Ron, I'm SHOCKED! You named two of my best overdubs! I assume you mean you don't care for the ORIGINAL versions! :)

Actually, what we did on "The New Recordings" (which has been the single biggest seller in 11 years) was take the original "Scarlet Ribbons" which just featured Chet Atkins on guitar and Bob Moore on bass, and augmented this with a beautiful orchestral arrangement that included flute and strings. Danny Crawford, one of the top orchestrators in the country, wrote the charts and dramatically transformed the song. It is really beautiful.

I happen to agree with you on "Til The End of the World" and that's why I've never overdubbed it.

As for "How's the World Treating You," the original seemed lifeless and some of the guitar parts were not good. I had seen James Taylor and Alison Krauss sing this song and it was incredibly pretty the way they did it. Unlike a typical duet, where the two singers trade off on the lyrics, they both sang all the words all the way through. So I decided to take Jim's track and strip it down. I asked one of Nashville's top guitarists, Jim Frazier, to play nylon string guitar (and he also plays piano), and then I brought in Barbi Franklin to harmonize with Jim. It took us three days to cut the overdub as I kept reworking the musical arrangement.

I had her sing high and low parts and alternate within a phrase so then when she typically would have gone down the scale, for instance, she went up instead. The result is that it makes it sound like Reeves is harmonizing with her in parts.

This was so popular when released on "New Recordings" I couldn't resist putting it on the new 8 CD set, "The Great Jim Reeves" as well and I know it is going to get A LOT of airplay. In fact, I predict big things for this song and I have reason for saying that. I'll leave it at that for the moment.

With regard to "An Old Christmas Card," David I know that you do not like ANY songs that have a religious or holiday connotation. Musically speaking this is a fine tune, written by Vaughn Horton originally for Bing Crosby. Sara and I go into more detail in the 48-page booklet, "Songs & Recordings," that accompanies the new CD set. Incidentally, this is not some little CD-sized booklet. This is a full-sized approximately 5x7" booklet.

I have posted excerpts of the two songs which you can hear as samples by clicking the link below. First you hear Barbi and Jim; she matched his phrasing perfectly and is a very smooth singer. We even electronically measured the amount of reverb on Jim's voice and then applied the same amount to her, and she sang on a mic similar to what Reeves used. That's why we were able to make it sound like they were in the same room singing together. Barbi is well known in Southern Gospel music circles and her husband, Terry Franklin, is a former alumnus of the famed Gaither Vocal Band headed by Bill Gaither. Barbi also plays violin and is part of my string section, having done some string arrangements on the CDs as well.

If you listen closely to "An Old Christmas Card" you will notice that I brought in my string section to augment the original, but Scott Graham, who used to work for Billy Joel, and is now one of my arrangers/engineers in Florida, wrote new string parts. You will hear new strings playing around 10 seconds into the song and notice the TWO cellos going down the scale as well. It's really pretty.

Jim's Christmas songs now have a rich new patina, with lush strings and other instrumental enhancements that make them sparkle. Wait til you hear "Mary's Boy Child" and "O Little Town Of Bethlehem."

I know audio samples online don't do it justice but believe me, when you actually hear this music on your home stereo, you are going to be thrilled by the enhanced richness and clarity on Jim Reeves' voice, plus the spectacular new musical accompaniment, supplied by some of the world's top musicians. And that is not hyperbole. These 8 CDs and 48 page booklet are a bargain at only $39.95 -- less than half what Bear is charging for that God-awful Abbott crap, and more than 100 fewer songs than we're featuring. You can order our CD at: www.jim-reeves.com/greatjimreeves.html