A piece of country music history
G. Thompson | Belfast United Kingdom | 07/02/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I've only just bought this attractively produced boxed set, and cannot recommend it highly enough. It features several Nashville artists on tour in Europe in April 1964, at the height of Beatlemania and the Mersey beat, in what was a major effort by the country music industry to promote another musical fashion. Several RCA artists featured on the tour including the Anita Kerr singers, Bobby Bare, Chet Atkins, and the Blue Boys, but the main attraction, and the real reason behind the tour and, indeed, this boxed set, was the great Jim Reeves, who, at the time of the tour, had done more than any other singer to take country music outside of its US confines and make it popular world-wide. At the time, Jim's star was on the rise and he was enjoying a series of pop hits ("I love you because" was in several European charts at the time and the set contains video of Jim's brief rendition of this song at Amsterdam airport). As it tragically turned out, Jim Reeves was killed in a plane crash near Nashville just a few weeks after the tour, on 31 July 1964. The tour is therefore an important part of Jim Reeves and country music history. There are four CDs featuring concerts in Sweden, Germany and Norway, an interview with Jim, and US artists singing in German (this was done as part of the RCA promotion of country music in Europe after Jim died, and there is no doubt that he would have also recorded in German). The set also features an excellent DVD of the Oslo concert. This is in b&w, but it is very clear, and, as I watched it, I was transported back in time. When Jim came on stage as the main act, the crowd was spell-bound, and it struck me once again what an incredibly wonderful voice the man had. His death was such a loss to the world of music. The set also includes a lavishly illustrated hardcover book. This set is not cheap but, in my view, it is worth every dollar. Many thanks to Bear Family and all associated with this venture. You have made available to a wider audience a piece of country music history but, above all, another part of the rich and irreplaceable legacy of Jim Reeves.
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Track Listings (24) - Disc #1