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Friday, 27 March 2015

Gentleman Jim


If there is a stack of vinyl in a charity shop it is a physical impossibility that it does not contain at least one Jim Reeves album.
Most are absolute twaddle - cheap and nasty compilations cashing in on his untimely death in July 1964 following a plane crash.Like so many artists who have passed on early he has sold far more records dead than alive.Seemingly, his widow Mary was down the middle of a lot of this keeping the industry going
Not so the two albums from which these songs are taken from He'll Have to Go from 1960 and Gentleman Jim from 1963  were recorded prior to his death and  my copies are the RCA Victor originals in fantastic condition picked up for a pound a piece in a St Andrew's charity shop. They unlike much of which followed are quality records.

He was a pretty unlucky guy in that he only turned to singing when a leg injury put pay to his baseball career.
And just to set the record straight he is not Vic Reeves dad!

Jim Reeves - He'll Have To Go

Jim Reeves - I Love You Because
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12 comments:

  1. george27 March 2015 at 11:39

    Great songs, but I hope you were not upsetting your wife by singing along to them

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  2. drew27 March 2015 at 13:02

    Are you sure he's no Vic's da?

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    Replies
    1. Charity Chic27 March 2015 at 17:27

      Aye right enough - stick on a pair of Greggs and there is a certain resemblance

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    2. C27 March 2015 at 17:55

      I was just thinking the same.
      And yes it seems Jim Reeves vinyl albums are compulsory in all charity shops, along with Daniel O'Donnell CDs, oh and any CD by ex-X Factor contestants. Eoghan Quigg, anybody?

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    3. C27 March 2015 at 18:01

      PS A pair of "Greggs"??! Do you mean Bins? :-)

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    4. Charity Chic27 March 2015 at 18:12

      Gregory Pecks - Specks!

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    5. Charity Chic27 March 2015 at 18:14

      C - All Saints, the Corrs, ex SPice Girls and Robbie Williams also feature prominently

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  3. Ernie Goggins27 March 2015 at 20:47

    Hate to be pedantic but when you say "the two albums from which these songs are taken... were recorded prior to his death" - surely all of them were recorded prior to his death? Not released, maybe, but recorded. Even Jim wasn't that good...

    On a more positive note, "He'll Have To Go" is one of the greatest records ever made. That and "Little Old Wine Drinker Me"

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    Replies
    1. george28 March 2015 at 13:56

      But do you think they are better than Jungle Rock or The Monster Mash, Ernie?

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    2. Ernie Goggins28 March 2015 at 18:50

      I like 'Jungle Rock' but I'm not sure it would even come top of my chart of "best rockabilly songs about rockin' in Africa". That would go to "Ubangi Stomp"

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  4. Charity Chic27 March 2015 at 20:50

    Good point well made Ernie

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