Ever on the lookout for Jim Reeves items, as I have been for over 50 years, I happened to be on holiday in Lincoln, England, recently when I came across, in a charity shop, a copy of Jim’s iconic LP ‘Yours Sincerely’. What caught my eye immediately was the fact that it bore a completely different LP cover to the one I was used to.

I have long owned a copy of ‘Yours Sincerely’ ©1967 and sporting a picture of Jim wearing his famous Kimberley Jim suit. The sleeve says it was an RCA Victor recording issued in England by The Decca Record Company Ltd. The rear of the sleeve gives a liner note by Chet Atkins as well as the obligatory track listing. The orange record label says ‘Stereo electronically reprocessed RCA Victor’ and manufactured by RCA limited, England. It also states in small print ‘TPRS 1980’on one side and ‘TPRS 1979’ on the other, and I’m really not sure what this refers to.

Now this different LP has a picture on the front of Jim as if it were a drawing of a head and shoulders bronze cast. The rear of the sleeve gives the same liner notes, but much smaller, again a track listing but also a picture of Jim taken from the ‘We Thank Thee’ shoot standing against a tree wearing a buttoned cardigan. The sleeve again states © 1967. The issuer is given as RCA Ltd and the personnel credits are the same in each case. This orange label makes no reference to Stereo, and the manufacturer is given as RCA Limited, England. In both cases the issue numbers are the same – SF-7906 (LSP-3709) – and the label again states in small print ‘TPRS 1980’ on one side and ‘TPRS 1979’ on the other.

The record was very modestly priced, being in a charity shop, and I had to buy it for my collection, even though the cover and record label are both well worn.

What I’m wondering is why on earth would two versions of this major LP be issued in apparently the same year and for the same market? Moreover the picture on the front of this second cover is one I’ve never come across before. The soundtracks are identical.

Has anyone out there come across this second LP before please, or could offer any explanation? Thanks.

Martin Rolls