The Essential Jim Reeves

Amazon.com
As much as any performer this side of Patsy Cline, Jim Reeves exemplified the Nashville Sound. Chet Atkins's lush production fit like a cardigan sweater around the Texan's cozy baritone; it was a sound traditionalists believed was antithetical to true country music. Record buyers, however, begged to differ--in droves. The so-called countrypolitan movement produced its share of schlock, but Reeves had much going for him, most notably a knack for finding apropos material, including "Welcome to My World," "Four Walls," and "He'll Have to Go." This 20-track overview features 20 trademark tunes cut between 1957 and his death in a 1964 plane crash. For refined rural Romeos and Juliets, these are the cozy tunes that established the country crooner as something of a Nat King Cole in cowboy boots. --Steven Stolder

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Average customer rating: The Essential Jim Reeves This includes all the songs I was looking for! Definitive American hits collection Expertly picked 40-track anthology of Nashville hitmaker

The Essential Jim Reeves Jim Reeves Manufacturer: RCA ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Country | Styles | Music Nashville Sound | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music General | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: All Time Gospel Favorites: The Encore Collection We Thank Thee The Essential Marty Robbins The Essential Charley Pride Jim Reeves - Greatest Hits [2001] ASIN: B000F9TCIM Release Date: 2006-05-30

Tracks:

1. Mexican Joe
2. Bimbo
3. Beatin' On The Ding Dong
4. Penny Candy
5. Drinking Tequila
6. Yonder Comes A Sucker
7. According To My Heart
8. Waiting For A Train
9. Four Walls
10. Two Shadows On Your Window
11. Blue Boy
12. It Is No Secret (What God Can Do)
13. Billy Bayou
14. Home
15. He'll Have To Go
16. I'm Gettin' Better
17. I Know One
18. I Missed Me
19. Am I Losing You
20. The Blizzard

Tracks:

1. Losing Your Love
2. Adios Amigo
3. I'm Gonna Change Everything
4. Is This Me
5. Guilty
6. Welcome To My World
7. Love Is No Excuse- featuring Dottie West
8. I Guess I'm Crazy
9. I Won't Forget You
10. This Is It
11. Is It Really Over?
12. Snowflake
13. Distant Drums
14. Blue Side Of Lonesome
15. I Won't Come In While He's There
16. I Heard A Heart Break Last Night
17. That's When I See The Blues (In Your Pretty Brown Eyes)
18. When You Are Gone
19. When Two Worlds Collide
20. Angels Don't Lie

Customer Reviews:

The Essential Jim Reeves.......2007-03-21

This cd has a lot of the hits that made Jim Reeves a household name. No one croons a love song like he does. If you like Jim Reeves you will love this compilation of music.

This includes all the songs I was looking for!.......2006-11-10

This set of two CD's contains all the great songs I remember and a few I had never heard. If you would like to relax and to remember the smooth sound of Jim Reeves, you will be glad you bought this album!

Definitive American hits collection.......2006-10-30

Please note this is a re-issue of the earlier Anthology double CD with different title and packaging but an identical track listing. Unlike, the original set, this one has been given a British release although (as I'll explain later), Brits may notice that some of Jim's biggest UK hits are missing.

Jim's hit career was more complicated than most, because he had different hits in different countries. So, depending on which country you live in, the tracks you regard as essential will vary. This particular collection appears to be the definitive American hits collection, beginning with his earliest hillbilly music (the first eight tracks) and ending with the pop crossover music that everybody remembers him for (the remaining thirty two tracks). Of course, Jim had far more than forty hits so plenty of minor hits are missing but all of Jim's big American country and pop hits are here.

Everybody has their own favorites, but here you will find Distant drums, He'll have to go, I won't come in while he's there, I guess I'm crazy, Snowflake, Welcome to my world, Adios Amigo, Is it really over, This is it, Blue side of lonesome, Bimbo, Mexican Joe, Yonder comes a sucker and so much more. Eighteen of the twenty tracks from an earlier compilation also titled Essential Jim Reeves (the best American single CD compilation) are here, the exceptions being I love you because (a minor American hit) and Suppertime (not a hit in America).

Brits and expatriate Brits thinking of buying this collection should note the omission of three UK top ten hits (There's a heartache following me, I love you because, It hurts so much) and three other UK top twenty hits (You're the only good thing, Not until the next time, But you love me daddy). If you are looking for these tracks, you'll find them on a compilation made for the British market. This compilation was originally released for the American market so there is no reason for any of these songs to be included here.

Some songs turn up regularly on Jim Reeves compilations but others are occasional visitors. I was particularly pleased that they included Love is no excuse, a duet with Dottie West. Dottie was struggling for recognition until Jim persuaded RCA to sign her. She stayed with RCA for fourteen years so it was clearly good for all concerned but might have been even better. Love is no excuse, together with its B-side, was intended to be the primer for an album of duets. The rest of the album was never recorded because Jim died in a plane crash while the single was in the country top ten. It must have been particularly hard for Dottie to come to terms with as she had lost another friend (Patsy Cline) the year before in a different plane crash.

For American fans of Jim Reeves, this is the definitive hits collection. For Jim's British fans, here's a chance to get some classic songs that don't get released very often in Britain as well as some very familiar songs.

Expertly picked 40-track anthology of Nashville hitmaker.......2006-06-01

Reeves was a consistent presence in the country charts throughout the late 50s and early 60s, landing single after single in the upper reaches of the country charts, and often finding crossover success in the pop world. So unquenchable was the public's thirst for his work, that even his untimely death in a 1964 plane crash couldn't quell his commercial success; his posthumous releases continued to land at the top of the country chart throughout the rest of the '60s, and albums that mixed these hits with previously released material continued to sell briskly.

Reeves' earliest successes, recorded for Fabor Robison's Abbott label, hardly predicted the soft Nashville Sound he'd spearhead just a few years later. 1953's "Mexican Joe" and "Bimbo," are chock full of twang, and though the playful lyrics are more Arthur Godfrey than Hank Williams, the barrelhouse piano, fiddle and steel are miles from the pop-influenced material Reeves would record at RCA. It was that 1955 transition, moving from Abbott to RCA (and not coincidentally moving from the Louisiana Hayride to the Grand Ol' Opry) that gave Reeves his new sound.

It wasn't an instantaneous transition, as 1955's "Yonder Comes a Sucker" shows. Reeves is still singing country, and his 1956 cover of Jimmie Rodgers' "Waiting for a Train" still has fiddle and steel at the break. Where you can really start to hear the turn is with 1957's Chet Atkins produced "Four Walls," on which the tempo is slowed, smooth background singers are added, and Reeves draws out his vocal into a bona fide croon. Throughout the rest of the decade Reeves and Atkins continued to explore and tune the new sound, smoothing out both the singing and arrangements as they went.

Reeves discovery of himself as a ballad singer had nothing but a positive effect on his career, sustaining his country success and crossing over with the likes of "Four Walls, "He'll Have to Go," and "Welcome to My World." Throughout the early '60s his singles continued to top the country chart while regularly turning up in the lower reaches of the pop top 100. Though Reeves could write his own material, he and Atkins also had good ears for songs from Nashville stalwarts like Roger Miller, Bill Anderson, Harlan Howard, and many others. The result is an unusually strong and deep catalog of easy-going material that shares some of the somnambulistic qualities of Perry Como, but retaining a hint of the edge with which Reeves began.

Among the dozens of Reeves collections, this 2-CD set stands tall. Originally released in 2003 under the title "Jim Reeves - Anthology," it includes material that wouldn't fit on a single disc, yet it's not so encyclopedic (as is Bear Family's 16-disc "Welcome to My World") to be without focus. Reeves best-loved hits are here, running from his Abbott sides, through his early work at RCA to his most famous Nashville sound hits and through posthumous hits "Is it Really Over?" "Distant Drums" and "I Won't Come in While He's There." The rebranding of this 2003 anthology only extends to the title and cover art; the track list and liner notes remain the same as the original "Anthology" release. [©2006 redtunictroll at hotmail dot com]

Average customer rating:

Welcome to My World: The Essential Jim Reeves Collection Jim Reeves Manufacturer: RCA ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Country | Styles | Music Nashville Sound | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music ASIN: B000008JW3 Release Date: 1993-03-23

Tracks:

1. My Heart's Like a Welcome Mat
2. Mexican Joe
3. My Rambling Heart
4. Padre of Old San Antone
5. Where Does a Broken Heart Go?
6. Yonder Comes a Sucker
7. According to My Heart
8. Four Walls
9. Blue Boy
10. Billy Bayou
11. Am I Losing You
12. Home
13. Partners
14. Need Me
15. I Know One
16. He'll Have to Go
17. In a Mansion Stands My Love
18. I Missed Me
19. Railroad Bum
20. Welcome to My World
21. I'm Gonna Change Everything
22. Little Ole Dime
23. Love Is No Excuse
24. Rosa Rio
25. I Won't Forget You
26. Maureen
27. Is It Really Over?
28. Missing You
29. Oh, How I Miss You Tonight
30. Have You Ever Been Lonely (Have You Ever Been Blue)

Average customer rating: As essential as air, as water Gentleman Jim THE ONE, THE ONLY, THE VERY BEST! when the cold wind is blowing Where's the early stuff?

The Essential Jim Reeves Jim Reeves Manufacturer: RCA ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Country | Styles | Music Nashville Sound | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music General | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Jim Reeves - Greatest Hits [2001] Moonlight and Roses/Jim Reeves Way All Time Gospel Favorites: The Encore Collection Jim Reeves & Patsy Cline - Greatest Hits We Thank Thee ASIN: B000002WT8 Release Date: 1995-08-01

Tracks:

1. Four Walls
2. Blue Boy
3. He'll Have To Go
4. Home
5. Am I Losing You
6. The Blizzard
7. I'm Gettin' Better
8. I Know One
9. Adios Amigos
10. I Love You Because
11. I'm Gonna Change Everything
12. Welcome To My World
13. Is This Me
14. I Guess I'm Crazy
15. This Is it
16. Is It Really Over
17. Distant Drums
18. I Won't Forget You
19. Blue Side Of Lonesome
20. Suppertime

Amazon.com

As much as any performer this side of Patsy Cline, Jim Reeves exemplified the Nashville Sound. Chet Atkins's lush production fit like a cardigan sweater around the Texan's cozy baritone; it was a sound traditionalists believed was antithetical to true country music. Record buyers, however, begged to differ--in droves. The so-called countrypolitan movement produced its share of schlock, but Reeves had much going for him, most notably a knack for finding apropos material, including "Welcome to My World," "Four Walls," and "He'll Have to Go." This 20-track overview features 20 trademark tunes cut between 1957 and his death in a 1964 plane crash. For refined rural Romeos and Juliets, these are the cozy tunes that established the country crooner as something of a Nat King Cole in cowboy boots. --Steven Stolder

Customer Reviews:

As essential as air, as water.......2007-03-22

Recommending Jim Reeves is like recommending air, water, food. Of course everyone needs to breathe! And it seems as fundamental that any music lover should own at least one Jim Reeves CD. He was unmatched not only because he possessed a lovely, smooth baritone, but also because he delivered all of his songs with absolute respect for them.

I grew up with Reeves as part of the background music--but some songs were also in the foreground. One of those is the lovely "I Love You Because"--a song as innocent as dew. I can't think of anyone who could have delivered it the way Reeves delivered it: he invested it with more depth than it would otherwise bear and made it a lovely example of pure, unconditional love.

Reeves also delivered songs of surprising emotional complexity. Two of the best known, "Four Walls" and "He'll Have to Go," are deceptively simple. In fact, each is a testament to tortured relationships, to love that perseveres in spite of betrayal. And, amazingly, Reeves (or the "narrator" of those songs--the "I") does not appear at all diminished. The jaunty "Blue Boy" is another great example: Reeves bears his sad state with more than equanimity. Even "The Blizzard"--which could have been pure hokum--becomes a thoughtful song in Reeves' rendition.

One of the telling facts is that Reeves made songs his own: earlier or later versions have never obscured the brilliance of his own renderings. Who wants their work compared with these great originals?

This particular collection brings together a reasonably wide array of Reeves' music. The CD has strong production qualities, and the order of the selections is good--beginning with the iconic "Four Walls" and ending with the lovely gospel song "Suppertime." It's hard to go wrong with Reeves, who could have sung a McDonald's drive-through menu to good effect--but this is an especially good collection, with a good insert that does justice to this great gentleman.

Gentleman Jim.......2006-04-13

Here is a fine collection from the smoothest voice in Country Music (well, besides Roy Drusky). 20 numbers here, and all original recordings, sung by the only voice that could sing them. There are the expected songs "Four Walls", "He'll Have to Go", and "Am I Losing You", and there are the less popular, but still worthy, "This is It", "I Love You Because", and "Suppertime". Also includes a small, but fine, booklet of info regarding the late Jim Reeves. I do wish some of his older work would've been included (ie "Bimbo", and "Snowflake"), but I'm very satisfied with the 20 numbers included here......and so will you.

THE ONE, THE ONLY, THE VERY BEST!.......2003-12-17

I have owned this CD compilation for exactly two years and it is still one of my family's all time favorites. What can you say about "Gentleman Jim Reeves" that has not already been said? No male country singer before or since could stroke a lyric with his great mellow baritone voice like Jim Reeves. It is a misnomer to call him just a "country singer" as he crossed over into the pop area time and time again with his inimitable versions of current hit songs and older classics. It is truly a shame that there is no one in the country genre today who even comes close to the Reeves style and presentation. If you can listen to one of Jim's ballads and not become emotional then I question whether you have blood coursing through your veins.

The sound quality is excellent due to a great remastering job. A major portion of the credit for the beauty, musicality and richness of this compilation is due to the beautiful arrangements many of them done by the legendary backup quartet, the Anita Kerr Singers. There has never been a classier, more gorgeous blend of voices in the history of recorded music and they, in combination with Jim Reeves, are unbeatable. My particular favorite cuts on this CD are "He'll Have To Go", "Am I Losing You?", I Guess I'm Crazy" and "Is It Really Over?". They are not writing beautiful songs like that anymore either, sad to say.

when the cold wind is blowing.......2002-12-16

When the weather drops below -20 degree celsius over here it's nice to have the music of Jim Reeves around. A true country great and a friend of Scandinavia. He came over here three times in the early sixties, when he had big hits with "Adios Amigo" and "Welcome to my world". This is country music done with style!

Where's the early stuff?.......2000-09-06

To call this "essential" would be likened to editing a good book & saying you were getting only the "essential" stuff. "Essential" in who's opinion? While this does concentrate on his big mega hits, where are the early songs that made him big such as "Mexican Joe" & "Bimbo"? As short of a running time as this has, BMG should be ashamed of themselves. We need a volume 2 to concentrate on the early stuff!

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