I also like quite a lot of Jim's early recordings, but I'm not sure there is even one from the Abbott days that I liked. These recordings have been re-issed way too much, and this new re-issue is something I think most of us can do without. I have all the songs on the 16-CD Bear set, and that's enough. I do enjoy a lot of Jim's early RCA recordings, however. I loved his first LP "Singing Down The Lane", and even the second one "Bimbo" had a lot of songs I enjoy. Still, none of the early recordings can compare to Jim's smooth, later style of singing.