this crap if people weren't buying it.
WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE? I would like to know what makes them tick? They care enough about Jim Reeves to purchase one of his CDs but they don't care how it sounds? It doesn't make sense. But as someone once observed, "nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the public."
YOU are smarter than that.
The new 8 CD release, "The Great Jim Reeves," features recordings by Jim that have been very carefully restored and enhanced for the best possible audio quality. There is no way to really describe how clear and rich Jim's voice now sounds, without actually hearing it. (The audio samples online give you some idea, but they are "low resolution" samples that don't sound as good as the actual disks).
I cannot emphasize strongly enough that even if you never bought anything on this site before, THIS is one set you DEFINITELY need to acquire. You won't be disappointed.
Jim's Christmas tracks (there are new vocals and new songs besides those found on the "Twelve Songs Of Christmas" LP), are EXCITING. The additional string players, the new rhythm, the other little embellishments, really enliven and beautify these tracks. Listen to how lively "The Merry Christmas Polka" now sounds with those violins plunking their strings! Or bowing quickly to enhance the lively rhythm! Or the new calypso beat on "Mary's Boy Child." My personal favorite are the luscious new strings on "An Old Christmas Card", especially in the front part of the song, where the violins, violas and cellos (two of the latter!) play down the scale as Jim sings. It all comes together in such a splendid arrangement and just sounds so RICH and WONDERFUL it gives me chills to hear it.
So do yourself a favor. Quit procrastinating and order this SPECTACULAR (there's that word again) set!!!! Click below to hear samples and place your order. -- JULIE
Posted by Tom on July 7, 2014, 3:52 pm, in reply to "CHRISTMAS IN JULY"
Julie, you are SO right! I have been an avid Jim Reeves fan for over 40 years, and have bought a LOT of his music, but nothing...NOTHING...compares to this set. I love EVERY single song on here. Disc 1 is my least favorite, but it is still so much better than anything on the market, now or ever! I am waiting, rather impatiently, for the DVD Jim Reeves Anthology to get here. I just can't get enough. It truly is Christmas in July. I also want to take this opportunity to thank you and Larry and Sara so much for the HARD work, the expense, the time away from other activities and what not and the love you show for the legacy of this great man! I've waited my whole life for someone like you to bring Jim back to the fore-front where he belongs. THANK YOU!!!!
Re: CHRISTMAS IN JULY
Posted by JULIE (Webmistress) on July 7, 2014, 6:29 pm, in reply to "Re: CHRISTMAS IN JULY" Board Administrator
Thank you for your kind words. They are appreciated. We get a lot of private messages via email and people even take the time to write us very lengthy, longhand letters from all over the world, expressing appreciation for this music.
If you listened to that repeat of the BBC2 tribute to Jim, Mary can be heard saying that she wanted to give the people what they wanted, because Jim's music means so much to them. SHE WAS RIGHT. And it is the philosophy both Larry and I (and now Sara) have embraced.
Jim's music DOES touch countless lives, in so many ways. As Larry says, when he works with Jim's tracks, he is "working with the greatest singer in the world." What a privilege that is, and it's why he is so careful with how he showcases Mr. Reeves, as are the musicians who know that every note matters. I am not on the front lines of any of this music production but I hear little bits and pieces of conversations and know how dedicated the team is that Larry has assembled. Every single person wants to do their very best, and you can tell that by how marvelous it all sounds!
BTW, the surprises are not over. There will be word soon of a TV SPECIAL TO AIR YET THIS MONTH that is a tribute to Jim. In fact, it was taped this past weekend.
So keep checking the Fan Forum for more details and in the meantime, please help us promote these new CD and DVD releases by telling everybody you know who loves country music about them!
If you have a Facebook page, please post a link to my site (www.jim-reeves.com) and brag up the wonderful music to be found here. If they are not supported, they will come to an end. And there is still unheard music by Jim that fans should have a chance to hear! -- JULIE
I agree with Tom about "The Great Jim Reeves" 8-CD set. Every song in this set is a gem! I have to say that I even enjoyed the first disc of Jim's early recordings. They never sounded better than they do on this set, and in my opinion, Larry and Voicemasters picked the best of the best from this period. And if I'm praising the early songs this much, then you can imagine how much praise the rest of this set deserves! It truly sounds as if Jim just recorded each song yesterday, and the newly remastered sound, the great clarity in Jim's voice and the fantastic newly overdubbed music WILL make you feel as if you're hearing these songs for the first time, just as Julie says! I've listened to the entire set, and every track is a winner! The booklet by Larry and Sara is very enjoyable too! It's filled with lots of background info on each track in the set, and there are lots of great photos included too, some presented here for the first time! If you don't have this unique set, then you shouldn't wait another minute to order if you're a true Jim Reeves fan! A big thank you to Larry, Julie, Sara, all the great singers and musicians and the entire Voicemasters crew for giving Jim's releases the love and care his music truly deserves!