Great to see Jim at the top of the charts again!...
Posted by Mike Slater on August 17, 2014, 7:51 pm
I always believed that given enough exposure again and letting new generations of fans be able to hear Jim would put him back at the top of the charts where he belongs! And Larry's new vocal overdub of Jim's "How's The World treating You" has accomplished just that by reaching no.1! It amazes me that certain people who claim to be fans of Jim's don't seem to have enough faith in his talent to believe he reached the top of the charts again for that reason alone and not by being rigged. If Jim had always received the airplay he desrves, I'm sure many more of his recordings would have reached the top as well! Thanks to Larry's great overdubs for giving Jim's songs a more contemporary sound and giving him more hit songs! If Jim were here, he could truly say "I'm A Hit Again"!
Re: Great to see Jim at the top of the charts again!...
The only member of the Reeves family who sent me an email regarding the 2 songs of Jim's in the Europe Top Ten is STILL not happy about it, believing I should have never tampered with these because, after all, the originals were perfect I guess.
And of course Mary was wrong to have kept Jim on the charts with his unreleased songs and overdubs for 20 more years and all that stuff just should have stayed locked up in the RCA vaults or Jim's home and remained unheard, DESPITE JIM TELLING MARY THAT THIS WAS HER INSURANCE.
If Mary hadn't followed the game plan that Jim himself laid out for her, he would be long forgotten by now. I think that Jim wanted his music to survive after his death. That is very clear to me.
I could make a list of popular artists who are deceased and none of their music is available anymore or played on the radio. I believe Jim Reeves deserved better than that.
So despite the jealousy that some may feel over my success (which I share with the incredibly talented people who have helped me), my conscience is clear. I am damn glad I am in a position to help perpetuate Jim's legacy, in spite of what his kinfolk think about it. Because like Mary, I know how much enjoyment and comfort Jim's music has brought to countless people around the world.
Jim Reeves belonged to all of us, not just to them. Thank God.
Re: Great to see Jim at the top of the charts again!...
You bet, Larry! Thank you for keeping Jim's legacy alive for all of us to hear this marvelous voice. I just wish he would get more recognition like some of the other departed stars get and I wish you wouldn't get all the criticism that you are getting for letting us hear the "new" Jim Reeves' wonderful voice. You don't deserve this! Always for Jim, Doris