It’s good to know that Jim hasn’t been overlooked in the ‘VINYL REVIVAL’. Not Now Music have this year released a 12” LP called The Very Best of Jim Reeves. Perhaps a not very inventive title, but the cover shows a b/w photo of Jim from the ‘Singing Down the Lane’ shoot against a sky blue background. It looks quite smart. The LP itself is certainly not a flexidisc, but is a noticeable 180g vinyl.

The sound quality is very good indeed, at least to my old ears, and with a fairly generous 18 tracks (with no surprises) at £12.75 (about $17 at present) plus a not unreasonable p&p charge, it compares well in the UK market.

The fairly extensive liner notes are by someone called Peter Hogan, who seems to regularly write liners for Not Now, though I find that even after all these years he still incorrectly gives Jim’s dob as 1924. Funnily enough Not Now get date right in the blurb on their website.

He goes on to state that Jim’s first two records for his first label were ‘Bimbo and Mexican Joe, both included here’. In fact as Larry pointed out in his very detailed book Jim Reeves His Untold Story, the first release was Wagon Load of Love, and certainly Mexican Joe was released before Bimbo which I think was several down the line. Not only that but Mexican Joe isn’t actually included on the LP at all!

Lastly Peter Hogan says that after Jim toured in Norway, Britain and Ireland 'he’d go on to record several albums of Irish songs'. Not, so but how we must all wish he had!

So by no means perfect, but certainly a good place to start if any new converts want a modern vinyl issue.


Martin Rolls